Meet the Team

As the Director of Administration and Research for the School of Health at Mohawk College, Candice Watson-Veevers brings over two decades of extensive experience in administration, financial management, and strategic development. Before stepping into this role, Candice served as the Operations Manager at both Mohawk College and Humber College, where she honed her skills in project and program management, budget oversight, and team leadership.

Candice's professional journey began in the administrative sector, where she quickly advanced to managing complex budgets and operational processes for academic programs and research projects. Her passion for education and research has been a consistent thread throughout her career, guiding her efforts to develop and implement strategic plans that enhance the operational and financial sustainability of educational and research initiatives.

Candice holds a Master of Arts in Leadership from the University of Guelph, a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies from the University of Waterloo, and a Business Management Diploma from Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning. Her academic achievements have provided her with a strong foundation in leadership, strategic planning, and business management.

In her free time, Candice serves as the Director of Special Events for the Dundas Minor Hockey Association. She enjoys watching and cheering on her children in hockey, soccer, and baseball, and loves being embraced in the community with her family and friends.

Barb emigrated from England in 2005, completing Business Studies at college. She has worked in the Simulation Centre since 2007 and has seen huge growth in the development and integration of various modalities of simulation in the School of Health programs, primarily Nursing and Personal Support Worker.

Working with academic program areas to plan and schedule academic labs, simulations and special events, Barb will book space, arrange staffing and order supplies and equipment to ensure the activities within the simulation centre, including external events have sufficient resources and the best environment in which to meet their specific learning objectives.

More recently Barb has been working with the Director of Simulation, Business Development and Inter-Professional Learning on the submission of proposals for a number of collaborative income-generating initiatives within the community.  
Barb prefers a quiet life, spending time with her family and loves to hike and travel.

Jessica has 10+ years of diverse healthcare experience working as a nurse at Hamilton Health Sciences and within simulation at Mohawk College. Her journey began as an RPN and evolved into an RN at HHS, working in surgical oncology, spinal cord/amputee rehab and pediatric surgery.

She completed her BScN degree at McMaster University and has worked at Mohawk College for 3 years in simulation. She has received her certification as a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator (CHSE) from the Society of Simulation in Healthcare (SSH).

Jess loves diving into simulation best practices and exploring innovative simulation pedagogy. 

Jess believes learning should be engaging and enjoyable – after all, who said education cant be a bit of fun?

Nate is a registered nurse with over five years of hands-on experience in paediatric medicine. He earned his BScN and Master’s in Nursing from the University of Toronto, where he honed his skills and deepened his commitment to leadership, and high-functioning teams.

A passionate advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), Nate actively works to create a supportive environment for all learners. He believes in the power of mentorship and is deeply committed to capacity-building for new learners, ensuring they have the resources and guidance needed to thrive in their nursing careers.

Outside of work, Nate is an avid Toronto Maple Leafs fan. He also enjoys playing tennis and capturing moments through photography, blending his love for science and art, just like nursing! Whether on the court, behind the lens, or voicing a simulator, he finds joy in exploring new perspectives and spreading positivity with others. 

His favourite colour is Pantone 17-4123.

Lucky hails from a science and nursing background, prior to joining the CHSR.

Having attained his RPN and RN designations as a Mohawk College alumnus, he is glad to have been able to return to the School of Health, where he has also had opportunities to instruct in both the clinical and lab settings.

He enjoys all things simulation and is ever eager to incorporate his knowledge and lived experience towards helping mould future generations of healthcare practitioners. For example, one of his ongoing projects entails an eMAR system he built (and continues to develop) through Microsoft Excel for use within some of the CHSR's high fidelity simulations. Lucky takes joy in creating things, and finds that simulation-based education provides a nice outlet for his creativity.

He holds further designations from the Canadian Nurse Educators Institute (CNEI) as a Canadian Certified Simulation Nurse Educator (CCSNE) and a Canadian Certified Clinical Instructor (CCCI). He believes that we are all forever learning, and is a strong advocate for the CHSR and the School of Health to continue striving towards higher standards.

Fun-fact: Since he mostly worked in adult-medicine when he was at the bedside, he often finds himself with the older simulators- keeping them updated on global events and new anime shows, whilst also trying to pique their interests in arts and crafts.

Another Fun-fact: As the team's primary editor for the CHSR webpage, he could have written many more fun-facts about himself; but he knows that 'with great power, comes great responsibility'... so he's limiting himself to just two fun-facts. He truly is 'the hero we need, but don't deserve.'

To end his bio, here is one of Lucky's favourite quotes that relate to simulation and experiential learning: "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn."- Benjamin Franklin.

Rachel is a registered Occupational Therapist, in a role-emerging position focused on digital accessibility and Instructional Design. She has a passion for teaching, and holds a graduate certificate in Post-Secondary Education.

Rachel loves incorporating her occupational therapy background into the classroom by promoting engagement, accessibility, psychological safety, and universal design. Her goal is to use educational technology in a way that is not just engaging, but empowering for all learners. Being a part-time professor herself, she brings lived experience to her educational technology consultations and development with faculty and staff. 

Outside of work, Rachel is a fan of Survivor and enjoys collecting mugs featuring Stitch (from Disney’s Lilo & Stitch). She can often be found thrifting, trying new foods, or daydreaming about returning to Disney theme parks.

Rachel’s favourite quote is Maya Angelou’s, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”