Bishop’s University graduates lead in every walk of life. During the 2019 Class of the Top 10 After 10 induction ceremony in November, we honoured ten accomplished graduates from the Classes of 1998 to 2008.
ERIC BERGERON ’99
Armed with B.A. in Geography and a Minor in Business and Computer Science, Eric was a fledgling entrepreneur who celebrated graduation by forming a sports blog network called Fan.ca along with two other Bishop’s alumni. Twenty years later, Eric has co-founded seven companies including ZipGrow Inc, an indoor farm manufacturing company, and Smart Greens, an indoor food production firm. He now serves as Executive Director of the Cornwall Innovation Centre, and is an elected city councillor in Cornwall, Ontario. Eric is a volunteer board member for the local United Way, the Cornwall Area Housing Board and the Cornwall Regional Airport Commission.
ANN-MARIE CHACKO ’01
Ann-Marie, a dedicated scholar, received both the Lieutenant Governor General’s Award and Charles A. Shearson Memorial Prize for her studies in Biochemistry at Bishop’s. Following completion of her Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Chacko moved to Singapore, where she is an Assistant Professor at the Duke-NUS Medical School Cancer & Stem Cell Biology Programme and Head of the DukeNUS Laboratory for Translational and Molecular Imaging. Dr. Chacko also leads a national consortium called the Cancer ImmunoTherapy Imaging (CITI) Programme, and mentors new generations of scientists through her SingHealth Duke-NUS Women in Science Research Scientists Initiative.
SERGE CHALHOUB ’99
When Serge graduated with a B.Sc. from Bishop’s he knew his future lay in veterinary work. After completing a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) at the Université de Montréal, Serge pursued his residency with the world-renowned Animal Medical Center in New York City and remained as their first renal/hemodialysis fellow and staff doctor. In 2012 Dr. Chalhoub joined the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, where he has won numerous teaching awards. He has coordinated a Pet Health Clinic for disadvantaged Calgarians and produced several articles and book chapters on veterinary ultrasound, renal and urinary medicine.
CARLY CLARKE ’06
An invitation to play for Bishop’s Women’s Gaiters Basketball team convinced this Halifax native to leave her hometown. It proved a
good call; the Gaiters won the RSEQ championship and a fifth-place finish at the CIS Final 8 in 2004. Now coaching professionally, Carly has worked at UPEI and now with the Ryerson University Rams, who won the Critelli Cup and a silver medal at the U SPORTS Final 8 in 2016. Carly has also spent the last ten years coaching with Canada Basketball. Now an assistant with the senior women looking ahead to Tokyo 2021, Carly has also head coached teams in several age groups, leading the women’s Cadette team to a first ever gold medal at the FIBA America’s u16 Championship and Canada’s first medals (bronze) at the FIBA u17 and u19 Women’s World Cups.
ERIC CORMIER ’02
A B.B.A. graduate and SEED Portfolio alumnus, Eric is a longstanding Bishop’s volunteer who has organized many alumni events, including Beyond the Bubble, an annual event that has connected Bishop’s students and alumni for the past 11 years. Eric co-founded this event with fellow inductee Eric Desbiens ’99, and the duo earned the Esprit de Corps award in 2013 for their dedication to building student/ alumni connections in the B.U. community. Eric began his career with National Bank Financial before moving on to become Managing Partner of a boutique M&A firm in Montreal. After 14 years in M&A Eric joined Pure Treats as the Chief Operating Officer in 2017. Eric also serves on the Board of Advisors of Sherbrooke-based ISE Metals.
STEVE DE EYRE ’05
Fondly remembered by fellow alumni for his local Canadian classic rock show on Radio Bishop’s CJMQ, Steve recently joined TikTok as their Director of Government Affairs for Canada. Previously, he represented the world’s largest company, Amazon that hired Steve in 2016 as its Head of Public Policy for Canada, where he led government relations for Amazon.ca and their other Canadian businesses. Prior to joining Amazon, Steve earned his Juris Doctor degree at Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio, and worked at the Canadian Embassy in Washington
as the representative for Innovation, Science and Economic Development.
ALEX DEMERS ’07
A quintessential problem solver, Alex has created innovative supply strategies for multi-billion dollar oil and gas and infrastructure projects internationally, juggling large teams and complex situations
in challenging environments. Alex was also the mastermind behind
supply management for Montreal’s new Samuel-de-Champlain Bridge. This monumental endeavor saw him create and implement a logistics strategy across Quebec and from Spain that delivered over 1300 oversize pieces to one of Canada’s most complex and demanding bridge projects. He counts this among his most satisfying achievements, particularly when he sees his son excitement at crossing “Daddy’s bridge”.
GREG DEMPSEY ’04
Human rights have long been a passion for Greg. After obtaining his B.Sc. in Computer Science and a B.A. in Economics, Greg went on to study law at the University of Victoria before joining the Canadian Foreign Service, and subsequently earned a cum laude LLM in international human rights law from Utrecht University. His career in the diplomatic corps has included postings in New York, Geneva, and to Canada’s Embassy in Kabul. In 2018 Greg was seconded to the Privy Council Office to support the Prime Minister’s Special Advisor on LGBTQ2 issues, and most recently worked as Director of Communications for Minister Maryam Monsef.
ERIC DESBIENS ’99
Eric, a Bishop’s B.B.A. alumnus, has always had a head for numbers. Shortly after graduation he joined Jarislowsky Fraser, one of Canada’s leading investment firms. He was named a Partner just nine years later – a testimony to his dedication working with both institutional and private wealth accounts. He now leads the firm’s institutional activities for Eastern Canada. An active member of non-profit organizations, Eric sits on the Lakeshore General Hospital Foundation Board, is Chair of the Williams School of Business’ Success through Education, Enterprise & Determination (SEED) Program. He is co-founder of the annual Beyond the Bubble event along with fellow inductee Eric Cormier ’02.
AMY KEIRSTEAD ’00
A proud B.U. graduate who has always had an eye for detail, Amy’s research focuses on the use of novel materials in nanotechnology and green chemistry applications (including alternative energy design and molecular electronic systems). She has authored numerous articles and book chapters, presented at international symposia, and received funding from NSERC, NSF, and NASA. Dr. Keirstead currently serves as the Associate Dean of the University of New England’s College of Arts and Sciences. She is passionate about undergraduate education and has taught Organic Chemistry to over a
thousand students, to whom she is affectionately known as “Dr. K.”
To learn more about Bishop’s University’s Alumni Association, please visit our website.
