Mary Jane McCallum

Chancellor McCallum is of Cree heritage and is a citizen of the Barren Lands First Nation in Brochet, Manitoba. She attended the Guy Hill Residential School in The Pas for 11 years. She is an advocate for social justice who, over the course of her distinguished career, has provided dental care to First Nations communities across Manitoba.

She received a Dental Nursing Diploma at the Wascana Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences in 1977 and a Dental Therapy Diploma at the School of Dental Therapy in 1979, before earning a Doctor of Dental Medicine from the University of Manitoba in 1990.

From 1979 to 1997, she was involved in the dental field in various capacities, including as a dental therapist in northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba communities and as an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba running a dental clinic in Churchill and overseeing students completing their practicum. From 1996 to 2000, she worked on an interchange with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs as the Regional Dental Officer for the province.

From 1992 to 1996 and from 2003 to 2010, Dr. McCallum worked in her home community of Brochet, where she managed community health programs, including a children’s dental program, a diabetes program, and prenatal program, and volunteered for several committees, including a housing committee, a school committee, and an education committee. She also ran a monthly dinner and meeting with the Elders to discuss social issues affecting the community.

Dr. McCallum worked as an independent contractor for the federal First Nations and Inuit Health Branch providing services in northern Manitoba before returning to the University of Manitoba in April 2002 to lead the Aboriginal Dental Health Programs.

From 2004 until 2020, she continued to work to provide vital dental and health services before officially retiring from dentistry in April 2021. She remains a non-practicing member of the Manitoba Dental Association.

In addition to her professional endeavours, Chancellor McCallum leads workshops and presentations in which she shares her personal experience as a residential school survivor in an effort to raise awareness and understanding.

Chancellor McCallum and her husband have two daughters, and she also has a son.

She became a Senator in the Canadian Senate on Dec. 2, 2017, and she sits with the Independent Senators Group. 

 

David Docherty

Dr. David Docherty joined Brandon University in May 2019 and was officially installed as BU’s 15th President and Vice-Chancellor at the 2019 Convocation. An accomplished academic and administrator, David has a distinguished history of leading institutions through growth and transformative change. He is currently leading the development of a new strategic plan for Brandon University.

An expert in parliamentary government in Canada, David is the author of two books, including Mr. Smith Goes to Ottawa: Life in the House of Commons and Legislatures. He has written many articles and chapters on Canadian legislatures and is a media commentator on provincial and national politics.

With a deep commitment to embracing Indigenous knowledge and perspectives, he was humbled to receive a Blackfoot name and headdress in 2018. He is also a strong advocate for the importance of mental health well-being, including reducing stigma and providing the necessary supports.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (Honours) from Wilfrid Laurier University (1984), a Master of Arts in Political Science from McMaster University (1990) and a Doctorate in Political Science from the University of Toronto (1995).

David came to Brandon from Mount Royal University in Calgary, where he served as President for eight years. Prior to that, David was a faculty member in the Political Science Department at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, where he also served as senior advisor for campus initiatives and governance in the Office of the Provost and Vice-President: Academic, dean of the Faculty of Arts and chair of the Department of Political Science.

Born in the town of Midland, Ontario, to Scottish parents, David took up the bagpipes as a teen and continues to play, especially at University occasions like Convocation. David enjoys frequent visits with his three adult children and lives in Brandon with his wife Kris and their two dogs.

 

Kevan Sumner

Kevan Sumner is a professional planner who holds a Masters of City Planning and a Certificate in Public Sector Management. He currently divides his time between his home town of Neepawa, where he has a private consulting practice, and Kenora, where he is a Policy Advisor to Grand Council Treaty #3 and his spouse works at the Lake of the Woods District Hospital. He has served on various boards and committees including the City of Brandon’s Planning Commission, Environment Committee and Urban Aboriginal Peoples Council, Brandon Food for Thought, the Child Nutrition Council of Manitoba, and nine years on the Brandon School Division Board of Trustees (one as Chair). He has coached youth hockey, baseball, and curling, which provides opportunity to spend additional quality time with his two sons.

