Dr. Alyson Byrne is an assistant professor in organizational behaviour and human resource management at the Faculty of Business Administration at Memorial University. She received her PhD in organizational behaviour from Queen’s University in 2013. Prior to arriving at Memorial, Dr. Byrne also worked at the University of Manitoba and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in leadership at the Ivey Business School at Western University.

 Dr. Byrne’s research interests lie primarily in leadership, status, gender and relational outcomes. She has been published in journals such as The Leadership Quarterly and the Journal of Business Ethics and has presented her research at numerous international conferences. She has also been the keynote speaker for a number of public events concerning her research on leadership and gender.

Blair Pritchett manages Intact Insurance’s legal teams in Newfoundland & Labrador and New Brunswick.  Prior to taking on that role, Blair was a practicing lawyer for almost two (2) decades.  Most of Blair’s time in private practice was with McInnes Cooper, where he was a partner and a member of the firm’s Board of Directors.

Blair is a frequent instructor and lecturer on legal topics relevant to the workplace, including employment, human rights, occupational health and safety, employee discipline and the legalization of cannabis.  Blair’s background, which combines legal expertise and hands-on management experience, offers students a unique perspective on the law of the workplace.

Darroch Crewe is a Change Leadership and Learning Facilitator, Consultant and Executive Coach with over 20 years of experience helping individuals, teams and organizations navigate through a wide variety of change.

Darroch has completed the Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching (CEC) and Masters in Leadership (MA) from Royal Roads. He also completed a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from Memorial University.

Darroch grew up in Port aux Basques, Newfoundland & Labrador and moved to Torbay in 2021 after 20 years of living in Toronto. He has also had international assignments in The Philippines & Hong Kong.

To learn more about Darroch’s experience, visit his profile on LinkedIn.

Dr. Ford is a Professor at the Faculty of Business Administration with a Bachelors in Psychology, and double major in management information systems and organizational behaviour with her PhD. She conducts research on knowledge management, social media, and cyber deviance, in particular virtual harassment and cyber-incivility. She teaches organizations on how to create respectful workplaces to prevent harassment and bullying through the Gardiner Centre, and has also provided consultation work on remote work and its implications for employees and organizations. 

Heather Peters is a Senior Associate with KBRS and Principal with Impact Coaching and Consulting.  An insightful leadership and team coach, solutions-driven human resources consultant and strategist, and energetic and engaging facilitator, Heather has helped hundreds of leaders and professionals engage teams and organizations in Canada and beyond.

As a seasoned Consultant and Coach, Heather can easily switch hats to deliver distinctive employee, team, leadership, career and HR solutions. She attributes this ability to over 20 years in leadership, entrepreneurial and strategic HR roles in the insurance, IT, human resources, healthcare and financial industries, coupled with over a decade consulting and coaching hundreds of clients in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Heather's hands-on business and organizational experience help her connect with her clients and create long standing relationships based on trust and exceptional service.  Heather works mainly in the areas of Leadership and Team Effectiveness, Strategic HR, Performance Development, Organizational Development, Review and Design, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, Employee Engagement and Team Culture, Compensation and Policy, Leadership and Team Coaching and Development, Succession Planning, Change Leadership and Career Transition.

Heather is passionate about learning and has completed her Master of Employment Relations (MER) from Memorial University, a Bachelor of Commerce (B. Comm.) from the University of Ottawa, is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coach Federation (ICF), is an Advanced Certified HR Professional with IPMA (IPMA-ACP) and has completed a Certificate in Equity, Diversity & Inclusion from the University of British Columbia. This commitment to life-long learning, coupled with ‘in the trenches’ experience, allows her to translate academic theory into relevant, innovative and impact driven solutions for her clients and students.

Jennifer has been a facilitator with Gardiner Centre for seven years and teaches courses in cross-cultural communication, cultural safety, workplace communications, presentation skills and more. Jennifer has worked as a curriculum developer with many of Gardiner Centre’s clients, including the Government of Nunavut.

Jennifer is committed to creating a safe and inclusive learning space and thrives on mutual learning and sharing in the classroom.

Jennifer has completed training in Trauma Informed Practice (Justice Institute of British Columbia) and Working Effectively With Indigenous Peoples (Indigenous Corporate Training Inc.). Jennifer has also worked extensively with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) subject matter experts to develop courses in critical DEI areas.

Jennifer holds a Master of Arts degree in Applied Communication, a Bachelor of Post-Secondary Education degree (Adult Education), and a certificate in Curriculum Development and Instructional Design (Mount Royal University).

