Information and biographies of the Speakers at the Binational Tourism Summit 2009 will be uploaded as they are confirmed and available.
   
Speaker Presentations are being uploaded.  Please click here


BTA Summit 2009 Speakers Include:

Jason Burgess, Vice-President Deloitte & Touche Corporate Finance Canada Inc. Deloitte. St. Catharines, Ontario

Ian Burkheimer is the Program Manager the 2010 Olympics and Tourism at the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER), a bi-national, public-private partnership.  This role focuses on developing projects and coordinating tourism policy throughout the PNWER region (Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Saskatchewan, Washington and the Yukon). 

Current projects include the development a 2010 regional pavilion (www.2010pavilion.com) in Vancouver, maintaining a regional promotion program around the 2010 Olympics, and managing a public information and a policy program focused on better border management.

Prior to joining PNWER, Ian organized the North American Alpine Snowboarding Championships. He has worked in a wide variety of roles in international events, including World Championship snowboarding, skiing and sailing, Continental Cup Ski Jumping, FIFA World Cup Soccer, and the WTO Ministerial Meetings in Seattle, WA

He is a graduate of Willamette University, a Fulbright Fellow and speaks fluent Japanese and German.  He and his family live in Federal Way, WA.

Dr. Shehbaz Butt is the Executive Director and co-owner of Canadian Healthcare International, a physician based healthcare provider in the medical tourism industry. Dr. Butt is a staff Anaesthesiologist and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He is the former President of the Medical Staff Association of a GTA Hospital and has also worked at a number of Toronto area hospitals. He has traveled overseas with a group providing surgical care to third world patients and continues to support various health and medical aid foundations. Dr. Butt is an avid runner, cyclist and outdoor enthusiast.

Janet Gates is the Vice Chair of the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance, a membership-based organization that leverages its expertise and leadership as a catalyst to grow Canada’s $2.4 billion sport tourism business.  Working with its 200+ municipal, national sport organization, tourism and industry supplier partners, CSTA is dedicated to increasing Canadian capacity to attract and host sport tourism events. 

Born and raised in the tourism industry, helping to run the family’s four season resort, Janet went on to own and operate her own Inn, as part of her involvement with Hardwood Hills Cross Country Ski and Mountain Bike Centre.  Her career has also included over 10 years of senior management experience in sport at the provincial, national and international levels.  During her tenure in both the sport and tourism fields she has been involved with the organization of the1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, the 1995 Thunder Bay World Nordic Ski Championships, the 1991 Hardwood Hills World Cup, three Blackcomb Freestyle Ski World Cups and countless provincial, national and North American cross country ski and mountain bike events.

Janet currently chairs Cross Country Canada’s Events Committee during the lead up to the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games and is member of the Sport Alliance of Ontario’s Board of Directors.  Professionally, she has been part of the Ontario public service since 2000, serving in senior management positions in the ministries of Finance, Economic Development and Trade and currently as the Director of Corporate Businesses and Services with the Ontario Heritage Trust.

Tom George is the Executive Director of the Niagara International Transportation Technology Coalition (NITTEC) providing overall leadership and management responsibilities for the multi-agency international Coalition in Southern Ontario and Western New York.  NITTEC’s mission is to improve the mobility and reliability of the regional bi-national transportation network through information sharing and coordinated management of operations.

Tom is a graduate of Michigan Tech and is currently serving as a member of the Board of Directors for the Intelligent Transportation Society of New York (ITS-NY) and a member of ITS Canada and the National Academy of Sciences Transportation Research Board Freeway and Regional Operations Committees.

Ashley Gibbins is Director General of the International Travel Writers Alliance and Managing Editor of AllWays, the consumer travel service from the Alliance.

The Alliance works with travel industry partners and their agencies in order to provide the information and undertake the events, activities and initiatives that will support its 7,400 professional travel writers, editors, broadcasters and photographers in producing features and images in destinations worldwide.

AllWays provides consumer travel information and images to consumers worldwide through its AllWays traveller newsletters and AllWays website.

Pamela Davis Heilman

Partner
Corporate & Securities Practice Group
Nonprofit Law Practice Group
International/Cross-Border Practice Group
Buffalo Office

Areas of Practice: International commercial transactions, nonprofit corporations, professional corporations, mergers and acquisitions

Professional Experience: Ms. Heilman is a member of the firm's Canada/U.S. Cross-Border Practice Group and frequently practices out of the firm's Toronto office. She is one of the lead lawyers in our cross-border Canada/U.S. practice and regularly counsels Canadian organizations and businesses considering expansion into the United States. She also has extensive experience counseling nonprofit organizations (including those with cross-border interests) and closely held businesses.

