Board of Directors

Valerie Smith has worked as a Director of Programs at Parachute Canada since 2014. Valerie oversees Parachutes programs, campaigns and multiple networks focused on road safety. Valerie is a strong Vision Zero advocate and presents on Vision Zero in Canada on a regular basis. Prior to working at Parachute, Valerie held a number of management positions focused on international development, youth and health promotion. Valerie has a MA in international and comparative education from University of Toronto.

Originally from Houston, Texas, Matthew Mulkern received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering along with a Canadian Studies Minor at the University of Maine in Orono, Maine. Additionally, Matthew received an Honours Bachelor of Arts in French as a Second Language at Bishop’s University in Lennoxville, Québec where he was a Killam Scholar with the Killam Fellowships Program. Finally, he completed his Masters of Science degree in Civil Engineering specializing in transportation at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

Matthew is a Professional Engineer with Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta, an Ingénieur with the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, and a Road Safety Professional1 with the Transportation Professional Certification Board. Furthermore, Matthew is the past chair of the CARSP Young Professionals Committee and former president of the Canadian Road Safety Youth Committee.  

Raheem Dilgir is a Level 2 Road Safety Professional, with 27 years of experience in Canada and internationally. Over the past 10 years, Raheem has operated TranSafe Consulting Ltd., through which he assists road agencies across Canada in the development, delivery and evaluation of road safety plans and projects. Raheem is currently the co-Chair of the TAC Vision Zero and Safe System Subcommittee, and Past President of the Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals. Raheem regularly offers workshops on modern approaches to road safety, presents to municipal councils and international conferences, and is called upon as an expert witness.

Doug has spent his entire professional career doing research in the area of alcohol and drug-impaired driving. His educational background includes an M.A.Sc. in Addiction Studies and a Ph.D. in Psychology specializing in behavioural pharmacology. He currently serves as a senior research associate with the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction and works as an independent researcher.

Dr. Beirness has published many papers and given numerous presentations on his work at national and international conferences and workshops. In addition, he has presented to both Parliamentary and Senate Committees on alcohol and drug-impaired driving issues.

He has served on numerous working groups and committees, including a term as the Chair of the Transportation Research Board Standing Committee on Alcohol, Drugs and Transportation and is currently a member of the Canadian Society of Forensic Science Drugs and Driving Committee.

He has been recognized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police Drug Recognition Expert Section as a DRE Ambassador, and is the recipient of the Haddon Award from the International Council on Alcohol Drugs and Traffic Safety. He was recently presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals.

Brian is currently a research consultant in Ottawa. He has completed projects for Transport Canada, Health Canada, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators and the Center for Disease Control, among others.

Brian retired from the Road Safety Directorate of Transport Canada in November 2008 where he had been the Director, Road Safety Programs responsible for collision data collection and analysis, including collision investigations, road user and road infrastructure research, the development of road safety related strategy and programs, and communications with the public.

He has worked over the past 42 years on road safety research, vehicle safety regulation, and policy and program evaluation, with particular emphasis on impaired driving, seat belt use, distracted driving, risky driving, and young drivers.

He is a founding member and past president of the Board of CARSP. He has been a member of several Transportation Research Board Committees including those on impaired driving and occupant protection.

Manan Gupta is the founder of Road Today Media Group proudly serving the transportation industry since 2004 through qualitative publications, events, and services. A passionate advocate for road safety, he is a recognized voice for the changing face of the industry especially catering to the growing needs of New Canadians from South Asia.

Manan hosts informative series on numerous radio and television channels in Hindi and Punjabi languages covering issues impacting the industry and community. He has appeared as a media commentator on Rogers TV, Omni TV, Global News, CBC TV/Radio, Al-Jazeera, Prime Asia TV, Channel Y, Sikh TV, 101.3 FM radio, 1350 AM radio, 530 AM radio, amongst others.

Manan is a committed volunteer and regularly offers his time for campaigns like Ontario Ministry of Transportation Road Safety Challenge, Operation Red Nose, etc., and serves on the board of many organizations including Ontario Safety League, Road Connections Safety Group, and South Asian Trucking Association of Canada. His volunteering efforts and contribution towards safer communities have been recognized through prestigious industry and government awards including the Ontario Ministry of Transportation Road Safety Media Excellence Award, Ontario Volunteer Service Award, arrive alive Drive Sober Media Tribute Award, Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, Peel Police Media Excellence, CN Rail Safety Award, amongst others.

Robert Colonna is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. He serves as a Board Member of the Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals and Chair of its Young Professionals’ Committee. His research focuses on enhancing public health through road safety interventions, particularly in the context of cannabis use and impaired driving. Dr. Colonna’s current research investigates the determinants of cannabis-impaired driving among youth, examines how social media portrays and reacts to cannabis-impaired driving content, and explores how gender may influence the experience and outcomes of remedial education programs for impaired driving offenders. He is committed to developing evidence-based strategies that inform policy and improve road safety.

