DDD's Canadian Expert Resources (CERs)

At the heart of DDD’s success lies a pool of outstanding experts in the field of democratic development. Here are just a few of the amazing Canadians who have shared their expertise with developing country partners on behalf of DDD.

 

Naomi Alboim: Strengthening Foreign Affairs Policy in Indonesia
Naomi Alboim is a fellow, adjunct professor, and Vice-Chair of the Policy Forum at the School of Policy Studies at Queen’s University. She has worked at senior levels in the federal and Ontario provincial governments for twenty-five years, including eight years as deputy minister in three different portfolios. Her experience in policy development and program design and delivery includes:  human rights, immigration, labour market training, workplace practices, culture, sports and recreation, women's, seniors', and disability issues, volunteerism and community economic development.  She has done development work with governments in the Eastern Caribbean, Ghana and Vietnam, focusing on enhancing policy capacity and gender based analysis. She is a member of the Order of Ontario and a recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee Gold Medal for public service. She will work with DDD over the next six months in conjunction with David Elder to develop a training of trainers program and a series of organization effectiveness workshops to help strengthen the Government of Indonesia’s Foreign Affairs Policy Planning and Development Agency (BPPK).

 

Brenda Cooke: Implementing Jordan's Educational Reform Model

Brenda Cooke brings more than thirty years of international and Canadian experience to DDD. She had an impressive career as a public servant and president of two colleges in Canada. She then worked in Jordan, India, Yemen and Sri Lanka on educational reform projects, and resided in Jordan as the Ministry of Labour’s in-house consultant from May to August 2008.

"It’s wonderful to be part of a national sector-wide reform project. I’m especially proud of being able to bring Canada’s experience in building a robust college system to bear on the reform efforts here in Jordan." - Brenda Cooke

 

 

Yvon Dandurand: Strengthening Ethiopia's Criminal Justice System
Yvon Dandurand is a criminologist, Associate Vice-President of Research and Graduate Studies at the University of the Fraser Valley, and Senior Associate of the Vancouver-based International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy. Formerly with the Department of Justice Canada, he has also served on numerous UN expert committees, including on firearms regulation, victims of crime, violence against women, juvenile justice, prison reform, restorative justice, terrorism, and organized crime. On behalf of DDD, he is working closely with the Ministry of Justice in Ethiopia on a proposed crime prevention and criminal justice policy that will help make the Ethiopian justice system more accessible, transparent and equitable.

 

 

David C. Elder: Strengthening Foreign Affairs Policy in Indonesia
David C. Elder is a Fellow in the School of Policy Studies and Adjunct Professor in the Master of Public Administration program at Queen’s University. As a member of the Public Service of Canada for over 30 years, he served in the Privy Council Office and was the Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Machinery of Government. He also served in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade as Senior Departmental Assistant to the Minister as well as Director of International Economic Relations in the Economic Policy Bureau. He had foreign assignments, in Dakar, Senegal, in Harare, Zimbabwe, and as Deputy Permanent Representative of Canada to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Since leaving the Public Service of Canada, he has provided advice and expertise on policy development and public administration reform in Ukraine, Russia, Benin, Georgia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. He is currently working with DDD in collaboration with Naomi Alboim to develop a training of trainers program and a series of organization effectiveness workshops to help strengthen the Government of Indonesia’s Foreign Affairs Policy Planning and Development Agency (BPPK). 

 

Mary Gusella: Strengthening Tanzania's Ethics and Conflict of Interest Legislation and Changing Public Service Behaviour – Social Marketing Campaign in Tanzania

Currently Chair of the Board of the Commission for Complaints for Telecommunications Services, a unique stakeholder-led, industry-funded organization with independent authority to resolve complaints, Mary Gusella had a distinguished career in the Public Service of Canada. In 2005, Mary was awarded the Prime Minister’s Outstanding Achievement Award, the Public Service’s highest award, for her “Outstanding contribution to the Public Service of Canada”. She received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal and has been inducted into the Honour Society of the University of Ottawa Law School. Mary is one of a very few public servants whose experience includes serving as a Deputy Minister, Head of Agency, CEO of a Crown Corporation and Chair of a bi-national organization. In her three decades in the public service, Mary served in many senior level positions including that of Deputy Minister of Multiculturalism and Citizenship, Chief Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission, President of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Chairman and President of Enterprise Cape Breton, Commissioner of the Public Service Commission, Head of The Leadership Network, and as the Canadian Chair of the International Joint Commission. At present, Mary is working on behalf of DDD on projects to advance public sector ethics in Tanzania.

