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Senior management

Chief Operating Officer

Photo of Andre Lapointe, Office of the Chief Operating Officer, Transportation Safety Board of Canada

André Lapointe

Appointed Chief Operating Officer on 26 August 2019

André Lapointe is a seasoned executive, with 28 years of work experience, including 19 at the executive level. He joined the public service in 1990 with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service serving initially as a political analyst and later, as the Managing Editor for the Analysis Branch.

Mr. Lapointe joined Transport Canada (TC) in 1996 in the Intelligence Division, and in 2000 became Executive Assistant to the Deputy Minister. From 2003–2006, he served as the Executive Director, Strategic Policy and R&D, which included responsibility for the Transportation Development Centre. From 2007–2014, he served as Regional Director General for the Quebec Region; and between 2014 and his joining the TSB in 2019, he served as TC’s Assistant Deputy Minister of Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer.

Mr. Lapointe holds a BA with distinction in Political Science from McGill University and an MA in Social Sciences from the University of Ottawa.

Director, Investigations—Air

Photo of Natacha Van Themsche, Director, Investigations – Air

Natacha Van Themsche

Natacha Van Themsche joined the TSB in February 2017, as Director of Air Investigations.

Prior to joining the TSB, she held positions as Director and Commanding Officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, where she served for more than 24 years. As an aerospace engineering officer, she held several key positions directing airworthiness and engineering activities, as well as maintenance operations within the Royal Canadian Air Force. These experiences led her to work on several fleets of aircraft, such as the CT-133 (Silver Star), the CC-144 (Challenger), the CT-114 (Tutor/Snowbirds), and more particularly the CF-18 (Hornet).

Ms. Van Themsche began her career with the Canadian Armed Forces in 1992. She completed her Bachelor of Science, Honours Space Science, at the Royal Military College in Kingston in 1997, and her training in aerospace engineering in 1999. In 2012, Ms. Van Themsche was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition for her contribution to the Canadian Armed Forces and the community.

Director, Investigations—Marine

Photo of Clifford Harvey, Director, Investigations – Marine

Clifford Harvey

Clifford Harvey joined the TSB in November 2019, as Director of Marine Investigations.

Mr. Harvey is a marine engineer with over 25 years of experience as a public servant in the marine industry. In addition to sailing as Chief Engineering Officer on Canadian Coast Guard vessels, Mr. Harvey obtained knowledge of the broader aspects of commercial shipping and regulatory compliance through his years with Transport Canada as both a Marine Safety Inspector in a regional office and national program manager at Headquarters. An experienced executive within the public service, Mr. Harvey joined the TSB from the Canadian Coast Guard where he had returned and was responsible for the life cycle management and in-service support program for the Canadian Coast Guard fleet.

Mr. Harvey is a graduate of the Canadian Coast Guard College, the holder of a STCW First-Class Engineer (Motor Ship), and has a Bachelor of Technology (Nautical Sciences) from the University College of Cape Breton.

Director, Investigations—Rail/Pipeline

Photo of Vincenzo De Angelis, Director, Rail and Pipeline Investigations

Vincenzo De Angelis

Vincenzo De Angelis joined the TSB in February 2022, as Director of Rail and Pipeline Investigations.

Mr. De Angelis began his career in 2001 as a mechanical engineer and project manager at the Naval Engineering Test Establishment (NETE) in Montreal. He joined the public service in 2008 as a project engineer with the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), Vessel Procurement Directorate in Ottawa. He later joined the CCG Integrated Technical Services Directorate where he held positions as a senior engineer, manager and deputy director providing technical support to the in-service fleet.   During his career he has led or overseen various technical investigations, and was responsible for the delivery of engineering and technical services provided by multi-disciplinary teams. He also established strong relationships with partners and stakeholders within industry and government.

Mr. De Angelis holds a Bachelor of Engineering and a Master’s of Aerospace Engineering from Concordia University in Montreal.

Director, Operational Services

Jenny Chuang

Jenny Chuang joined the TSB in September 2022 as Director of Operational Service Branch. Jenny started her public service career in 2007 after first working as an engineer in the private sector. During her public service career, she has consistently provided technical, scientific and engineering advice and support to operations through her time at the Department of National Defense, the Canada Border Services Agency, and Correctional Service Canada. Today, at the TSB, Jenny heads the Engineering Laboratory at 1901 Research Private, along with the Human Factors and Macro Analysis and the Learning, Performance and Standards sections.