Presentations/Articles: Ms. Heilman lectures frequently on various corporate, international business, and nonprofit law topics.

Professional Associations: In January 2008, Ms. Heilman was appointed by the governor of the State of New York to the University of Buffalo Council, the primary oversight and advisory body to the University at Buffalo and its president. She also has been a member of the Dean's Advisory Council of the University at Buffalo Law School since 2004 and served as the chair of the law school's 2007 annual fund.

Business Associations: Since 1995, Ms. Heilman has been a member of the board of directors and secretary of SJL Communications, L.P. (SJL), a company engaged in the business of owning and/or managing network television broadcast stations throughout the United States. Currently SJL owns or manages three television stations located in New York and Pennsylvania. Ms. Heilman is a member of the board of directors and treasurer of the Canadian American Business Council. From May 2002 to March 2005, Ms. Heilman served as a member of the board of directors of Financial Institutions, Inc., the oldest bank holding company in New York State. She also served as chair of its Management Development and Compensation Committee. Currently, Ms. Heilman serves as a member of the board of directors of HealthyKids International U.S., a program of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada.

Professional Activities: Ms. Heilman has devoted substantial time to the development of cross-border business relationships and the promotion of women in international business. In 1997, she served as an advisor to and represented the firm as a sponsor of the Business Women's Team Canada Trade Mission to Washington, D.C. Also in 1997, she was a delegate to and panel chair at the annual APEC Women Leader's Network Conference held in Ottawa. Since its inception, she has served on the binational panel of judges for the Canadian American Business Achievement Award, which was established through the efforts of the Canadian Embassy in Washington in 1995. In 1999, she represented the firm as a sponsor of the Canada-U.S.A. Business Women's Trade Summit in Toronto, which was attended by 150 women-owned businesses from each of Canada and the United States.

Community Activities: Ms. Heilman has served in a variety of community roles with respect to nonprofit organizations, including serving from 1993-97 as chair of the board of directors of the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, the first woman to hold this position. In 1992, she served as the general campaign chair of the United Way for Buffalo and Erie County. The first woman to hold this position, she led the community's effort in surpassing the campaign's goal and raising more than $17,000,000 in a difficult economic climate in Western New York. Currently she is a member of the Board of Governors of the Shaw Festival, one of the largest repertory theater companies in North America, and the board of directors of the World Trade Center Buffalo-Niagara, Inc. Previously she has served as president of the Vassar College Club of Western New York and as a director of Kaleida Health Foundation, D'Youville College, the Community Music School, the D'Youville College Center for Women in Management, Housing Assistance Center of the Niagara Frontier, Inc., and the University at Buffalo Law School Alumni Association.

Honors/Awards: Member, Phi Beta Kappa; listed, The Best Lawyers in America (Nonprofit/Charities Law); listed, Who's Who in American Law; named Woman of the Year by the Organization of Women in International Trade (2008); inducted into the Western New York Women's Hall of Fame (May 2005), named a Woman of Distinction (September 2005) by the Girl Scout Council of Buffalo and Erie County and honorary chair of the 2005 annual campaign; received the Athena Award from the Buffalo Niagara Partnership in 2004, all in recognition of her longtime contributions in advancing the status of women in Western New York; received, Canadian Ambassador's Award in recognition of her efforts to build the Canada-U.S. trade relationship (1999); received, Community Champion Award, National Multiple Sclerosis Society and Annual Citation Award from the National Conference and member, Buffalo's delegation to the President's Summit (1998); received, United Way's One Person Award for her 20 years of service to that organization (1997); honored by the YMCA as the 1993 Toast of Buffalo honoree; received, YWCA's 1993 Outstanding Achievement Award and 1993 Distinguished Alumna Award for Community Service, University at Buffalo Law School Alumni Association; received, Manager of the Year Award, Center for Women in Management at D'Youville College (1988)

Bar Associations: Member, American, New York State, Florida, and Erie County Bar Associations; served as vice chair, International Law and Practice Section, New York State Bar Association and member of its executive committee (1988-90)

Admitted to Practice: New York (1976), Florida (1980)

Practice restricted to U.S. law

Education:
A.B. with honors, Vassar College
J.D., with honors, University at Buffalo Law School, State University of New York

With more than twenty-five years experience in leisure travel sales, Barbara Hughes is the Senior Manager of Snyder Tours, a division of AAA Western and Central New York.  Headquartered in Buffalo, NY, Snyder Tours/AAA is the leading group travel and transportation management organization in Western New York.

