Board of Directors
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 | President and Chairman Chairman@CanadaColorado.com Rob is a REALTOR® and runs AvenueWest DTC, a Realty Brokerage and Corporate Housing company. Rob helps clients buy, sell and invest in residential real estate as well as managing clients’ furnished rentals for purposes of corporate housing. AvenueWest DTC offers relocation and destination services to employees of companies around the Denver area. Rob has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from The University of Western Ontario and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Accounting from Metro State University in Denver. Rob relocated his family from Toronto, ON to Boston, MA in 1991 in a corporate merger, then again to Denver, CO in 1996. He also has 23 years of corporate business development experience in Enterprise Technology. Rob is an active member of the South Metro Denver Realtors Association, a Board Director on the Rocky Mountain Relocation Council, and leads mission trips to Haiti and the Dominican Republic with his church. Rob and his wife, Trish, live in Highlands Ranch and they have been blessed with 3 awesome kids and one grand-dude. |
-400x400.jpg) | Director Sylvain Fabi (BBA, Bishop’s University, 1988) joined the Consulate General of Canada in Denver in October 2020. As Canada's Consul General in the U.S. Mountain West Region, Mr. Fabi oversees a team of 17 people who work within Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Utah and Wyoming to strengthen trade and economic ties; enhance political, academic and cultural links; and assist Canadians visiting or living in the five-state territory. He is also Canada’s chief negotiator for the modernization of the Columbia River Treaty with the United States. Mr. Fabi joined the Trade Commissioner Service of External Affairs and International Trade Canada in 1992. He worked in various geographic and trade policy divisions in Ottawa. He was senior departmental adviser to the Minister of International Trade (2009 to 2010), Director for bilateral relations with South America and the Caribbean (2010 to 2013) and Executive Director of the North America Policy and Relations Division (2013 to 2015). Mr. Fabi’s assignments abroad include trade commissioner at the embassy in Moscow (1995 to 1998), commercial counsellor at the embassy in Havana (2001 to 2005) and commercial counsellor at the embassy in Santiago (2005 to 2009). Mr. Fabi served as High Commissioner for Canada in Jamaica and the Bahamas (2015 to 2017). Before becoming Consul General in Denver, he was Executive Director, U.S. Transboundary Affairs Division (2017 to 2020). Mr. Fabi is married to Jany Joyal and has two children, Frédéric and Isabelle. |
 | Director, Treasurer Treasurer@CanadaColorado.com Andrée is a seasoned business, technology, people and executive leader, currently working for Telus International AI Data Solutions, as the Director of the AI Enterprise Project Management Office. She has a 25+ year record of leadership in professional services delivery and strategic technology initiatives implementation. She has worked for companies such as Comcast, T-Mobile, DMR Consulting, Synapse Product Development (Capgemini Invent), Microsoft, HP Enterprise Cloud, and STS Systems (now Aptos), to name a few. She has a passion for community involvement and keep strong ties with Canada. In Seattle, she was an active member of the Canada-America Society, and soon after moving to Denver, found the Canada Colorado association, in search of fellow Canucks! She joined the CCA board in 2022 and as of 2023 is serving a 3 year mandate as Treasurer. Her passion for pets is reflected in volunteering for Seattle Humane Society (7yrs) and Guide Dogs for the blind (2yrs) South Denver chapter. She also serves as Secretary for her local HOA. A native of Montréal, Quebec, and a graduate of HEC Montréal with a Bachelor's in Business Administration (MIS and Marketing), McGill University (Public Relations) and University of Washington (Project Management). She moved to Seattle, WA in 1997 for a job opportunity with DMR Consulting and she and her husband relocated to the Denver, Colorado area in August 2020, while working for Comcast Technology Solutions. She and her husband Steve share a passion for travel, hiking, skiing, photography (though she's Canon and he's Nikon!) and good food from around the world. They also have 2 cats Luna and Bunny, that keep the household entertained! |
 | Director Dianne was born in Montreal, lived there as a child and then lived in and grew up in Oakville and Toronto. She graduated from the University of Toronto. She possesses over 25 years of diverse Project Management, Business Consulting & Training experience (Mainly in IT & some International). Dianne has lived in the US since 2004 and is a naturalized US citizen as her mom was from the US. She has lived and worked abroad for periods of time since she was a child. She has worked in the legal software division of Thomson Reuters for the last 17 years. She is a lifetime athlete and her main passions include long distance running, hiking 14ers, pilates and skiing. She looks forward to planning more events in the Northern Colorado region and connecting with more fellow Canadians. Dianne met her husband Danny Shearer running a half marathon in Boulder (Boulder Res) in 2009 and they love their active lifestyle, which now also includes golfing (thanks to CCA) and 4 rescue animals (2 cats and 2 dogs). She is an avid Raptors, Jays and Leafs fan and loves attending their games in Denver when they are in town |
