ABOUT

Nour Hage plays a role in youth empowerment as the CEO of Civiconnect, a non-profit focusing on skills training for young people.

His journey to leadership reflects a mix of professional skills, entrepreneurial drive, and a strong commitment to social impact. In 2021, Nour, alongside peers and a municipal partner, helped establish Civiconnect's Youth Skills Studio. Leading Civiconnect, Nour has worked on initiatives to equip young individuals with essential skills for today's world.

The organization has expanded its reach through partnerships with post-secondary institutions, community centers, and local businesses, tailoring programs to diverse youth needs. Nour's leadership has navigated Civiconnect through challenges towards sustainable growth, securing funding and partnerships.

Over the past three years, Civiconnect has trained over 710+ youth and completed 330+ projects for the community. 

• I am an Information Technology Professional in Niagara for almost 20 years with a wide variety of expertise
• I bring a level of tenacity and enthusiasm with my go-getter type of personality
• As a member and advocate of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, I bring a unique perspective on the world

Valerie Sadler is an Associate Executive Director at Mission Services of Hamilton, a multi-service not for profit agency. She is responsible for organizational excellence, quality improvement, community-based research opportunities and helping to build a culture of performance and innovation. She holds a Master of Education degree and serves as a part-time faculty member for McMaster University/Mohawk College’s affiliated certificate in Leadership & Management in the Not for Profit Sector.

An advocate for culture and diversity and passionate about people development, Karen is a Global HR professional with more than 13 years experience across 5 continents with a strongly developed capacity in Strategic Human Resources Management: Talent Acquisition and Organizational Development, Learning and Development, Employee and Labor Relations, Employee Engagement,  Workforce and Resource planning, HR Policy design and implementation, Compensation and Benefits, Performance Management, Mergers and Acquisitions, HR systems and Data Management, Stakeholder Management, Culture and Diversity Initiatives and Occupational Health, Safety and Environment. 

Karen has worked for several multinational companies in the Transport and Logistics industry, in senior management and decision-making positions and managed over 1,600 employees from more than 26 nationalities, and 15 direct HR reports, mentoring and coaching them towards career development and progression.

Karen is a team player, very dedicated, organized, proactive, empathetic and understands the role of HR in an organization. Karen holds an MBA in business administration and has engaged in several conferences related to HR. She has also been a keynote speaker, sharing her knowledge and experience in human resources, learning and development, workforce engagement, and organizational leadership. 

Karen is an advocate for mental health, children’s health, diversity, and equity. Karen has been with the PAC since 2023 and continues to look for more ways to create a positive impact within the Niagara Region.

Namrata Mahboobani is a seasoned strategy professional with close to 20 years of experience in strategic planning and execution across diverse industries. She currently serves as AVP of Strategy Management within the Corporate Strategy Office at Definity Financial, a leading Canadian property and casualty insurance company. Namrata brings to the table a sound business acumen and an accountability mindset, with proven expertise in leading strategic initiatives and establishing effective governance to deliver sustained business outcomes.

Namrata is passionate about mentoring young leaders and fostering talent to reach their full potential, while staying authentic to themselves. She is looking forward to being involved in inspiring community leadership and contributing towards the development of a future generation of leaders. In addition to being a Board Member, Namrata also serves on the Leadership Niagara’s Program Advisory Sub Committee, overseeing and advising on its core offering – the Community Leadership Development Program.  

Outside of her professional life, Namrata enjoys travel, staying fit and exploring the outdoors, often hiking the scenic trails in the Niagara and Halton regions.

Daniel is an Ambitious, results-driven executive with more than 15 years of progressive leadership experience in the food manufacturing and wine industries. 

Daniel has gathered his experience through the manufacturing sector with companies like Smucker's Foods, Unilever, Ventura Foods and Arterra Wines Canada.

At Arterra Wines Canada Daniel is responsible for 8 Manufacturing/ Winemaking Operations, Winemaking and Viticulture for the Ontario market. 

He was born and raised in the Niagara Region and after years of moving around for his career, he is excited to be back home. 

Daniel has a passion for getting the best out of people and helping them reach their full potential, so Leadership Niagara was a natural choice.

Giving back to the community he grew up in was always a top priority for Daniel and he looks forward to making an impact in any way he can for the leaders of tomorrow this region has to offer.

• An academic and career background in human behaviour, performance management and leadership development.
• A life long Niagara resident who has a deep understanding of the communities challenges and opportunities.
• Passion for Diversity & Inclusion

Why do I care / why I am I involved with Leadership Niagara?

Katie McQuestion is an emergency manager with over 16 years of experience in the field. She has spent much of her career working with the provinces of Ontario and Alberta and joined the Niagara College community as the Emergency Management Coordinator in February of 2019.

