Board of Directors

Greg has been a Senior Manager with the Group Health Centre for 20 years. Currently, he oversees operations of the GHA as Chief Operating Officer. At the centre, Greg has also held the positions of Director of Finance and Administration, Director of the Comprehensive Health Organization Feasibility Study, Director of Corporate Development, and Senior Manager of Information Systems.

As well, Greg has worked in the public and private sectors as a Senior Financial Officer with the North Regional Office of the Ministry of Community and Social Services and as the Manager of Accounting for Bailey Hoogovens Canada.

Greg is a long-time resident of Sault Ste. Marie and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Laurentian University. He is very involved with community activities and is currently the President of the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation. Previously, he held the positions of President and Chairman of the Board of Algoma Child and Youth Services, Vice-chair of the Algoma District Network (Adnet), Chairman of the Fundraising Committee for the Algoma Residential Community Hospice, and Treasurer of Lakeshore Kiwanis.

Don came to Sault Ste. Marie as Xerox of Canada's first marketing representative for the Sault Ste. Marie area, which included Elliot Lake to the east and Marathon to the west. In 1972, he decided that the Sault was the place to put down permanent roots. Don, along with his partners, bought Superior 7 Advertising, where he held the position of President and Managing Partner. In 1981, Don moved on to his present career as an insurance broker with Downtown Insurance and Realty Ltd. He was the Sale Manager from 1984 until January 1993. In early 1993, Don joined the Algoma Insurance Group, where he presently holds the position of Vice-President of Commercial Lines/Partner.

Don has been involved in the community as a volunteer and member of numerous boards and committees during his 37 years in Sault Ste. Marie. In the past few years, he received the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce's Presidents Award for Volunteer Services and the Paul Dalseg Community Achievement Award. Don has acted, and continues to act, as a facilitator in a number of projects and initiatives, whether business to finance, business to government or business to business.

Don is known as passionate and outspoken, but it is his contagious optimism, exuberance and vision for the success of Sault Ste. Marie that fuels the fire of his tireless efforts on behalf of the community he loves.

Armand is BDO Dunwoody LLP's National Accounting Standards Partner. His responsibilities include developing training and tools related to accounting and financial reporting, writing internal and external accounting and financial reporting publications, and providing consultation on complex accounting matters. Armand is a partner in BDO's National Office, which is located in Toronto. He works remotely out of its Sault Ste. Marie location, where he was once a Senior Manager. Armand was previously a Senior Manager with Ernst & Young in Bermuda.

Donna has 30 years experience in the hospitality industry in Sault Ste. Marie and is currently the General Manager of Algoma's Water Tower Inn, a 180-room, full-service hotel. Very involved in her community, Donna is a 2008 Northern Ontario Business Influential Women Award winner, Chairperson of the Tourism Sault Ste. Marie Management Board, Past President of the Algoma Fall Festival and Chairperson of the Sault Trails Action Committee. She is a passionate believer in the city of Sault Ste. Marie as the best place to live and work.

Michael is the founder and President of Mike Moore & Sons Construction Ltd. and Vice-President of Black Loon Millworks International.

Michael attended Sault College, where he was enrolled in the Architectural Technology program. In 1974, he worked at various jobs, including a steel fabrication company and was shop foreman for a glass and window business. In 1976, Michael left the business to join J. P. Pierman Construction Ltd., where he worked his way up to the position of Chief Estimator.

In September 1989, armed with a small loan, he incorporated Mike Moore & Sons Construction Ltd.

Michael has more than 30 years of construction experience. He received his Gold Seal Certification for Estimating (General Contracting) in 1995 and was the first person in Canada to receive Professional Gold Seal designation. Michael is an active member of the business and construction community. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Ontario General Contractors Association (OGCA), is a Co-Chair of the OGCA Safety Committee, President of the Sault Ste. Marie Construction Association (SSMCA), the founding member of the SSMCA Safety Committee, and member of the CEO Health & Safety Leadership Charter. Michael also sits on the Board of Directors for the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation and is a member of the NEON Regional Liaison Committee and Canadian Blood Services Advisory Panel. He’s an avid blood donor as well.

Michael is a strong advocate of safety. His company has won a multitude of awards on this front, including the Canadian Construction Association’s National Safety Award, OGCA Distinguished Achievement in Safety Awards, Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie Construction Association’s awards and NOBA Company of the Year award.

Michael is married to Fern. They each have two adult children and, together, have two Beagles, Barney and Storm.

Born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie’s Ward 2, Susan moved to Toronto to attend Humber College for the Travel and Tourism program. She enjoyed a career in travel, tourism and the hospitality industries in the Toronto and Muskoka areas for 10 years before attending Bible College in Alberta, where she took a one-year diploma in Biblical Studies. Susan returned to Ontario and worked in ministry at Muskoka Baptist Conference Centre as Retreat Director for five years then returning to Sault Ste. Marie in 1989 to accept a position with the city’s convention bureau (HATS).

