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Appointee Biographies

Wilfrid Laurier University Board of Governors

SIMON CHAN

Simon Chan is currently the Vice President, Talent, Academy and Future of Work at Communitech which is a private-public innovation hub in Kitchener Waterloo that supports a community of 1,600 companies from startups, to scale-ups to large global players. He is responsible for the leadership of the Talent and Communitech Academy teams who support talent attraction and learning and development programs & events for our member companies. Prior to this role, Simon was Head of Corporate Innovation Thought Leadership where he worked with enterprise executive teams on their innovation strategy and building out their company-wide innovation system. Prior to joining Communitech, Simon worked in the financial services industry for 20 years and has a diverse background in banking, investment management, and group pension/benefits where he has held a variety of senior positions in strategy, product, business development, operations, and project management.

AVONWY PETERS

Avvey Peters is an innovation ecosystem strategist who excels at putting plans into action. She has led project teams in a diverse range of communities to raise funds, develop strategy, create partnerships, and build innovation infrastructure to support their economic development goals. Avvey has worked as the Chief Strategy Officer for Communitech - Canada's leading innovation hub. She has also coached the leadership teams of a dozen innovation organizations, helping them to leverage collaboration as a tool for growth. In addition to her leadership roles in strategy development, advocacy, communications and media relations, Avvey has worked as a television news writer for a national Canadian broadcaster, and as the primary speechwriter and communications lead for the President of the University of Waterloo. She is one of the co-founders of Canada’s Tech Network.

SHELLEY BOETTGER

Shelley Boettger serves as a member (part-time) for Waterloo, Wellington, Dufferin Grant Review Team, Ontario Trillium Foundation, an Chief Financial Officer and Director of Operations for Center for International Governance Innovation, and a Chief Financial Officer (active) for Innovation Asset Collective. Shelley’s community involvement includes serving as founding board member and Treasurer for Soroptimist International of Kitchener Waterloo.

MICHAEL RAS

Michael Ras is a public affairs and strategic communication professional with broad experience advising a variety of industries, professional bodies and corporations across Canada. Michael is presently Senior Vice President at Counsel Public Affairs. Prior to this position, he was Director of Government & Stakeholder Relations at leading financial institution and prior to that was Executive Director of a professional legal association. In his community, Michael is a volunteer Board member with Radius Child & Youth Services, a leading provider of assessment and counselling services to children and families affected by abuse. He is also on the Board of Career Edge, a social enterprise that provides recent graduates and new Canadians employment opportunities through internship work placements. He is Chair of the Justices of the Peace Appointments Advisory Committee for the Province of Ontario. Michael is a proud graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University (Hons BA, Political Science, 1994).