Magicana's Board of Directors

	Patrick Watson, Chairman Emeritus MA English University of Toronto Teaching fellow at Queens University 1953-54 MEd University of Toronto Doctoral studies in English and Education University of Michigan Adjunct Professor of Political Science, University of Waterloo, 1966-67 Honorary doctorates in Letters and in Laws	TOP
	Patrick Watson is a writer, producer, director, actor, television host and interviewer. He is Creative Director of the HISTORICA Foundation’s media activities, including The Heritage Minutes, Screen Legends, Footprints, and the History Television series The Canadians. In addition to being a co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of Magicana, Patrick is also Chairman Emeritus of The Abilities Foundation, he is honorary Chair of the Canadian Amputee Sports Association and served as a founding director of the Centre For Arms Control, and a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Film Board of Canada. He was Chairman of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation from 1989 to1994. Awards & Honours Companion of the Order of Canada National and international television and documentary awards, including two Emmies for The Fifty First State, The Bob Edwards Award for journalism, 13 ACTRA AWARD nominations, ACTRA awards for Best Host\Interviewer, and for documentary. ACTRA Outstanding Achievement Award for Contributions to Canadian Broadcasting The Gordon Sinclair Award for Best Overall Broadcast Journalist. Two Canadian Film Awards. The Christopher Award. Columbus (Ohio) Awards (four Bronze plaques, and the Chris Statuette). Two ANIK Awards for narration and hosting. Gemeaux and  Gemini Awards for best documentary in both French and English. The Margaret Collyer Lifetime Achievement Award (for television writing.) Chicago International Film Festival Certificate of Merit. The Canada 125 Medal, and The Queen’s Jubilee Medal.
	Michael Gillis, Treasurer BEd Mount Saint Vincent University BAdmin St. Francis Xavier University	TOP
	Senior Vice-President, Business Development Greystone Managed Investments Inc. As Senior Vice President of business development, Michael is focused on providing prospective clients with information about Greystone’s investment process and philosophy. Michael works closely with institutional clients and consultants across Canada, including pension funds, endowments, and charitable foundations. Prior to joining Greystone, Michael held the position of Vice-President Institutional Marketing and Sales for a number of years with SEAMARK Asset Management, where his main focus was on increasing SEAMARKs market share in Canada as well as developing all marketing, sales and advertising material. Within 9 years he successfully built Canadian assets under management from $3 billion to a height of $10 billion for the firm. Previously he worked for the Halifax Grammar School for 2 years, as a teacher. Michael has also worked as a Director of Business Development for National Trust, and has held the position of Senior Account Representative for both Royal Trust and National Trust. Michael is very active in the investment industry. He is president of the Canadian Association of Management Sales Executives (AIMSE). He serves on the editorial advisory board of Benefits and Pensions Monitor magazine and is a corporate member of the Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO). Michael is actively involved in the Association of Canadian Pension Managers (ACPM) and the Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute (CPBI). In his spare time, Michael sits on the board of the charities Magicana and the Canadian Paraplegic Association.
	Tim Jackson, Chairman BA (Hons) Accounting University of Waterloo, Canada	TOP
	Partner Tech Capital Partners Tim Jackson is a founder and Partner of Tech Capital Partners where he focuses on investment opportunities in the wireless, communications, new media, and internet sectors. Prior to partnering with Andrew Abouchar in 2001 to create Tech Capital, Tim was CFO and CEO at PixStream, a technology company focused on distributing and managing digital video across broadband networks. At PixStream, Tim successfully raised over $60 million in equity capital and negotiated the $550 million sale of the company to Cisco Systems, one of the largest technology company acquisitions in Canadian history. Tim supports the development of entrepreneurs through his roles as Chairperson of Communitech Technology Association, Vice-Chair of the UW Research + Technology Park Accelerator Centre, and Advisory Council Member for The Centre for Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology at the University of Waterloo. Tim also sits on the Board of Governors for the University of Waterloo, chairs the University’s Finance & Investment Committee, and is a member of the University’s Audit committee. Actively involved in the not-for-profit sector, Tim chairs the Waterloo Public Library Board and The board of Center in the Square. He is also President of the Food Bank of Waterloo Region and recently ended a term as chair of the Waterloo Regional Children’s Museum Board.
	Craig MacPherson, Secretary BSc (Hons), University of Exeter	TOP
	Business Operations Manager Celestica Inc. Craig is an accomplished operations and business development professional. Having worked for Celestica for the past twelve years, he has held a variety of roles globally, moving from Europe to Canada in 2003. Prior to his current role in company innovation, Craig was responsible for several multi-million dollar product transfers, operational management positions and new product introductions, focusing on flawless launch and end-to-end customer solutions. Delivering best in company performance, Craig also acts as a coaching teacher and mentor. Actively involved in several magic communities globally, Craig is also an amateur magician. Craig sits on the Board of Magicana and serves as its secretary.