Kevan maintains many strong ties to the Brandon area, and at various times has worked with most communities in western Manitoba. He is honoured to have been chosen to serve on the Board of Governors and views this as an opportunity to continue giving back to Brandon and the region it serves.

 

Sunday Frangi

Sunday Frangi is a proud resident of Brandon. Born in Sudan, he graduated from the Sudan Academy for Administrative Sciences before immigrating to Canada

20 years ago. He studied at the University of Manitoba and has worked with non-profit organizations focused on helping newcomers settle and integrate into Canadian society. In 2021, he was elected to the Brandon City Council, representing Ward 5 (Meadows and Waverly) and serving on various committees, including the grants review committee, Taxi Appeal Board, and the Brandon General Museum and Archives.

Currently, Sunday is pursuing an MBA in Community Economic Development at Cape Breton University. He is passionate about sustainable growth and community development, volunteering on several boards such as the Brandon Downtown Development Corporation, Healthy Brandon, and the Brandon Food Council. He strongly advocates for equity, diversity, and inclusion, aiming to create a welcoming community for everyone.

Recently appointed to the Brandon University Board of Governors, Sunday sees this role as a continuation of his service to the community and the people of Manitoba. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, going for short runs, watching sports, and cooking.

 

Dean Hammond

Dean Hammond is the Executive Director of Brandon Riverbank Inc. / Brandon Tourism.  In that role, Dean is responsible for executing Riverbank’s “Back to the River” master plan and for carrying out Riverbank’s mandate of “education, recreation and celebration.”  Dean is particularly proud of Riverbank and wishes it to be Brandon’s premier “third space” whereby all persons feel welcome, safe and engaged in thoughtful and meaningful ways.

Dean is a Chartered Professional Accountant who has many years experience in progressive finance roles. Dean is trained in continuous improvement methodologies as a “Six Sigma Black Belt” and he has led many high profile LEAN, quality improvement and change management projects. Dean’s career experiences started at age 14 in the family business and then spanned the gap from Canadian fortune 500 company, to executive roles in municipal government and most recently in the not-for-profit sector.

As a B.U. alumni (B.A. ’97), Dean is happy to give back to the institution that provided him with so many educational and career opportunities.  Dean is proud of his two sons Ben and Matt who recently obtained their B.U. degrees in business and computer science and of life partner Lisa who completed her nursing prerequisites at B.U.

Dean currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Brandon and Area Community Foundation.  Prior Board experiences includes roles within the Brandon Police Board, Brandon Riverbank Inc., and the Certified Management Accountants of Manitoba.

In his off time Dean enjoys travel and the outdoors, particularly paddlesports, cycling and camping.

 

Scott Hayward

Scott Hayward is a Chartered Professional Accountant from Brandon and is the President and Co-founder of RightNow, a political pro-life organization. Scott earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree, magna cum laude, from Brandon University in June 2012. While at Brandon University, Scott was very active with Enactus Brandon (then known as SIFE Brandon). Scott earned his Chartered Accountancy designation in June 2015 and left public practice in September 2015 to work full-time in the political pro-life movement. In January 2016, he co-founded RightNow. Scott has sat on the Brandon University Alumni Association Board of Directors since 2015 and has been an active member of the Knights of Columbus since 2008. Scott currently lives in Brandon with his wife and two young children. 

 

Bryan Hill

Bryan Hill was born and raised in Victoria, B.C. completing his B.Sc. (Honours, COOP) at the University of Victoria before receiving his Ph.D. in Chemistry at the Université de Sherbrooke in Sherbrooke, Quebec. After two post-doctoral fellowships at the University of Waterloo Bryan joined Brandon University in 2005 as an Assistant Professor. Over the next 19 years he has been promoted through the Professorial ranks and has served in many roles within the University community. These roles have included Senate, Senate Executive; both President and Vice-President of the Brandon University Faculty Association (BUFA) in addition to Chair of the BU Retirement Plan Pension Trustees. Bryan is currently a member of Senate, Academic Integrity Committee, Centre for Teaching and Learning in addition to the Chair of the Department of Chemistry.