Hughes began travel industry career with AAA Western and Central New York in 1983 and has held sales and marketing positions with The Travel Team, Inc., Royal Caribbean International, and the Snyder Corporation, Inc. Hughes is a designated Certified Travel Consultant (CTC) and Master Cruise Counselor (MCC). 

Active in her community, Hughes serves as an advisory member for the University at Buffalo Center for the Arts and the North Tonawanda History Museum.  Hughes also serves as a volunteer for the Chamber of Commerce of the Tonawandas and the Buffalo/Niagara Convention and Visitors Bureau.  She is known forher quick wit, contagious energy, and performance based attitude.

Delmor Jacobs’ Ongwehonwe Haudenosaunee name “Dao Jao Dre” is also the operating name of his First Nations Cultural Consulting business which specializes in Edutainment, Experiental and visual events, programs and presentations.  He was born on the Six Nations Indian Reserve and is a member of the Wolf Clan of the Cayuga Nation.

Lacrosse has been a life-long passion since the age of 14.  Initially playing in the Niagara area, Delmor has played every level in the area of box lacrosse from minor to major senior “A” to international.

Coaching was a natural progression and Delmor has coached championship teams at all levels of the sport in Canada, including helping to take teams to the Golden Gate Lax Tournament in San Francisco and the Canadian Bantam Lacrosse National Championships in Calgary & Vancouver.

Today his son Cody continues the tradition and play professional Lacrosse for the Buffalo Bandits in the National Lacrosse League.

Keith Jamieson  

I am a Mohawk of the Six Nations of the Grand River where I reside with my wife and two children. I have had extensive involvement with various community service groups at Six Nations, including past Chairman, Six Nations Public Library Board (Jan.05-08), founding member and Secretary-Treasurer, Grand River Employment and Training, and a founding member and Chairman, Grand River Post-Secondary Education Board.

I am currently Adjunct Professor, Indigenous and Contemporary Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University, Brantford Campus, as well as having been a professor with the First Nations Studies program, University of Western Ontario. I have been a guest lecturer at several universities, including McMaster, Toronto, York as well as Laurier. Most recently, I was a panelist and session chair for the Active History conference, Glendon College, jointly sponsored by York University and the University of Toronto history departments. I am scheduled to present a paper at the Canadian Historical Association Annual Conference, May 27, 2009 in Ottawa, Ontario

I am a Director on the Board of Governors of Six Nations Polytechnic, a post-secondary institution situated on Six Nations of the Grand River. I am also a Board Director of the Niagara Legacy Council, a bi-national initiative established to create and organize War of 1812 legacy projects throughout the region with particular emphasis on Haudenosaunee involvement in this conflict. As well, I am the Senior Archivist and Cultural Consultant for a dramatic and documentary film production on the diplomacy of the so-called “Four Kings”, four Mohawk emissaries to the court of Queen Anne, 1710.

I have lectured internationally, including Oxford and Plymouth, UK, Florence, Italy, and Reykjavik, Iceland, as well as at various universities and venues in the United States. I have acted as a curatorial adviser and consultant for exhibitions and projects in London, UK, Edinburgh and Glasgow, Scotland and most recently, Paris, France. I have also been the guest curator of several exhibits, most notably the joint Royal Ontario Museum and Woodland Cultural Centre Museum exhibit, “Mohawk Ideals, Victorian Values; Oronhyatekha, M.D.” I have published exhibit catalogues and articles in numerous publications, as well as advising for various scholarly works which have also been published.

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Magdalena Kaiser-Smit, Membership Director Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance Toronto, Ontario

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Keith Konopa, CBP Border Security Operations Specialist U.S. Customs and Border Protection Buffalo Field Office

Keith Konopa started his career with the US Immigration and Naturalization Service as an Immigration Inspector at the Rainbow Bridge in 1983. In 1990 Keith was promoted to Supervisory Immigration Inspector in Niagara Falls, NY.  One of his big projects was the redesign of the Rainbow Bridge which was completed in 1997. In 1998, Keith was promoted to the position of Deputy Assistant District Director of Inspections for the Buffalo, NY District Office. With the merging of the US Immigration and Customs Services in 2003 into US Customs and Border Protection under the Department of Homeland Security, Keith was transferred to his present position of Operations Specialist in the Border Security division of the Buffalo Field Office. There he supports all the Ports of Entry in New York State, outside of NYC, on all Immigration Law related issues. His present major concentrations are with Pleasure Boat Reporting and WHTI.

