2024 Board of Governors Alumni Representative Election

Duane is a passionate career educator who has taught at all grade levels, before serving as the Assistant Superintendent of the Seve n Oaks School Division, Superintendent/CEO of the Sunrise School Division, before finishing his career as the Superintendent/CEO of the Louis Riel School Division. He has a PhD in educational administration. Duane has presented and facilitated with groups throughout Manitoba, Canada, and the USA in the areas of educational leadership, governance, and anti-racism. 

Duane has also served on the Board of the National Principals Leadership Institute (NPLI) in NYC, was on the Cabinet for the United Way Manitoba, the Board of the Manitoba Association of School Superintendents, and he is the past board chair of Special Olympics Manitoba. Currently, he is a member of the University of Manitoba Black Alliance (UMBA), serves on the boards of the True North Youth Foundation, the Terra Bay Winnipeg Advisory Board (Chair), and DASCH (Direct Action in Support of Community Housing). Duane also has a special connection with DASCH as his son, Josiah, participates in the DASCHWorks program. 

During his current term on the Board of Governors, Duane has served on the following committees: Finance, Administration and Human Resources Committee, the Governance and Nominating Committee (now the Governance and Board Development Committee), the Board Executive Committee, the Human Resources and Compensation Committee, the Governance Working Group, the Presidential Review Committee and represented the board on the University of Manitoba Anti-Racism Task Force. 

John is the Senior Vice-President, Chief Operating Officer, Ontario Brain Institute (OBI), an Officer of the Ontario Brain Institute and Ontario Brain Institute Foundation and the Secretary to the Board of the Ontario Brain Institute and the Ontario Brain Institute Foundation. 

Prior to joining OBI, he held executive positions for 23 years with the provincial government in Manitoba and in healthcare; including being the Deputy Minister of Finance and the Deputy Minister of Innovation, Energy and Mines. He has held many board and committee positions in public / private and not for profit organizations and is currently the Chair of the Board of the Manitoba Technology Accelerator. 

Throughout his career, John has had a strong relationship with the University of Manitoba. He participated in the creation of the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, the development of the Smart Park, the restructuring of the Manitoba Health Research Council, the funding of research activities at the university, and scientific and promotional tours with the university to countries like Australia, India, and Israel. He has also worked with the university senior management while in government, to try and address problems and find solutions to ensure the success of the university. 

Some key skills he would bring the the UM Board of Governors include strong governance skills built through the participation on many boards and through his role as Board Secretary to the Board of the Ontario Brain Institute. His knowledge of the research and innovation systems in Canada and the impacts they have on institutions and their abilities to be successful. The importance of the university to the Manitoba economy and through that, the importance of the contributions made to the key businesses in Manitoba. John has a strong background in strategic and operational planning with a good understanding of the financial challenges facing all academic institutions across the county. He believes in the importance of the role of the university and its ability to respond to changing community and economic circumstances. 

Reanna Merasty is a proud Nihithaw artist, writer, and advocate from Barren Lands First Nation and an Architectural Intern with Number TEN Architectural Group. Reanna received a Master of Architecture and a Bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Manitoba (UM). She has dedicated her career to amplifying Indigenous voices in architecture. As a professional, Reanna is on the project team for Wehwehneh Bahgahkinahgohn, a transformation of the historic Hudson’s Bay building in downtown Winnipeg for Southern Chiefs’ Organization, and other Indigenous community-centered projects. 
 
Reanna continuously advocates for Indigenous inclusion and representation in design education. While studying at UM, she co-founded the Indigenous Design and Planning Student Association in the Faculty of Architecture, co-edited the publication “Voices of the Land: Indigenous Design and Planning from the Prairies,” and was a member of two student leadership programs.  
 
Currently, she is the Chair of the Welcoming Winnipeg Committee with the City of Winnipeg, guiding the process of renaming place names and creating historical markers to reflect Indigenous histories, a sessional Instructor in the UM’s Department of Architecture, and the Manitoba Regional Director on the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada Board of Directors.  
 
Reanna has been recognized by CBC Manitoba with a Future 40 Award, a UM Indigenous Award of Excellence, received a Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, and named the 2023 Youth-First Nations Indspire Award Laureate, which is considered the highest honor Indigenous people bestow upon its own people and named a 2024 Young Impact Leader with Future of Good. 
 
Reanna grounds herself in heart work, ceremony, community, and wellness and works towards the resiliency and resurgence of Indigenous peoples in all that she does. It is important for the board to have Indigenous representation, and she would be honored to serve the UM alumni community in this way. 
 

Originally from Newfoundland, Sean moved to Winnipeg in 1997 to attend the University of Manitoba. That decision led to over 16 wonderful years living in Manitoba, practically all of which was spent either living, studying, volunteering or working at the University of Manitoba’s Fort Garry campus. 
 
Shortly after completing his studies at the University of Manitoba (Bachelor of Arts, 2001, and Bachelor of Commerce (Honours), 2005), as he pursued his Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CGA) designation, Sean joined the team at the I. H. Asper School of Business, where he worked in the Dean’s Office for over seven years before moving on to the School of Art. 
 
In 2013 Sean and his wife moved to New Brunswick to be closer to their families. Since moving to the Maritimes, he has worked primarily in the municipal government (Manager of Financial Operations, City of Fredericton) and post-secondary education (Director of Finance, New Brunswick Community College) sectors. In the Fall of 2023, Sean moved into his current role as Assistant Director of Industry Financial Programs with the Government of New Brunswick’s Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries. 
 
Over the past ten years, Sean has served his community through participation on multiple boards and councils, including the District Education Council (Anglophone School District – West), the City of Fredericton’s Shared Risk Pension Plan Board of Trustees, the United Way (Central N.B.) Board of Directors, and the Royal Lifesaving Society Canada Board of Directors. 
 
As someone with a passion for education and lifelong learning, Sean is anxious to get back to being involved in the post-secondary education sector. His time at the University of Manitoba and the connections made there continue to shape his life in ways he could not have imagined. He would appreciate the opportunity to serve on its Board of Governors to give back and contribute his small part in helping the University of Manitoba continue to shape the lives of others.