Alumni

Alumni News

If you would like to pass along some current information to your classmates, drop us a line either electronically or the old fashioned way to:

Department of Geography 
Lakehead University 
Thunder Bay, ON, Canada 
P7B 5E1

Last update: March 2014

David Blakemore (2000)

David earned a Masters in Spatial Analysis from Ryerson University in 2002 and remains in the Toronto area working as a data analyst with Wunderman Consumer Insights, an advertising firm specializing in direct mail and customer relations management. Dave reports that he has “ a 50s rock band that is just starting to do shows at smaller pubs...but I won't be giving up my day job to be a professional musician just yet.”

Geraldine Bergmanns (1994)

Geraldine has completed her PhD in Resource and Environmental Management from Simon Fraser University, BC. She is currently a tenure-track faculty in Geography at Trinity Western University, BC.

Dave Boles (1998)

After graduating with an HBA in Geography in 1998, Dave began working on his M.Sc at the School of Rural Planning and Development, University of Guelph. He completed his Masters in 2001, and is now living in Morden, Manitoba, employed as a community planner with the provincial government.

Brian Bottan (1997) - updated March 30, 2007

Brian completed his Master of Forestry degree at Lakehead in the fall of 1999. His thesis is titled: "Exploring the Human Dimension of Thunder Bay Moose Hunters with Focus on Choice Behaviour and Environmental Preferences." Brian is currently in an acting role as a Provincial Land Tax Inspection Manager with the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) in Thunder Bay.  After the acting role he will be returning to his normal position as Statistical Analyst with MPAC. 

Karen Bruce (nee Sokolow) (1996) - Posted March 22, 2006.

Karen and her husband Rick live in Castle Rock CO with their dog Mojo.  Karen left the GIS industry in 2002 and now works for Capital One Auto Finance as an Area Sales Manager.  Karen will be starting her MBA at Denver University Spring 2006. If anyone is in the Colorado area let us know we have an open door policy. karen.bruce@capitaloneauto.com

Chuck Chamberlain (1997)

Chuck completed the GIS program at Sir Sanford Fleming and is currently working as Technical Analyst for Cognos Inc in Ottawa. Chuck would "love to hear from old classmates." You can reach him at: charles.chamberlain@cognos.com

Cameron Craig (1996)

Cameron completed an Education degree at Mount Allison and is teaching geography at the high school in Marathon, Ontario.

David Deluce (2000)

David completed the Masters of Planning Program at the University of Waterloo and is now employed as a Planning Technician with the City of Kawartha Lakes, ON.

Travis Desormeaux (2007) - Posted November 4, 2008

Travis earned an Honours Bachelor of Environmental Studies in December 2007 and moved to Calgary, AB in 2008 to work full-time in the marketing department for Molson/Coors Breweries. After eight months in Calgary, Travis left Molson and moved home to begin work as an Environmental Technologist with Blue Heron - Solutions for Environmental Management in Timmins, On. Email:tdesormeaux@blueheronenv.com

Susan Eymann (1993)- Posted: May 24, 2010 

Susan moved to Golden, British Columbia in 1993 to teach grade seven and coach figure skating. After three years in Golden she quit figure skating and began the Golden Elementary Track and Field Club. In 1999 Susan moved to Lethbridge, Alberta to take a Master of Education in Counselling Psychology, worked as a Family Counsellor and Clinical Supervisor for several years. In 2009, she switched gears yet again to accept the position of Executive Director with Lethbridge Sport Council. Email: susan.eymann@lethbridgesportcouncil.ca or www.lethbridgesportcouncil.ca

Kim Falcigno (nee Brodack) (1991) - Posted: January 31, 2006

Kim and Steve Falcigno have returned to Thunder Bay with their young daughter Kayleigh after having moved to Ottawa for four years. Kim is back working at Lakehead again, though now as AIE Coordinator in the Department of Lifelong Learning in the Faculty of Education.  She also continues her work as an Educational Consultant/Researcher and Curriculum Developer for the literacy field in Ontario. She can be reached by email at kim.falcigno@lakeheadu.ca. 