	Michael McLaughlin Honours, Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology, Toronto, ON Executive Education, Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts	TOP
	Executive Vice President High Fidelity HDTV Broadcasting Michael is an accomplished senior business executive with over twenty years of experience in business development and revenue creation within the entertainment and media sectors. Michael’s background in the media and entertainment industry has earned him a reputation as a strategic, innovative leader with an enthusiastic approach and an exceptional ability to develop relationships at all levels. Michael is a dedicated community member and has served on many boards. In addition to his role as a member of Magicana’s Board of Directors, Michael has also established many other noteworthy community projects including: his participation as one of the founding members of Raising the Roof (Canada’s largest Charity for Homelessness, 1996); his service as an executive committee member for Cable in the Classroom Canada 1998 – 2000. He has also served on the Canwest Broadcasting Merger Systems and Information Integration committee in 2000; and as an advisor for Schulich School of Business, York University, Canwest Global Broadcasting MBA Case Study in 1999.
	Nick Sacco	TOP
	Consultant & Business Manager Damon Industries National Healthcare Development Nick Sacco has served as a director and divisional manager and a national business manager until his retirement in 2007. Since then, he as been a sought-after consultant and currently continues to serve as consultant and business manager with Damon Industries, in National Healthcare Development. He has managed and executed several national campaigns on fundraising and events to create awareness and to empower at-risk children. He has served as: the assistant chairman and advised on event management for PORBUS; the past vice chairman for the Canadian Food Service Executive Association’s Christmas Event benefiting underprivileged children; and the past chairman for the Hospitality Committee, Variety Telethon. Today, Nick sits on the board of Magicana and the Canadian Association of Magicians.
	Elizabeth Wilson BA (Political Science) Trinity College, University of Toronto	TOP
	President Elizabeth Wilson & Associates Inc. Fundraising Consultants Elizabeth’s early career at Trent University teaching Politics was followed by over twenty years at the University of Toronto in a variety of senior administrative positions. In 1988 she was appointed U of T’s Director of Development and was responsible for the overall direction and successful completion of the largest fundraising campaign in the University’s history. Raising over $127 million on a goal of $100 million set Elizabeth on a path that resulted almost twenty years ago in establishing her own consulting firm to assist not-for-profit organizations in developing major gift programs. Since 1993, she has worked with more than 45 charitable organizations and helped them raise many millions of dollars. Some current clients include: Pine River Institute; Human Rights Watch (Canada); Trees Ontario and the Gardiner Museum. In addition to her support for the many organizations she has helped to realize their fundraising objectives, Elizabeth is a passionate volunteer. A past Director of the Canadian Club of Toronto and Past Chair of the Board of Trustees of Trinity College, University of Toronto, her current volunteer commitments, in addition to Magicana, include: University of Toronto Art Centre; Chamber Factory: Works for Small Ensembles; The Pluralism Fund and Equal Voice. She is a past winner of the Arbor Award for outstanding service to the University of Toronto and a Volunteer of the Year for Community Living, Toronto. She is President of her Cottagers’ Association and recently completed a second term as a member of the Advisory Committee on Judicial Appointments, as an appointee of the Federal Minister of Justice.
	Bob Weeks Honours Bachelor of Arts (Communications), University of Windsor, 1983	TOP
	Vice-President SCOREGolf Canada Ltd. Bob Weeks is the vice-president of SCOREGolf Canada Ltd., the country’s largest golf media company. He also serves as the editor of SCOREGolf Magazine, the country’s largest golf publication, host of SCOREGolf TV and SCOREGolf radio, and serves as the golf analyst for TSN. In addition, he oversees all content on the organization’s web site which includes blogs, peer-to-peer course rating and Web TV. Bob joined SCOREGolf in 1987 and since that time has helped grow the company into a multi-million dollar business that reaches more than half a million Canadians each month. Bob was an integral part of the company’s move into multi-media, transitioning from a single magazine in 1992 into a multi-platform organization. His major influence has been and continues to be in the internet area of business where he has become recognized as an innovator and leader in such areas as social networking, one-to-one contact and content delivery. In 2009, he helped to launch Canada’s first regularly scheduled Web TV sports broadcast, SG Daily, a nightly golf newscast seen on the internet. An award-winning writer and broadcaster, Bob has named as the most influential media person and sixth most influential person in Canadian golf by the National Post. He also writes on curling for the Globe and Mail and has authored five books.
	David Ben, Artistic Director BA (Hons) University of Toronto LLB University of Western Ontario LLM London School of Economics	TOP
	David Ben, professional magician, retired from practicing tax law to pursue his passion for creativity, performing and community. He has written and performed in critically acclaimed theatrical works including: The Conjuror  (Shaw Festival - 1996, 1997; Theatre ROM -1997), The Conjuror’s Suite (Salon ROM – 1999; Charlottetown Festival - 2000); and Tricks (Artword Theatre – 2005). David is also a keynote speaker on creativity, innovation and problem solving. David presents Magic By Design and Advantage Play to a broad range of associations and corporate clients in the United States and Canada. David has been repeat presenter at The Smithsonian.  He is also a feature presenter at Idea City in Toronto.   David also is a consultant providing his magical expertise to a variety of film, television and theatrical projects.  He is the author of several books: Advantage Play, Tricks, Dai Vernon: A Biography, and Zarrow.  He is currently writing the authorized business biography of Canadian media mogul Allan Slaight.   As one of the co-founders of Magicana (along side Canadian media icon, Patrick Watson and filmmaker Daniel Zuckerbrot), David has served as Magicana’s artistic director, executive director, and board member.  He is now the Chairman of the Board.  Previously, he was a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and served on the board of directors of both the Arts and Letters Club and the Canadian Theatre Museum.