Ray LeBlond was appointed Director of Corporate Communications for Tourism BC in 2000. He is responsible for providing strategic communications direction to ensure awareness and support for the value of the tourism industry in BC and for Tourism BC’s diverse activities.

Ray has a strong track record in the communications industry, having spent over 10 years at B.C. Pavilion Corporation working in a variety of management and communications roles. LeBlond was responsible for providing strategic communications counsel to senior management and the board of directors.

A graduate of Simon Fraser University, Ray has been involved in key roles with several organizations. He recently served as president of the Downtown Vancouver Association for three years, and is a past-president of the BC Chapter of the American Marketing Association. He was also a founding member of the Advisory Board for the MBA in Public Relations and Communications Management program at Royal Roads University, and currently sits as a member of the Board of EasyPark in Vancouver.

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Jay Mason maseRace - for Canadian Motor Speedway Niagara Falls, Ontario

 Jay Mason 

Marital	Married (Yvonne),  sons Jesse (24) and Nelson (21)
Experience	2004-present                 maseRace                   Kuwait/Dubai/US/Canada Project Creator – Speedway & Mixed Use Development §     Developed business plan, pre-development  and capitalization Project target March, 2011
	2004-7     Dynamic Suspensions/Oxford Brookes University      Oxford, UK Developed partnership for automotive innovation centre §     developed concept and oversaw successful negotiations between Oxford Brookes University and Dynamic Suspensions partnership §     intellectual property, commercial partners, $15M capitalization §     project completed 2007
	1992-present                 Ontario Power Generation        Niagara Falls, ON Chairman Chippawa DockOwners’ Association §     steward OPG properties to increase leisure use §     1000% increase in leases for use §     developed environmental and use policy at all gov’t levels   1977-2003                        The Plant People Inc                 Toronto-Niagara President ·         interior landscaping, maintenance, design
Education	1971–1976                    Northeastern University   Boston, Massachusetts hockey scholarship, graduated B.Sc, Business
Sports	§         1969-71 Goaltender for Niagara Falls Flyers Major Jr. ‘A” §         1971-75 Goaltender for Northeastern University Huskies NCAA Div 1 §         1977 Played for Canadian representative in pre-Olympic tourney Yugoslavia, Italy, Austria §         1981-1993 Formula Vee in Canada and US National competition. §         1990,1992 Canadian National FV Champion and 4 US National wins §         1994 to 1999  OMHA ‘AAA’ Head coach §         1999 to 2003 OHA Jr. ‘C’ Head coach
Interests	TRAVEL……….Angel Falls, Venezuela…..Trans Siberian Railway ….. canoed Mackenzie River from Great Slave Lake to Arctic Ocean SCUBA………..Cave diving, Punta de Reparacion, Varadero, Cuba……. Morrocoy National Park, Venezuela,… wrecks off Curacao

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Michele McKenzie, President & CEO Canadian Tourism Commission

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Kerry Mitchell, Program Manager, Political/Economic Relations & Public Affairs Canadian Consulate General Buffalo, New York

Kerry Mitchell has served as Manager of the Public Affairs Program  at the Canadian Consulate General in Buffalo since 1989.  In that capacity, she coordinates the Canadian Government’s information and advocacy programs -- political, economic, environmental, cultural, academic and media --  throughout the consular territory of Upstate New York, Western and Central Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Immediately prior to joining the Canadian Consulate General, Ms. Mitchell served as Admission Director at Calasanctius School in Buffalo, New York and in New York City as Director of the World Issues Program with the YMCA International Program Service.  Prior to undertaking  graduate studies, Ms. Mitchell was a Financial Management Trainee at the American Express Company and served as Program Manager for Pace University’s Brazilian Institute and Center for International Business Studies. 

Ms. Mitchell earned a Masters in French from La Sorbonne in Paris, France and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Pace University in New York City.  She speaks French and Portuguese.

