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Appointee Biographies

Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO)

DEBORAH DUBENOFSKY

Deborah Dubenofsky is an accomplished senior executive and public affairs professional with extensive public and private sector experience. Deborah recently served as Vice President Finance and Administration and Executive Lead for campus expansion for Wilfrid Laurier University, serving as primary financial and business advisor to the Board of Governors, Senate and Administration. Complementing her post secondary experience, Deborah has considerable expertise in the municipal sector having served as City Manager for Canada's 9th largest city and as Director of Policy and Government Relations at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) during a period of transformational change and service realignment between governments. She has provided public affairs advice to a range of clients in a corporate governance law firm and agency setting. Deborah currently serves as a Board Member for the Municipal Employer Pension Centre of Ontario, advising AMO's OMERS representatives.

SHELLEY MCGILL

Shelley McGill is a full professor in the Policy and Law area of the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University and a lawyer holding a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Western Ontario and a Master of Laws (LLM) from York University. Professor McGill is a member in good standing of the Law Society of Ontario and was a partner in the firm of Sims Clement Eastman prior to joining Wilfrid Laurier University. While at Laurier, Professor McGill has served in several administrative posts including Director of the BBA program and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Business Programs. She teaches and researches in the area of business law and consumer protection and is an award winning author of more than 20 academic journal publications and a leading business law textbook. Professor McGill is also Deputy Judge of the Ontario Small Claims Court, a division of the Superior Court of Justice.

ARMAND LABARGE

Dr. Armand La Barge is a highly decorated and respected academic, criminal justice expert, police leader and post-secondary education governance practitioner. He is the retired Chief of York Regional Police and immediate Past Chair and Governor Emeritus of Trent University. He also served as a member of the Board of Governors of York University and Sacred Heart College, and he was the president of the Seneca College Alumni Council. Dr. La Barge is a champion of lifelong learning and accessible education for everyone. He has a Ph.D. and a M.Phil degree in the field of criminal justice. His ground-breaking research is focused on police response to First Nation protests. Dr. La Barge also has a Master of Arts degree in Canadian and Indigenous Studies from Trent University and a Bachelor of Arts Honors degree with distinction from York University in the field of Canadian Studies. He was also the first graduate of York University’s Certificate in Multiculturalism Studies program.