Jenny holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, along with a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Manitoba, and is a graduate of the Joint Command and Staff Programme at the Canadian Forces College.

Director General, Corporate Services

Photo of Luc Casault, Director General, Corporate Services

Luc Casault

Luc Casault joined the TSB in April 2017 as the Director General, Corporate Services. As part of his duties, he has the following titles on behalf of the TSB: Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer and Head of Human Resources.

Mr. Casault has 20 years of experience in federal government entities. Throughout his career, he was involved in numerous modernization initiatives. Prior to joining the TSB, he was a Senior Director with Public Services and Procurement Canada responsible for Procurement Business Modernization. He has also worked at Statistics Canada, the Chief Information Branch of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, in finance and procurement at Natural Resources Canada, as well as in finance at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Mr. Casault is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a Certified General Accountant, and holds a Bachelor of Commerce and an MBA from the University of Ottawa. In 2010, he received a GTEC award in recognition of his successful implementation of the National ePayment Project at NRCan.

Director, Financial Management

Photo of Jennifer Chau

Jennifer Chau

Jennifer Chau was appointed Director, Financial Management effective April 2021.

In this role, she supports the CFO in overseeing key corporate and strategic financial decisions and ensuring strong stewardship of the TSB’s finances. As part of her duties, she also holds the title of Deputy Chief Financial Officer.

Ms. Chau has over 15 years of experience working in federal government financial management including roles in central agencies as well as in large and small departments. Over the course of her career, she has developed a broad expertise working in various financial streams including corporate planning and reporting, financial resource management, accounting operations, financial systems and financial policy. At the TSB, she has led several initiatives including the implementation of the Policy on Results and the implementation of a new departmental financial and material management system. Prior to joining the TSB, Ms. Chau worked for the Receiver General’s Accounting and Treasury sector.

Ms. Chau is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a Certified Management Accountant, and holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Ottawa.

Director, Human Resources

Photo of Dan White, Director, Human Resources

Dan White

Appointed Director, Human Resources, April 2021

Dan White joined the TSB in June 2009 as a Senior HR Advisor and became a member of the senior management team, and Head of Human Resources, in April 2021.

Mr. White has over 20 years of experience in corporate services functions from both a regional and headquarters perspective. Throughout his career, he has performed a wide range of operational and corporate roles in the field of human resources including classification, staffing, labour relations, and corporate reporting. He was involved in numerous human resources modernization initiatives including various HR systems migrations, implementation of the New Direction in Staffing, and Classification reform. In his tenure at the TSB, Mr. White has been formally recognized for his efforts and leadership with a Service to the Client Award (2011) and Living Our Values Award (2020).

Mr. White attended Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Certificate in Human Resource Management.

Director, Communications

Photo of Nyree Costello

Nyree Costello

Nyree Costello joined the TSB as Director of Communications in February 2020. She came to the agency after two years as manager of Creative Services at Natural Resources Canada, where she oversaw the development and delivery of corporate branding and visual communication products to support departmental and ministerial priorities; the management of corporate publications and reports; and the organization and management of trade shows.

Nyree began her career as a journalist and photographer before shifting to communications in the television broadcasting and telecommunications sectors. Through her private consulting company, she has helped entrepreneurs, charities, and small and medium-sized enterprises launch their digital branding, marketing communications, and social media strategies.

Nyree holds an executive MBA from McGill University, a bachelor’s degree in communications from Athabasca University, a diploma in photojournalism from Loyalist College, and a certificate in website design from the University of Calgary.

General Counsel

Photo of Patrizia Huot, General Counsel

Patrizia Huot

Patrizia Huot joined the TSB in April 2015 as General Counsel. She holds a Common Law Degree (LL.B.) and a Masters in Classical Studies (Archaeology, Roman Numismatics) from Ottawa University, and has been a member of the Ontario Bar since 1999.

Ms Huot clerked for the Honourable Rouleau J. at the Federal Court of Canada. She worked as in house counsel at the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. In 2001, Ms Huot occupied the position of Executive Assistant and Legal Counsel to Mary Dawson Q.C., Associate Deputy Minister at the Department of Justice, where she worked on numerous high profile legal cases. From 2005 to 2014, she was Corporate counsel in the areas of transportation law, access and privacy law, and employment law at Legal Services at Transport Canada. In 2014, Ms Huot also worked at the Canadian Human Right Commission as Legal Advisor.