Caron Fitzpatrick brings diversity to the Hospitality program, coming from the Event Management industry. Caron is a graduate of the Event Management program at Algonquin College and holds a Master’s Degree in Tourism Management. Caron’s thesis explored the use of Mobile Apps in sport tourism focusing on the ability to use mobile apps to increase the duration of stay and tourism spend.

Caron has over a decade of experience in restaurants and as well as experience in the event department at a major hotel. Her real expertise has been in the planning and execution of events including tradeshows, races, ski competitions, galas, golf tournaments, hockey tournaments, conventions, annual general meetings, awards ceremonies, political campaign management and festivals. Caron has a passion for lifelong learning and is currently completing the Social Media College Certificate here at Algonquin College.

A successful and memorable event is achieved by creating a multi-sensory experience. Sophia has accomplished just this as she has over fifteen years of experience transforming spaces and creating in the event industry. Sophia joins us from Queen’s University where she is the Director of Strategic Communications and Events. In this role, Sophia continues to reimagine corporate events and communications to enhance the employee, alumni and stakeholder experience. She is also an accomplished communicator, event manager, and educator with extensive experience in strategic communications and both in-person and virtual events. Always at the forefront of current trends, Sophia has the ability to create, market, connect, and communicate personally with her target audience. Building strong relationships within the industry and the community has allowed her to bring original and effective programming and communications to life. One of Sophia’s priorities is getting to know her clients and understanding their needs in order to effectively execute a communications plan and/or an event design.

A self-professed life-long learner, Sophia is a certified Digital Event Strategist who holds a Diploma in Event Management from Algonquin College, a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto, and a Master of Arts in Leadership from Royal Roads, where her thesis focused on how post-secondary institutions can leverage key communications opportunities. Sophia also taught in the Event Management program at Algonquin College for more than eight years.

Outside of her day job, Sophia owns and operates an event-planning company and volunteers with many local organizations.

Sylvia Densmore practices and instills teamwork as one of the key skills in her students. She believes that to be a credible role model to students you must “practice what you teach!” For twenty years Sylvia has worked as a professional Event Manager on projects including the Rick Hansen Man in Motion Tour, the Canadian Olympic Association Congress and the Breast Cancer Action Walk to name a few. Along with the Event Management team, Sylvia currently teaches and mentors students through the creation, planning and execution of numerous fundraising events.

A highlight of Sylvia’s career was a trip to Tanzania, Africa where she delivered a two-week course in Event Management to College faculty and Industry representatives as part of a CIDA program called Education for Employment. She recently obtained her Masters in Tourism Management at Royal Roads University. As coordinator of the Event Management program she continues to maintain communication with her grads, reaching out to provide new job opportunities and advice whenever asked.

Elias Giannakopoulos holds an MBA from the University of Guelph and a BA (Hons) from the University of Birmingham in the UK. Mr. Giannakopoulos has been teaching at Algonquin College since 2002. His industry experience includes positions in the military and various hospitality organizations within the resort, hotel, restaurant, nightclub, and golf course settings.

Having lived and worked in Greece, Canada, and England, Elias has acquired more than twelve years of experience in both commercial and institutional Food & Beverage Management. More recently, he was involved in the development of Algonquin’s Bachelor of Hospitality and Tourism Management program. Elias’ research activities have produced papers in both refereed journals and conferences.

Marye Ménard Bos, CMP, CMM, Manager, Program Planning and Delivery and Procurement Specialist, National Judicial Institute (NJI), has been with the Institute since 2009. As Program Manager, she is responsible for a program team and has the lead on a number of NJI Events. As Procurement Specialist, Marye is responsible for the strategic sourcing, bid tendering, and general oversight of contract negotiations with venues. Fluently bilingual, she holds a degree in Communications, Public Administration and Management from the University of Ottawa. Marye is also a Certified Meeting Manager (CMM) and Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) with a proven track record of successfully organizing complex meetings, conferences and special events at the national and international level. Marye possesses a solid understanding of every facet related to planning and delivering events, including program development, logistics, risk management, and marketing and promotion. A strong advocate for the meetings industry, she is a former President of the Ottawa Chapter of Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and a recipient of MPI’s Prix Prestige Awards for Mentor of the Year (2008) and Meeting Planner of the Year (2013).

As Owner and Chief Idea Alchemist of Savoir Flair Communications and Events, her small enterprise, Marye offers meeting planning, communications and voice/narration/Emcee services to an array of clients.

She also teaches part-time in the Event Management post-graduate certificate program at Algonquin College.

In her off-hours, Marye runs a small farm with her husband raising goats, llamas, cattle and a variety of birds.