SPINAL CORD INJURY Ontario
Board of Directors

Mark Abraham

Mark Abraham

Director of Business Operations,
Artery Studios Inc.

Mark is the Director of Business Operations for Artery Studios Inc., a medical illustration and computer animation studio that specializes in creating visuals to support serious personal injury claims. Mark directs his team in the management of the studios' financial, human, and technological resources. Prior to his current role, Mark held various analytical roles in the healthcare, post-secondary education, and aerospace sectors.

Mark holds a Master of Business Administration degree from York University's Schulich School of Business, along with a baccalaureate in mathematics from the University of Waterloo. He currently serves as a SCI Ontario’s Assistant Treasurer and Vice-Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee.

Kent Bassett-Spiers

Kent Bassett-Spiers

CEO,
Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation

Kent serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation, a position he has held since 1999, and was appointed as the Executive Director of the Canadian Spinal Research Organization in 2014.

Kent has extensive experience in developing strategic linkages and partnerships, organizational restructuring and working with the Ministry of Health on policy and system reforms.

Kent is a Certified Health Care Executive with the Canadian College of Health Services Executives. He completed his undergraduate work at Schulich School of Business, York University and graduate work at the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine in the School of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation.

Through his work with the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation Kent has been involved in a number of partnership activities with the Rick Hansen Foundation and the Rick Hansen Institute including the SCI Solutions Network, Canadian Neurotrauma Research Partnership and more recently with the Best Practices Implementation Project.

Craig Brown

Craig Brown

Lawyer,
Thomson Rogers

Craig was called to the Bar in 1980. He has practiced with Thomson, Rogers for over 30 years and is certified by the Law Society as a specialist in Civil Litigation. Craig is listed in “Best Lawyers in Canada” and is one of Lexpert’s “Leading Civil Litigation Practitioners’. .

Since 1990, Craig has restricted his practice to acting for plaintiffs in serious personal injury claims, class actions and medical malpractice claims. He has over 50 reported Court and Tribunal decisions and has tried numerous jury actions over the past three decades. .

Craig is an enthusiastic skier and sailor. He volunteers with the Disabled Sailing Association of Ontario and the Canadian Association for Disabled Skiing.

Sandra Carpenter

Sandra Carpenter

Executive Director,
Centre for Independent Living in Toronto

Sandra is currently the Executive Director of the Centre for Independent Living in Toronto, (CILT) and Board Member of the Ethno-Racial Coalition of People with Disabilities in Ontario (ERDCO). As a person with a physical disability from birth she knows first-hand how community supports have grown in Ontario. She is considered a founder of the Centre for Independent Living in Toronto and was its first Executive Director when CILT gained independence from COTA in 1986. By 1989 she decided to go back to the Ontario Government. Sandra worked for the provincial government for 10 years and returned to the CILT in November 2000.

During this time her proudest achievements, in addition to helping establish CILT, have been the creation of the first ever radio and then television show that featured disability issues and stories. While in government she worked to create a centralized accommodation fund for employees with disabilities in Ontario Government, and played a key role in the development of what is now the Direct Funding program operated by CILT.

Marco Ferrara

Marco Ferrara
Marco is the Director of Commercial Sales for Universal Motion, a company that specializes in wheelchair accessible transportation and adaptive driving equipment. Marco was born in Lagos, Nigeria and attended school in Switzerland and college in Italy. He moved to Canada in 1977. He has a flair for entrepreneurship and marketing. He was previously a board member of Canadian Paraplegic Association from 2004 – 2006.

Tony Huxter

Tony Huxter
Tony holds a Masters of Business Administration from The Schulich School of Business at York University and is a qualified CGA. He is also qualified as a Certified Financial Planner having completed a number of professional designations. Tony held a number of positions of responsibility within the financial field, ascending to the rank of CFO having the responsibility for financing, tax planning for various companies. In 2002 he redirected his career as a financial advisor and stock broker, and was employed

Billy Klare

Billy Klare

Associate Vice President,
TD Bank

Billy is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a CMA with over 17 years’ experience in the Banking industry. Billy currently holds the role of Associate Vice President, Canadian Retail Finance at TD Bank. He is responsible for managing all forms of Finance driven management reporting and providing strategic value-added advice to the businesses he supports. In addition to being on the Board of SCI Ontario, he currently serves as Treasurer of the SCI Ontario Finance Committee.

