Leadership & Advisory Board

Patrice Barnes is a Canadian politician and former school trustee who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2022 to 2025. A member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, she represented the riding of Ajax.

Stephen Lynch has been honoured by the film and television industry as the recipient of both the 2018 and 2016 Canadian Screen Award for Best Achievement in Television Makeup for the international hit series Orphan Black. As the Head of Makeup Department Stephen has seamlessly transformed Emmy-winning actress Tatiana Maslany into multiple clone characters. Stephen has been featured in publications that include, Vanity Fair, InStyle, Glamour, SundanceTV and Makeup Artist Magazine describing his artistic process. In addition to his work on Orphan Black Stephen has an extensive career in film and television with Head of Makeup Department credits on productions including Queer As Folk, Slings and Arrows, Long Days Journey into Night, I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing, Haven and Camp Rock.

Donald James Mowat is a makeup artist known for his work on motion picture and television projects. Born in Montreal, Canada to British parents. He has earned international acclaim and numerous honors, including a Primetime Emmy Award, three Saturn Awards, Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers for his educational outreach work for BAFTA Los Angeles.

He’s an Oscar and three-time BAFTA nominee for his hair, make up and prosthetics designs. He is a two-time Make-up Artists & Hairstylists Guild Award winner and has received ten nominations. His notable film credits include Dune, Blade Runner 2049, Nightcrawler, 8 Mile, Nocturnal Animals, The Fighter, Skyfall, Sicario, Prisoners, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. TV credits include, Marvel’s Moon Knight, Apple TV’s Presumed Innocent. Upcoming releases include Disney’s feature motion picture Tron: Ares.

Mowat is a senior member of IATSE Local 798 NY, 706 LA, and Canadian locals, serving on the boards of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television and the Actors’ Fund of Canada. He played a key role in establishing makeup award categories for the Canadian Screen Awards. A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (invited 1999), he served on its Executive Makeup Branch Committee for 12 years, the maximum term limit. In 2022, he was appointed as a member of the Order of Canada.

He was the first Make-up designer invited to speak at Pixar Studios, and has been a panelist at Middleburg Film Festival, Denver Film Festival, Savannah Film Festival, and guest speaker at Falmouth University, College of Makeup Art and Design, North Hampton University and continues to serve on student film award panels for AMPAS and BAFTA. Recently he joined the Board for Art Craft NYC.

Senior political affairs and strategic communications professional. Experienced video producer with a track record helping political and corporate clients engage stakeholders and move public opinion. Highly skilled and experienced in corporate communications, issues management, business strategy, crisis communications and reputation management.

Tate Young writes, directs & edits sci-fi features, digital series, short films, commercials, unscripted TV series and documentaries. His work has appeared on: CTV, CRAVE, GlobalTV, CityTV, BRAVO!, BookTV, Sportsnet, Maclean's & CanalPlay.

Tate recently wrote and edited two seasons of the CSA-nominated CTV / CRAVE series EVOLVING VEGAN WITH MENA MASSOUD. He is currently writing the hit Youtube space-science-comedy series CHASE DIES IN SPACE. His short films HYPERNOVA, TIMEBOX and BONECRUSHER have played dozens of international film festivals over the past decade.

Tate is a member of the Directors Guild of Canada. He directed the scripted sci-fi digital series HAPHEAD (IPF, Canal+), the award-winning sci-fi feature GHOSTS WITH SHIT JOBS and several docs, such as the viral hit HOW INK IS MADE, CAPTURING CARBON and THE MUSIC OF MADNESS, released on AppleTV & Prime.

Tate started his career at BOOKTV where he worked with Daniel Richler as a director, story producer and picture editor, interviewing hundreds of artists like Buffy Ste. Marie and John Irving. He worked as a picture editor on the CSA-winning investigative journalism series 16 X 9 at GlobalTV for several seasons, while directing doc series like MADE IN TORONTO, Sportsnet’s CANADIAN CATHEDRALS, Maclean’s BEST RESTAURANTS, and BookTV’s 3-DAY NOVEL CONTEST.

Originally from the West, he currently lives and works in Toronto.

Eileen de Villa is a Canadian physician and public servant who was the medical officer of health for the City of Toronto from 2017 to 2024, leading the Toronto Public Health unit.
She is an adjunct professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. De Villa is most well known for her role in Toronto's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She was formerly the medical officer of health for Peel Region.