Our Directors
The following individuals are the Directors of the Sir Winston Churchill Society of Ottawa. Their principal goal is to ensure that the SWCSO members have a broad, stimulating and enjoyable series of programs available throughout the year. Please feel free to contact us if we can be of any help.
Ronald I. Cohen, C.M., MBE, President and one of the three co-founders of the Sir Winston Churchill Society of Ottawa, attended Sir Winston Churchill’s funeral in January 1965, not by invitation but by standing with the crowds in Parliament Square as the funeral procession wended its way up Whitehall and thence to St. Paul’s Cathedral. That interest grew into a collection of Churchill’s writings and ultimately led to Cohen’s authorship 40 years later of the definitive Bibliography of the Writings of Sir Winston Churchill (3 vols., London and New York: Continuum, 2006), for which the International Churchill Society honoured him with the Farrow Award for Excellence in Churchill Studies “for his magisterial three-volume Bibliography.” In addition, Mr. Cohen has published many articles, notes and columns over nearly 20 years in Finest Hour, the quarterly publication of the International Churchill Society, and he speaks regularly on aspects of Churchill’s life to organizations and societies in Canada and the United States. In 2016, he edited The Heroic Memory: The Memorial Addresses to the Rt. Hon. Sir Winston Spencer Churchill Society, Edmonton, Alberta, 1990–2014. He was awarded the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal (1992) and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012). In 2014, he was recognized on Queen Elizabeth II’s Birthday Honours list as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) “for services to British history.” In April 2018, he was named an LAC Scholar by Library and Archives Canada. In November 2020, he was named to the Order of Canada “for his dedication to promoting and preserving literary and cultural heritage in Canada and abroad.” He sits on the Board of the LAC Foundation and is Past President of the Friends of Library and Archives Canada. A native of Montreal, Mr. Cohen holds an A.B. (cum laude) (Harvard) and a B.C.L. (First Class Honours) (McGill).
Charlotte Gray, C.M., FRSC, Vice-President of the Sir Winston Churchill Society of Ottawa, is one of Canada’s best-known writers, and author of eleven acclaimed books of literary non-fiction. Her most recent book, Murdered Midas, the Millionaire, His Gold Mine and a Strange Death on a Paradise Island, was published in September 2019, and immediately entered best-seller lists in most Canadian newspapers, including the Globe & Mail’s general non-fiction list. It was Number One on the Macleans non-fiction list for three weeks, and an Editors' choice in the Globe. Her previous book, Gold Diggers, Striking It Rich in the Klondike, was the basis of the US Discovery Channel mini-series “Klondike”. Her previous seven books, which include Reluctant Genius: The Passionate Life and Inventive Mind of Alexander Graham Bell, and Sisters in the Wilderness, The Lives of Susanna Moodie and Catharine Parr Traill, were all award-winning bestsellers. Born in Sheffield, and educated at Oxford University and the London School of Economics, Charlotte came to Canada in 1979. She worked as a political commentator, book reviewer and magazine columnist before turning to biography and popular history. Charlotte is past chair of Canada’s National History Society, which publishes the magazine Canada’s History (formerly The Beaver). Charlotte is a member of the Order of Canada, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and holds honorary degrees from five Canadian universities.
Stephen Adler, Treasurer of the Sir Winston Churchill Society of Ottawa, is a Certified Bookkeeper; he served as Assistant Accountant, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Foundation, from 1990 to 2020. Prior to that, he was Eastern District Sales Administration Manager, Digital Equipment, Kanata, from 1977-1990. Born in London, England just after the War, he lived there during Churchill’s second term as Prime Minister, emigrating with his family to Montreal in October 1957. He also spent three years living on Kibbutz K’far Hanassi, Israel, after which he returned to Montreal and earned a Diploma in Agriculture at McGill University. Stephen has also served as Vice-Chairman, Ottawa-Carleton Regional Housing Authority, a Returning Officer for Elections Ontario for the riding of Ottawa-Vanier from 1998-2011, Chief Financial Officer for Elections Canada for that riding since 2005, and as Treasurer for the Gloucester Arts Council (1980-1985), Community Arts Ontario (1985-2004) and Carleton Condominium Corporation #271 (2003-2013, 2019-2021). As a child, Stephen’s two heroes were Admiral Horatio Nelson and Sir Winston Churchill. He inherited his interest in the Prime Minister from his parents who, although not Tories, strongly supported Churchill from the mid-1930s, when he was in his “Wilderness Years”. Having survived the Blitz in London, they admired his staunch resolve to see the end of Hitler, Mosley and their ilk. As Stephen, a member of the SWCSO from its early days, says, “I have continued to explore his many attributes that made him such a dynamic leader, orator and statesman.”
