Board and Management

Mr. Smith was formerly employed at Bruce Nuclear Power Development. He spent 23 years in Operations at the Bruce Heavy Water Plant and 16 years as a Senior Chemical Operator. After that position, Mr. Smith spent 10 years on site in the Nuclear Safety Training department developing and delivering safety training to plant personnel.

Mr. Smith served as an elected municipal official for 27 years. He served as Mayor of Saugeen Shores 12 years and Bruce County Warden in 2010 and 2011.

Mr. Smith is involved in the community and has served on a number of boards and committees, including the Bruce Community Development Corporation Board, Grey Bruce Public Health Unit (Chair), Saugeen Shores Police Services Board (Chair), and Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority.

Mr. Boucher was employed for 20 years in the facilities services industry managing in the areas of health and safety, risk management, and human resources. He was the Director of Human Resources in a multinational company before resigning to become an entrepreneur.

Mr. Boucher has developed or co-developed many corporate and industry specific policies, procedures, and training programs, including in the areas of infection control, health and safety and management training.

Previously, Mr. Boucher was Chair of the IAPA Offices and Related Services Industry Group. He is a Qualified Arbitrator and a Human Resources consultant.

Mr. Boucher now owns and operates a private healthcare services company in the GTA. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from McGill University and a Masters in Business Administration from McMaster University DeGroot School of Business.

Mr. Carter is returning to Yorkville University to pursue a Bachelor of Business Administration in Energy Management.

Previously, he was a Senior Engineering Technologist for numerous entities, including the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA). During his time at OCWA, he also held positions as the Water Treatment and Transmission Manager (South Peel) and later, the Capital Projects Delivery Program Manager (Corporate). Mr. Carter has served as Commissioning Engineer, Designer, and Project Manager, on water and wastewater projects in Europe and North America that included desalination and solid waste facility run-off capture and treatment. Past experiences have included green energy research in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and high energy radiation research using floating gate MOSFET technology with test equipment flown in the Space Shuttle.

Mr. Carter is a Certified Engineering Technologist with the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists and holds certification from the University of Toronto in Project Management and Reliability Engineering Asset Management as well as obtaining certification as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.

Dr. Kerin grew up in a farming family in the Burren, County Clare, Ireland. He is a graduate in medicine and biochemistry from the National University of Ireland and McGill University (Occupational Health Sciences). He holds a fellowship designation from the Canadian Board of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Noel is also a member of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and the Canadian Occupational and Environment Medical Association of Canada.

Dr. Kerin practices medicine in the fields of occupational and environmental medicine. In this field, he has worked with many of the toxic agents that affect water systems. He is the lead physician studying occupational diseases at General Electric (GE) and Ventra Plastics, Peterborough, Ontario since 2004. The GE investigation is the largest worker toxicology study conducted in Canada.

His work in organizing national conferences in occupational and environmental medicine has allowed him to work with international experts in the fields of occupational and environmental health. Dr. Kerin has firsthand knowledge of the results of industrial pollution of water in such places as Peterborough, where there was major pollution of the water basin of the Little Lake/Otonabee River system. These experiences have encouraged him to want to work further for our clean water.

Dr. Kerin and his family’s work in the community has involved being a spokesperson for the Lung Association in the “second-hand tobacco exposure in children” debate and an organizer of the Breath of Hope Relay fundraising. He has been a member of and Chair of the Board of the Asthma Society of Canada.

Ms. Mitchell works in the nuclear utility sector and is an advocate for energy availability and sustainability. She brings a breadth of experience in mechanical design, risk analysis, and industrial cybersecurity.

As an advocate for First Nations, Ms. Mitchell brings her experience in Indigenous engagement and passion for environmental sustainability to the Board of Directors.

Born and raised in Newfoundland, Ms. Mitchell is a member of the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering. Ms. Mitchell resides in Bruce County.

Ms. Mulvale has served her community in a variety of volunteer, elected, and leadership capacities. Previously, she served as Mayor of the Town of Oakville, Councillor of Halton Region and President of the Association Municipalities of Ontario. Ms. Mulvale has also served on the boards of directors of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System and as an Executive Director of Oakville United Way.

Ms. Mulvale has a history of engagement with Inter-Faith Gatherings for Women, fundraising for numerous not-for-profits locally and internationally.

Ms. Mulvale is a part owner of Soleil Salon & Spa, located in Oakville, Ontario, which focuses on assisting those on a journey with cancer.

