The Directors College Faculty

Our faculty of professionals, corporate directors and academics covers the full range of governance, accounting, law, regulations and human dynamics. Modules are delivered through a combination of lectures, interactive working sessions and case studies.

Faculty Directory

Dr. Sandra Witelson
Professor, Dept. of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine McMaster University

Sandra F. Witelson was born in Montreal and obtained a B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Neuroscience from McGill University. She subsequently held a U.S. National Institute of Mental Health Postdoctoral Fellowship for further study in neuroscience at New York Medical School, N.Y.C. She joined McMaster University's Department of Psychiatry very early in the development of the new medical school in 1969 and thinks of herself as one of the founding faculty. She was rapidly promoted to the rank of full Professor in 1977 and is currently Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences in the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine. In 1999, she became the inaugural holder of the Albert Einstein /Irving Zucker endowed Chair in Neuroscience.

Dr. Witelson is internationally recognized for her contributions to the elucidation of the neurobiological underpinnings of thinking and behaviour, such as language, intelligence and visual-spatial perception; the structural basis of brain lateralization; the cause of childhood reading problems; sex differences in the brain structure; and the basis of genius. Her research work has been supported by numerous Canadian and U.S. peer-reviewed grants. She has played a critical role in legitimizing new methodologies to study topics such as the biological basis of intelligence, sex differences in the brain and sexual orientation; topics previously bedeviled by the stigma of social, political and philosophical controversy and misconception. Her research findings have been reported in hundreds of newspapers, magazines and television reports since the early 1970s, including the New York Times, London Times, Globe and Mail, TIME, People and American Scientist magazines. She and her group have developed a unique Brain Bank at McMaster University, which is a collection of brains from cognitively normal people that has become an international public resource for neuroscience. Dr. Witelson’s research led to her being invited to study the brain of Albert Einstein. The published results of their findings continue to be extensively reported in the print and TV media. Then-President Peter George said, “It was the biggest media story McMaster has ever seen”.

She has received numerous awards for her research, such as the Morton Prince Prize from the American Psychopathological Association; the John Dewan award from the Ontario Mental Health Foundation; and the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry Research Award for outstanding research in the field of mental health carried out in Canada. In November 1996, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In 1998, she was appointed a member of the prestigious Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives based in New York City, which has approximately 120 international members, including only a handful of Canadians, its mission being to communicate the importance and findings of neuroscience to the public. She has published dozens of scientific articles and presented numerous named lectures. She has been responsible for the training of more than 50 students at the postgraduate and undergraduate level, many of whom have gone on to successful careers in basic research, medicine and health services. She has also served on various University and community administrative boards including the Board of Governors of McMaster University, McMaster University Museum of Art, Opera Hamilton and the Board of the Art Gallery of Hamilton. She is frequently invited by organizations to give lectures on the implications of sex differences in the brain, most recently by the Wall Street Journal’s Conference on Women in the Economy and by ideaCity, Toronto.

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What our graduates say?

“I thought the entire program was very well developed and comprehensive. You never know what to expect when you sign-up for these programs and this exceeded my expectations and was a great learning opportunity.”

James Scongack, Head of Corporate Affairs, Bruce Power LP

“I found the Chartered Director Program to be an excellent forum to understand how strong governance complements effective management. The ability to create and execute an effective strategy is significantly enhanced by a robust process inclusive of board engagement where the right questions are asked and expected outcomes are identified. I truly enjoyed the setting which fostered a strong level of interaction that was supported by quality presentations and material. As CEO of a Shared Service Organization set to deliver benefits to its members, I see the advantage of having a number of our board members participating in this program.”

Tony Di Emanuele, MBA, C.Dir., President and CEO, Mohawk Shared Services

“I found the Directors College to be an excellent survey of the important matters of which a director must be aware in today’s corporate environment. The quality of the presentation and materials was first-rate and the perspectives gained were invaluable. I would highly recommend the Directors College.”

The Honourable John Manley, P.C., O.C., C.Dir., Former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister

“The changes that impact corporate governance are establishing a pattern of increased accountability for the delivery of long-term value to customers, shareholders, employees and society. Proper corporate governance is now being defined to include knowledge of critical elements such as risk management and the measurement of strategic performance. At the end of the day, each board will be judged on its ability to effectively deliver value, rather than on its structure. The Directors College innovative program fills a unique and important gap in providing knowledge and insight as to how this expectation can be met. CMA Canada is pleased to be a sponsor of this timely initiative.”

Steve Vieweg, C.Dir., Director, Executive Development, I.H. Asper School of Business – University of Manitoba

“As an organization focused on educating corporate secretaries, the ICSA believes in furthering the potential of board members to better contribute to building effective governance structures. Given the key role of directors and corporate secretaries in applying proper boardroom practices, corporations need to ensure that these individuals meet a professional standard. The Directors College curriculum covers all the formal regulatory issues for directors and also addresses the informal skills of building effective and appropriate relationships with senior management. We see significant benefits to this program and ICSA is pleased to endorse it.”

Lynn Beauregard, Executive Director, Chartered Secretaries Canada

“The Directors College has developed a director education program which goes well beyond the fundamentals to address the structures and the behavioural components of principle-based governance. I am proud to be associated with the Directors College and I am honoured to lend my name to the College’s graduate award. ”

Gilbert Bennett, Director and Recently-Retired Chairman of the Board, Canadian Tire Corporation Limited

“Our strategy is to raise the horizons and potential of directors by deepening and enriching their knowledge and application of advanced skills. Increasing the effectiveness of existing directors and broadening the pool of potential directors will contribute to the professionalism of boards across Canada.”

David Beatty, Managing Director, Canadian Coalition for Good Governance