


At the 2011 Annual General Meeting Gord Langford was introduced as the Incoming Chair of the Board of Directors.
Tourism Burlington is overseen by a volunteer Board of Directors who represent various sectors of the tourism industry in the city. They meet from September to November and January to May on the third Thursday of the month at 8 a.m. The Board of Directors are elected at the Annual General Meeting held in May of each year.
Board members 2011-12 (see Bios below)
Staff Resources
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Executive Director - Association Secretary
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - City of Burlington staff liasion
Board Member: Gord Langford Position: Chair – Executive CommitteeGord has been in the Tourism industry for over 44 years and has been actively involved in Tourism in Burlington for 15 years. Gord was on the Tourism Board of Directors Executive and was Chairman of Tourism Burlington for 3 years. While on the Board, he was also the Tourism Representative on the Board of Directors for the Burlington Chamber of Commerce for 10 years and on the Chamber Executive for 5 of those years. Gord was also an advisor on the Tourism Transition Team responsible for developing Burlington’s Tourism Service Delivery model. Gord is the founder and past chair of the Burlington Hotel Association. This organization collected Destination Marketing Fees to enhance the marketing initiatives of Tourism Burlington to promote Burlington as a tourist destination. Gord was presented with the Tourism Ambassador Award by Tourism Burlington in 2007. Gord also sits on the RTO #3 interim board of directors.
Board Member: Drew FurtneyDrew is a Chartered Account and Manager at Deloitte (formerly Horne & Company LLP) in Burlington. His volunteer experience includes being a Board member and Chair of the Finance Committee with his community church, Committee member for the Canadian Cancer Society and a coach of house league fastball team.
Board Member: Barbara Teatero
Position: Arts, culture, heritage representative
Years on Board: 3 (previous member prior to 2005) - Executive Committee
Barbara has been with the Burlington Museums for 25 years and currently is the Director, bringing a wealth of experience in the arts, heritage and culture sector to the Tourism board. She has served on a number of boards and committees throughout her career including the Ontario Museum Association, Canadian Museums Association, Burlington Heritage Week, Heritage Umbrella Group and Parks and Recreation Ontario. Barb is currently the chair of the Heritage Umbrella Group and Doors Open Committee.
Board Member: Councillor Paul Sharman Position: Council representativePaul Sharman was raised in England and moved to Canada in his mid 20s. He has lived in Canada for over 35 years, more than 20 of them in Halton region, having lived in Oakville and Burlington. Paul Sharman was elected to serve on Burlington City Council as the Ward 5 representative on October 25, 2010. Paul is a Chartered Management Accountant, registered in England. In 2004, he assumed the role of President and CEO of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), one the world's largest accounting associations, based in New Jersey. He was named as one of the “Top 100 Most Influential People” in the US accounting world in 2005, 2006 and 2007 by “Accounting Today”. In the community, Paul was a member of the Pinedale Community Association team that successfully retained Sherwood Forest Park as a green space for sports and the community. He is a member of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce and served on the Political Action Committee. He also served on the Shape Burlington steering committee.
Board Member: Councillor Jack Dennison Position: City Council RepresentativeJack Dennison has lived in Burlington since 1952 and is President/Owner of Cedar Springs Health, Racquet & Sportsclub. Jack purchased the business in 1980 as a racquet club and restaurant and has turned it into a well-known health, fitness and racquet club. He has previously been in the restaurant, banking and real estate development business. Jack has an Honours Economics and Business degree from the University of Guelph and a Masters of Business Administration degree from York University. Jack has been a City/Regional Councillor for Burlington/Halton since 1994. Jack is a member of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee and past director of the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association.
Board Member: Mark GregoryMark has over 25 years experience in the marketing communications field. He has helped shape or position a number of major tourism initiatives including Alberta’s Olympic legacy, the City of Regina’s highly successful city-focused, five-year tourism campaign and its popular Discover Us! and Dragon Boat Festivals. He served on the Boards of the Saskatchewan Science Centre and a Grey Cup Festival where he managed the efforts of over 1500 volunteers who worked on everything from civic ambassador to pageantry programs. Mark has lived in Burlington since 2004 and is the Vice Chair of the Burlington Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors.
Board Member: Position: Aldershot Business Community RepresentativeBoard Member: Jeremy Okolisan Position: Chamber of Commerce Representative
Jason has been in the hospitality business for 15 years working in Niagara Falls, Muskoka and most recently on the airport strip in Toronto for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts as well as Intercontinental Hotels Group. Jason is currently the General Manager of the Waterfront Hotel - Downtown Burlington. In 2007 he won a Teamwork award from the Intercontinental Hotels. A certified Food and Beverage Executive (American Hotel and Motel Association), Jason has been a guest lecturer at George Brown College Hospitality Program. He is a member of the Oakville Chamber of Commerce and the Burlington Hotel Association. Jason has been a Burlington resident for the past 8 years and joined the Tourism Board of Directors as the hospitality representative in 2007.
Board Member: Dave Millar Position: Citizen representativeDave is the Executive Director of the Burlington Sound of Music festival one of the top 100 festivals in Ontario and is the events representative on the Board.
Board Member: Andreas Kyprianou Position: Attractions RepresentativeAndreas recently joined the RBG as the Senior Manager of Marketing and Communications and is the attraction representative on the Board. Prior to his position at RBG, Andreas was the former Manager, Marketing Services with the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga and National Marketing Manager a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Board Member: Julia Thomson Position: Convention/meeting representativeMary is the former Executive Director of the Burlington Gymnastics Club, retiring from this position in 2008. Mary is still very active in the community, as a Director with the Burlington Sport Alliance and continuing to assist with special projects in gymnastics.
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