In 1992, municipal restructuring resulted in a merged convention bureau and economic development office creating the new Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation. Susan was offered the position of the first Manager of Marketing and Tourism for the newly-formed SSMEDC. During her 14 years there, a highlight was overseeing the creation of the City’s first ever brand logo and tagline – the award winning “Naturally Gifted.”

In 2001, Susan was recognized by the Economic Developers Council of Ontario by receiving the President’s Award for excellence and contributions to the tourism industry in Ontario. In 2003, she was recognized by the OTMP (Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership) for outstanding contributions to tourism in Ontario 2000 - 2003.

Susan was raised in a family where her dad worked as an independent contractor and custom homebuilder. She grew up hearing the story of how he started out with a small general store in the 1950s after losing his arm in an industrial railroad accident. Susan has always remembered her parents, Mabel and Willard, teaching her and her brothers about working hard, succeeding in business and giving back to the community. That is why she ran for City Council and now sits on 11 Boards and Committees.

Susan believes that SSMEDC is a critical Board to be on as the corporation leads the community’s vision in all aspects of living, working and playing.

Martin graduated with a degree in Physics from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina in December 1989. He then started working for Tenaris Group as part of the Young Professional Program in the company’s Research and Development Centre. By 1994, Martin was positioned as Tenaris’ Argentina Marketing Head. In 1997, he became the company’s Corporate Marketing Head and led several merger and acquisition analysis in the frame of marketing and supply-chain management. After living in Italy and the U.S., Martin moved to Sault Ste. Marie in July 2000. He came as part of the group that reopened the Tube Mill – formerly owned by Algoma Steel – and was appointed Supply Chain Manager for Tenaris in Canada.

As a family decision, Martin stayed in Canada; Algoma Steel Inc. gave him the chance to do so. He has been with the company since December 2004, originally hired to head its re-engineering group. Martin was appointed Business Development Vice-President in May 2006, where his main accountability has been to drive the company's value-chain integration strategy. Since October 2007, he has been part of the Corporate Group at Essar Steel Holdings – Algoma’s mother company – and is accountable for business development.

Martin was born in Argentina in 1965. His grandparents immigrated to the South American country from Europe in the 1920s. Like many Canadians, he is the grandson of immigrants. In 1991, Martin married Sofia in Argentina. She is now a Mathematics Professor at Algoma University. The couple has two children, Natalia, 13, and Tomas, 9. They also have two dogs, Anya, 7, and Louie, 8. Martin and Sofia are strong advocates of Northern Ontario.

Rob has over 18 years experience in electric utility operations, engineering, regulatory support, business development and occupational health and safety management. In 2003, he founded a management and professional engineering services company after having held various senior positions with Great Lakes Power Ltd. and the former Ontario Hydro. Rob holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Toronto and a Master of Business Administration from Laurentian University. He and his wife have three children. Their leisure time is spent actively pursuing their children's athletic and academic activities.

Mayor Rowswell is a consulting engineer with his own firm, Rowswell & Associates Engineers Ltd. He entered municipal politics for the first time in the 2000 elections and was re-elected in 2003 and again in 2006. Mayor Rowswell enjoys municipal politics for the chance it offers to make a difference in the community. He prides himself on being an entrepreneurial engineer, always looking for future opportunities. Even prior to becoming Mayor, he often travelled extensively to pursue opportunities for the city he was born and raised in. In his third term of office, Mayor Rowswell will continue to focus on economic growth for Sault Ste. Marie.

Outside of politics and business, Mayor Rowswell enjoys his family cottage, snowmobiling and travelling by RV. He has been involved in scouting since a young age. He is dedicated to his family, which includes his wife Donna, four children and six grandchildren.

A multi-degree graduate, Dr. Common received Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education and Master of Education degrees from the University of Manitoba. Dr. Common earned his PhD in Educational Administration from the University of Ottawa in 1980. He holds a private pilot’s licence and flies his own aircraft throughout Canada.

Dr. Common has worked and conducted educational research in Aboriginal communities around the world, including New Zealand, Amazon, China, Africa and throughout Northern Ontario, Manitoba, the Arctic and Labrador. He is currently President of Sault College in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

Hal has had extensive volunteer involvement in community development, continuing on after his retirement from a career as a regional economic development professional with the government. His past and present activities include: Board member of the Community Development Corporation, member of the Conservation Authority’s Drinking Water Source Protection Committee, member of the Local Citizens Committee for the Ministry of Natural Resources’ Algoma Forest Management program, past member of the Board of Community Quality Improvement, and past Board member of the Sault’s annual Echoes Drum Festival.

Dr. Ross has served as the President of Algoma University since 1998. During this time, Algoma was granted independence from Laurentian University.

Dr. Ross first came to the university in 1982 as a professor of French Language and Literature. She received a PhD from the Universite de Bordeaux III with research specialization in early best-selling novels of the nineteenth century in France.

Dr. Ross is active in the community through Board memberships on the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre, the Upper Great Lakes Environmental Network, science enterprise Algoma, the United Way and the Economic Development Corporation. She is married to Sault Ste. Marie lawyer Michael Bennett. They have one child, Alasdair.