Ian Smillie, C.M., Secretary of the Sir Winston Churchill Society of Ottawa, has lived and worked in Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Bangladesh. He was a founder of the Canadian NGO, Inter Pares, and served as Executive Director of CUSO. He has worked at Tufts and Tulane Universities and as a development consultant with many Canadian, American and European organizations. He is the author of several books, including The Charity of Nations and Freedom from Want. His most recent book, Diamonds, was published in 2014. Ian Smillie helped to design the Kimberley Process certification system for rough diamonds and was the first witness at the war crimes trial of Liberian warlord Charles Taylor. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 2003. His connection with Sir Winston Churchill dates back to, and was inspired by, a March 1964 note from Churchill’s private secretary in response to a fan letter Ian wrote, and a failed attempt that summer to gain entrance to the Strangers’ Gallery for Churchill’s last appearance in the House of Commons.
Andrew Z. Cohen is a journalist, author and professor. A native of Montreal, he attended The Choate School, Carleton University, McGill University, and the University of Cambridge. Among his bestselling books are A Deal Undone: The Making and Breaking of the Meech Lake Accord; Trudeau’s Shadow: The Life and Legacy of Pierre Elliott Trudeau (with J.L. Granatstein); and The Unfinished Canadian: The People We Are. While Canada Slept: How We Lost Our Place in the World, was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award; in 2011 the Writer’s Trust of Canada named it one of the top 12 Canadian political books of the last 25 years. His most recent books are Lost beneath the Ice: The Story of HMS Investigator (2013) and Extraordinary Canadians: Lester B. Pearson (2008). Two Days in June, his chronicle of the high noon of John F. Kennedy's presidency, will appear in 2014. A former foreign correspondent and editorialist with The Globe and Mail, he has worked for United Press International, Saturday Night Magazine, and the Financial Post in London, Toronto, Ottawa, Washington, and Berlin. He writes a nationally-syndicated column for the Ottawa Citizen and appears regularly as a commentator on television and radio. In a career of 35 years, He has won three National Magazine Awards, two National Newspaper Awards and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal. The founding president of the Historica-Dominion Institute, he serves on the boards of the Trudeau Centre and the Writers' Trust. Since 2001 he has been a professor of journalism and international affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa.
The Honourable David Collenette, PC, FCILT was born in London, England in 1946 and emigrated to Canada with his family in 1957. He grew up and was educated in Toronto. A Member of the House of Commons for 21 years, Mr. Collenette served in the Cabinets of Prime Ministers Pierre Trudeau, John Turner and Jean Chrétien for 11 years, variously as Minister of State (Multiculturalism), Minister of National Defence, Minister of Veterans’ Affairs, Minister of Transport and Minister of Crown Corporations. While at Transport, he oversaw Canada’s response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which resulted in the closing of Canada’s skies and the emergency landing of 226 wide-bodied jets at Canadian airports. In the subsequent months he worked tirelessly with colleagues and his American counterpart Norman Minetta to redesign transportation security in North America. He is currently Chair of the NATO Association of Canada; past Chair and current director of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, North America; and director of Harbourfront Corporation, Toronto. He has also worked in a volunteer capacity for the Washington-based National Democratic Institute and is a past member of the Toronto East General (now Michael Garron) Hospital Foundation campaign executive Team. He served as Chancellor of the Royal Military College of Canada (1993-1996); a member of the International Advisory Committee, Stanford University, California (1999-2005); a Distinguished Fellow, Glendon College, York University (2004-2010); and a Distinguished Fellow, Ryerson University (2012-2013). He is currently Fellow at the Bill Graham Centre, Trinity College, University of Toronto, and Senior Counsel, Hill+ Knowlton Strategies. Mr. Collenette holds a B.A. (Honours), M.A. and LL. D. from York University. He is a Fellow of the CILT.