Chad Hall (1993)

Chad went on to U. of Windsor where he finished a Geography/Planning MA in '95 and a co-op MBA program in '97. Chad is presently working for Sprint Canada in Toronto.

John Hodkinson (1996)

After graduating in '96, John met his wife and enrolled in the GIS program at Sir Sanford Fleming.  After graduating in '98, he worked as a self-employed consultant until acquiring a job with an agricultural research company in Stratford, Ont.  John is a mapping technician and was married to his wife, Jessica, in August of 2000.  They currently live in the St. Mary's area.

Brian Hunt (1995)

Brian graduated in 1995 with an HBA in Geography and then in 1996 with a Bachelor of Education Degree. He has spent the last few years living and working in New Zealand. Brian met his wife, Natasha, in New Zealand where they were married. They finish teaching in December 1999, when they begin a global vacation that will take them to four continents and six countries. Brian and Natasha are hoping to continue their teaching careers in Mexico or the Caribbean.

Brian Hunt (1995) ~ March 2014

Brian and Natasha never made it to the Caribbean or Mexico, but have taught in London, Kiev and Manitoba before settling down with their two children in Ajax, both teaching in the Toronto Catholic Board for the past 9 years. Getting itchy feet, the decided to uproot their family and take a two year leave of absence from their jobs in TCDSB to take positions with the Canadian International School, Vietnam in Saigon. They have been working in Saigon since August of 2013 and will conclude their contract in June of 2015. After that, their hope is to return to Europe, or, perhaps Mexico yet again. Time will tell where they settle next.

 Ray Jahncke (1993)

Ray went on to take the remote sensing program at the College of Geographical Sciences (COGS) in Lawrencetown, N.S.  Ray is now working in Peterborough as a GIS analyst for the Geomatics Service Centre.  Contact (Work): (705) 755-5014

Dave Kenney (1997)

Dave went on to complete the GIS Applications Specialist program at Sir Sanford Fleming College. He is now working for Enghouse Systems Ltd. in Markham as a Personal Services Consultant.

Allan Krisciunas (1976)

Allan lives near Ottawa, working for Natural Resources Canada to map its program activities.  He's divorced and has two sons; Paul is 18, and Evan is 13.  Both love geography!  Allan invites any of the old gang from LU geography to contact him at:am863@ncf.ca and visit his GIS web pages.

Diane Lindsay (2004) 

An HBES (Environmental Studies with Geography) graduate, Diane is working as a microbiologist with Accurassay Labs in Thunder Bay.

Marc Magierowicz (2001) ~ updated Sept. 2014

Went on to Queens University where I completed a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning (MPL) in 2003.  Presently living in Ottawa and practicing working as Senior Planner and Urban Designer in the Rail Implementation Office for the new Light Rail Confederation Line with the City of Ottawa.

Craig McGeachy (1997)

After graduation, Craig spent some time teaching in South Korea before returning to Canada. He is now employed by Ecotech Environmental Consultants in Georgetown, Ontario as a senior resource technician doing among other things work on EA projects for various levels of government.

Debbie McIIwrath (1997) - updated September 22, 2008

Debbie worked for eight years at the local science office of the MNR. She spent several summers in the field measuring trees, establishing wildlife monitoring plots and being eaten by the usual flying insects but most of her time there was spent on GIS projects, developing & maintaining local and provincial datasets, and providing spatial analysis for a variety of projects.

In the Fall of 2007, she accepted a position with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation as the Regional GIS Coordinator here in Thunder Bay.

Martha McLeod (1998)

Since graduation, Martha has been working and travelling, beginning in Canada and now in Asia. Presently, she is teaching English to kindergarten children in Seoul, South Korea. She has visited Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia and spent Christmas '99 in China. Martha hopes to return to Canada to enter a Bachelor of Education program.

