Workforce Development Welcomes Many New People

Better Late Than Never!

I would like to take this opportunity to make several announcements. A few are quite a bit late and others are just a little bit late.

First, I would like to welcome the following full-time faculty to Academic Upgrading:  

Barbara Benwell

Barbara started teaching in Academic Upgrading in 2016. She taught at the main campus but, also spent time teaching at 3 of our “off-campus” locations at Fort William First Nations, Oshki-Wenjack and TBDDSAB.  We are thrilled to announce that she has become a full-time member of our faculty team, providing consistency, leadership and great teaching to our students working from our TBDSSAB location. Barbara’s Masters of Social Justice fits beautifully with the philosophy of Academic Upgrading and her background in art means that all our PowerPoints just got a lot prettier! Welcome, Barbara!

Kimberly Veneziale

Kimberly first started as a sessional and part-time communications instructor in Academic Upgrading from 2014-2018. We then lost her to the school board for a bit but, were lucky enough to get her back this summer.  She is now a full-time communications faculty with us. She brings with her 15 years of teaching experience, as well as a background in yoga and mindfulness. In addition, she is very tech-savvy and has become our team “go-to” for any and all tech questions. Welcome, Kimberly!

Nicole Thomson

Nicole is now the face of our Greenstone Academic Upgrading Program. Nicole has taught at the College on a part-time and sessional basis, but we were lucky enough to hire her as a full-time faculty in the summer of 2020 when she and her family moved to Geraldton. Nicole brings a wealth of experience to her work and even thinks about teaching in her time off.  She is the founder of “The Fulfilled Classroom” (check it out…it’s amazing: www.thefulfilledclassroom.com ). She has an inspiring Facebook page, and also just published her first children’s book called “The Little Things: Finding Gratitude in Life’s Simple Moments.” Nicole’s positive energy and enthusiasm for teaching has benefited us all. Welcome, Nicole!

Second, I would like to welcome Trevor Hamalainen to the brand new role of Career Development Advisor. 

Trevor started at the College as a summer student in 2011 in Registration Services. After gaining his  HR diploma he began working in the Registrar’s office part-time. He has moved on to a number of contracts in Recruitment, HR, Student Access and Success and the Testing Center. Trevor has a 4-year Bachelor of Business Administration, a 2-year diploma in Business - Human Resources and a 3-year advanced diploma in Business Administration - Human Resources. Trevor's vast amount of knowledge and experience will support students in various capacities throughout the college and makes him an excellent person for the new role of Career Development Advisor. Welcome aboard Trevor, we look forward to shaping this new service for students with you.

Third, I would like to welcome Antonio Stefanile to the role of Co-op Education Specialist.

Antonio Stefanile is a graduate of Lakehead University graduating from HBSc/BA (2009) and BEd (2010) with over 10 years of experience working in Education. He joined Confederation College in the fall of 2019 as the SCWI College Advisor where he provided career pathway planning and skills development for dual credit students through advising and as a contract course instructor, as well as delivered grade 7 & 8 programming. Previously, Antonio worked at Lakehead University in advising and coordinator roles where he gained experience advising International students; developing and delivering a financial literacy program for Ontario senior elementary students as an Early Outreach Coordinator; and coordinating placements for graduate students in Health Sciences. In February 2021, we were thrilled to welcome him to his new role as the Co-Op Education Specialist and has been enjoying preparing students transition in Work Integrated Learning experiences. Welcome, Antonio!

And finally, I would like to welcome Brad Halabisky to the role of Program Delivery Supervisor of Operations for Northwest Employment Works-NEW.

Brad is a graduate of Lakehead University, BSc (1998) as well as a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and a member of the Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario, with over 23 years of experience in finance, customer service and program delivery. Brad joined Confederation College in November 2013 as the Manager, Accounting Services where he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the accounting department as well as the year-end audit and various aspects of government and other reporting. Prior to joining the College, Brad worked in various leadership roles for both federal and provincial government departments providing program support and delivery to Indigenous communities, monitoring program and legislative compliance, delivering financial support and direction, and providing front-line customer service. Previously, Brad also worked in public accounting and in management with TD Canada Trust. We are thrilled that Brad has joined NEW as of May 3^rd, 2021 as the Program Delivery Supervisor, Operations. Since joining the team, he has been enjoying getting to know the NEW team, his colleagues at other colleges as well as becoming familiar with all program offerings. Welcome, Brad!