 | Director Ken Gawley was born in Etobicoke, Ontario and grew up in Islington and Peterborough, ON. After graduation from Western, he backpacked throughout Europe and then returned to Toronto, where he eventually began a lengthy sales and marketing career in the food ingredient industry. Ken was moved to Milwaukee by his employer in 2000 and in 2006 moved to Louisville, CO. He currently works in the flavor industry as the Director of Sales for FONA International - which was recently acquired by McCormick & Co. (the large spice, seasoning mix and condiment company.) Ken is married to Holly and together they had 4 amazing children. He continues to enjoy playing hockey, avidly cheering for his Leafs, bringing a Caesar to a round of golf, supporting the local microbreweries and making as many trips as possible back to our glorious home country. |
 | Director Marketing@CanadaColorado.com Norina was born and raised in Toronto, Canada, where she grew her successful career as a Project Manager in Digital Advertising. In 2008, she landed her dream job in Boulder, Colorado, for a top advertising company and that's when she fell in love with the state of Colorado and the love of her life, Corey (Denver native). They moved to Toronto, where she continued her career only to make the journey back to Colorado in 2016. In 2022, Norina started seeking an organization that connects fellow Canadians for a good cause. With over 17+ years in the digital marketing space, she's able to bring her digital expertise and talent to help elevate CCA's online presence and is excited to see where we go from here. Norina and her husband Corey enjoy camping, fishing and gardening in their home in Longmont with their cat Padme. They are both avid Denver sports fans and she may cheer for the Nuggets, but the Toronto Raptors are always in her heart! |
 | Director Born and raised in Burlington, Ontario, Chris has lived in Colorado for over 30 years. A graduate of McMaster University, he got his feet wet in the media business at CHCH-TV. He has continued in the media business to this day. He runs MediAnswers, a media tech consulting firm, and also works for Ross Video, an Ottawa-based company. He also runs Winding Road Adventures, a company that conducts tours to Europe, focused on the ultimate car lover’s trip to Germany. He is an accomplished racing driver and coach. He and his wife love living in beautiful Monument, Colorado. |
 | Director Christine Briscoe was born in Pembroke, Ontario while her military father was stationed at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Petawawa. As a child she had the good fortune to live in Ontario, Quebec and Germany and has traveled through Europe and to other continents. She attended the University of Ottawa and completed a postgraduate certificate in education at St Andrews College in Scotland. She lived in the Washington DC area where she worked at the Canadian Embassy in the Trade section for several years, helping Canadian companies do business in the Mid-Atlantic States and with the US federal government. She obtained her MBA at the University of Maryland with a focus on international business, entrepreneurship, and business ethics. For over the last 15 years, Christine has been involved in the corporate responsibility field, helping companies understand and meet international standards and consumer expectations around responsible business. In that vein, she is also a member of the Board of B Local Colorado and is involved in sustainability efforts in the area including in Longmont where she has been residing since 2022. |
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Director, Membership
Membership@CanadaColorado.com Lisa Helen York has practiced U.S. immigration law for over 20 years. Her practice focuses exclusively on U.S. immigration law with an emphasis on employment and family-based immigration. Her areas of expertise include advising institutes of higher education on immigration law, obtaining work visas (H-1B, TN, L, E, O, etc.) for both large and small companies, sponsoring foreign nationals for U.S. permanent residence through the PERM process, national interest waivers, outstanding researcher petitions, and extraordinary ability petitions. She is also a recognized expert on F-1 and J-1 student visa issues. Lisa graduated from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 2002. She earned her bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1995 with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. She is licensed to practice law in the State of Colorado. Lisa is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), a national association of immigration lawyers. From June 2014 until June 2017, Ms. York was elected to serve on the organization’s Board of Governors. In 2013, she was awarded an AILA President’s Commendation Award. She has served as chair and co-chair of numerous national and local AILA committees, including serving as Chair of AILA Colorado. In her free time, Lisa likes to hike in the mountains of Colorado, trek around the world, and plans to become a world-class sommelier when she retires (which will never happen because she loves practicing immigration law too much). She enjoys the challenge of being a small business owner in this ever-changing world. |
 | Director Ryan was born in Calgary but grew up on a farm just outside of Craven, Saskatchewan which is near Regina. He got his civil engineering degree from University of Saskatchewan then he started with PCL Construction and has been there ever since – 11 years in Regina, 8 years in Calgary, 4 years in Denver (as District Manager). Ryan is married to Denise, his wife of almost 20 years. They have a 16-year old daughter, Abbey, and a 13-year old son, Zachary. Along with Lucy, their Shih Tzu Yorkshire terrier, they live in the Backcountry subdivision within Highlands Ranch. |
 | Operations Director Admin@CanadaColorado.com Kathleen is a longtime resident of Colorado, born and raised in Washington, DC. She is married to a Canadian, Chris Lennon, and they make their home in lovely Monument, CO. She has served in Operations Management in a wide array of businesses, and enjoys sewing and making quilts in her spare time. She and Chris enjoy traveling the world. She is also enthusiastically involved in a variety of charitable pursuits, including Tri Lakes Cares, a resource center, where she volunteers every week. |