Our Facilitators
John G. Stone
Following the pursuit of a business degree at University of Toronto, John joined the federal Department of Finance. After 15 years and a variety of roles in Human Resources and Internal Audit management, Mr. Stone left to embrace a number of entrepreneurial ventures in the food distribution industry, IT management and HR consulting fields. He was an early proponent of "Learning" vs. "Training" in the workplace and of "Executive Coaching". His broad base of clients has included both the federal and British Columbia governments, BC Hydro, BC Ferries, DTZ Barnicke, KPMG, Labatt's Breweries, Microsoft, RBC, and the City of Vancouver School Board. Based in Vancouver, Mr. Stone is now considered to be a leader in the executive coaching and team-building field.
Mr. Stone is often called upon to consult in conflict resolution and organization change projects as well as a variety of HR related assignments throughout British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.
Mr. Stone addresses a wide range of participants from around the country on the topics of conflict resolution, constructive communication, recruitment and retention practices, job classification and job description writing , organization development and training, and management practices and systems.
He has been a subject matter expert in human resources for two royal commissions on employment practices in the federal government and the author of numerous organization design and job classification position papers.
Mr. Stone has been featured in major newspapers and magazines including The Ottawa Citizen, The Ottawa Journal, The Vancouver Province and The Vancouver Sun.
Bill Sherman, B.Comm., C.A. – Montreal Facilitator
Bill Sherman received his B.Comm. from Concordia University and his C.A. from McGill University. While completing his C.A. diploma, he apprenticed at Price Waterhouse in Montreal. Upon graduation, he began his career in public practice, which he continues on a part-time basis.
In 2003, he turned to teaching – a profession he has always applied and enjoyed. He is often quoted as saying, “Very few people get paid for doing what they enjoy. I consider myself fortunate to be one of them.”
Margaret Mercer, BA, MBA – Toronto Facilitator
For over 20 years, Margaret Mercer has specialized in organizational and communication consulting for clients in business, non-profit and government.
She has taught business communication at two of Ontario’s largest colleges and holds a Master of Business Administration degree majoring in communication management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in fine art. For two years she was executive director of a national non-profit organization.
Margaret’s career also includes serving as Director of Communication for the Ontario SPCA, and working in communication policy for the Ontario Public Service for 11 years. From 1991 to 1993 she worked for the Ontario Management Board Secretariat developing communication policy and managing various communication initiatives related to the workings of provincial government. Some of her credentials while at Management Board include working with the Ontario Premier to create and communicate policies, creating and presenting a series of workshops on presentation skills, and communicating various issues related to provincial human resource practices.
Margaret was the first head of communication and public affairs for Oakville, introducing the Oakville “brand” into the community in addition to numerous other high-profile activities.
Margaret is certified in entrepreneurial studies, alternative dispute resolution, true colours workshop leadership, and as a trainer. Today she consults and teaches various courses and seminars related to organizational issues including business writing, customer service and conflict management.