Bob Plamondon FCPA FCA, ICD.D is a consultant, independent board member, economist and author. He has expertise in public policy and Canadian history. The author of five bestselling books about Canada, Bob is the founder and leader of The Prime Ministers Series – a partnership of the University of Ottawa and the Canada School of Public Service. He also serves as an advisor to the Equality Fund, which is driving cultural, economic and political change to advance gender equality around the globe. Bob currently serves on the board of OPTrust, is Chair of the Community Services Sectoral Audit Committee of the Ontario government and sits on the board of the Portrait Gallery of Canada. Plamondon’s recent board work includes the National Capital Commission. Bob has taught on a full and part-time basis at three universities. In 2012 he was awarded the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal.
A former Canadian diplomat, Colin Robertson is Senior Strategic Advisor for McKenna, Long and Aldridge LLP working with the Canadian Council of Chief Executives. He is Vice President and Senior Research Fellow at the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute.He is an Honorary Captain (Royal Canadian Navy) assigned to the Strategic Communications Directorate. Living in Ottawa, Robertson writes and speaks on international affairs. He is a regular contributor to the Globe and Mail. Embassy Magazine named him totheir “Top Eighty Influencing Canadian foreign policy” in 2012 and 2013. Robertson sits on the boards of the Conference of Defence Associations Institute and North American Research Partnership. He is vice chair of Canada World Youth. He is a past president of the Canadian International Council’s National Capital Branch. Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA) at Carleton University, Robertson is a former member of Carleton’s President’s Advisory Council and a current member of the NPSIA Advisory Council. He is honorary chair of the Canada Arizona Business Council. He is a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, the Retired Heads of Mission Association, and the Sir Winston Churchill Society of Ottawa. A career foreign service officer from 1977-2010, he served as first Head of the Advocacy Secretary and Minister at the Canadian Embassy in Washington and Consul General in Los Angeles, with previous assignments as Consul and Counsellor in Hong Kong and in New York at the UN and Consulate General. In his final assignment he directed a project at Carleton University’s Centre for Trade Policy and Law with the support of the Federal and Provincial Governments and the private sector on Canada-US Engagement.A member of the team that negotiated the Canada-US FTA and NAFTA, he is co-author of Decision at Midnight: The Inside Story of the Canada-US FTA (1996). He is co-editor of Diplomacy in the Digital Age: Essays in honour of Ambassador Allan Gotlieb (2011). He has taught at Carleton University, Queen’s University Public Executive Program and the Canada School of Public Service. He served as president of the Historica Foundation. He was editor of bout de papier: Canada’s Journal of Foreign Service and Diplomacy and president of the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers. Robertson was awarded the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), Alberta Centennial Medal (2005), the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal (2006), the Alberta Motion Picture Industry Association ‘Friend of the Industry’ (2004), and the distinguished alumnus award from the University of Manitoba (2004). He and his wife Maureen Boyd, a Vancouverite, former journalist and communications consultant, have three children, Allison, Sean and Conor. Robertson reads voraciously, runs, swims, cycles, cross-country skis. A series of what Lemony Snicket would describe as ‘unfortunate circumstances’ have left him with low vision. This has obliged him to give up tennis,a sport he enjoyed but played badly.
Colin Smith's first awareness of the great man had a contrarian twist - "We'll make Winston Churchill smoke a Woodbine every day." That was the chorus refrain of a rendition of the "The Red Flag" at The Beacon folk club on Tyneside, England in 1964. At the time, the Woodbine was the English working man's cigarette and the jubilation that night was in celebration of the general election victory of Harold Wilson's Labour party. A few months later Colin watched the funeral service of Sir Winston on a small black and white TV and, with a scant knowledge of Churchill, couldn't help but notice the mental tsunami of piety and reverence that engulfed all, irrespective of political stripe or creed. Not being a student of history, Colin embarked on an Engineering career which eventually led to an interest in military technology and its origins/supply and inevitably back to Churchill! His current position is Director of Business Development for U.S. programs at General Dynamics Canada. At the community level, Colin has been President of both the West Carleton Soccer Association and Fitzroy Harbour Soccer Club. Currently, as Secretary of the Fitzroy Harbour Soccer Club, he is heading the initiative for field development activities. Colin joined the SWSCO two years ago, has an entrenched amazement at the popularity of Churchill in North America vis-à-vis the UK, and is now seriously worried about his reading backlog.