As a synthetic organic chemist Bryan’s research has largely focused on building unique organic molecules with interesting physical, chemical, and biological properties. He has had the great privilege of supervising over twenty Honours, Topics, and Research students throughout his career at Brandon University. Currently Bryan is supervising a Master of Science (Environmental and Life Sciences) student who is working on developing a molecular fishing line. Bryan along with his departmental colleagues (Drs. Bushnell and Chen) holds a patent on Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibitors.

Bryan now resides with his wife Kim in Rapid City. From 2017 until 2022 they owned and operated one of Manitoba’s oldest Hotels, the Queen’s Hotel in Rapid City established in 1902. For part of this time Bryan was the Vice-President of the Rapid City Chamber of Commerce. Bryan and Kim very much enjoy the rural lifestyle and connection to nature and are members of the Rapid City and District Wildlife Association.

Bryan enjoys, golf, curling, and playing various types of games during his spare time.

 

Whitney Hodgins

Whitney Hodgins (she/her/they/them) is in her final year of her Bachelor of Education After-Degree at Brandon University. Prior to this she completed her Bachelor of Arts Degree in 2020 double

majoring in Anthropology & History. Whitney has a diverse professional background which include roles as a Recreation Attendant, Security Site Supervisor, and currently is a Library Clerk at Western Manitoba Regional Library. In addition to this she holds leadership roles in the Manitoba Government and Employees Union as President of Local 202 and Vice Chairperson of Area 3 Council. Whitney is also actively involved in disability and mental health advocacy; she is an Honorary Member of the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities, the Lived Experience Advocate at the Alliance of Direct Support Professionals Manitoba, and sits on other committees across Central Canada. In 2022, she became the inaugural Jim & Ginette Munson Autism Leadership Award recipient making her a nationally recognized speaker on autism and disability issues.

 

Barbara MacKalski

Dr. Barbara Ann MacKalski has deep roots in Brandon where she has practised as a physician specializing in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology for 29 years. A graduate of Brandon University (BSc Chemistry), she completed medical school at the University of Manitoba and Internal Medicine residency at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. She later advanced her training with a fellowship in Gastroenterology.

During her distinguished career as a clinician, she has held leadership positions including President of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba; Chief of Medicine, Brandon Regional Health Center; Dean of Admissions University of Manitoba Medical School; and Examiner of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Canada. She has been involved

in education of medical trainees, medical research, and has been published in various journals. Her chief passion, however, remains the provision of health care to patients to whom she is deeply committed and from whom she is continuously learning.

Dr. MacKalski enjoys classical music, history, politics, travel and outdoor activities.

As a third-generation Brandonite, whose family settled in 1908, she is honoured to serve on the Board of Governors.

 

Michelle Magnusson

Michelle Magnusson joined Brandon University in October 2007 when she was hired as the first Disability Services Coordinator (now Student Accessibility Coordinator). Prior to this, Michelle was a Speech-Language Pathologist serving clients of all ages in health care, education, and private practice throughout western Manitoba. A graduate of Virden Collegiate Institute, Michelle attended the University of Winnipeg, received a Bachelor of Arts from Minot State University and Master of Arts from University of Minnesota, Duluth.

Michelle has held a number of volunteer board and leadership positions including Board Chair of St. Andrew’s United Church, the Brandon and District Chapter Learning Disability Association of Manitoba, and chaired the 2017 Manitoba Special Olympics Summer Games held in Brandon. She also held various volunteer positions with Skate Canada Manitoba.