Vev Kline

Vev Kline
Prior to his accident Vev enjoyed a successful career in the clothing business, and even dabbled in radio and movies by doing radio commercials, acting, and writing. Vev was instrumental in bringing Calvin Klein Jeans to Canada and in growing Levi’s to a national brand in Canada. Vev owned a well-known men’s clothing store in Toronto for many years. He has also served as chairman of the Advisory Board of the Fashion and Design College at Humber College.

Mark Lamoureux

Mark Lamoureux

Director, Corporate Banking,
Global Mining, Scotiabank.

Mark began his working career as an exploration geologist received his MBA from Dalhousie University in 1989, but was injured in a sporting accident just a few months after graduating. He has been with Scotiabank for 20 years. Mark is married, and the father of twins, a boy and a girl.

Bob Nigol

Bob Nigol
Bob is the Managing Partner of EPS Settlements Group of Canada. EPS Settlements Group is the flagship company of the oldest and largest structured settlements organization in North America.

Bob holds a Master’s Degree in Policy Studies, specifically in the area of Insurance Law and Finance. He is an accomplished lecturer and published author.

Among his philanthropic interests, in addition to Spinal Cord Injury Ontario and Spinal Cord Injury British Columbia, Bob has been an active contributor, fundraiser and consultant to the Ontario Brain Injury Association and Hamilton Health Sciences.

Tom Proszowski

Tom Proszowski

Principal Consultant,
Disability Options Consulting

Tom is currently working as a self-employed consultant in the area of employment equity, diversity and human rights, with special emphasis on inclusion of persons with disabilities. He is also contributing to the community by volunteering on the Board of Directors of Spinal Cord Injury Ontario and by leading the development of the Handcycling Club of Canada.

Prior to his recent retirement, Tom worked in leadership positions at CIBC, Scotiabank and BMO in the area of employment equity, diversity and inclusion. He also worked at the Canadian Paraplegic Association, first as a Community Counsellor and then as the Director of Rehab Services. Tom’s other professional experiences include management of employment agency and entrepreneurship.

Tom holds a Master’s Degree from the York University in Critical Disability Studies.

Tom Proszowski

Tom Proszowski

Principal Consultant,
Disability Options Consulting

Tom is currently working as a self-employed consultant in the area of employment equity, diversity and human rights, with special emphasis on inclusion of persons with disabilities. He is also contributing to the community by volunteering on the Board of Directors of Spinal Cord Injury Ontario and by leading the development of the Handcycling Club of Canada.

Prior to his recent retirement, Tom worked in leadership positions at CIBC, Scotiabank and BMO in the area of employment equity, diversity and inclusion. He also worked at the Canadian Paraplegic Association, first as a Community Counsellor and then as the Director of Rehab Services. Tom’s other professional experiences include management of employment agency and entrepreneurship.

Tom holds a Master’s Degree from the York University in Critical Disability Studies.

Cindy Scott

Cindy Scott
Cindy Scott manages an event management company, First Avenue Consulting and brings more than 15 years of leadership experience in communications, marketing and event management to her clients. Cindy began her career at Corel Corporation, where she soon rose to the Director of Corporate Communications position, managing a worldwide staff of 35 professionals. Later, Cindy took over corporate communications at Corel Computer Corporation. After Corel Computer Corporation merged with Hardware Canada, Cindy led the launch of its new corporate identity, Rebel.com. She then joined Reid Eddison as a partner, where she counselled emerging companies on how to build and promote their businesses.

Peter Sproul

Peter Sproul

Executive Director of Community Living Kingston.

Peter has spent most of his career in the developmental services sector working in management. He has been employed by Community Living Kingston since 1991. He has also worked as a management consultant in the areas of developmental services, mental health, addictions and attendant care services. Peter took the lead in preparing Community Living Kingston for accreditation in 2007. Peter has been a CARF (Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) Surveyor since June of 2008 and has gained considerable experience surveying agencies throughout the USA and British Columbia. Peter is married with two daughters and lives just north of Kingston.

Shaun Westlake

Shaun Westlake

Team Leader,
TC Transcontinental Printing

For the last five years Shaun has been a SCI Ontario board member, after being a chapter member in Grey Bruce since the early 90's. Twenty five years ago, I sustained a spinal cord injury from a diving accident at which time he became a client of CPA Ontario. A resident of Owen Sound, since 1983, allows him to be a passionate advocate for those with spinal cord injuries living in rural Ontario. With an education in computer science, Shaun is employed as a Team Leader at TC Transcontinental Printing in Owen Sound. When not busy working full-time, he is an avid amateur photographer, a fan of OHL hockey and enjoys spending time with friends and family.