Mr. Spitzig is an accountant in public practice with the Baker Tilly branch in Walkerton. He has been serving the farming and business community around the Walkerton area for more than 33 years. He received his Chartered Professional Accountant designation in 2014 and has had his Certified Management Accountant designation from the Society of Management Accountants of Ontario since 1999. Mr. Spitzig also has an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Born and raised in the town of Chepstow, Ontario, Mr. Spitzig has strong ties to the Walkerton area and supports the community through his volunteer service with various organizations.

Mr. Twolan is currently the Mayor of Huron-Kinloss. He began his political career as a Councillor for the Township of Huron-Kinloss before being elected as Deputy Mayor in 2004 and Mayor from 2004 to present. He was elected Warden of Bruce County in 2007, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2020.

Mr. Twolan serves on a number of boards of directors: Great Lakes St. Lawrence Cities Initiative; Grey Bruce Health Unit; Saugeen, Grey Sauble, Northern Bruce Peninsula Source Water Protection Committee; Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT); and Westario Power.

Mr. Twolan is the owner of Lake Range Realty Ltd. in Point Clark, Ontario.

Kara provides strategic leadership to advance the Centre’s mandate of supporting safe drinking water across Ontario.

Kara brings a strong combination of research expertise, strategic planning, and organizational leadership to the role. Prior to becoming CEO, she led Strategic Growth and Planning at WCWC, overseeing market research to inform program development, delivery strategies, and long-term planning. She also played a key role in government relations ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements and interest holder expectations.

In addition to her strategic portfolio, Kara has led the Human Resources function, applying her HR background to strengthen workforce development, organizational culture, and operational effectiveness.

Before joining WCWC, Kara owned and operated a research company specializing in market research for strategic planning and market growth. Her work supported firms serving the industrial and municipal, water, wastewater, and stormwater sectors. She has also contributed to research on workplace mental health injuries and return-to-work practices.

Kara holds a Master of Business Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Leadership from Dalhousie University, a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Trent University, and a Human Resources diploma from Fleming College.

Katherine provides operational leadership to support the effective delivery of the Centre’s programs and services. She oversees day-to-day operations, ensuring alignment across departments and supporting organizational priorities.

She is responsible for Training Operations and Market Research, leading program development, course delivery, and customer-focused research to identify emerging training needs and inform continuous improvement. Katherine also builds and maintains partnerships with municipalities and First Nations communities to develop responsive training plans.

Before joining WCWC, Katherine gained valuable experience at an environmental engineering and management firm specializing in the operation of water and wastewater treatment facilities. Since 2007, she has applied this knowledge across her roles at WCWC, including her most recent work as Project Manager & Government Planning Coordinator.

Katherine holds a Bachelor of Environmental Studies in Environment and Business from the University of Waterloo and is a certified Project Management Professional.

Tory oversees all training operations including training delivery and curriculum development. From 2011-2023, she was a member of the Research & Technology Department. As a Scientist and Science Team Lead, she has implemented various pilot testing projects and has always been involved in the development and delivery of WCWC training courses. She has a specialty in blue-green algae and has worked on various projects on reducing organic precursors to control disinfection by-products, controlling taste & odour compounds, testing conditions for optimization, and capital upgrades for municipal and First Nations drinking water systems. Tory has a Master’s Degree in Biology from Western University where she studied harmful algae. She is a certified Water Quality Analyst and is on the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association Drinking Water Quality Committee.

Dr. Ndiongue leads the delivery of the pilot testing program, supporting municipalities and First Nations communities across Ontario. He also oversees the technical and logistical support provided by the Research and Technology Department for the Centre’s training programs.

Dr. Ndiongue joined the Walkerton Clean Water Centre in 2005 as a member of the original team that launched the Centre’s operations. Throughout his career at the Centre, he has played key roles in establishing the Technology Demonstration Facility, developing the Research and Technology team, and implementing the post-secondary training program. He also served for many years as Chair of the Research Advisory Committee. In the Centre’s early years, his responsibilities included the development, delivery, and review of training courses.

Dr. Ndiongue has more than 30 years of experience in the field of water treatment. He holds both a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Polytechnique Montréal, specializing in water treatment, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Water Treatment at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Ndiongue is a licensed Professional Engineer in Ontario (P.Eng.). He is fluent in both English and French.

Curtis leads the Finance and Administration team including facility operations.  Curtis oversees a broad range of financial planning, budgeting, monitoring, account, analysis, reporting, and advisory activities to support Centre management, Board of Directors, and auditors to ensure compliance with policies, procedures, guidelines, and directives.

With a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a certified CPA, Curtis brings extensive knowledge and experience in financial analysis, reporting, budgeting, tax experience, payroll and office management to WCWC.  He has a proven track record in examining and enhancing financial processes to drive efficiency with effective communication to foster collaboration and support organizational goals.