Board and Management

Board of Directors and Management Team

Board of Directors

The Lieutenant Governor in Council, on the advice of the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (Minister), appoints the Centre’s Board of Directors of up to 12 members. Members hold office for terms of up to three years and are eligible for reappointment for successive terms. The Board of Directors is accountable to the Ontario legislature through the Minister and, under the leadership of the Chair, is responsible for overseeing the management of the Centre’s operations. The Board of Directors meets regularly.

Photo of Mike Smith

Mike Smith, Chair

Member Since:
Aug. 29, 2019

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.

Photo of Alan Boucher

Alan Boucher

Member Since:
May 6, 2021

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.

Photo of Scott Carter

Scott Carter, CET

Member Since:
November 28, 2019

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.

Photo of Dr. Noel Kerin

Dr. Noel Kerin

Member Since:
January 7, 2021

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.

Photo of Kimberly Mitchell

Kimberly Mitchell

Member Since:
May 6, 2021

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.

Photo of Ann Mulvale

Anne Mulvale

Member Since:
May 13, 2021

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.

Photo of Stephen Spitzig

Stephen Spitzig, CPA, CMA

Member Since:
October 12, 2004

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.

Mitch Twolan

Mitch Twolan

Member Since:
May 27, 2021

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.

Management Team

Photo of Brian Bates

Brian Bates, MBA, BSc

Chief Executive Officer

Brian Bates returned to Walkerton to lead the team as CEO on February 22, 2022.

Brian is passionate about the water industry, with proven leadership abilities and strong business acumen. He has worked in the industry for more than 20 years, including his time serving as Manager of Training and Development at WCWC from 2019 until 2020.

Most recently, he worked as Senior Director, Product Management, at Evoqua Water Technologies where he provided municipal and industrial clients with a wide range of solutions.

Brian has also been involved in postsecondary education in Ontario. He served as Director, Product Development and Institutional Research at Fleming College where he was responsible for all new program development and transformed the college’s processes to increase new program offerings, enrollment and student engagement.

Brian earned a B.Sc. degree in Environmental Resource Sciences from Trent University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.

Photo of Victoria Colling

Victoria (Tory) Colling, MSc, BSc

Manager of Training

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.

Photo of Dr. Souleymane Ndiongue

Souleymane Ndiongue, PhD, P.Eng

Manager of Research & Technology

Dr. Ndiongue manages and provides technical guidance for the programs of pilot testing, technology demonstration, the helpline, and the Drinking Water Resource Library. Dr. Ndiongue is the Chair of the Research Advisory Committee.

Dr. Ndiongue joined the Walkerton Clean Water Centre in 2005. He played major roles in the establishment of the Technology Demonstration Facility, the development of the Research and Technology group, and the post-secondary training program.

Dr. Ndiongue has over 25 years of experience in the field of water treatment. He holds a Ph.D. and Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from École Polytechnique de Montréal, both specializing in water treatment. In addition, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the field of maintaining water quality in distribution systems at the University of Waterloo NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Water Treatment. He is a member of the American Water Works Association and the Ontario Water Works Association. He is a registered Professional Engineer of the Province of Ontario and is bilingual English/French.

Photo of Kara Rutherford

Kara Rutherford, MSc

Director of Strategic Growth & Planning

Kara Rutherford leads the Strategic Growth and Planning at the Walkerton Clean Water Centre (WCWC). In this role, Kara leads the Strategic Growth and Planning department, where she oversees comprehensive market research projects, including voice of customer initiatives and competitor analysis. Her team is dedicated to evaluating the needs of current water professionals and identifying emerging trends, which inform new program development, delivery strategies, and long-term strategic planning. Kara also plays a pivotal role in managing government communications and the planning process, ensuring that WCWC’s objectives align with regulatory and stakeholder expectations.

In addition to her strategic role, Kara manages the Human Resources department, where she applies her past HR experience to enhance workforce development and organizational culture.

Kara holds a Human Resources diploma from Fleming College and earned both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Psychology from Trent University.

Before joining WCWC, Kara successfully owned and operated a research company that specialized in voice of customer research for strategic planning and market growth initiatives. Her experience includes conducting in-depth research for mid- and large-size engineering firms, with a focus on industrial and municipal wastewater treatment and stormwater management. Kara has also published research on workplace mental health injuries and return-to-work. Additionally, she brings over five years of experience in Human Resources and Marketing to her current role.