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“There is no better investment than in our future leaders,” says Greg Bavington. He should know. Greg was appointed Executive Director of the Queen’s Innovation Connector in November 2012 and also serves Special Advisor to the Provost on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. His latest innovation challenge follows five years as President and CEO of KN Rubber LLC and roles helping to design smelters in South Africa and GM’s modernized assembly plant in Oshawa. Greg was also exposed to several high-profile engineering projects, including the English Channel Tunnel and the SkyDome roof. He has served as an elected member of Queen’s University Council and on the Smith Engineering Society Board of Directors. Greg also serves on the board of several private companies, income trusts, trade associations and not-for-profit organizations.

Jim (Sc’81, PhD’90) is the Academic Director of the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre, a Professor of Chemical Engineering at Smith Engineering and a co-founder of the Queen’s Innovation Centre Summer Initiative (formerly known as QSII). Prior to joining Queen’s in 1990, he worked for Petro-Canada as a control applications engineer. He is an active researcher and consultant in the fields of statistical model building and process control, working with major companies ranging from biomedical devices, to metals manufacturing and chemical manufacturing processes. Jim is committed to building innovation and entrepreneurship programming at Queen’s and to growing a vibrant entrepreneurial culture in the Kingston region, working with many groups in the Kingston entrepreneurship ecosystem. Jim is cross-appointed to the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, and to the Dan School of Drama and Music. He collaborates in teaching and research in innovation and pedagogy in the technology and creative arts fields.

Joanna joined the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre (DDQIC) team in December 2017 bringing with her a multidisciplinary background and a passion for helping others succeed. Through various volunteer roles such as Director of Community Outreach for STEP CREW and REBOUND Team Coach for Youth Diversion, she developed a community-oriented mindset and passion for supporting people and organizations by opening them to new ways of thinking. As Program and Community Manager, Joanna is responsible for cultivating relationships among the Queen’s and Kingston communities, developing and delivering entrepreneurship programs and working directly with founders to help pave their way to success. Since joining DDQIC, Joanna has supported and advised over 431 founders and 168 ventures across many industries. She completed both her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Queen’s with a Medial in Philosophy-Psychology and a Master of Arts with specialization in legal, moral and political philosophy. She also completed the Graduate Diploma in Business program at Smith School of Business where she was able to explore the intersection of human behaviour, social impact and business.

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Bruna’s international background and core values of collaboration, sustainability, and versatility translate to each initiative she commits to. Her passion for entrepreneurship matured when working for Concordia’s Innovation Center, while her aptitude for coordination was consolidated when employed by a local construction firm in Kingston. With an enriching extra-curricular involvement, including creating diverse community projects while capitalizing on the Honor’s Society influence or achieving the University’s highest results and participation at the largest and longest running Canadian undergraduate Engineering Competition, she earned a degree as a Civil Engineer, specializing in Environmental, from Concordia University in Montreal. A believer of education’s essential role in creating a positive impact on society, Bruna is thrilled to contribute to supporting changemakers as a Program Coordinator for Queen’s Innovation Centre.

Prior to working at the DDQIC, Virginia worked as a public librarian. In this role, she was responsible for planning programs for diverse groups of adults on a variety of topics. Looking for a career change, she started her position at the DDQIC in April of 2022. Here she uses her skills to plan programs and find information for aspiring entrepreneurs. Virginia’s work at the DDQIC allows her to work with passionate people across all sectors, allowing her to continually learn new things from the ventures she helps. She has an MLIS from University of Western Ontario, an MA in History of Medicine from McGill University, and a graduate certificate in Project Management from Loyalist College.

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Megan has held a variety of leadership roles in project planning, entrepreneurship, research analysis, and finance. Starting her journey with DDQIC as a Spread Innovation Intern in the summer of 2020, she has since continued to grow her role with the DDQIC team, now serving as the International Programs Manager. As a recent graduate from the London School of Economics and Political Science, Megan is an avid researcher, and her work has been published in Politicus Journal, The Observer, The McGill International Review, among others. Outside of work, Megan enjoys playing the saxophone, sewing, and staying involved in her community. Megan is committed and eager to continue the tradition of DDQIC as an incubator for change-makers.