Executive Leadership Program

Dr. Kunle Akingbola is Associate Professor of Human Resource Management & Organizational Behaviour in the Faculty of Business Administration at Lakehead University. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. Dr. Akingbola’s other graduate degrees include an MBA, Masters in Industrial Relations & Personnel Management (HRM), and MA, Workplace Learning & Change. He is a Certified Human Resources Leader(CHRL).

Dr. Akingbola’s intellectual interests focus on the complex interactions in the environment that influence strategic change and human resource management in nonprofit and healthcare organizations. His research also explores the organizational dynamics of social purpose enterprises. Dr. Akingbola is the lead author of the book “Change Management in Nonprofit Organizations: Theory and Practice” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019) and the author of “Managing Human Resources for Nonprofits” (Routledge, 2015).

Keith Connell is a multi-disciplinary Professor in Georgian College’s Business programs in Barrie, Ontario. In addition to holding diplomas from Georgian College in Advertising and Marketing Communications, Computer Programming and Teaching and Training Adults, Keith holds a Masters degree in Business Administration (Leadership and Innovation) from the University of Fredericton.

Keith has been recognized by his colleagues and students as a highly engaging facilitator who draws on his nearly three decades of business management experience to bring the content of the class to life. In 2021, Keith helped develop new programs to the college in the areas of Marketing Management, Small Business and Trades Management and Leadership in Artificial Intelligence.

Dr. Sonia Mastrangelo is an Associate Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator in the Faculty of Education at Lakehead University in Orillia, Ontario, Canada. She teaches primarily in the areas of educational psychology, special/inclusive education, mental health and self-regulation. She is a facilitator in Shanker Self-Reg™ and she now shares her passion for self-regulation both at the pre-service level at the Faculty of Education and with practicing teachers throughout Ontario and abroad.

Dr. Mastrangelo is the recipient of several Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Connection Grants on self-regulation. Dr. Mastrangelo has published widely in the area of play, autism spectrum disorder, self-regulation, and family quality of life. She served as a member on the board of directors for a sustainable housing development project for young adults with autism spectrum disorder with Habitat for Humanity. She is also editor of the International Journal of Holistic Early Learning and Development.

Dr. David Richards is the Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration at Lakehead University. He joined the Faculty of Business Administration in 2008 as a faculty member teaching human resources and organizational behaviour. Dr. Richards is a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Business Administration and holds Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA) and Social Work (MSW) and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology and Gerontology.

Prior to pursuing an academic career, Dr. Richards worked for a number of years in health care and social services as a clinician and a manager. His research investigates attachment theory in the workplace, leadership and leader-follower relationships, emotion regulation, and how these factors relate to attitudes and work behaviours.

Dr. Linda Rodenburg is the Director of Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning and a professor in the English Department at Lakehead University. She moved to Orillia in 2006 as a member of the founding faculty of Lakehead University’s Orillia campus, and her love of lifelong learning and commitment to community found new roots in Simcoe County 15 years ago.

After completing degrees at Lakehead in Thunder Bay, Linda completed her MA at the University of Guelph before undertaking her Ph.D. at the University of Otago in New Zealand on a Commonwealth Scholarship. Her research unpacks how indigenous literatures teach us that relationships and storytelling ground identities, and ‘place’ can enable emergent understandings of culture. As an educator, leader, and community builder, Linda strives to enable others to feel empowered in their connection to place, and to feel motivated to enact positive change in their communities.

Dave Shorey is the Executive Director at Georgian’s Owen Sound Campus. Dave is part of Georgian’s senior leadership team and oversees the strategic direction of the campus which includes cultivating, developing and nurturing positive relationships with community, government and industry partners. Dave is a recognized community builder, collaborator and highly engaged leader. With an outstanding career in postsecondary education and municipal capacity building, he brings a wealth of expertise to the Executive Leadership Program.

Previous to Georgian, Dave was the Innovation Officer for the Municipal Innovation Council in Bruce County where he built a broad network of stakeholders to identify, understand and co-develop solutions to emerging issues in the community. Among many achievements, Dave developed a comprehensive framework for eight municipal organizations that identifies areas of opportunity and the strategic capabilities needed for advancement. He established communities of practice that connect municipal staff from across the council’s membership to learn together, collaborate and solve common challenges. He also fostered closer ties between municipalities and postsecondary institutions through applied research and work-integrated learning.