Tyler Mitchell (1996)

Tyler is in Williams Lake, B.C. He worked for 18 months with a forestry consulting firm. He is now with Lignum Ltd, a local sawmill, working as its G.I.S. coordinator.

Alexandra Murphy (1997)

Alex is enjoying her new job working for a software company named Cronologix, based in Richmond Hill. She is an Application Support Specialist and travels all over North America training people to use their software. 

Marc Norlund (1992)

Marc (grad '92) is married, teaching, living in the Vancouver area and having a ball!

Dan Pain (2004) - posted September 24, 2007

After graduating with an HBA Geography, Bill completed an MSc from the Civil Engineering Department at Queen's University in the spring of 2007. His dissertation assessed the applicability of high-resolution satellite imagery to assess wetland dynamics and water quality issues. Bill has recently accepted a position with the Water Resource Division of AMEC Earth and Environmental as an environmental scientist specializing in remote sensing. Bill is currently living in Grimsby, Ontario

Dennis Patterson (2003) posted January 9, 2007

After completing his Honours program and his teaching degree, Dennis taught in Japan. He returned to Canada in 2006 and now has a teaching position at Britannia Schoolhouse in Mississauga. Britannia offers special programs to Peel Region students in that in re-creates a 19 th Century one-room school environment where students visit for a day and experience things such as spelling bees, cursive writing lessons and mental arithmetic in a Victorian atmosphere.

Ljubica Pelletier (nee Katic) (1986) and Eric Pelletier (1988)

Ljubica and Eric are the VERY proud parents of Karina Stana Jeanne Katic Pelletier, born November 9, 1997. Eric has earned his MPA from Queen's University (1997) and now lives in Toronto where he is Manager of Corporate Communications with the Canadian Depository for Securities Ltd. (www.cds.ca), and Ljubica is a Communications Coordinator with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. Their home email is: ljerpell@ican.net

Andrea Perry (1995)

Andrea graduated with an HBA in Geography in 1995. She is presently living in Ottawa and working for Environment Canada in the client services branch of the Canadian Ice Service. Andrea is involved with archival, remote sensing and production work. She is spending her free time exploring the region around our nation's capital.

Drago Perkovic (1993)

Drago moved to Ottawa in 1996 and enrolled in the GIS program at Algonquin College. After graduation from Algonquin in May 1999, he accepted a position with GeoSolutions in Nepean as a GIS Analyst. He can be reached by e-mail atdperkovic@geosolutions.com

Brandon Potter (2001) 

Brandon went on to law school at the University of Toronto where he completed a Juris Doctor (JD) in 2004.  He is presently living in Calgary and practicing Intellectual Property and Privacy Law with the international law firm Macleod Dixon LLP.

Kathleen Skunta (1997)

Kathleen graduated in 1997 with a BA/Bed degree and is currently living and working in Calgary, Alberta. She is busy working for the Calgary Board of Education, teaching a grade 5/6 class at Roland Michener Elementary School. What little free time Kathleen enjoys, she either heads to the mountains for some downhill skiing, the local curling club or to a pottery class.

Todd Slack (1998)

Todd has completed the remote sensing program at the College of Geographical Sciences, Lawerencetown, NS.  He is now a resident of Inuvik where he is employed as a wildlife GIS specialist with the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Jay Thatcher (1993)

Jay returned from his Southern California job at ESRI to complete a Masters degree in Rural Planning and Development at University of Guelph in 1997. Jay is currently employed by Akanda, a Toronto-based web and GIS software developer which markets its products primarily to municipal governments.

Jason K. Timko (1996)

Jason graduated in 1995 with an HBA in Geography and then graduated from the education program in 1996. Jason is living in Thunder Bay and working for the Lakehead Board of Education. He is teaching Geography and History at Hammarskjold High School and is involved with the school's sport programs.