Ms. Mitchell has served on various community boards in Buffalo including Buffalo Niagara World Connect, Buffalo Arts Studio, Le Cercle Français and the Canada-US Friendship Festival.

Tom O’Hara is President of Surgical Trip LLC.  Surgical Trip is an international medical network that specializes in arranging patient care at top hospitals and clinics in the United States and abroad. SurgicalTrip exclusively works with employers, TPAs, brokers  and insurance companies to provide high quality international healthcare at significant cost savings.

Mr. O’Hara has over twenty years experience working with large and small employers in the benefits and compensation area of human resources.  His broad corporate career includes senior management positions in Fortune 500 companies such as Cigna, IMS Health, Lucent Technologies, and most recently, as Vice President of Compensation and Benefits for Agere Systems. Tom founded his own consulting firm to provide unique and creative healthcare solutions for companies. He has developed innovative solutions that have reduced benefit costs while enhancing the overall value to companies and employees.

Tom has managed multi-million dollar benefit plans both domestically and internationally. He has also successfully managed the creation or transition of health and welfare plans during company start-ups, acquisitions, divestitures, spin-offs and initial public offerings.

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Bill Pencek, Director of Heritage & Cultural Tourism Office of Tourism Development DBED (Dept. of Business & Economic Develpment) Baltimore, MD

Kenneth Schoetz oversees efforts to recruit new business and support existing business for the ten regions throughout New York State.

Prior to his current ESD and DED posts, Mr. Schoetz served as Chief Operating Officer of Upstate ESD throughout 2007.  He was Assistant Attorney General in charge of the New York State Attorney General’s Buffalo Office from 2003 to 2006.  From 1988 to 1999 he worked in Erie County Government, first serving as First Assistant Erie County Attorney and then moving on to serve as Erie County Attorney.  From 1992-1996, Mr. Schoetz served a four-year term for the Hamburg Village government.
  

Mr. Schoetz received his B.A. in Political Economics from Williams College in Massachusetts and obtained is J.D. from the University at Buffalo Law School where he served as editor-in-chief of the Law Review.

Born and raised in Western New York, Mr. Schoetz resides in Hamburg, New York with his wife and daughter.

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Paula Todd, Investigative Reporter W-Five

Paula Todd is an acclaimed journalist, broadcaster, author, lawyer and reporter for CTV's W-FIVE, Canada's #1 investigative news program and North America's longest-running news magazine. Todd’s more than 20 years of experience in Canadian journalism, and her professional training as a lawyer, has allowed her to cover legal and social issues, politics and current affairs. She is the author of the best-selling book, A Quiet Courage: Inspiring Stories from All of Us.

Todd joined CTV News in 2006 as the founding host of CTV Newsnet's The Verdict, Canada's first and only news series dedicated to crime, legal affairs and justice. Prior to joining CTV, Todd was at TVO where she hosted and co-produced the award-winning Person 2 Person with Paula Todd, and co-hosted the popular live current affairs program Studio 2.

Todd, a former print reporter, entered broadcasting after more than a dozen years at the Toronto Star, where she worked as a political reporter, news reporter and feature writer. Todd also served as an editorial writer and a member of the newspaper's editorial board.

Television and Career Highlights

·         Currently an Investigative Reporter, W-FIVE

·         Host of The Verdict with Paula Todd, CTV NEWSNET, 2006-2008

·         Host, TVO’s Person 2 Person with Paula Todd and Studio 2

      Author of: A Quiet Courage: Inspiring Stories from All of Us

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Lisa Tucker edible Buffalo Williamsville, New York

                            

 
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Jason Wiese, Asst. Director, Williams Research Center The Historic New Orleans Collection New Orleans, Louisiana

Jason Wiese is the Assistant Director of the Williams Research Center of The Historic New Orleans Collection.  He holds advanced degrees from Iowa State University and Louisiana State University, and previously served as Collections Manager at Tulane University's Latin American Library.  His subject specialties include the cartohistory of Louisiana, as well as the maritime and military history of the Gulf South, especially the Battle of New Orleans.  Mr. Wiese has served as curator of several exhibitions, including "The Terrible & the Brave: the Battles for New Orleans, 1814-15" and "Tierras Realengas: Land Grants in Spanish Colonial Louisiana." He also served as lead editor for an award-winning historical atlas titled Charting Louisiana: Five Hundred Years of Maps (2003).  Current projects include consulting on historical exhibition content for the planned Chalmette National Battlefield and Cemetery Visitor Center.

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