At Brandon University, Michelle helps with campus activities and has served on numerous committees including the Senate and the Centre for Teaching and Learning Technology. She regularly promotes “Accessibility for All” through her involvement with awareness activities and committee work across campus. She has also represented Brandon University provincially and nationally through her involvement with CACUSS (Canadian Association of College and University Student Services Professionals).

Michelle is married and enjoys spending time travelling with friends and family.

 

Charles Adamu

Charles Adamu was admitted into Brandon University in September 2022 as a pursuant of a bachelor’s degree in computer science in the Faculty of Science. He is from Kaduna Nigeria, and in his third year of studies.

Charles enjoys teaching, solving analytical problems, writing articles, stories, and poems, and playing football. He is interested in software-related concepts as well as data analysis as a decision-making tool.

Charles is vehemently passionate about advocating for the needs of the students on campus, organizing events to bring people together, and helping students excel in their academics.

Having served on the residence council while he stayed in the McMaster hall in his first year, Charles unveiled a passion in bringing people together through activities and events. He also served as the Assistant Editor-In-Chief of the Quill where he wrote several articles in the paper as well as engaging with students through social media to get their thoughts and opinions on various topics.

Charles currently serves as the President of the Brandon University Students’ Union (BUSU) for the 2024-2025 session. He is honoured to have been granted this opportunity to serve the students through the students’ union and is looking forward to an amazing year.

 

Ayushi Patel

Ayushi Patel is an international student hailing from Kenya, currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, with a specialization in accounting. At present, Ayushi is in her second year of studies and has been fortunate to secure a summer student position at MNP LLP. It has always been Ayushi’s dream to work for one of the largest accounting firms.

Ayushi’s journey in Kenya was a fun adventure. She studied at Arya Vedic Academy until Grade 11, and then went to Oshwal Academy Nairobi for Senior High. Even though half of her high school years were during COVID, she was able to engage in community service where she provided back to those in need and took part in extracurricular activities. In addition, she was delighted to be on the honour roll in high school and received the “Best in Business” award. One of the main reasons behind this, is the support of her parents and mainly her father’s company which highly exposed her to the world of accounting.

Ayushi has always supported her community by volunteering for various religious and cultural events, representing the community at various sports events, and being part of community sports teams. She continues her community work in Brandon by organizing religious events, providing areas of improvement, and ensuring that the community remains united to maintain rich and cultural religious heritage. Ayushi also volunteers for St. John’s Ambulance which provides medical response services to different events that are hosted. This opportunity has helped to broaden her knowledge as she is able to learn something different than her career.

This academic year, Ayushi is excited to be part of the Brandon University Board of Governors, as she is passionate about helping the community and ensuring the financial wellbeing and overall stability for the institution.

 

Quintin Pearce

Quintin Pearce is currently the General Manager of P. Quintaine & Son Ltd. in Brandon Manitoba, where he brings 28 years of experience to the development and application of animal welfare policies, disease management and commodity management to the livestock and agribusiness sector in
Manitoba.

Quintin’s wide-ranging experience at the management level in the private sector and the extensive contacts, networks and partnerships generated, can be utilized in support of Brandon University’s Strategic plan to facilitate the agility and inclusiveness advocated by the strategy.

Quintin’s vast experience in the livestock sector has earned seats on related committees at the national and provincial levels.  He currently serves on the National Farm Animals Care Collation Code Development Committee, Manitoba Pork Steering Committee and numerous other industry leadership groups. He is also actively engaged in provision of guidance to livestock industry regulatory groups for informing policy and standards development.

Quintin grew up in Brandon Manitoba graduating from Vincent Massey high school in 1994. After graduation, he had a short, but enjoyable time at Brandon University but chose to start an early career at P. Quintine and Son ltd., the largest privately held order buyer in Canada.

Quintin’s wife Tara, works in finance and is active in the community, they have three children, two of which who are currently pursuing post-secondary education and one in high school.

The opportunity to serve on the Brandon University Board is a perfect opportunity for Quintin to further service the Brandon community and he looks forward to it.