David A. Martin
Executive Chairman
Co-Founder
David is responsible for establishing and communicating the strategic direction of the company, as well as creating and maintaining corporate alliances and partnerships.
David is recognized worldwide as an expert in distance collaboration and is the author of a number of articles and papers on the subject of working and learning at a distance. He has a degree in applied mathematics, and is a founding member of the Calgary Council of Advanced Technologies (CCAT). He is also a member of the Society of Information Displays.
David is the named inventor on a number of U.S. patents and patent applications pending in the U.S. and around the world. David received the 2004 Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATAAlliance) Award for Private Sector and Leadership in Advanced Technology in recognition of his outstanding technological innovation and corporate leadership.
Along with co-founder Nancy Knowlton, David received the TeleSpan Pace Award in 2006 which honors teleconferencing professionals who make more than a decade of contributions to the industry. As co-founders, David and Nancy received the 2005 Alberta Centennial Medal by the province’s Minister of Innovation and Science, in recognition of the impact their work in science and technology has had on innovation in Alberta, and honoring their outstanding achievements in making the province a better place to live, work and do business.
David is an industry leader with over 30 years' experience in high-technology management and development. David has served as a member of the Expert Panel on Canada's Role on International Science and Technology, part of the Prime Minister's Advisory Council on Science and Technology. He is a former member of the Leaders' Forum on Innovation organized by the Conference Board of Canada and the Board of Management of the Alberta Economic Development Authority.
For detailed biographical information and a photograph, please contact PR@smarttech.com, indicating your specific needs.
Nancy Knowlton
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Co-Founder
Nancy focuses primarily on business development and strategic initiatives for the growth and development of SMART.
Recognized as one of Canada's top businesswomen, Nancy was the 1999 Canadian Woman Entrepreneur of the Year in the Export category, awarded by the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and the Bank of Montreal. She and SMART co-founder David Martin were awarded the 1999 Prairies Region Technology Entrepreneur of the Year Award, sponsored by Ernst and Young, and a Manning Innovation Award in 2002.
Along with co-founder David Martin, Nancy received the TeleSpan Pace Award in 2006 which honors teleconferencing professionals who make more than a decade of contributions to the industry. As co-founders, David and Nancy received the 2005 Alberta Centennial Medal by the province’s Minister of Innovation and Science, in recognition of the impact their work in science and technology has had on innovation in Alberta, and honoring their outstanding achievements in making the province a better place to live, work and do business.
In 2002–2003, Nancy was one of the nine members of the independent commission that reviewed Alberta's basic education system and produced Every Child Learns, Every Child Succeeds. Additionally, Nancy has spoken around the world on the topic of the 21st Century Classroom...Today, sharing her perspectives on the successful integration strategies for interactive whiteboards in everyday teaching and learning.
Nancy has a diploma of collegial studies, a business administration degree with honors, and an MBA in marketing and finance. She completed her chartered accountant accreditation in Alberta. Prior to co-founding SMART, Nancy taught accounting and computer science for a year at a Canadian university before taking a position with an international accounting firm in Calgary. At the time of her departure, she was a senior audit manager.
In 2003, Nancy was awarded an honorary Doctor of Commerce degree from Saint Mary’s University in recognition of her many business accomplishments.
For detailed biographical information and a photograph, please contact PR@smarttech.com.
Tom Hodson
President and Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Tom is responsible for the day-to-day direction of SMART.
Tom is considered a thought leader in strategic management and is also recognized as one of Canada's top sales and marketing executives. He speaks frequently to corporate audiences on business strategy and a wide range of sales management and marketing topics. Tom joined SMART in 2006 from a consulting firm serving Fortune 500 companies specializing in the areas of strategic customer management, marketing and business integration. In his capacity as executive vice president and managing partner, he led large-scale projects in the areas of post-merger business integration, customer marketing and strategic account management. Tom has worked with a who’s who list of blue chip companies and his leadership has helped transform the efforts of numerous companies.
