Art Exner
Chair
Art Exner is Chair of the SRNET Board of Directors. Art is also a Board member of the Canadian University Council of CIO’s (CUCCIO), CIO liaison to the CUCCIO Information Security Special Interest Group, and contributor to the CUCCIO Leadership Development Program. As Associate Vice‐President (Information Services) at the University of Regina, Art is responsible for charting the strategic information technology plans for the University to achieve improved business outcomes in an increasingly client‐centric service model. Art brings a wealth of experience to the SRNET Board through his long‐time presence in the Canadian University IT and networking communities.
Shari Baraniuk
Shari Baraniuk has been with the University of Saskatchewan for more than fifteen years. Prior to embarking on the role of Chief Information Officer within Information and Communications Technology (ICT) at the U of S, Shari was the Director, Systems Support and Development with Financial Services and prior to that, the Associate Director, Information Technology with Facilities Management. Shari has more than 30 years of experience in the information technology sector. Prior to joining the University of Saskatchewan, Shari worked for the City of Saskatoon, LGS Group Inc., Canadian Pacific Rail System, SHL Systemhouse and Andersen Consulting. Her roles have ranged from systems design and development to business analysis and from team leader to project manager. Shari holds a BComm (Hon) in Operations Research Management from the University of Manitoba and an MBA in IT Management from Athabasca University.
Darryl Bazylak
Darryl Bazylak is the Director of Education for Prairie Spirit School Division in Warman, Saskatchewan. The division serves the needs of 11,800 students in 48 schools spanning 28 communities. In the past, Darryl served as Superintendent of Education with experience across several portfolios including First Nations and Métis Education, Learning, Human Resources, and Technology, which introduced him to SRNET. Darryl is passionate about closing the gap and improving outcomes for First Nations, Métis and Inuit students. He has served on several provincial and national Boards and is currently the Chair of the Emmanuel Health Board. Emmanuel Health provides acute and long-term care throughout 12 facilities located within Saskatchewan.
Barb Carra
Dr. Barb Carra is the President and CEO of Cybera, Alberta’s Research and Education Network. She is a respected leader and collaborative partner within Canada’s research, education and innovation landscape. With a PhD in applied research, spatial statistics and data modeling, Barb has over a decade of experience in data analytics and policy, which allows her to act as a bridge between research and technical domains. Barb spearheaded the development of Cybera’s policy, strategic and operational initiatives, including the ShareIT procurement program and Cybera’s new cybersecurity portfolio. Barb was selected to join the Government of Alberta’s Talent Advisory Council on Technology, which provided advice and input on strategies, investments, and outcomes to grow Alberta’s tech talent. She currently sits on multiple boards and committees in the ICT landscape.
Jason Hlady
Jason is the associate director of Research and Library Technology within Information and Communications Technology (ICT) at the University of Saskatchewan. He has over 20 years of experience in information technology, and has spent his career enabling research success at USask. Jason is actively involved with regional and national advanced research computing service delivery with WestGrid and Compute Canada. Over the last several years, Jason has taken a leading role in advancing tools for research data management in Canada, and works closely with CARL/Portage and the New Digital Research Infrastructure Organization (NDRIO).
Gerry Miller
Gerry Miller is the Chief Executive Officer of MRnet, Manitoba’s Research and Education Network. Prior to MRnet, Gerry was the Executive Director of
Information Services and Technology at the University of Manitoba, responsible for management of all computing, networking, telecommunications and media services in support of teaching, research and administration. Gerry has also been involved in many national and provincial networking activities including CA*net, MBnet, MRnet, and Canada’s National Research and Education Network.
Omair Quraishi
Omair Quraishi is the Associate Vice President – Information Technology Services (ITS) at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. In this role Omair is responsible for ensuring that ITS is a strategic and innovation partner for the organization, ensuring current and future needs are met.
Prior to this role Omair was the Executive Director for the Portfolio Management Office at the Government of Saskatchewan responsible for the IT Governance of a portfolio worth over $250M. He also has extensive experience in Higher Education as Chief Information Officer at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine and prior to that, in various positions at the University of Calgary. Omair holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Calgary and MBA from Queen’s School of Business at Queen’s University.
Cheryl Schmitz
Cheryl Schmitz is an established and collaborative executive leader with extensive financial and administrative experience. Her practical and thoughtful approach to planning, problem‐solving, operations and team‐building are among many reasons she is respected and valued as a senior administrator, project leader and strategic advisor to organizational leaders, policy makers and boards of directors. Executive‐level professional development, in a range of relevant disciplines, complements her CPA/CMA designation and business degree (with distinction) from the University of Saskatchewan.
Cheryl joined SIAST in 1995 as the manager of payroll systems and services. In 1996, she was appointed as SIAST’s director of financial planning and in 2005, Cheryl assumed the role of acting chief financial officer. She was appointed permanently to this position in 2006 along with a title change to AVP, Financial Services. Cheryl made significant contributions towards transforming and positioning SIAST to become a first‐choice polytechnic in Canada and she currently holds the position as CFO & VP, Administrative Services.
Christopher Yost
Dr. Christopher Yost is the Associate Vice-President Research at the University of Regina, as well as co-Director for the Institute for Microbial Systems and Society. Prior to joining the University, Dr. Yost was a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and worked internationally as a research associate at the University of Aarhus in Denmark. He received his PhD in Microbial Genetics from the University of Calgary in 1998, and formerly held a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Microbial Ecology and Food safety from 2007 to 2017 and was chair of both the Council Committee on Academic Mission and the Council Committee on Research. Dr. Yost also has national experience in research policy work, and was a member of NSERC’s Committee on Discovery Research while service as a Group Chair for NSERC’s Discovery Grant program.
