Board of Governors

List of 10 members.

• 

  Mr. Philip Bassil 

  Bio

  Philip Bassil has over 17 years of international business, finance, and energy experience in Canada, the US, and Europe. Mr. Bassil is a sought-after thought-leader and speaker at industry events and conferences. He is focused on providing strategic and financial advisory services to accelerate the global energy transition and the shift to a net-zero carbon economy. Mr. Bassil is a founding member and an Advisory Board Member at Business Renewables Centre Canada at the Pembina Institute in Calgary, Alberta. Mr. Bassil also heads Marathon Capital in Canada and works closely with pension funds, insurance companies, and institutional investors as well as infrastructure funds, strategics and developers focused on renewable energy and energy transition opportunities globally. Mr. Bassil earned an MBA from the Rowe School of Business at Dalhousie University and a Bachelor of Computer Science with the Electrical Engineering Stream from TUNS. He has completed Level 1 and 2 of the CFA designation and the Canadian Securities Course (CSC) and the PDO. Mr. Bassil has two children, Milan and Sam at Sacred Heart.
• 

  Mr. Robert Batherson 

  Bio

  Rob has more than 20 years’ experience working as a business owner and communications and public affairs advisor.

  Most recently, as a public relations practice leader and agency partner, Rob spent more than 13 years providing strategic counsel to clients in the energy, transportation, health care, financial services, construction, food service, tourism, entertainment and small business sectors. Before his move into private practice, Rob spent most of the previous decade working in the Office of the Leader of the Opposition in Nova Scotia, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa and in the Office of the Premier of Nova Scotia, first as Press Secretary, then as Communications Director. Rob is recognized for his community leadership, serving on the board of directors of Halifax Stanfield International Airport and EduNova, a co-operative dedicated to promoting Nova Scotia as an international education destination. He is also a past chair of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce and past president of Neptune Theatre Foundation.

  He holds a Bachelor of Public Relations degree from Mount Saint Vincent University, with a Certificate of Proficiency in French. Rob lives in Halifax with his wife Cathy MacIsaac and their son Sam (a Sacred Heart student).

   

   
• 

  Mrs. Julie Briggs 

  Bio

  Julie Briggs is Vice President, Finance of Blue Ocean Contact Centers, a
  member company of the IMP Group. In her more than 25 years with the
  organization, Julie has provided results-driven, strategic financial leadership that has contributed directly to Blue Ocean’s competitive advantage in the global BPO market. She is a key member of the Senior Leadership that has evolved Blue Ocean from a small, local operation to leader in innovative customer care with a roster of nationally and internationally recognized clients. Julie has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Dalhousie University and a CMA designation from The Society of Management Accountants. She has served on the Finance Committee of SHSH since 2018. Her son Ethan has attended Sacred Heart since 2016, thriving on both the scholastic and athletic opportunities the school offers. Along with Ethan, and her husband Darren, Julie takes every opportunity to travel and to get out on the water, especially canoeing the rivers of her home province of New Brunswick.
• 

  Mr. Gordon Cooper 

  Bio

  Gord Cooper is COO of RTGS.global, a fintech startup in the field of cross-border wholesale payments. Originally from Halifax, Gord spent eighteen years at Visa, working in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. He opened Visa’s office in Ho Chi Minh City, where he served on the Board of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce of Vietnam. While at Visa, he also led a number of world firsts in mobile banking and other technologies, and ultimately oversaw the company’s business across Southeast Asia emerging markets. After returning to Halifax in 2015, he served as COO of CFFI- and Intel-backed Kinduct, a leading provider of sports data management software. Gord and his wife Chere have four children at Sacred Heart. In his free time, Gord studies Japanese.
• 

  Sr. Donna Dolan, RSCJ  

  Bio

  Donna Dolan '60, RSCJ is an alumna of Sacred Heart, Halifax. She is a graduate of The Halifax Infirmary School of Nursing (RN), Barat College (BA English) and National College of Education (MEd). She served for twelve years on the Provincial Council of the Canadian Province and served on the City House Foundation at Sacred Heart School, Montreal. More recent ministry experience includes eighteen years as Director of the Diocesan Renewal Centre in Prince George, British Columbia and two years as Director of Novices in Halifax. At present Sr. Dolan continues her work as a Spiritual Director and gives retreats and programs at the Barat Spirituality Centre.
• 

