Governing Board
© 2011 Smart Communities Society. By: Amrik - Manager CFS-NWT
www.looknorth.ca
Ben McDonald (Chair)
Tel:867 873-6451
Peter Allan (Vice-chair)
Tel:867-873-6451
Peter Allen is an independent consultant and business owner. He has a background of Government experience as a senior civil servant, with particular expertise in the area of policy and planning. Peter is well regarded as a creative thinker and strategic planner, with a strong personal commitment to the positive development of the NWT.
Billy Medernach
(Board Member)
Billy Medernach has been a board member of Smart Community Society since 2009.He completed his internship as a TWEP student at Computers for Schools. With the help of CFS Billy was able to get his A+ certification, and now is working at IT company, Global Storm in Yellowknife, while attending high school.
Mark McCallum is working as a LAN/WAN Specialist at Public Works, GNWT. He has held different IT jobs in Yellowknife and throughout the North. He has been a "Northerner" for over 25 years and has lived in Norman Wells, Nanisivik, Iqaluit, and Yellowknife. Through his travels he has seen many more communities in the North.
Nancy Zimmerman is the CEO of an online business, Your Money by Design and has a keen interest in ensuring all members of society have equal access to the internet.
Adrian Bell
(Ex-officio board Member)
Mark McCallum
(Board Member)
Michel Adam
(Board Member)
Nancy Zimmerman
(Board Member)
James Wong
(Board Member)
John Westergreen
(Board Member)
David Wasylciw
(Board Member)
Priyanke DeSilva
(Board Member)
Our Programs
Ben McDonald has served on the Smart Communities Board as Chair for a number of years. Ben moved to Yellowknife in 1979, and is retired, having worked in the labour movement for 25 years. Ben also served three terms on Yellowknife City Council and has been a part of the Smart Communities Society since its inception. Ben feels that ICT can be a double edged sword and that northerners might be able to benefit from its introduction but we risk being left behind because of our geography and state of development. He sees the Society is a vehicle to promote equal access and opportunities for northerners.
Michel Adam is currently working as a DBA/Systems Analyst at ITI/ENR, GNWT. Since he moved to Yellowknife in 1984, he has held numerous IT jobs, both in and out of the public sector, as well has serving on the board of the NTNet Society in the last millennium.
John Westergreen, although relatively new to the Board, joining just last year, in the past Mr. Westergreen acted as design engineer for the installation of the existing NTNet Operations fibre system. In the past he designed the communications system for NWT Airways (now First Air) in all their northern and southern sites and has designed about half of the fibre systems installed for NWT Power Corporation in both underground and systems installed for NWT Power Corporation in both underground and aerial applications.
Priyanke De Silva has been involved internationally in the technical field for the past decade. He has been active in the set up of a WAN between Sri Lanka and the UK. He also has experience with coaxial cable networking. He was a hands on consultant Engineer for a pioneering private TV station, as well as a VOIP systems developer. He has been both a software developer and a network tools developer. Currently he is the owner of ABE-L Technology, his IT business of approximately one year. Mr. De Silva brings many years experience, and a new set of skills to the Smart Communities Board.
