Windsor, ON – September 16, 2020 – WEtech Alliance is pleased to announce the appointment of the 2020 Board of Directors ratified at the Annual General Meeting on September 15, 2020.    

The four new board members strengthen representation across the IT, fintech, academic and economic development industries, further diversifying an already cross-sectoral membership, while at the same time growing stronger regional connections between industry and economic development stakeholders. 

“We are delighted to welcome these industry leaders to WEtech Alliance’s Board of Directors. Their experience, coupled with their connections to the region will be a driving force to strengthen Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent’s position on the world’s technology map,” said Larry Koscielski, Board Chair and Vice-President of Process and Technology Development at CenterLine, a Windsor based, global manufacturing and automation company.

The mission of WEtech Alliance is to accelerate tech companies across a broad range of sectors and stages, while at the same time working with partners to champion the regional tech community and build up the tech talent pipeline. 

New appointments to the 2020 Board of Directors include: 

• Joe Markham, Senior Innovation Leader, Edison Financial 
• Kulveer Virk, IT Professional 
• James Marsh, Dean, Zekelman School of Business and Information Technology and School of Media, Arts and Design (Appointed)
• Stephen MacKenzie, President/CEO, WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation (Appointed)

Two new ex-officio executives to serve as Advisors to the Board of Directors include:

• Claudius Thomas, CEO of Turaco Web International Group (Client Advisor)
• Trevor Ramieri, Third-year Student, St. Clair College (Student Advisor) 

 Twelve other executives and ex-officio executives currently serve on the WEtech Alliance Board of Directors:  

• Larry Koscielski, Vice President, Process & Technology Development, CenterLine Windsor Ltd. (Chair)
• Barry Leavitt, Corporate Operations and Innovation, ENWIN Utilities (Vice-Chair)
• Kit Moore, President, BluePrint CPAs (Treasurer)
• Paolo Piunno, Project Manager, CS Wind Inc. (Past Chair)
• Deborah Landers, COO, Operational Acceleration, Georgian Partners 
• Gokul Bhandari, MBA Programs Director, University of Windsor 
• Amy Martin, Senior Lead Ecosystems: Developer Growth, Shopify 
• Bill Johnson, Head of IT and Software Engineering, Scribendi Inc.
• Gaurav Kumar Singh, MBA Candidate, Harvard Business School
• Hassan Farhat, IT Business Analyst, AlphaKOR Group 
• Dr. Justine Taylor, Science and Government Relations Manager, Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers
• Paul Riser, Director, Detroit Urban Solution, TechTown Detroit (Cross-border Advisor to the Board) 

“We’re grateful to these dynamic industry leaders who have stepped up to serve and lend their exceptional knowledge and experience,” said Yvonne Pilon, CEO and President of WEtech Alliance. “At the same time, we extend our immense gratitude to the outgoing members who have helped guide our organization through an extraordinary period, as we strive to better serve clients and the tech community amid COVID-19.” 

Outgoing Board of Directors and Advisors include: 

• Dave Cullen, Manager of Information Technology, Entegrus  
• Amar Singh, Associate VP, Communications & IT Services, St. Clair College 
• Susan Anzolin, Executive Director, Institute for Border Logistics and Security 
• Jamie McGrail, Integrated Solutions Manager, McGrail Farm Equipment L.P. 
• Jacob Duhaime, President, iDream Interactive (Client Advisor)
• Noah Campbell, Computer Science Student, University of Windsor (Student Advisor)

Please join us in congratulating our new Directors and Advisors, and thanking Dave, Amar, Susan, Jamie, Jacob and Noah for their ongoing commitment and support to WEtech Alliance and our regional tech community.