Katie’s primary focus is the development and implementation of plans, policies, procedures, and training relating to the safety of students, staff, and visitors at Niagara College’s campuses. She was a key member of the college’s COVID-19 response team where she provided situational awareness, interpretation of legislation, mandates, and orders, facilitated departmental risk assessments, and contributed to the development COVID-specific policies, procedures, and training.

Prior to joining Niagara College, Katie worked as the Manager of Stakeholder Relations and Learning Design with the Alberta Emergency Management Agency and as the National/International Liaison Officer with Emergency Management Ontario. Throughout her career, Katie has had the opportunity to support many communities responding to significant emergency events, including the Fort McMurray wildfire, annual spring flooding, G8/G20, and severe weather events.

As a graduate of Leadership Niagara (class of 2021), Katie is pleased to join the PAC. She’s excited to work with the dedicated and talented Leadership Niagara team to continue to inspire and encourage Niagara’s future leaders.

• I am an Information Technology Professional in Niagara for almost 20 years with a wide variety of expertise
• I bring a level of tenacity and enthusiasm with my go-getter type of personality
• As a member and advocate of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, I bring a unique perspective on the world

Why do I care / why I am I involved with Leadership Niagara?

Mike Britton was born and raised in the City of St Catharines where his family has lived for over 5 generations.

Mike graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a Double Major in Medical Science and Classical Studies.

At the age of 24, he was elected as the youngest City Councillor in St Catharines history.

Outside of government, Mike operated a Niagara property management business which oversaw buildings from across Niagara. He also works on political campaigns across the province. In 2020, Mike moved into the realm of digital media as an Associate Producer and Guest Relations Manager of a new national cable tv news show called ‘Canadian Justice’.

Mike is very involved in the community, serving on many local volunteer boards including Crime Stoppers of Niagara, Links for Greener Learning, The Facer District Merchants and Residents Association, the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 24, the Royal Canadian Naval Association, Horse Cents for Kids, and the Paderewski Society Home.

He’s also a member of the St. Catharines Rotary Club, Junior Chamber International (JCI) St. Catharines, United Way’s GenNext Cabinet, Seymour Masonic Lodge, and regularly volunteers for Habitat for Humanity’s salvage team.

In 2021, Mike joined Leadership Niagara’s Program Advisory Committee because he wants Niagara to win and knows we need good leaders in all areas of society to achieve that. Mike is always looking for opportunities to contribute to our Region’s continuing success and believes investing in our upcoming leaders is a vital component: that is Leadership Niagara’s mission.

What do I bring to the team?

• Community building, development, and collaboration experience from my time as an elected official.
• Strong, long-term relationships with many Niagara community groups, agencies, and governments.
• A great deal of board experience with many Niagara not-for-profits and charities covering a diverse range of topics and services.
• Passionate commitment to help make our Niagara community an incredible place to live, work, and play.

• Background in Human Resources and Organizational Development with specific expertise in leadership development
• Experience in adult education, curriculum design and delivery
• A passion for inspiring learners through diverse experiences
• Commitment to building a community of leaders

Why do I care / why I am I involved with Leadership Niagara?

Julie Greco is a Niagara-based communications professional who is passionate about shining the spotlight on inspiring people, initiatives, and experiences.

She began her career in Journalism and has worked for print publications both in Toronto and Niagara for more than 13 years – as a reporter, writer, columnist and editor for newspapers and magazines. She worked her way up to senior editorial positions which included managing editor at Post City Magazines and editor-in-chief at Our Kids Publications.

After living and working in Toronto for about a decade, Julie returned to the Niagara region – where she grew up – in 2009. She worked at Niagara’s daily newspapers as an editor and as a reporter prior to transitioning to communications.

Since 2011, she has applied her expertise to communications roles at Niagara College, through periods of tremendous growth and change.

Julie is a proud graduate of Leadership Niagara’s Accelerate Civic Leadership program (Class of 2022) where she collaborated with a small team on a community project to assist the SPCA Niagara.

Her enthusiasm for the program sparked a desire to continue her involvement with Leadership Niagara and continue giving back. Soon after graduating from the program, she jumped at an opportunity to join LN’s dedicated PAC team. As a PAC member, Julie looks forward to the next chapter of her Leadership Niagara journey. She values the opportunity to be a part of the continued success of Leadership Niagara’s transformational programming and to help drive it forward into the future. Along the way, she hopes to inspire more local professionals to get involved in the Niagara community and to help make a difference.

• Leadership experience in a variety of healthcare settings, including committee work, policy and procedure development and quality improvement initiatives.
• Current perspectives and new creative ideas, always an out of the box thinker. Susan has a commitment to ongoing Adult Learning and as a nurse leader, wife and mother achieved a BScN (with distinction) in 2020.
• Critical thinking, an inclusive team approach and natural ability to mentor and support others. And always a positive can-do attitude!