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Ten scientists and business leaders have returned to the Faculty of Science to serve on a newly established Dean’s Advisory Board.

Advisory board members will share their expertise and insights with Dean Maureen MacDonald and serve as ambassadors for the Faculty of Science in their personal and professional networks.

“The members of our advisory board bring an incredible wealth of leadership experience, strategic thinking and mentorship,” says Maureen. “Every board member has a deep connection to, and a real sense of pride for, our Faculty of Science. We’ll be looking to the board to offer advice and external perspectives so we continue building our momentum as one of Canada’s leading Faculties of Science and a key contributor to McMaster’s international rankings and reputation.” 

Board members held their inaugural meeting in late October to review and give feedback on the Faculty’s draft 2020-2025 strategic plan.

“It’s an absolute honour  to work with an advisory board of this calibre,” says Maureen.”If you want a job done, give it to a busy person. If you want a job done well, give it to scientists who have connections to McMaster.”

Meet The Dean’s Advisory Board Members 

Back Row (from left): Brendan Seale, Dan Wayner, Maureen MacDonald, Allan jackson and Richard Black. Front Row (from left): Elise Hergiz, William Ho, Susan Cunningham and Brian Bloom. Not Pictured: Margaret Gadsby and Patricia Moser.

Richard Black ’81, ’85 & ’90 is Principal at Quadrant D Consulting, Executive Partner at Pilot Life Ventures and Chief Science Officer of care4wards. Richard holds B.Sc. degrees in Chemistry and Psychology and a Ph.D. from McMaster.

Brian Bloom ’98 is Chairman and CEO of Bloom Burton & Co, a leading biotechnology and healthcare focused investment banking firm. Brian has a B.Sc in Biochemistry from McMaster and a M.Sc in Molecular Physiology and Biophysics from New York University.

Susan Cunningham ’79 is an advisor for Darcy Partners, sits on the Board of Directors for Enbridge and Oil Search Ltd. and previously served as Executive Vice President of New Frontiers with Noble Energy. Susan earned a B.A. in Geology and Geography from McMaster and is a graduate of Rice University’s Executive Management Program.

Margaret Gadsby ’78 serves as a member of The Global Institute for Food Security’s International Scientific Advisory Panel at the University of Saskatchewan and had previously served as Vice President, Regulatory Affairs at Bayer CropScience. Margaret earned her B.Sc. in Biology from McMaster and her M.Sc. in Biological Control from the University of Saskatchewan.

Elise Hergiz is Executive Director of JIAS Toronto, a government and community-funded immigrant service organization and had previously served as President and CEO of the Ontario Energy Association and the Director of Commercial Operations for McMaster’s Nuclear Reactor for 13 years. Elise holds a bachelor’s degree in business from McGill and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York.

William Ho ’98 is the CEO,Co-Founder and President of Incysus Therapeutics and was a Senior Equity Research Analyst at Bank of America. Will earned his B.Sc. in Biochemistry from McMaster and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame.

Allan Jackson ’73 & ’77 serves as Chairman of the Generations Wine Company and Principal of Jackson Wine Consulting. In 1993, Allan and Don Triggs founded the Jacson-Triggs Winery. Allan earned his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Chemistry from McMaster.

Patricia Moser ’80 & ’81 is the Chief Procurement Officer for the United Nations Office for Project Services based in Copenhagen and previously held positions at i3 Advantage, Grand & Toy, Rogers Communications and Electronic Data Systems. Patricia holds B.Sc. degrees in Psychology and Chemistry from McMaster and an MBA from Concordia.

Brendan Seale ’05 is the Chief Sustainability Officer of Scotiabank and previously served as Head of Sustainability for IKEA. Brendan earned his B.A. in Communication Studies from McMaster and a M.Sc. in Strategic Leadership Towards Sustainability from the Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden.

Dan Wayner ’80 serves as the Science Advisor and Chief Science Officer at the National Research Council of Canada and is a Fellow to both the Royal Society of Canada and the Chemical Institute of Canada.  Dan earned his B.Sc in Chemistry at McMaster and his Ph.D. from Dalhousie.