July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024

President
Ralph Nigro
president@principals.ca
416-322-6600 
1-800-701-2362 toll free 

Executive Director
Nadine Trépanier-Bisson
ntrepanier@principals.ca
416-322-6600 
1-800-701-2362 toll free

Senior Staff Biographies

Nadine Trépanier-Bisson, Executive Director

Nadine Trépanier-Bisson, Executive DirectorNadine Trépanier-Bisson is the Executive Director of the OPC. She is committed to high quality public education for all students, and research-based practical professional learning for school and system leaders.

Nadine has been an educator for over 25 years. She has served as Executive Director for l’Association des directions et directions adjointes des écoles franco-ontariennes (ADFO), developing working relationships with many partner education organizations in Canada and internationally, and had been a system and elementary principal in the French language sector. She served as the OPC’s Director of Professional Learning for three years.

Committed to evidence-based strategies for learning, leadership and conflict management, Nadine values collaboration and relationships. She continues to focus her efforts on building capacity within the OPC and among school leaders to create anti-colonial and anti-oppressive environments. 

As Executive Director, Nadine shifts her focus to include management of the OPC’s operations including International School Leadership (ISL), collaboration with our stakeholders on matters of common interest, advocating for high quality public education and working with the affiliated organization, Principal Association Projects (a service partner with the Ministry of Education providing high-quality professional development to Ontario’s principals and vice-principals).

As a bilingual lifelong learner, Nadine holds an Executive Certificate in Alternate Dispute Resolution, is a certified Technology of Participation Facilitator and completed her Doctorate of Education (EdD) in the area of International Education in 2022.

Nancy Brady, Protective Services Consultant

Nancy Brady, Protective Services ConsultantNancy has been an educator for over 28 years, serving as an educational assistant, secondary teacher, vice-principal and 18 years as a principal at both the elementary and secondary level, with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. She has also been a principal of M.F. McHugh, a section 23 school and the OCDSB Alternate High schools. Her final position with the OCDSB was that of Superintendent of Instruction, supervising a Family of Schools as well as the Continuing Education, Alternate High Schools and Adult programs.

Nancy has been involved in OPC since 2008, when she joined the local OPC Bytown Executive at the OCDSB. During her tenure on the executive she served as Co-president, Provincial Councillor and the Terms and Conditions Chair. She joined the Provincial Council in 2016 and served as Provincial President in 2019-20. She also served as the Americas Representative on the International Confederation of Principals (ICP). Nancy is an Honorary Life Member of the OPC.

Outside of her work supporting Public Education, Nancy enjoys being active, traveling and spending time with her family and friends, especially at her cottage in Prince Edward County.

Nadine Carpenter, General Counsel (on leave)

Nadine Carpenter is General Counsel at the OPC. In her role as General Counsel, and as a member of OPC’s Protective Services Team, Nadine provides direct advice and legal support to OPC Members facing legal jeopardy.  She also supports the role of Professional Services Consultants and provides advice to them in support of Members upon request.  Nadine provides legal advice to the OPC Executive Director, Executive Committee and Provincial Council, and participates regularly on behalf of the OPC in Ministry consultations on the development of legislation and policy documents. Nadine assists OPC Districts in their local negotiations with legal advice about proposed language and negotiation impasse resolution processes. 

Nadine’s previous roles include Manager of Professional Conduct at the Ontario College of Teachers. Nadine oversaw the high volume areas of Intake, Complaint Resolution, Internal Resolution and Prosecutions. Nadine played a key role developing the Complaint Resolution Program at the College. She has also been an investigator within the regulatory field.

Nadine was called to the Bar in 1997, after having graduated from Queen’s Law School in 1995 and from Western University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1992. She has also completed a Master of Laws degree specializing in dispute resolution at York University’s Osgoode Hall.

Nadine regularly provides comprehensive training sessions regarding education issues to a variety of education stakeholders.

Colin Fleming, Protective Services Consultant

Colin Fleming, Protective Services ConsultantColin is an educator with 27 years of experience whose career has included teaching and administrative roles in both the elementary and secondary panels. The last four of his nine years as a principal were in a central capacity with the Toronto District School Board as a Safe and Caring Schools Administrator. Colin held system-level leadership portfolios for Threats to School Safety and Threat Assessment. He is certified as a trainer with the Canadian Centre for Threat Assessment and Trauma Response and has trained administrators, superintendents, police officers, social workers and psychologists in Level 1 Threat Assessment.

