Mandate

Our mandate is to support the industry in their endeavours to ensure responsible alcohol service is aligned with public safety for the good of our communities. We continue in our efforts to ensure that the message of responsible alcohol consumption is understood by the broader public including university and college students. Through education, state-of-the-art training, open dialogue and strategic partnerships, our primary goal is to be an active participant in helping to change the culture and behaviour of all who engage in the sale, service and consumption of beverage alcohol.

Senior Team

Richard Anderson
Executive Director

Vickie Lane
Executive Assistant

Rob Doiron
Director of IT

Ellie Johnson
Operations Manager

Zach Rychlik
Program and Marketing Manager

Phoebe (Thanh) Tran
Marketing Specialist

Alex von Niebelschutz
Financial Administrator

Smart Serve Ontario Board of Directors

Members

Gyan Chandra, Board Chair
Vice President and Account General Manager, DXC

Gyan Chandra holds key positions in various esteemed organizations, including being a part of the Advisory Board of Overbond. He also contributes his expertise as a Member of the Board for the John Howard Society of Ontario and serves as the Treasurer for the John Howard Society of York Region. Furthermore, Gyan Chandra actively participates as a Member of the Public Advisory Council of ICES.

Gyan is a strong proponent for education. As Vice President and Account General Manager, Gyan leads one of DXC’s largest and most strategic client relationships. He is responsible for revenue, profit, satisfaction, risk management, innovation, and operations. His focus is to drive technology enabled business change in support of client strategy and objectives.

Fred Luk, Vice Chair
Restaurant Hospitality Consultant

As a leader in the hospitality industry and professional restaurateur, Fred has over 35 years of hospitality experience as owner of some of Toronto’s most popular restaurants. Fred has served on the Toronto Branding Committee for Tourism Toronto, Toronto03 Alliance, OTMP City Product committee, City of Toronto’s Winterlicious/Summerlicious program, and as President of the Ontario Restaurant Association.

Jody Palubiski, Treasurer
CEO/Partner, Charcoal Group of Restaurants

Jody has over 35-years of hospitality experience and currently leads a team of over 1000 incredible hospitality professionals at The Charcoal Group. He oversees and drives all facets of the company’s growth and development. Jody’s vision is present in all details of each restaurant’s décor, cuisine, branding, systems, service style, and culture. The Charcoal Group was recognized as the 2019 Independent Restaurateur of the Year for Canada at Foodservice & Hospitality’s annual Pinnacle Awards.

Dean Sockett, Secretary
People and Culture Champion

Dean has championed HR strategies that have been instrumental in the positioning of Keg Restaurants as an iconic brand in Canada. As past Senior Vice President People and Culture, he was an integral member of the senior leadership team providing consultation, advice, and direction on operational initiatives as well as overall company strategy. Recognized internally as well as externally as an expert in creating and delivering a superior service culture with truly engaged employees.

His past Association/Board involvement has been with the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council Advisory Board and the University of Guelph School of Hospitality Advisory Board.

David Thompson
Global Operations Executive, C-Suite Business Leader

David has owned and operated twelve different corporations in fields as diverse as retail, real estate development, information technology, management consulting, publishing, high technology, and e-learning development. David was named as one of the top 40 business people in the City of Ottawa under 40 years of age and is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

With 29 years of experience as a Municipal Councillor, County Reeve, Public School Board Trustee and Mayor, David brings a wealth of experience to the Smart Serve Board.

Carolyn Marcotte
Vice President, Legal and Compliance, Caesars Windsor

Carolyn Marcotte has been a member of the Executive Team at Caesars Windsor since 2007 when she joined the company. In her capacity as General Counsel, Carolyn manages all legal affairs for the Company. She also serves as the Company’s Compliance Officer where she is responsible for ensuring regulatory compliance. In addition to these duties, Carolyn also oversees both the Security and Surveillance Departments, Responsible Gambling program and Internal Audit.

She has past experience on the board of the United Way/Centraide Windsor-Esses County and the Responsible Gambling Council.

Maria Allan
Senior Sales Professional in the Beverage Industry

Maria Allan is an accomplished senior sales professional with extensive leadership experience in Beverage Alcohol and CPG industries. She is multilingual with a proven ability to inspire and engage high performing cross-functional teams. She spent three years as Country Manager of Constellation brands and prior to that, 16 years as sales director Eastern Canada for Jackson Family wines. Two years prior she was with CVBG Dourthe -Kressman as their Export Director for Canada. She has additional experience in senior sales and marketing roles with Kellogg’s, T.J. Lipton and Pillsbury and Lever Bros. Maria has extensive wine training, to Kalon Master Certification in 2018, along with Court of Master Sommeliers Accreditation in 2005.

Len Little
Sales and Hospitality Guru

Len Little brings a wealth of hospitality experience to our Board. With a history of leadership in industry associations and a career spanning over three decades. Len’s been a part of top-notch organizations like The Ontario Restaurant Hotel & Motel Association and the Toronto Restaurant Association. Len’s deep passion for hospitality spanned over decades of operating five Cajun Seafood Restaurants. He currently leads in Commercial Real Estate with a focus on the Hospitality Industry. His insights and dedication are invaluable to our organization.

Roberta Sawchyn
Hospitality and Guest Satisfaction Champion

Roberta Sawchyn, a Certified Hotel Administrator with an impressive 25 years of hospitality experience, is at the forefront of the industry, renowned for her commitment to superior customer care and guest satisfaction. Roberta’s career includes roles such as Guest Services Manager at Hospitality Embark Port Services, General Manager at the Best Western Plus Nor’Wester Hotel & Conference Centre for nearly two decades, taught Hospitality at Confederation College, and Executive Housekeeper & Rooms Division Manager at Airlane Hotel & Conference Centre. Her accolades include multiple awards, such as the Best Western Chairman’s Award for Quality Assurance and the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence. Roberta’s remarkable achievements extend beyond the hospitality sector, with active involvement in community organizations like the Ontario Northland Board and the Thunder Bay Hotel Association.

• arrive alive DRIVE SOBER
• Association of Municipalities Ontario (AMO)
• Festival & Events Ontario
• Greater Toronto Hotel Association
• Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP)
• Ontario Restaurant Hotel & Motel Association (ORHMA)
• Resorts of Ontario
• Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA)
• Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO)