• Media Access Canada
  • Beverley Milligan, Chief Executive Officer
• Board of Directors
  • Terry Coles, Chairman
  • Charles Laszlo, Vice Chair
  • Allister Byrne, Treasurer
  • Gary Malkowski, Secretary
  • Anthony Tibbs
  • Max Beck

Beverley Milligan, Chief Executive Officer

Previous to joining Media Access Canada (MAC) in 2009, Beverley was President for responseTV™, a CRTC digital broadcast licensed and start-up company designed to collect data using television as a market research tool. Beverley was involved in recruiting partnerships spanning from large market research firms to broadcast distribution and television undertakings. She worked with an Advisory Board, Operational Board, and management team to run the day-to-day tasks involved in launching the category 2 specialty channel.

Beverley conceptualized the responseTV business model from the work she did as the Development Executive at Ryerson University from May 1998 Dec 2001. She was one of 5 founding members of IBDG, a two-year research project. Beverley worked with others to create the white paper that received a 1.2 million dollar grant from the province of Ontario to seed fund interactive content prototype research in partnership with the private sector. This was studied to upgrade curriculum; create and fund state-of-the-art technical test bed environments; disseminate knowledge in digital broadcasting and content development; and stimulate growth in Ontario's new media industry. Beverley oversaw all external relations, both national and international, along with all business partnership. Additionally, Beverley created and executed the strategic plans for growth inclusive of all promotions, business and technology positioning.

From 1992 to 1998 Beverley conceptualized and founded Canada Captions Inc., a charitable organization designed to underwrite costs associated with closed captioning through social marketing. Specifically, Beverley invented the business model which is now widely recognized on-air as "closed captioning brought to you by ... ". The success of this model required Beverley to develop sophisticated real-time and off-line captioning software which decreased the costs associated with captioning; various marketing campaigns including Captioning Awareness Week; and, selling airtime to sponsors/advertisers for national and regional broadcasters. For her efforts, Beverley was the first and only non-broadcaster to receive the Canadian Association of Broadcaster's prestigious Gold Ribbon Award in 1998 for "Outstanding Contribution to the Broadcast Industry."

Her work in broadcasting, however, does not stop there. Beverley mentored the creation of Renegadz. Renegadz was the winner of CAB's 2000 dot.com showdown and was picked up by CBC. She was the Company Publicist for CHCH TV and enjoyed four years of employment with TVOntario working in various capacities including: Corporate publicist, event manager and editor of "The Org".

Terry Coles, Chairman

Terry Coles began his broadcast career in October of 1955 at CJKL, Kirkland Lake, Ontario.

After stints at CFJB, Brampton and CKLC, Kingston, Ontario, Terry moved to television with CFCL-TV, Timmins, Ontario in October of 1961. Over a period of 18 years with J. Conrad Lavigne and the development of The Mid-Canada Television System, Terry went from a staff announcer to Vice-President & General Manager.

In 1979, CFCN-TV in Calgary beckoned and Terry served as President & General Manager until his move to CKY-TV, Winnipeg as General Manager in 1986.

In 1987, the late Geoffrey Conway looked to Terry's assistance with his purchase of CKLW-AM & FM in Windsor/Detroit. While President of CKLW, Terry was named Senior Vice-President of CUC Communications with emphasis on Geoff's application for a youth TV channel to be called YTV. While a member of the YTV Board of Director's Terry was named Acting President of YTV Canada, Inc. in 1994.

In 1995, Shaw Communications acquired CUC Communications. JR Shaw then invited Terry to join Shaw as Vice-President, Broadcasting and President of Sega Channel. When Sega Channel was dissolved, Terry took retirement from Shaw on June 30th, 1997.

As is often the case with retired broadcasters, Terry did some consulting work which led to Michigan where he started work on a Catholic radio network for Tom Monaghan, the founder/owner of Domino's Pizza Corporation.

Then came an opportunity to invest in a new radio start-up company called The Vista Broadcast Group, Inc. Named to the Board of Directors, Terry was then asked to consider joining the growing company as President & Chief Operating Officer. From one station in Duncan, BC, the company now holds 25 licenses in Alberta, BC, & the Northwest Territories.

Terry has served the industry on the boards of the CAB ( Vice-Chairman of the television board), the WAB (one year as President), the MAB, TvB, The Alberta Motion Picture Development Corporation, and The Banff Television Festival (Founding Director). He also was a member of the Program Committee of the CTV Television Network Ltd. and later as a member of the Executive Group of AltaWest Television Limited, a division of CanWest Global.

Involved in a number of charities over the years, Terry now serves on the Board of The Youth Orchestra of the Americas based in Washington, D.C.

Charles Laszlo, Vice Chair

Dr. Laszlo is a biomedical engineer by training. He is Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering and Past-Director of the Institute for Hearing Accessibility Research at the University of British Columbia. He is an inventor of assistive listening devices and was chairman of several companies manufacturing heart valves and other implantable cardiovascular products.

Dr. Laszlo was the founding President of the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association, and served on its Executive and Board of Directors in various capacities for 17 years. He also served as President of the International Federation of Hard of Hearing People. He served six years as a Director of the Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and three years as President of the British Columbia Family Hearing Resource Society.