In August of 2011, he joined the OPC as a Protective Services Team Consultant, providing advice and counselling to our Members about professional and legal issues, and supports them through investigations and hearings. He also presents legal issues workshops for local OPC groups, PQP and SOQP candidates. 

In 2017, Colin completed the Executive Certificate in Conflict Management through the Stitt Feld Handy Group in Toronto, receiving his certification from Windsor Law School. He holds a Masters in Education from York University and a Supervisory Officer's Certificate from the OPC. 

Michele Hamilton, Interim General Counsel

Michele Hamilton, Senior Legal CounselMichele Hamilton joined the OPC as Senior Counsel in May 2021. As a member of the Protective Services Team, she­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ provides advice and legal support to the Protective Services Team Consultants and, where appropriate, directly to OPC Members facing legal jeopardy. 

Michele has worked with large professional labour associations for over 20 years. Most recently, she was in-house counsel to the Ontario Provincial Police Association, where she was a leader in bargaining provincial agreements and a self-administered benefits plan. Michele is well known for her ability to find and create common ground and negotiate creative and effective resolutions to complex issues. 

Michele has been an equity seeker and advocate since childhood. After studying sociology and criminology at the University of Toronto, she began her career as a Social Service Worker, supporting adults with developmental and mental health disabilities. She was active in union and worker rights before studying law at Osgoode Hall Law School, where she was the local president and the national VP of the Black Law Students Association of Canada.   

The daughter of a teacher who reluctantly retired after 50 years in the classroom, Michele has a strong passion for education and occasionally has returned to school to complete a certificate such as the Osgoode Certificate in Human Rights Theory and Practice (2015).

Susie Lee-Fernandes, Director of Professional Learning

Susie Lee-Fernandes, Director of Professional LearningSusie Lee-Fernandes has served in public education for over 23 years in the roles of teacher, principal and superintendent with responsibilities for equity, special education and leadership development. She is a dedicated educator and life-long learner, committed to culturally responsive leadership and authentic collaboration with community partners. Part of her own learning journey has included the completion of a Doctor of Education degree with an equity-based research focus on anti-Black racism in education.

As the Director of Professional Learning, Susie is committed to developing and providing relevant, engaging and meaningful learning opportunities for school and system leaders. She believes in continuous growth and improvement within professional learning spaces that must be responsive to the diverse needs of Members and associates. Through relationship-building and professional learning networks, Susie is honoured to support principals and vice-principals in exemplary school leadership at the local, national and international levels.

Judith Peden, Office Manager

Judith Peden, Office ManagerJudith Peden is the Office Manager of the Ontario Principals’ Council (OPC). Her responsibilities include human resources management; corporate management (organizing, planning and maintaining official records for all OPC Executive and Provincial Council meetings, maintaining corporate records for our subsidiary, International School Leadership Ltd. and our affiliated organization, Principal Association Projects); and operations management (ensuring compliance with employment standards, health and safety, accessibility, privacy, lobbying, copyright and other legislation and policies together with the Executive Director and General Counsel).

Judith joined OPC as the Legal Assistant with the Protective Services Team in January 1999 and became the Office Manager in October 2013.

Prior to joining the OPC, Judith was with the Metropolitan Toronto School Board for 17 years as Legal Assistant to the Board Solicitor and Assistant to the Superintendent of Special Education.

Vicki Shannon, Protective Services Consultant

Vicki Shannon, Protective Services ConsultantVicki has thoroughly enjoyed over 30 years of experience in her career as a teacher and school administrator both in English and French Immersion with the Lakehead District School Board.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts – French, a Master of Education, and the Supervisory Officer courses with OPC, but found her greatest learning came from working closely with students, families, staff, administrators, and central board support as a school leader.

Vicki has worked closely with OPC at both the local and provincial levels for many years.  Locally, she served as the local president, the elementary local representative for Provincial Council, and a member of the local Terms and Conditions team.  At the provincial level, Vicki served for 3 years on the Provincial Executive before serving as Provincial President in 2010-11.  She also served for 7 years on the International Confederation of Principals (ICP) from 2009-2016, both as a Council member and as the Americas Representative.  Vicki is an Honorary Life Member of both the OPC and the ICP.

