About Us

Board of Governors

List of 1 members.

  • Photo of Meagan Shaw

    Meagan Shaw 

    Executive Assistant to Head of School & Board Chair/Manager of Admin Support
    902-431-8573
Are you interested in becoming a board member?

Please visit the following pages for information:

  • Report to the Community 2021 - 2022 Report to the Community 2021 - 2022
    Every year, the Halifax Grammar School prepares a Report to the Community detailing school operations, audited financial statements, and a message from the Head of School. The report offers an opportunity to acknowledge the contributions provided by the Grammar community, including our Annual Donor list.

Meet our Current Board Members

The Halifax Grammar School's Board of Governors consists of volunteers from our school community—be they parents, alumni or the community at large.

Care is taken to nominate individuals with diverse skill sets, experiences, and backgrounds to assist the board in fulfilling its important stewardship responsibilities. We are fortunate to have dedicated and capable individuals serving on the board. Grammar benefits from these collaborative efforts to advance the best interests of the school.

Chair of the Board

List of 1 frequently asked questions.

  • Jillian Adler, Chair



    Jillian is the Director of Communications at Canadian Blood Services (CBS). She began her career at CBS in 2007 where she has held many positions in both communications and operations. Over the last 16 years, she has built a broad range of expertise, including the development and deployment of corporate communications plans, media relations, community outreach, and stakeholder engagement. She is a former journalist with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and a graduate of the University of King’s College.
     
    Jillian and her husband, David, have two children: Noah ’23 and Levi ’27.

Elected Officers of the Board

List of 3 frequently asked questions.

  • Tim Trussell, Vice-Chair & Chair of Governance Committee



    Tim is the Chief Operating Officer of the Atlantic Institute for Resilience. He has experience in business intelligence with significant experience in all facets of data management, information security, entrepreneurship, and technology across diverse industries. He has a successful track record of leading large-scale initiatives through effective collaboration between executive management and business teams to deliver measurable business results. Tim is also a member of the Cystic Fibrosis Canada board of directors.

    Tim resides in Halifax with his wife, Sanja, and their two children, Emilia '35 and Lucas '32.

  • Jamie O’Neil, Treasurer & Chair of Finance, Audit & Risk Committee



    Jamie O’Neil has been a partner and Chartered Accountant at KPMG for more than 20 years with experience in audit and financial accounting.
     
    He holds a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Accounting from Saint Mary’s University. He currently sits on the board of the QEII Hospital and the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada.
     
    Jamie and his wife, Catherine have one child who attends Grammar: Colin ’25.

  • Jon Stanfield, Secretary & Chair of Advancement Committee



    Jon is the chairman, president, and CEO of Stanfield’s Limited based in Truro, NS. Stanfield’s is a multi-generational family business tracing its roots back to 1856. He has extensive board, fundraising, stakeholder relations, communications, and marketing strategy experience. He holds several leadership and executive roles with for-profit as well as not-for-profit institutions such as SRM Hockey Inc.
     
    Jon and his wife, Sue, have two children who attend Grammar: Gabrielle ’28 and Jaxon ’30.

Governors

List of 8 frequently asked questions.

  • Alfred Burgesson '15



    Alfred Burgesson is an alumnus of Junior Achievement Nova Scotia and a graduate of the Halifax Grammar School in 2015. He is the Founder & CEO of Tribe Network - a social enterprise building Canada's BIPOC Entrepreneurship & Innovation Hub.
     
    Alfred is a former member of the Prime Minister’s Youth Council — he is also the co-chair of Canada’s first-ever ‘State of the Youth’ Report. Alfred has been an advisor to various community organizations and initiatives across Canada as well as to the Assembly of First Nations Chiefs.
     
    Before launching Tribe Network, Alfred supported the African Canadian Senate Group and the office of Senator Colin Deacon as project lead; gathering data and insights on the current state of Black Entrepreneurs and Business Owners in Canada.
     
    Alfred is also currently a board member of the Halifax Regional Library Board.

  • Rhiannon Davies



    A graduate of McGill University, Rhiannon has extensive leadership, international business, and board governance experience.