In addition to his involvement with hard of hearing organizations, he has served on many professional, industrial and government bodies working for the development of a strong biomedical technology and assistive devices industry in Canada.

Dr. Laszlo's many contributions are widely recognized. Such recognition includes the Distinguished Service Award from the B.C. Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists, the Meritorious Service Award of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia, the Solutions Through Research Award of the Science Council of British Columbia, the National IWAY Award for Adaptive Technologies, the Consumer Advocacy Award of the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists, the Gold Medal of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers, the Order of British Columbia, and the Order of Canada.

Allister Byrne, Treasurer

Until his retirement in 2011, Allister Byrne was a senior partner of Grant Thornton with 40 years experience providing professional services to business, many being the firm's largest clients. Allister has extensive experience with business consulting, strategic planning and succession planning assignments. Allister was a Managing Partner in the GTA, has chaired numerous Committees in the firm and served two terms on the National Policy Board, most recently as Chairman of the National Board of Directors.

Allister has served on the Auditing Standards Committee of CICA, and chaired one of the CICA Task Forces. Allister currently Chairs the Appeals Committee of the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants. Allister has been honoured by the Institutes of Chartered Accountants in both Ontario and Nova Scotia and has been made a Fellow by both bodies.

Allister is the Chair of March of Dimes Canada, Chair of the Asset Development Committee for the York Region Community Foundation. Previously he was the Chair of the Board of Ontario March of Dimes, President of the Canadian Rehabilitation Council for the Disabled (Toronto) and President & Life Director at the Neptune Theatre. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation.

Gary Malkowski, Secretary

Gary is a nationally recognized leader with an extensive track record of human rights, anti-discrimination, Deaf and Disability advocacy work. Gary serves on Executive Committee, Board of Directors of the ARCH Disability Law Centre and Ontario Association of Education Advocates as well as the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Alliance. Gary is a member of City of Toronto Disability Issues Committee. Also, Gary is a founding member of Captioning Movies Now Coalition.

He has worked tirelessly on such issues as anti-racism, access and ethno-cultural equity, and access to professions and trades initiatives. He has made invaluable contributions to legal community services, including Osgoode Hall Law School, the Law Society of Upper Canada and provided legal strategies and advice to lawyers who have successfully reached several important rulings at the Supreme Court of Canada. These legal developments led to the successful introduction and implementation of Federal and Provincial Employment Equity Acts, the Anti-Racism Education Directorate, the Ontario Human Rights Commission's Duty to Accommodate Policy, the Mental Health Services Act, and the Literacy and Life Skills Program.

Gary is currently Special Advisor to the President, Public Affairs at The Canadian Hearing Society (CHS). Prior to joining CHS, Gary became the first elected Deaf politician in the world. During his term as MPP for York East (1990-1995), he was the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Citizenship. He was also Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education and Training. He served as a member on numerous Standing Committees, including Administration of Justice, Finance and Economic Affairs, Social Development, Resource Development, General Government and Public Accounts as well for the Select Committee on Confederation of Ontario. In 1994, he introduced a Private Member's bill for the Ontarians with Disabilities Act. This action led to the introduction and implementation of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act of 2005.

Gary was recently awarded the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal in recognition of his community service. He has also received the 1996 Canadian "Who's Who" Award, the 1989 Ontario Liberal Government Community Action Award, the Ontario Federation of Community Mental Health and Addiction Program's Outstanding Contribution to Mental Health Communities Award and many other honours provincially, nationally and internationally.

Anthony Tibbs

Anthony Tibbs has been on the national board of the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians since 2006, and has been involved with the organization since approximately 2004. Prior to that he co-founded and served as the director of the Centre for Students with Disabilities at the University of Ottawa. This student-funded, cross-disability initiative was formed to provide representation, advocacy support, and additional services for students with disabilities on campus. The process included the establishment of a student-union-controlled accessibility fund to allow faculty and departmental associations to make their own events and undertakings accessible without financial barriers getting in the way (e.g. access to sign language interpreters at student-run conferences and events).

On the technical side, his background includes software development, audio/video production and editing, and web/web application development. He is also familiar with the technical and practical issues of web accessibility and implementation of accessibility solutions in the broadcast system.

Anthony is currently pursuing a career in law.

Max Beck

For the past 6 years, Max Beck has been the Chief Executive Officer of Easter Seals Canada one of the largest not-for-profit organizations working with persons with disabilities. Easter Seals enables children and adults with physical disabilities to achieve their full potential and independence. With member organizations in all provinces, Easter Seals delivers award-winning programs and services to more than 100,000 children and adults across Canada: services that include assistive mobility devices, rehabilitation, family supports and Easter Seals Camps. The organization is a leader in building awareness of disability issues and representing the interests of member organizations with funders, governments, and other national health and service networks.

Mr. Beck is currently Chair of the Governing Council of the Health Charities Coalition of Canada and Chair of Chantilly Shellfish Ltd — a British Columbia aquaculture company.

Previously, Mr. Beck has been the head of Ontario Place, Social Planning for the City of Vancouver, Secretary of State (BC and Yukon), and Opportunities for Youth. For many years he was, Chair and major shareholder of Fanny Bay Oysters, British Columbia's largest shellfish export company, and Chair of Katimavik, a national youth service organization.