Jordan Wright has experience working with private, public and not-for-profit organizations, both locally and nationally. Jordan is currently Lead 2025 Canada Games at Memorial University and was previously Director - Operations, Conference Services and Events with Memorial University and was responsible for the Operations of Memorial's Emera Innovation Exchange at Signal Hill Campus along with its Graduate Student Accommodations and Conference and Events services for both the Signal Hill and St. John's Campuses. Immediately prior to this, Jordan managed the Office of the Associate Vice-President (Facilities) at Memorial University, where he worked on the University's overall infrastructure planning, which included capital renewal and new construction projects.

Jordan has also worked with the University's Office of Public Engagement, Gardiner Centre as well as the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador's Department of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour. These positions allowed him to work on a number of marketing and communications, event production, human resource development, consulting, economic and business development projects. Jordan has also been involved with Shad Canada, leading Memorial’s program while providing guidance on business plan development, project management and leadership fundamentals.

Jordan holds a Masters of Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts (French & Economics) from Memorial University, as well as a Masters Certificate in Project Management and Masters Certificate in Leadership from York University Schulich Executive Education Centre. Jordan holds Project Management Institute's (PMI) Project Management Professional (PMP) designation as well as being a Prosci Certified  Change Management Practitioner (CCMP). Jordan previously held volunteer roles with the East Coast Trail Association and Horizon TNL, is a past-president of PMI NL Chapter and is a former National Vice-President of Canadian Parents for French.

Lynn Morrissey has over 25 years' of experience as a facilitator, consultant, and educator.  She has taught academic courses in communications, organizational behaviour, and human resources at the Faculty of Business Administration, Memorial University, in St. John’s, NL.  She has received many awards for her contributions including the Dean’s Teaching Award, the Dean’s Service Award, the Dean’s Citizenship Award, the President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching, and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Lynn has a long-standing relationship with Gardiner Centre, instructing professional development seminars that focus on various fields of workplace culture and communications, and facilitation skills. Lynn consults in organizational effectiveness and human resource management and works regularly with organizations on a variety of strategic initiatives. Her experience includes leading performance review processes, writing harassment prevention strategies, conducting workplace culture reviews, facilitating strategy sessions, and executive coaching.

Susan is an adjunct professor with the Faculty of Education, Memorial University of Newfoundland. She also is a guest lecturer for Executive Programs at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, York University and Humber College.At the graduate level, she teaches courses in policy, strategic planning, leadership theory and practice, and HRM theory and practice in post-secondary settings. Her pragmatic approach instills and understanding of both theory and practice, including cross-cultural intelligences, employee engagement, leadership, strategy and an overall focus on quality and excellence across all components of an organization, including stakeholders.

Susan holds a Doctorate in Leadership (DBA) and an MSc. in Business Management Research from Henley Business School, UK. She also holds a Master of Education (Leadership) and a Bachelor of Education, both from Memorial University.She is a globally certified Gallup Strengths Coach and a member of the Forbes Coaches Council 

Concurrently, she is a research and management consultant through her own company, Clearpath Leadership, and has become a globally recognized leadership consultant. Her work spans many organizations and countries, with a focus on the UAE. Most notably, she has a lead role with the Excellence Assessment Program for the Prime Minister’s Office in the United Arab Emirates, as well as the Governments of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Prior to completing her doctoral studies, Dr. Murray had an accomplished 25-year career as a senior leader in the public education system in Canada and was recognized as one of Canada’s Outstanding Principals. She is a highly sought speaker for local, national, and international events.

Actively involved in the non-profit sector, Dr. Murray is the Chair of the Kids Eat Smart Foundation Newfoundland and Labrador. She is an advisor, coach and mentor with national organizations including the Canadian Arab Institute, Newcomer Students Association, Women in Leadership and FORA where she coaches young women to serve as board directors.

Dr. Tom Cooper is a Professor at the Faculty of Business Administration at Memorial University, where he lectures in the areas of strategy, risk management, management consulting and ethics/values at both an undergraduate and graduate level. His research is primarily focused on the interplay between strategy and risk management. Tom also has research interests in participatory approaches to research and doing business in remote areas.

Tom also acts as an advisor to a number of organizations in Canada and is a Certified Management Consultant. He has sat on the Board of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Newfoundland and Labrador (ICANL) as an appointed public representative since 2008. He was a member of the Governance as well as the Strategic Planning Committee of ICANL. He has also acted as a committee member of the CPA TSC’s Governance and Strategic Planning subcommittees. He is the current Chair of Startup Newfoundland and Labrador. He is a mentor with Futurpreneur and is a past a Board Member with the Atlantic Chapter of the Certified Management Consultants.

Prior to taking his position at Memorial, Tom was a Senior Manager in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Performance Improvement Consulting practice in London. Tom worked as a senior consultant in this area for ten years with clients in the United Kingdom, Europe and North America.

Tom's research has been published widely in industry and academic publications. He has been quoted in the Financial Times of London, BBC World Service, CBC, Atlantic Business, and other industry publications. He holds a Ph.D. in Business from the Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, United Kingdom.