Amit has a doctoral degree in urban planning with over 15 years of experience with research, academics, and consulting in Canada, India, and the United States. She delivers courses in science and engineering programs in colleges/universities across the Greater Toronto Region. In addition to teaching, Amit volunteers with the city of Markham as part of the advisory Committee on Cycling and Pedestrian issues. Amit is an accredited Road Safety Professional and is passionate about pursuing work in creating safe environments for all ages and abilities. Amit pursues independent research and projects addressing safety on roads and encouraging the use of alternate modes of transportation through outreach and advocacy.

Vikas is a distinguished Professional Engineer with a profound and multifaceted expertise in Transportation Engineering, cultivated through significant experience in the academic, public, and private sectors. As a certified Level 2 Road Safety Professional in the Infrastructure Domain and a licensed Professional Traffic Operations Engineer, Vikas brings a rigorous technical acumen and strategic oversight to his roles. He holds dual master’s degrees in Structural and Transportation Engineering, underscoring his deep commitment to both the theoretical and practical aspects of engineering.

In his current position as the Manager of the Traffic Engineering Branch with the City of Regina, Vikas leads a high-performing team responsible for the comprehensive management of citywide traffic operations. His leadership is characterized by a steadfast focus on optimizing road network mobility and advancing road safety initiatives that benefit all modes of transportation. Vikas is recognized for his ability to drive cross-functional collaboration, align diverse stakeholders, and implement innovative solutions that enhance urban mobility and public safety.

Pascal Verville graduated from the University of Ottawa in 1997 with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering.

Pascal has spent his entire professional career at Transport Canada since joining the Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) Directorate in 1997. For most of this career at TC, Pascal was responsible for leading the regulatory program for gas cylinders in Canada during which time he acquired significant experience in the evaluation of regulations and the development of safety standards to promote public safety in the transportation of dangerous goods. Among his duties, he performed several on-site inspections of gas cylinder manufacturing facilities and participated in the development of safety standards for the design and testing of gas cylinders by working on national and international standardization committees and working groups.

During his time at TC, Pascal also worked as an emergency response advisor at TC’s Canadian Transport Emergency Centre (CANUTEC) and as a senior engineer within the Aviation Security Directorate where he managed engineering research studies and projects related to new security technology equipment for explosives detection.

Pascal is currently the acting Chief of the Collision Investigations & Research Division within the Motor Vehicle Safety Directorate at TC where he manages a network of multi-disciplinary research teams located across Canada who are mainly responsible for conducting investigations of real-world motor vehicle collisions. Pascal’s current areas of interest include vehicle crashworthiness, crash avoidance technologies, occupant injury/prevention, vulnerable road users and the development of best practices for heavy vehicle event data recorders (HVEDR).

Dr. Liraz Fridman is the Road Safety Supervisor for the City of Guelph. After graduating from her PhD program at York University she completed two postdoctoral fellowships jointly at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute in Calgary in the areas of injury prevention and speed management. Her passion for equity, injury prevention, and road safety led her to a role in municipal government where she developed the first Community Road Safety Strategy which is now being adopted using a Vision Zero framework in Guelph. 

Umayangga is a public health professional and Manager of Knowledge Translation and Programs at Parachute, Canada’s national injury prevention organization. Umayangga manages injury prevention programming and initiatives in youth road safety. Umayangga is also the project lead of the For Young Drivers, Young Drivers initiative at Parachute which aims to effectively address the issue of road fatalities among young drivers by partnering with young Canadians aged 15 to 24 to build a framework and tools that will guide the engagement of young drivers and their passengers in Parachute’s and partners’ road safety initiatives. Umayangga also oversees the Canadian Youth Road Safety Council, a diverse, national youth advisory committee of twenty youth aged 15 to 24 years old.

Umayangga has worked in the non-profit and public health sector for over a decade. She brings several years of experience in community engagement, qualitative research, knowledge mobilization and youth health. Umayangga is passionate about equity in injury prevention, meaningful youth and community engagement, and using creative and innovative strategies to improve road safety for Canadians. Umayangga sits on the HealthyDesign.City advisory committee, advising on the development of digital tools that provide information about the health effects of Canadian communities’ built environment. Umayangga holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Toronto and an Honours Bachelor’s degree in Mental Health Studies from the University of Toronto.

Aparna is a Transportation Engineer with a Level 1 Road Safety Professional designation. She has over 13 years of experience in traffic engineering and transportation planning, with a significant focus on road safety, traffic operations, and the accommodation of active transportation modes.

Aparna’s current role involves the planning and functional design of capital roadway infrastructure projects that are centered on the safe accommodation of active travel modes, vulnerable road users, and people of all ages and abilities. Her work in road safety has fueled her passion for designing safer and more sustainable infrastructure. This includes her work throughout Canada’s National Parks, where Aparna has conducted rural and urban road safety reviews of over 1,000 km of major roadways.

Aparna has carried out extensive evaluations of historical collision records and has spear-headed processes to identify collision-prone locations and develop corresponding site-specific mitigation measures. Her experience also includes the research and application of safety performance functions and collision modification factors, as well as the design of safety improvement methodologies. Her work has encompassed both rural and urban projects throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the Northwest Territories.

