Our Team
Board Members
LGen (ret'd) Guy R. Thibault, CMM, MSC, CD
Chair of the Board
Former Vice Chief of the Defence Staff
Lieutenant-General Guy R. Thibault retired from the Canadian Forces (CF) in August 2016 after 38 years of service. As a General Officer, he served as Commander Land Force Central Area; Deputy Commander Canadian Army; as well as the Defence Deputy CIO/CF J6 and Communications and Electronics Branch Leader.
From 2011-2013 he served in as the first Canadian Chairman of the Inter-American Defense Board an entity of the Organization of American States. He concluded his military service as the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff serving three years as the second in command of the CF and was responsible and accountable to the Chief of the Defence Staff and the Deputy Minister to coordinate and direct strategic programs to ensure defence policy and strategic objectives were achieved.
VAdm (ret'd) Mark Norman, CMM, CD
Vice-Chair (Sea)
Mark Norman retired from the Royal Canadian Navy in the rank of Vice-Admiral in August of 2019 after over 39 years of service.
Norman started his naval service as a reserve diesel mechanic in 1980 and rose through the ranks to be the Vice-Chief of Defence. His military career has seen him serve at sea domestically and internationally, command a warship, the Canadian Atlantic Fleet, and ultimately the Royal Canadian Navy itself. He also has extensive experience in a variety of appointments training & educating sailors, leading operations, strategic planning and managing major procurement projects.
Since retirement, Norman has applied to energy to a variety of pursuits including as Champion for the Royal Canadian Benevolent Fund, Senior Defence Strategist at Samuel Associates, contributing to the important debate about security and defence issues in Canada as both a fellow with the Global Affairs Institute and as a member of the Conference of Defence Associations Board. In his spare time, Mark loses golf balls, skis, and continues perfecting the art of safely crashing his mountain bike.
MGen (ret'd) Michel Lalumiere, CMM, CD
Vice-Chair (Air)
Rear-Admiral (retired) Jennifer Bennett, CMM, CD
Jennifer Bennett was able to successfully pursue two concurrent careers, one with the Canadian Armed Forces as a member of Canada’s Reserve Force and the other as a teacher and school administrator. She retired from the Canadian Armed Forces in December 2019 after serving for more than 44 years, rising through the ranks to assume key strategic institutional leadership positions, and become Canada’s first female Rear-Admiral, leading, and influencing significant change across the institution.
Following retirement, Rear Admiral (retired) Bennett joined the Navy League of Canada and served as the President for Ontario Division from May 2020 until April 2023 when she was elected as the National President of the Navy League of Canada. She is also a member of the Defence Advisory Board and is a Patron on the Advisory Committee of the Juno Beach Centre.
In 2011, Rear Admiral (retired) Bennett was named as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women as a Public Sector Leader and in 2013 she was promoted from Officer in the Order of Military Merit (OMM) which she received in 2005 to Commander (CMM). She was awarded the Canadian Forces Decoration with three clasps, the Canada 125 medal, Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals and has received two Deputy Minister/Chief of the Defence Staff Excellence in Defence Awards and a Chief of the Defence Staff Commendation.
Colonel (Ret’d) Lawrence Zaporzan, OMM, CD
Colonel (Ret’d) Lawrence Zaporzan was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario. He enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces in 1978 under the Regular Officer Training Program while at Queen’s University where he continued his studies graduating in 1980 with a BA in Physical Education and a BA in Psychology. He later earned a master’s degree in history from the University of New Brunswick.
Colonel (Ret’d) Zaporzan graduated from Armour Officer in 1981 where he served in the 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise’s) and the Royal Canadian Dragoon in Canada and Germany. He commanded the 8th Canadian Hussars 1999-2001.
In 2003 Colonel (Ret’d) Zaporzan began working within the military diplomacy realm, first as a founding member of the Bi-National Planning Group based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, followed by a posting to Washington, DC as the Assistant Military Attache. He returned to Canada in 2010 for additional training and deployed to Beirut, Lebanon as the Canadian Defence Attache where he was responsible for Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Cyprus. In 2014 the office was moved to Amman, Jordan and Iraq was added to his area of responsibility. Colonel (Ret’d) Zaporzan retired from the CAF after 37 years service. He returned to the CAF in 2018-2024 where he worked as the lead training and mentoring consultant within the Directorate of Foreign Liaison.
Brigadier-General (retd) Peter Atkinson, CD, MSM
Peter Atkinson joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1977 after having been an Army Cadet for five years with the Royal Canadian Dragoons Cadet Corps in Lahr, Germany. He has commanded at the troop, squadron and regimental level with The Royal Canadian Dragoons in CFB Gagetown, 4 Brigade in Lahr, Germany and 2 Brigade in Petawawa, Ontario. He served on an exchange with the 1st Armoured Regiment in Australia and deployed with the Dragoons as a part of the United Nations mission in Cyprus. He also commanded Canadian Forces Base Kingston, 2 Area Support Group in Toronto, Ontario and a Task Force in Bosnia Herzegovina with the NATO Stabilization Force.
He served on the operations staff of Army Headquarters, in the United Nations Headquarters in the former Yugoslavia as the Military Assistant to the Deputy Force Commander, at National Defence Headquarters as the Executive Assistant to the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff and as the Executive Officer to the Chief of the Defence Staff.
He is a graduate of the Royal Military College, the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff College, the Canadian Forces College and the United States Army War College where he also served on the faculty teaching National Security Policy and Strategy.
Promoted to Brigadier-General in June 2007, he was appointed the Director General Operations on the Strategic Joint Staff at National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa. From July 2008 until August 2011, he served as the III Corps Deputy Commanding General in Fort Hood, Texas. His last appointment before retiring in June 2012 was as the Chief of Staff to the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff at National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa. On 1 May 2013 Peter Atkinson was appointed the Senior Vice President of the Personnel Support Program of the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services. Retired in 2018 to devote his attention to playing golf, shooting and hunting, traveling, grandkids and causes he is passionate about.
Currently serving as the Vice President of the Cornwall Handgun Club, Vice Chair Land of the Canadian Defence Association and the Senior Club Captain of the Camelot Golf and Country Club.
Peter Atkinson and his wife Diana have one son, Mitchell, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal Canadian Dragoons and two daughters Mary Jean an entrepreneur with the Great Northern Auction Company in Moncton, NB and Meagan a teacher in Hillsborough, NB.
Colonel (Ret'd) Stéphane Boucher, OMM, CD
Son of a Gunner, father of Gunner, Stéphane joined the joined the CAF in 1987. After graduating from CMR de St-Jean in May 1992, he was commissioned into the RCA and joined 5e RALC. He would proudly be posted two more times in that unit, commanding at the Troop, Battery and ultimately the Unit. Directly in service of the Guns he also served as an Instructor in Gunnery for four years.
He was fortunate to have other command opportunities, as Commanding Officer Canadian Forces Joint NBCD Company (now CJIRU) and 2nd Canadian Division Support Group. During his various unit employment he deployed numerous times at home, for avalanche control and floods, as well as abroad in the Balkans and Afghanistan.
Stéphane holds three Master’s degrees, was awarded a CDS Commendation, CJOC Commander Commendation, and a US Bronze Star. He was also admitted as an Officer of the Order of Military Merit.
Retired he now spends his time between supporting his son’s and their partners, travel with his spouse of more than 33 years, hobbies (hunting, fishing, and Yoga), as well as volunteering with the Royal Canadian Artillery Association. He has been President of the RCAA since October 2024.
