Meet Our Team
Dr. Kathy Sanderson
Project Lead
Dr. Kathy Sanderson is an Associate Professor of Human Resources and Organizational Behaviour in the Faculty of Business Administration. She is a Registered Psychotherapist (Ontario), and has provided mental health counselling, program development and workplace crisis interventions for over 20 years while holding managerial positions. Kathy is a lifelong resident of Northwestern Ontario. For eight years, she was the Coordinator of the Cultural Care Program for the Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Hospital, conducting cultural assessments and training, while managing the outcomes of a million dollar, multidisciplinary project. For the past two years, she has been conducting research focused on reducing pain at work. Her areas of focus are emotional abuse and coercive control at work, workplace ostracism, and job rejection. Wanting to make a contribution to employment knowledge in Northwestern Ontario, she has recently been studying onboarding of new immigrants, and recruitment strategies for women and Indigenous people.
As the lead on the Renew NWO project, Kathy will be managing the project team and connecting with the key informants, to ensure that the project meets the needs of the region.
Dr. Claudio Pousa
Research Partner
Dr. Claudio Pousa is an Associate Professor of Marketing and Research Methods in the Faculty of Business Administration at Lakehead University. His main area of research is on managerial coaching and its impact on recipient’s attitudes, motivation and behavior. With more than a dozen articles published in top scientific journals, Dr. Pousa is globally recognized for his contributions to the field and frequently invited to present his work at global events. Further to his interests in managerial coaching, he has also conducted research on work-family conflict, servant leadership and consumer sustainability behaviors.
Before joining academia as a full-time professor, Dr. Pousa spent more than 20 years working as a management consultant in Latin America, in countries like Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Peru and others. He led change-management processes, conducted training and development projects, and facilitated coaching processes for a number of American and European corporations in the region.
Dr. Pousa has lived in Thunder Bay for the last 9 years, and he frequently contributes to local organizations with economic reports and studies.
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Julia Whitney
Marketing & Knowledge Mobilization Specialist
Julia is a graduate of Lakehead University's Master of Science in Management program and Honours Bachelor of Commerce program. Being born and raised in Thunder Bay, Julia has a keen interest in the growth of Northwestern Ontario and making it a welcoming environment for newcomers. Her experience in digital marketing serves as an asset in the communication and outreach efforts of the project.
Ryan Hron
Research Assistant
Ryan is a graduate of Lakehead University's Master of Science in Management program. Born and raised in the small town of Waldhof, Ontario (located between Dryden and Kenora, Ontario), Ryan also has a strong interest in continuing to create a welcoming environment for newcomers in Northwestern Ontario. His combined experience and education serves as an asset in the research efforts of the project.