Joanna is a Professional Engineer and a Leader of Mobility Safety Operations at the City of Calgary with 17 years of experience in transportation safety in the public sector and consulting.  She is leading a multidisciplinary team in the delivery of Calgary’s mobility safety programs focused on the implementation of evidence-based engineering measures, and promoting education and encouragement initiatives, by collaborating with schools, communities, and a wide range of partners.  To her, the most rewarding endeavors are high in complexity and innovation and provide opportunities to learn about how mobility network users interact with the urban environment.  Joanna is passionate about creating positive change towards a mobility network that is harm free, equitable, and easier to use for people with disabilities. 

Peter brings over 4 years of experience in the road safety industry as well as over 10 years of marketing, communications, and leadership experience to the CARSP Board. Peter specializes in content strategy, social media marketing, event management, campaign automation, and omnichannel integration. He works as the Marketing Manager at ATS Traffic, Canada’s leading traffic safety provider.

Peter first began volunteering at CARSP as part of the Young Professionals Committee (YPC) back in May 2021 as the Social Media & Communications Director. He has since resigned from this position but still serves as the Managing Editor for CARSP’s Safety Network Newsletter.

Connect with Peter! 

Pierre Thiffault is a research psychologist specialized in road safety, with over 40 years of experience. He holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Montreal. His Ph.D. aimed at assessing the impact of road monotony on driver’s fatigue and vigilance. He also conducted post-doctoral fellowships at the University of Montreal and McGill University. Pierre has authored more than 50 scientific publications on driver behavior, driver fatigue, and road safety. For the past 25 years, he has been working at Transport Canada as a Senior Research Analyst for the Motor Carrier Safety Division. Pierre served as the Chair of a CCMTA national task force on Human Factors and Motor Carrier Safety in Canada. This government-industry group was tasked with investigating crash-contributing factors for crashes involving commercial vehicle drivers and identifying scientifically sound interventions to address those issues. The task force delivered 45 recommendations to mitigate fatigue, distraction, and high-risk driving. Pierre’s current interest also include issues related to the Health and Wellness of commercial vehicle drivers.

Dr. Biondi is an Associate Professor and Research Chair in Human Factors at the University of Windsor, and serves as an expert witness in cases involving driver distraction and driver use of automated driving systems. His research team in the Human Systems Lab (www.hslab.org) investigates driver distraction, driver use of autonomous vehicles, and road safety. He collaborators include the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, and Windsor Police Service.

Navoda Rillagodage is a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Manitoba. Navoda received her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Manitoba, and her master’s degree in environmental systems engineering from the University of Regina, Canada. She received her bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka. Navoda has worked as a research assistant at the Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals (CARSP) for three years. Navoda brings extensive knowledge in different road safety topics including speed management, traffic safety enforcement, road safety education and collision mitigation. More specifically, she aims to apply a holistic approach to improve road safety using machine learning algorithms used in transportation engineering. She currently serves as the vice president of Functional Transit Winnipeg.

I started my policing career with Peel Regional Police in April of 1997 before transferring to York Regional Police (YRP) in 1999, where I continue to serve. I have been engaged in many areas of policing throughout my career, including uniform front line duties, Forensics, as a Scenes of Crime Officer, Regional Coordinator for York Region Crime Stoppers Program, Dive Supervisor of YRP Underwater Recovery Unit, and as Youth Coordinator in YRP Community Services Bureau.  I was seconded to OPP for a three-year term in ViCLAS (Violent Crime Linkage Analysis System) as a serial crime behavioural analyst, and then spent two years in YRP Peer Support Mental Health Unit. I have been a member of York Region Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team for more then 20 years and was Team Lead for 5 years. I transferred into the Road Safety Bureau in 2019 as an Enforcement Officer and Breath Tech.

In 2021, I became the Road Safety Bureau’s Programs and Partnerships Coordinator, and in my role I sought out new partnerships with leading organizations in Road Safety; this led me to join CARSP that same year.  In my current policing position I am a committee member to numerous Road Safety Committees that include partners such as The Region of York and its nine municipalities, CAA, MTO, York Region School Boards, Metrolinx, Public Health, Arrive Alive, MADD York Region, Parachute Canada, etc. My position engages me with all levels of government, other Ontario policing services, and other road safety focused agencies in data collection and sharing, education, enforcement, and engineering through collaborative building and implementing of Road Safety programs, initiatives, and social media campaigns.

During my career I have been thankful to be the recipient of the York Region Character Award, the Bud Knight Youth Officer of the Year Provincial Award, and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) Youth Initiative Award.

Outside of policing, I have been engaged in the community my whole life. One of my most memorable is my role as a former Big Brother (20 years) and board member (3 years) for Big Brothers Big Sisters of York Region. Currently, I am in my second term as an elected Municipal Councillor in my home Town of Uxbridge, ON. In this leadership role, I have chaired or been a Council Representative on numerous committees and boards including, Road Safety Sub-Committee, Parks and Recreation Committee, Dog Park Committee, and I am currently on the Business Improvement Area (BIA) Board, Heritage Uxbridge Committee, and Chair of Council’s Planning and Development Committee.

Newly elected to CARSP in 2023, I am looking forward to serving to the best of my ability in this capacity with a focus of improving Road Safety for all users.