Vicki also has extensive experience serving as the Principal/Vice-Principal representative on the Council of the Ontario College of Teachers from 2012-2018.   During that period, she served as a bilingual member of both the Fitness to Practice and Discipline Committees, finishing her term as the Chair of the Discipline Committee.  Vicki was appointed to the Discipline and Fitness to Practice rosters in 2018-19, for the purpose of Peer Review for Principals/Vice-Principals.

In August of 2019, Vicki joined the Protective Services Team with OPC as a Consultant, working with individual members and several districts advocating for Principals and Vice-Principals, providing protective services and advice, and presenting workshops and webinars as professional learning for administrators.

In her free time, Vicki enjoys spending time with family in Thunder Bay, Southern Ontario, and Nova Scotia. 

Michelle Sun, Interim General Counsel

Michelle Sun, Senior Legal CounselAs Senior Legal Counsel with the OPC’s Protective Services Team, Michelle provides legal advice and support to the Protective Services Consultants and when appropriate, directly to OPC members facing legal jeopardy.

Michelle is engaged in defending principals and vice-principals in professional discipline proceedings and in assisting them in responding to other proceedings related to the performance of their employment duties. She also helps Members to navigate LTD and WSIB processes and in seeking workplace accommodations where necessary. Michelle supports the association by providing advice to the OPC Senior Staff, Executive and Council on policy, contract and corporate matters and contributes to professional development materials for OPC Members.

Peggy Sweeney, Director of Communications

Peggy Sweeney, Director of CommunicationsPeggy has been with the Ontario Principals' Council since 2000. She is responsible for all internal and external communications, as well as government and media relations. She has presented at various conferences including Odyssey, the Canadian Association of Communicators in Education and the Canadian Association for the Practical Study of Law in Education. She has received numerous awards on behalf of the OPC for her communications work.

Prior to joining the OPC, Peggy worked for Canada 's largest Public Relations company as a senior consultant in the public affairs and corporate communications practice group. She has extensive experience working with both public and private sector companies involved with issues management, community relations, government relations and crisis communications. She has provided media training to clients in various industry sectors.

She also spent six years with the provincial government at Queen's Park in Toronto, working on both the government and opposition sides of the House.

Peggy is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario, having received an Honours B.A. in Political Science. She has also completed the Advanced Certificate in Social Media from the University of San Francisco, the Certificate in Strategic Public Relations from the University of Toronto and the Anima Leadership Inclusive Management Certificate.

Irfan Toor, Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Irfan Toor, Director of Equity, Diversity and InclusionIrfan Toor (he/him) is the Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for the Ontario Principals' Council. He joined the staff in 2021 when the position was created, coming to the organization from a similar position as Principal of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for the Simcoe County District School Board.

Irfan has been working in education for more than 25 years in communities such as Victoria, Kingston, Toronto and in Simcoe County. As a secondary and intermediate educator and school administrator in public, private and alternative settings, he is committed to fostering educational practices that centre students in the learning experience. 

As a system principal, Irfan provided leadership, support and mentorship to school administrators as they progressed on their individual journeys to noticing, unlearning and disrupting systemic practices that reinforced disproportionate outcomes for underserved identities.

As a Member of the OPC, Irfan spent many years on the local executive for Simcoe County as part of the Terms and Conditions team, Secondary Provincial Councillor and as a Member-at-Large for the Provincial Executive in 2020-2021. 

Elizabeth Winter, Legal Counsel

Elizabeth Winter, Legal CounselElizabeth joined the OPC as Legal Counsel in 2020, having practised education and labour law with a law firm since 2015. 

As Legal Counsel with the OPC’s Protective Services Team, Elizabeth provides legal advice and support to the Protective Services Consultants and OPC Members facing legal jeopardy. 

Elizabeth was called to the Bar in 2015, after having graduated from the University of Toronto’s Law School in 2014. Prior to attending law school, she graduated from the University of Oxford with an MSc in Comparative Social Policy and Queen’s University with a Bachelor of Arts.