Dean has earned a reputation as an expert in investigations and mediation. He is a highly recognized figure in professional regulation throughout Canada and the United States. Dean has been awarded for his exceptional skills and abilities and is routinely sought after for speaking engagements, mentoring and training. Dean is often called upon to deliver workshops and educational seminars on investigations, mediation, negotiation, and DEI. His passion for inspiring change and developing innovative strategies have led him on his mission to provide the finest conflict management services portfolio available. Dean has an eclectic career history – prior to starting Benard + Associates in 2004, he held positions as a Registered Nurse, Police Officer, and Manager of Investigations and one of Ontario’s largest regulatory bodies. He holds a certificate in Strategic Intervention Coaching and is a Chartered Mediator with the Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute of Canada. He received his Diploma in Nursing from Fleming College in Peterborough, his Bachelor of Arts in Health Administration and Ethics from York University, his Masters of Laws & Letters from Osgoode Hall Law School, and a post graduate certificate from Cornell University in Diversity and Inclusion.

Born and raised in Berlin, Germany, Mara moved to Toronto in 2003 to attend the University of Toronto. She graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in 2007 and subsequently completed a Juris Doctor at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law. After being called to the bar in the fall of 2011, Mara decided to switch her focus to professional regulation and joined the Office of the Registrar at the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) in April 2012. She has been with HRPA for more than eight years, taking on the role of Associate Registrar in 2015.

Lise was appointed Registrar and CEO of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers in September 2015, after serving for the previous 5 ½ years as Director of Professional Practice, Deputy Registrar and Acting Registrar. Prior to working in a regulatory role, Lise held management and clinical positions in diverse healthcare settings. She is currently a member of the CLEAR Board of Directors, President of the Canadian Council of Social Work Regulators (CCSWR) and an active member of the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB). Lise has been a faculty member for the CLEAR Executive Leadership Program (including two pilots of the virtual program in 2021) for a number of years.

Lise has presented widely to social workers and social service workers, students, educators, regulators, and others on a range of ethical, practice, and regulatory issues. Committed to ongoing growth as a leader, she continues to value opportunities to engage with regulatory colleagues.

Dr. Chris Hacker is the registrar and CEO of the College of Dental Surgeons of BC — the regulatory college that oversees BC’s 10,000 certified dental assistants, dental therapists, and dentists. Under Chris’s leadership, CDSBC has undergone a transformation to become a modern regulator in service of patients and the public. In addition, Chris has been appointed as Interim Registrar of BC’s new oral health regulatory college.

Dr. John Hosterman is Paradigm Testing’s Chief of Accessibility & Disability Services.  He oversees a team of experts who review accommodations requests on behalf of 20+ certification and licensure organizations, and he provides expert consulting to a number of national and multinational test sponsors.  Dr. Hosterman has worked in the high-stakes testing industry for many years; prior to that, he maintained a busy private practice in Chicago focusing on psychoeducational assessment of learning disabilities and ADHD.  He did his undergraduate work at the College of William and Mary in Virginia, and completed his PhD from Northwestern University. Dr. Hosterman is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences discussing issues related to accommodations in high-stakes testing, accessibility, and diversity.  He is the Chair of the ATP committee on accommodations and accessibility.  Dr. Hosterman is fluent in American Sign Language and is a professional advisor to several international disability advocacy organizations

Julie Maciura is a senior partner at Steinecke Maciura LeBlanc, a law firm in Toronto focusing on professional regulation. Julie has close to 30 years of experience acting as general counsel, prosecutor and independent legal counsel to numerous Ontario regulators. She is recognized by the Law Society of Ontario as a Specialist in Health Law. Julie frequently speaks at conferences in Canada and the U.S. on administrative law and regulatory law issues.

Malcolm Mercer is the full time Chair of the Law Society Tribunal. He speaks and writes regularly on legal ethics. He is an adjunct professor of Osgoode Hall Law School teaching legal ethics and a member of the Canadian Association for Legal Ethics. Malcolm was previously an elected bencher and Treasurer of the Law Society of Ontario, Chair of the Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee of the Canadian Bar Association, the Ethics and Regulatory Team Lead for the CBA Futures Project, General Counsel to and litigation partner of McCarthy Tétrault LLP and member of the Immigration Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board.