  Mr. Richard Drake 

  Bio

  Richard Sandy Drake '12 graduated from Fountain Academy in 2012. Following graduation, he attended Saint Mary's University, where he thoroughly enjoyed studying both linguistics (BA) and psychology (BSc). He then completed a master's degree in experimental psychology at Dalhousie University, where he is currently working towards a PhD. His field of research is cognitive psychology, with work focusing on the measurement and training of attention, memory, and multitasking. Outside of academia, Richard can be found eagerly pursuing his passion of stock car racing alongside his wife, Paige.
• 

  Mr. Torquil Duncan 

  Bio

  Torquil Duncan is the President of Capital Management Engineering Limited, a specialized engineering company providing asset management solutions in North America since 2007. After graduating from Dalhousie and TUNS with a mechanical engineering degree Torquil worked on the Confederation Bridge and then spent time working overseas at a trans-shipment facility. Torquil completed his MBA through the Saint Mary’s University Executive Program while working at Jacques Whitford and shortly thereafter established Capital Management Engineering. Beyond his work commitments, Torquil understands the importance of giving back to the community and has sat on the Board of the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron in addition to volunteering with various committees for over a decade. He has supported local minor hockey through coaching and training efforts for the last five years. His real passion is his family; his wife Lisa works at the IWK and his son Macadam attends Sacred Heart.
• 

  Archbishop Brian Dunn 

  Bio

  Most Rev. Brian Joseph Dunn was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts from King’s College as well as a Master of Divinity from the University of Western Ontario. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1980 for the Diocese of Grand Falls where he served as pastor and in a number of other responsibilities, including Vice-Chancellor and Chancellor. In 1991, he obtained a Doctorate in Canon Law from Saint Paul University (Ottawa) and soon after became a lecturer in the Diploma Program for Theology and Ministry at the Atlantic School of Theology, Halifax (1992-1999). Beginning in 2002, he served on the faculty of St. Peter’s Seminary in London, Ontario, and became Dean of Studies at the seminary until 2008. During this same time, Bishop Dunn also served as a lecturer in the Faculty of Canon Law at Saint Paul University (2003-2004 & 2007). He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Sault Ste-Marie in 2008, Bishop of Antigonish in November 2009, and Coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth in April 2019.  He became the Archbishop of Halifax-Yarmouth in November 2020.
• 

  Ms. Lois Dyer Mann 

  Bio

  Lois Dyer Mann '68 is a proud graduate of the Sacred Heart Convent called “City House” in Montreal, having been a student there since grade one, and then graduated from the Sacred Heart, Halifax in ‘68, after two years in their Junior College Program. Lois has been a partner with Knightsbridge, Robertson Surrette since 2013. She had been Managing Partner of the Halifax office of The Caldwell Partners, from 1999 until 2008. Lois had been Senior Vice-President, Corporate Communications Limited, Halifax, with leadership responsibilities for the Public and Governmental Relations practice, and she led the national business expansion strategy. As Vice President Finance and Administration for ten years at Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, she was a member of the Board and its strategic committees, as well as a member of Senate with operating responsibilities for the non-academic affairs of the University. In addition, she was the first Executive Director of the Nova Scotia Barrister’s Society, was a Director of the Canadian Bar Society in Ottawa, and was the Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Law Information Council. She also served as the Executive Secretary for the Royal Commission on the Donald Marshall Jr Prosecution. Lois is active in her community and has contributed her time to numerous boards and committees: She completed a four year commitment as a founding Director of the 2011 Canada Winter Games Host Society, Halifax, where she helped create a community Board of Directors and then chaired the Governance and Human Resources Committee; and recently concluded eight (8) years as Director of Nova Scotia Business Inc., where she Chaired the Governance and Human Resources Committee. She is a Director of the Chester Arts Centre, and was on the Capital campaign Committee of Project Twenty 12, the campaign for Mount Saint Vincent University. She is a former Director, Girl Guides of Canada/Guides du Canada; Past Chair, Halifax Chamber of Commerce; former Trustee of the IWK Health Centre Foundation; former Co-Chair Major Gifts and member of the Capital Campaign Committee, QEII Health Center Foundation; Past Chair and former Director of Trade Center Limited; Chair, Selection Committee of the first LieutenantGovernor’s Leadership Forum for Women. She has been an adjudicator of the Ernst and Young Atlantic Canada and National Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, and a Director and Adjudicator of Junior Achievement Nova Scotia and its Business Hall of Fame Awards. She has also had experience adjudicating disputes for Canada’s Human Rights Commission. Lois is a recipient of Canada’s 125th Anniversary Medal. Lois is a graduate of Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A., 1970), and from the Dalhousie University Law School (LL.B., 1973). A former member of the Nova Scotia Barristers Society, Lois and her husband David, live in Chester, NS.

• Ms. Gwyneth Fountain