 

 

 

Pierre Martineau: Results-based Management (RBM) Training in Cameroon and Improving the Management of Public Finances in Mali
After 20 years in the public service, Pierre Martineau moved to Bamako (from 1998-2001) as director of the tax modernization project in Mali. He has since worked in developing countries around the world on projects ranging from strategic advice and risk evaluation to organizational design and development, capacity building projects and design of monitoring systems. Pierre also teaches Project Management, Programme Evaluation and RBM at the Université du Québec and the University of Ottawa. Forming a team with Lucie Rouillard, Ph.D, he travelled to Mali for DDD to help improve the efficiency, transparency and credibility of Mali’s public finance management modernization project using a results-based action plan. He also worked closely with executives from Cameroon’s Prime Minister’s Office to provide them with the RBM tools necessary to effectively manage projects in their public service modernization efforts.

 

Carlos Salazar: Strengthening Peru’s Decentralization Process
DDD expert Carlos Salazar has more than 25 years of experience working in local governance, regional urban planning, government reform and strategic planning. Based in Toronto, he has contributed to projects in India, China, Philippines, Paraguay, Cuba, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Mexico and Peru. He is currently working with DDD in Peru to strengthen the Region of Piura’s capacity to deliver better services to its communities. His work with DDD has been recognized as a major contribution to CIDA’s local governance program in Peru. Carlos Salazar is Adjunct Professor of Local Government at Laurentian University and works as a manager of community planning in the Greater Toronto Area.

 

Laurie VandeSchoot: Improving Regional Economic Cooperation through RBM in Djibouti
Laurie VandeSchoot is a municipal government specialist, motivational speaker and trainer skilled in strategic management, results-based management, organizational development, performance management, project management services, intercultural communication and strategic decision-making. She has an M.Sc in Sustainable Development and is President and Principle Consultant of Satya Inc. in Calgary, Alberta. On behalf of DDD, she is currently helping the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)—a driving force for regional economic cooperation and integration in Eastern Africa—to adopt an RBM system to improve the operations and plans of the organization as it manages more complex issues, a broader range of partners and a scarcity of resources.

 

Yves Poulin: Strengthening Civil Society in Côte d’Ivoire
A specialist and trainer in organizational capacity building, Yves Poulin has been involved in international development projects for over 20 years in many different countries (Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, US, Ethiopia, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Lebanon, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo, Tunisia, Vietnam). Formerly Director of International Cooperation at the École Nationale d'Administration Publique (ENAP) in Quebec, Mr. Poulin holds an MA in public administration and a doctorate in educational administration. He has just completed a DDD initiative in Côte d’Ivoire to help build the capacity of civil society organizations to obtain additional human resources and funding.

 

Bernard Boudreau: Protecting and Managing the Environment for Sustainable Development in Rwanda
During the past 25 years, Mr. Boudreau has been directly involved in international development in Asia and Africa, particularly in the environment sector in Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin, Senegal, Malawi, Cameroon, Mozambique, Rwanda, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. He has acquired skills specific to these geographic regions in the environment sector including integrated solid waste management, pollution prevention and controls, biodiversity and conservation, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Environment Assessment and Audits, surface and ground water conservation, hydrogeology assessments, small dam design, water supply (rural and urban), soil and water conservation practices, irrigation and agriculture extension. Bernard Boudreau holds degrees in Agricultural Engineering, Business Administration and Environmental Sciences. He is currently working with the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) to ensure a more effective and democratic management of the environment in Rwanda.

 

Ian Alexander: Strengthening Media Governance in Guyana
Ian Alexander worked as an on-air host, programming head and senior executive at CBC/Radio-Canada for 25 years.  He has extensive experience in public policy research and analysis, communications strategy and execution, organizational development and corporate culture, including leadership development, management training, employee engagement, change management and conflict management.  He completed all but the dissertation requirements for a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Toronto, where he is now an Associate Senior Fellow of Massey College.  He also pursued M.A. studies in Conflict Analysis and Management at Royal Roads University. He has worked extensively as a consultant, trainer and facilitator, both in Canada and abroad, and is currently working on the DDD Media Governance project in Guyana.