Board of Directors
WEM & WPLAR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Workplace Education Manitoba Steering Committee (WEMSC) includes two business representatives, two union representatives and a fifth member from government assisting the committee. WEMSC was established in 1991 with the role of assisting with policy development and to provide advice and guidance on strategic decisions for WEM.
Erin Selby
(UFCW)
Erin is a communicator. She has a BA in Communications and has worked as a TV reporter, host and anchor. She was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and Minister of both Health and Advanced Education for Manitoba.
Erin is currently the Director of Education and Training for UFCW Local 832, where she uses her communication skills and political experience to help union members to reach their full potential. She believes education empowers people to find their voice and recognize the influence they have in their workplace, community and across the province.
Christiane Devlin
(Kleyson Transport)
Appointed in 2002, Christiane has held senior management positions in human resources, integrating human resources within the business needs of companies in the transportation, communication and printing, agriculture, manufacturing, health care, and retail co-operatives. She is currently the manager, Human Resources with the Kleysen Group. Christiane is bilingual and her human resource management experience includes unionized and non-unionized workplaces. She also sits as a part-time commissioner at the Appeal Commission.
Walter (Wally) Skomoroh
(CUPE)
Wally retired from Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) where he worked as a National Representative specializing in negotiations, arbitrations and litigation from 2005-2017. From 2017-2021, Wally served as the Manitoba CUPE Representative who dealt with education programs for more than 36,000 CUPE members in Manitoba.
Wally also worked on CUPE’s Literacy Program from 2006-2011, and served as the United Way Labour Chair from 2013-2018. Wally attended the University of Manitoba from 1986-1988 in the Bachelor of Arts program, with a Major in English Literature and Political Science. He currently sits as a part time commissioner for the Workers Compensation Board Appeal Commission. Wally has served on the WEM board since 2019. His interests include camping, home renovations and baseball.
Sandra Doverspike
(Hudbay Minerals)
Sandy is currently the Human Resources Workforce Management Superintendent for Hudbay Minerals Inc. Sandy supports the management team in building a skilled flexible workforce through recruiting practices, performance/development, succession planning, and promoting open conversations between employees and their management team.
Opportunity can present itself from many different sources and Sandy works with employees and management to understand the avenues that are available to people to upskill, explore new career paths, discuss their goals and present ideas. Sandy sees that building strong relationships is the key to flexibility – fostering understanding, care, support and open communication within a team/business. The relationships that have been built in the communities to support a number of different stakeholders are among the things that have impressed her most with WEM.
Aarti Sharma
(OETIM)
Aarti Sharma has been active in the labour movement for several years. She is currently employed as a Business Representative at the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 987. Prior to her work in labour, Aarti worked in the social services field where she actively and continues to promote and advocate for financial literacy and empowerment for marginalized groups. Aarti holds two Bachelor degrees in Labour Studies and Management and Social Work. She recently accepted a position on the board as she believes everyone should have access to essential skills and knowledge to further themselves both personally and professionally.
Carlos Godinez
(Argus Industries)
Carlos Godinez oversees the Operative Processes and Systems as VP of Quality Systems at the Argus Group of companies, where he has worked since 2011.
Argus Group is an innovative leader using lean principles to design and manufacture elastomeric products, cabs and tool and dies for everything from agriculture to defense and aerospace industries.
Carlos is a supportive, skilled leader, lean blackbelt certified with significant experience in Continuous Improvement.
Carlos holds a degree of Industrial Engineering from La Salle University and an MBA from ITESM. He has more than 35 years of manufacturing experience in the automotive, transportation and aerospace industries.
Prior to Argus Group, Carlos held a variety of senior and management roles with Motor Coach Industries, Ford Motor Company, and New Flyer.
ESM BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ricky Lawrence (Chair)
(New Flyer Industries)
Ricky Lawrence, is the Director of the NFI Learning Institute for NFI Group. Ricky can call upon over 40 years of experience in manufacturing and Aerospace. During this time Ricky gained valuable experience in training and development that included technical and professional curriculum design, development and delivery based on organizational needs.
Ricky has extensive experience in working partnerships with indigenous groups, sector councils and the province of Manitoba as well as being involved in a number of advisory groups and boards.
Ricky can also rely on his experiences with varying projects, one of which included the design of New Flyer Institute (Now NFI Learning Institute) and utilizing a TOR (Terms of Reference) as the driver to completion.
Adam Smoluk
(Film Training Manitoba)
Adam Smoluk has been with Film Training Manitoba since 2006 and was promoted six times to the senior executive position. Adam graduated with a Business Administration diploma from McMaster University and with honours from Red River College Polytechnic (RRC Polytech)’s Human Resource Management and Management Development programs. He earned a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) designation and a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM-SCP) Senior Certified Professional designation.
He serves as the Chair of Assiniboine Community College’s Interactive Media Arts program’s advisory committee, Vice-Chair for the Advisory Board for Essential Skills Manitoba, The Manitoba Construction Sector Council’s Educators Working Group, the board of directors for the Westland Foundation, which provides post-secondary scholarships for inner Winnipeg students. He also currently serves on the Advisory Committee for REEL Canada, which promotes Canadian Cinema.
Cameron Tindall
(Mental Health Services at Sara Riel)
Cameron Tindall is a Manager of Mental Health Services at Sara Riel – a not-for-profit Mental Health and Substance use support service in Winnipeg- and has been for the last 10 years. He completed his BA with majors in Psychology, and Rhetoric, Writing and Communications from the University of Winnipeg and began working with Sara Riel’s Employment Services shortly after. Cameron currently manages the Employment Services and Peer/Mental Health Support Worker programs, which provide one-to-one, participant centered, community-based services to help individuals prepare for, choose, get and keep employment, as well as develop independent living skills. Cameron has built many partnerships over the years with a focus on creating opportunities and a pathway for those living with mental health and substance use issues to access training, education, and employment.
Cameron has extensive experience creating and facilitating workshops on mental health education/management in the workplace and serves as the chair of Sara Riel’s Wellness Committee, Co-Chair of the Workplace Health and Safety Committee, and co-chair of the Employment and Income Assistance Mental Health Working Group.
Caryn Birch
(Resource Assistance for Youth, Inc)
Caryn Birch has worked in the field of Career Development for over 10 years working with people coming from different circumstances, looking to get into the labour market. Currently Caryn works at Resource Assistance for Youth, Inc (RaY) where she is the Director of Education and Training. At RaY, Caryn oversees their employment and training programming which includes long-term youth programming as well as short term transitional employment programming to ensure the needs of youth who access RaY continue to be met.