Meet our Board

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)

• Gord Langford - Chair - Citizen at Large - Executive
• Drew Furtney - Treasurer - Accountant - Executive
• Barb Teatero - Arts/Heritage/Culture representative - Executive
• Mark Gregory - Burlington Economic Development Corporation representative - Executive
• Councillor Paul Sharman- Council representative
• Councillor Jack Dennison- Council representative
• Jeremy Olkolisan- Chamber representative
• VACANT– Aldershot BIA representative
• Jason Stoner – BHA Accommodations representative & Burlington Downtown representative
• Andreas Kyprianou– Attractions representative
• VACANT - Food & Beverage representative
• Julia Thomson - Convention representative
• Dave Miller - Events representative
• Mary Nichol - Sport representative

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 Committee
Years on Board: 5 (plus past Chair and member for 11 years)

Gord 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 Furtney 
Position: Treasurer – Executive Committee
Years on Board: 3

Drew 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 representative
Years on Board: 2

Paul 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 Representative
Years on Board: 2

Jack 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 Gregory
Position: Burlington Economic Development representative - Executive committee
Years on Board: 5

Mark 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 Representative
Years on Board: 1

 

Board Member: Jeremy Okolisan

Position: Chamber of Commerce Representative
Years on Board: 1

As the former V.P. for Byrne Engineering, a Burlington based consulting engineering firm Jeremy brings 15 years of management and consulting experience to the Board.  Jeremy is also a director for the Burlington Museums Board as well as the Chamber representative on the Tourism Board.

 

Board Member: Jason Stoner
Position: Burlington Hotel Association & Burlington Downtown representative
Years on Board: 4

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 representative
Years on Board: 2

Dave 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 Representative
Years on Board: 2

Andreas 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 representative
Years on Board: 2

Julia is the Manager of External Relations with the DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, which opened its Ron Joyce Centre on the South Service Road in Burlington in September 2010.  A McMaster graduate, Julia has worked at the University in communications and public relations for 10 years. She is a member of the Canadian Public Relations Society.

 

Board Member: Mary Nichol
Position: Sport representative
Years on Board: 3

Mary 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.

Board Member: 
Position: Food and Beverage Representative 
Years on Board: 1

 

Related Pages:

• Tourism Burlington Board of Directors Package

• Tourism Burlington Board of Directors meetings