    She has a passion for innovation, human rights, and sustainability. In particular, she is focused on encouraging and supporting young females in STEM careers.

  • Christine Halef-Faddoul



    Christine is the Founder and President of AtlantiCann Medical Inc., a Pharmacist, and a current member of the Grammar Board of Governors’ Advancement Committee. 

    Christine is an entrepreneur and manages Health Canada regulatory compliance for the company, formulation of strategic plans for product lines and analysis of target medical markets. She has built a strong financial, operational, scientific, and management team to support a solid start-up for the company. She has engaged a quality control and experienced cultivation team to complement the company’s solid quality management plans.

    Christine resides in Halifax with her husband, Joe, and their two children, Joseph'30 and Elijah'32.

  • Eduardo Mesquita



    Eduardo is an experienced technical leader and information technology architect. His career spans over 18 years of information technology, consulting services, and technical architecture evolving progressively through senior roles at IT Professional Services global companies. He has operated in a number of industries leading projects and teams by providing a successful delivery of complex end-to-end solutions for clients worldwide.
     
    Eduardo has worked within the public sector for most of his career but also has experience within the energy, financial services, and retail industries. He has led several successful initiatives involving Oracle E-Business Suite implementations and upgrades. Eduardo’s leadership and IT architecture skills combined with his broad technical knowledge and deep Oracle technology expertise are his greatest assets.
     
    Eduardo has a Master of Science in computer science from the University of São Paulo in Brazil and his ITIL Foundation Certification.
     
    Eduardo and his wife, Maida, have a son, Lucas ’30, who attends Grammar.

  • Sathyasai Murty-Chelamkuri



    Sathyasai Murty-Chelamkuri is a Principal Partner and full-time practicing dentist at Scotia Dental and a Clinical Instructor for the Division of DCS in the Department of Periodontology in the Faculty of Dentistry at Dalhousie University for the past twenty years.
     
    Sathyasai holds her Doctorate in Dentistry from Dalhousie University and a Bachelor’s of Science degree (Honours) in Biology and certification in Molecular Genetics from Saint Mary’s University. She also holds a Fellowship from ICOI.
     
    Sathyasai is committed to excellence and has taken leadership roles on various committees bringing key experience in conflict management, fundraising and new growth initiatives specifically in areas of recruitment and advancement.
     
    Sathyasai and her husband, Sridhar, have two children who attend Grammar: Saidharma ’27 and Srinath ’29.

  • Jarret Stuart



    Jarret is the president of Caldera Distilling. Caldera has quickly become a representation of Canada in which its products are supplied to Canadian Embassies around the world to showcase the best of what Canada has to offer.  He has a background in project management, governance, and finance.
     
    Jarret and his wife, Tracy, have two children who attend Grammar: Olivia ’31 and Brooklyn ’32.

  • Nathan Sutherland



    Nathan is a partner in Pink Larkin’s litigation group, with a practice focused on commercial and construction disputes, aboriginal law, natural resources and the environment, and employment law.

    Nathan and his wife, Rachel, have a daughter, Orli '30, who attends Grammar.

  • Samantha Watson-Crooks



    Samantha is an accomplished executive manager with almost 20 years of solid, cross-functional     experience in fund administration and operational accounting. She is a passionate and goal-oriented professional who is also a loyal and committed person with strong leadership abilities.

    Her experience in the financial industry includes client relations and development as vice president of a financial institution; financial, fund, and forensic accounting as the chief financial officer; and compliance in her role as money laundering report officer.
     
    Samantha holds a Master of Business Administration with a specialty in finance and accounting from the University of Liverpool, a Master in Finance from Saint Mary’s University, an Advanced Certificate and a Compliance and Anti-Money Laundering Certificate from the University of Manchester, as well as a Bachelor of Science from Saint Mary’s University.
     
    Samantha and her husband, Dermott, have three children at Grammar: Kasi ’22, Kennedy ’23, and Kamdyn '26.

Halifax Grammar School

945 Tower Road,
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 2Y2