Joy is the CEO and Registrar at the College of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CRNA), the regulatory body of Alberta’s 40,000 registered nurses and nurse practitioners.

For many years, Joy worked in acute care in a tertiary care level one trauma hospital holding clinical and leadership positions in various settings.

Her experience leading large, diverse groups through complex change has provided policy and regulation oversight, program development, and innovative changes to healthcare regulation at both the provincial and national levels.

Prior to CRNA, Joy served as Executive Director of two provincial nursing organizations, one in the Yukon and the other in British Columbia. In these roles, she led organizations through formal health-care leadership, business development, continuous quality improvement, risk management and policy development.

She is a founding director on the Board of the BC Coalition of Nursing Associations. The coalition is the primary access point for government, health authorities and other healthcare bodies to seek advice, policy direction and collaboration with the nursing and healthcare community.

Joy currently serves on the board of the Canadian Council of Registered Nurse Regulators and the Alberta Federation of Regulated Health Professionals. Previously, Joy held an advisory role to the Canadian Nurses Association and was a board member of the National Nursing Assessment Service, including their Finance and Audit Committee.

She is known for developing strong partnerships and collaborative relationships with organizations including, the provincial departments of Health, and other regulatory colleges.

Craig is the Director of Policy at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. As Director, Craig leads a dynamic team of highly skilled policy professionals and is responsible for a portfolio of more than 30 policies relating to issues of medical professionalism and ethics. Craig plays an integral role in implementing right-touch regulation at CPSO, transforming the way CPSO approaches policy drafting and setting expectations for appropriate physician conduct. With a background in program evaluation and public opinion polling, Craig plays an instrumental role in executing CPSO’s commitment to meaningful engagement with patients and caregivers. This includes acting as Chair of the Citizen Advisory Group on behalf of a partnership of 21 health regulatory colleges in Ontario, helping to ensure the patient and caregiver voice is informing decision-making at CPSO and across the sector. Craig holds a PhD in Philosophy from York University.

Preeya Singh, LL.B. is the Director of Professional Conduct, General Counsel and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Officer at the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario. Preeya has worked in health regulation for 10 years, with a wide array of responsibilities, including managing complaints and investigations, providing legal advice pertaining to legislative reform and working on the College’s DEI initiatives. With frontline experience, Preeya has improved the management of investigations, as well as implemented College-wide initiatives to enhance access to information. Preeya has been a co-chair of the HPRO’s Investigations & Hearings Network and sits on the SOAR Conference Planning Committee. Preeya is a graduate of the University of Manchester’s School of Law and is a member of the Law Society of Ontario.

Richard Steinecke practises law exclusively in the area of professional regulation. He is the editor of the widely read Grey Areas newsletter commenting on recent developments in professional regulation. Because of its comprehensive nature, courts and tribunals have cited his book “A Complete Guide to the Regulated Health Professions Act” dozens of times, even in cases dealing with non-health professions. The book is updated twice a year.

Today he spends most of his professional life teaching, writing, speaking, training and consulting on professional regulation issues. A life-long learner, Richard reads every Canadian common law court decision on professional regulation he can find and has a Certificate in Risk Management from the University of Toronto. In 2015 he received the Regulatory Excellence award from the Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR) and in 2019 he received the Tom Marshall Award of Excellence for the Public Sector from the Ontario Bar Association.

Richard is counsel to Steinecke Maciura LeBlanc.

Emily Sully has worked in policy and research for over five years in various sectors, including in health, government and her current sector, professional regulation. One of her key priorities as a Policy Analyst with the HRPA – Human Resources Professionals Association is helping lead the shift to risk-based regulation. Emily has a B.A. (Hons) in sociology and gerontology, as well as a M.A. degree in Health & Aging from McMaster University.