Tom spent 16 years at a well-known packaged goods company where he worked in a variety of roles from entry-level to the executive rank. He was widely recognized for his outstanding leadership skills and was consistently ranked in the top 5% of his peer group in North America. His business results reflect an ability to deliver strong growth in very complex and competitive environments.
He is the co-author of the well-respected business book entitled ‘A Blueprint for Winning with Today’s Customer’ which has received strong reviews across North America and the United Kingdom. He has been interviewed on both radio and television on business subjects, most recently on CBC, CITY TV and Inc. Magazine.
Tom holds a Master of Business Administration.
Barbara Munroe
Senior Vice President, Legal/Intellectual Property and General Counsel
Barbara manages SMART's legal and corporate affairs.
Barbara began her career as an articling student with one of Canada's leading business law firms. After admission to the Law Society of Alberta, Barbara continued to work at the same firm in the corporate/commercial area until she joined SMART in 2000. She has a BComm and an LLB.
Susan Ruf
Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Susan is responsible for all financial and financing activities at SMART.
Susan joined SMART in 2002 as controller and was promoted to her current position in 2004. Prior to joining SMART, Susan held positions as a controller, financial manager and auditor in a variety of different industries. Susan has a BComm with distinction and is a chartered accountant (Alberta).
Sandra Coates
Vice President, Services
Sandra is responsible for the services group providing support to SMART’s customers. The group’s functions include customer support, technical support, training, order processing, testing and documentation.
Sandra joined SMART in 2006. She has more than 20 years of experience with various organizations in the areas of customer support, quality assurance, research and development, training, finance and IT. Sandra also brings strong international experience as she has implemented and managed support centers in several countries. During her extensive career, she has held various leadership positions including CIO, VP and general manager. Sandra is a member of the Association of Support Professionals and holds a bachelor of commerce degree.
Vaughn Keenan
Senior Vice President, Product Development
Vaughn oversees the conceptualization, design and creation of SMART's hardware products.
Vaughn joined SMART in 1996 as director of product management and was appointed to his current position in 1998.
Vaughn's career prior to joining SMART included engineering and management positions with several Canadian corporations. Vaughn has a BSc in electrical engineering and has also taken post-graduate courses in software engineering and large-scale integration.
Patric Nagel
Vice President, North American sales
Patric is responsible for driving overall sales growth for SMART’s products and services across North America.
An accomplished executive with deep sales expertise and diverse general management experience, Patric has delivered consistent top-line achievement. Patric has demonstrated success in team development and cross-functional project leadership in both stand-alone companies and large corporate mergers.
Prior to joining SMART in February 2007, Patric was vice president, sales with a leading brewery company. He also held executive or senior positions with well-known, brand-name companies across Canada. Patric has an MBA with a concentration in marketing and entrepreneurship and a Bachelor of Arts in economics and political studies. He also has certificates in strategic leadership and sales management and process design and implementation.
Dennie Shadrick
Executive Emeritus
Dennie brings over 30 years' experience in the high-tech field to SMART. Dennie is responsible for shaping SMART's organizational processes by providing leadership and direction to both strategic and operational matters.
Dennie joined SMART in 1997, as acting vice president, product development. In this role, Dennie supervised the conceptualization, design and creation of SMART's hardware products. He worked closely with the product development teams to identify emerging business trends and to establish frameworks for future research and development efforts. Dennie was appointed to the role of executive vice president in 1998, and most recently the role of executive emeritus in 2004.
Dennie began his career as a development engineer with a large U.S. company. Until 1997 he held numerous executive positions within this company, his last position being vice president, personal productivity products – research and development.
Dennie has a BSc in electrical engineering from a U.S. university and has taken graduate courses at other U.S. universities. He has been awarded patents for Bubble Memory storage architectures and has received a number of industry awards for his leading-edge technological designs.