The Board

Kathy Fox

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• Reappointed as Chair of the TSB on 21 August 2023
• Reappointed as Chair of the TSB on 21 August 2018
• Appointed Chair of the TSB on 21 August 2014
• Appointed Member of the TSB in July 2007

Kathy Fox selected air traffic control as a career in 1974, and worked at Transport Canada control towers in Baie-Comeau, Sept-Îles, Saint-Hubert and Montréal-Dorval, as well as at the Montréal Area Control Centre.

From 1982 until 1986, she was responsible for air traffic control training at the CEGEP Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, a cooperative training program coordinated by Transport Canada and the Quebec Ministry of Education.

Ms. Fox left operational controlling in 1992 to accept a developmental assignment with Air Traffic Services Headquarters in Ottawa, assuming progressively senior positions. She transferred to NAV CANADA in 1996 and became Director, Safety & Quality, in 1997; then Director, Air Traffic Services, in 1999. In 2000, she was appointed Assistant Vice-President, Air Traffic Services. She became Vice-President, Operations, in 2003 and provided executive leadership and direction throughout NAV CANADA’s Operations Group. She retired from NAV CANADA in June 2007 and was appointed as a Member of the TSB in July 2007.

Ms. Fox has been extensively involved in other aviation activities for over 45 years, including sport parachuting and commercial aviation. She holds an airline transport pilot licence and flight instructor rating, and has flown over 5000 hours. She is a recipient of the Fédération aéronautique internationale Paul Tissandier Diploma and the Queen Elizabeth II Anniversary Medal for her contributions to sport parachuting in Canada.

Among other awards and distinctions, Ms. Fox received the Transport Canada Aviation Safety Award in 1999. In 2004, she was inducted into the Quebec Air and Space Hall of Fame. She received the Elsie MacGill Northern Lights Award in 2010 and the David Charles Abramson Flight Instructor Safety Award in 2011. She was also inducted into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame and into the Women in Aviation International (WAI) Pioneer Hall of Fame in 2016 and 2018 respectively.

Ms. Fox holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from McGill University. She also completed a Master of Science in Human Factors and System Safety with Lund University in Sweden.

Paul George Dittmann

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Paul Dittmann began his career in aviation with the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, earning his glider wings in 1985. After joining the Canadian Armed Forces in 1986, he completed pilot training in 1991 and then went on to fly the Sea King helicopter on operations with 423, 443, and 814 (Royal Navy) Squadrons. He later instructed on the Sea King with 406 Squadron and on the Outlaw helicopter with 3 Canadian Forces Flying Training School while serving as its Commandant. Mr. Dittmann has 4,000 hours of flying time and qualified as a naval diving officer

Mr. Dittmann's experience at National Defence Headquarters includes posts as an aircraft accident investigator and as the Chief Investigator for the Canadian Armed Forces. Additionally, he held the posts of Contracted Flying Training and Support Program Manager, Director of Air Simulation and Training, and Director Fighter Capability Requirements.

Mr. Dittmann is a graduate of Royal Roads Military College (Bachelor of Science, Physics and Oceanography), Royal Military College (Masters of Defence Studies), the Canadian Forces College (Joint Command and Staff Program), and NATO Defense College (Senior Course in strategic defense and security studies).

He retired from the Canadian Armed Forces in 2017.

Kenneth Potter

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Ken Potter graduated in 1982 from the Georgian College Marine Engineering Technology program in Owen Sound, Ontario. In 2006, he earned a Bachelor of Maritime Studies from Memorial University of Newfoundland.

During his career, Mr. Potter worked 15 years as a merchant marine Engineering Officer and Marine Surveyor, 16 years at the Transportation Safety Board of Canada as Senior Investigator, Manager of Head Office Marine Investigation Operations, and acting Director of Investigations, and 5 years in private practice conducting marine casualty investigations. During his time at the TSB, he received several awards, including the Achievement Award in 2010 and the Award for Excellence in Investigation in 2012.

Mr. Potter has represented Canada as a member of the Canadian delegation to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). He has provided IMO training to international students as an internationally recognized authority on marine casualty investigations. Similarly, he has been involved with the Global Affairs Canada - Taiwan MOU on Marine Systems Technology Cooperation providing assistance and advice to Taiwan on policies and procedures related to developing marine casualty investigation capacity in line with the IMO Casualty Investigation Code. Since 2000 Mr. Potter has been a member of the Canadian Subcommittee of the International Electro-Technical Commission (IEC) Technical Committee 80 on Marine Navigation and Radio Communication Equipment and Systems.

After retiring from the Public Service in 2013, Mr. Potter worked at the Georgian College Centre for Marine Training and Research as an instructor teaching Marine Emergency Duties, Oil and Chemical Tanker Safety, and as a part-time Professor of Marine Engineering. He is also an experienced pilot and owner of several aircraft based at Carp Airport near Ottawa.

Yoan Marier

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Yoan Marier began his aviation career in 2007 as an airplane pilot for a company that reported in various media on road traffic conditions in the Montréal area. During the same period, Mr. Marier worked part time for the Canada Border Services Agency. In 2009, he joined the Canada Border Services Agency full time and worked there until 2014. Mr. Marier worked at various land border offices, as well as at Montréal/Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau International Airport. He specialized in complex immigration cases and was a Minister’s Delegate for the purposes of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Mr. Marier also worked with a specialized team that conducted extensive searches of planes arriving in Canada.

Mr. Marier joined Transport Canada in 2014 as a Transportation of Dangerous Goods Inspector. As part of this job, Mr. Marier worked on many files related to the transportation of dangerous goods, and was in the field daily with companies involved in the transportation of dangerous goods by air, sea, and rail. He also served as acting Regional Manager of the dangerous goods program for the Quebec region during part of the summer of 2016.

In 2017, Mr. Marier was appointed as a full-time member of the Social Security Tribunal of Canada, where he heard hundreds of cases involving claimants, employers, and the Canada Employment Insurance Commission. He also worked as the acting Vice-Chair of the Employment Insurance Section, where he was responsible for nearly 40 members. During his last year at the Tribunal, Mr. Marier was the coordinating member (liaison member) of the Employment Insurance Section. Through the course of his mandate at the Tribunal, Mr. Marier has worked to ensure that decisions and documents issued by the Tribunal are written in plain language. He also helped improve access to justice through his work on reducing delays and streamlining the appeal process before the Tribunal.

Mr. Marier holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Economics from the University of Montreal.

Leo Donati

Leo Donati joined the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) in 1997 in the role of Senior Human Factors Investigator. He actively participated in over 100 investigations, including the Swissair 111 in-flight fire, the MK Airlines reduced power take-off and collision with terrain, the McBride railway bridge collapse, and the Queen of the North ferry sinking. He served as Manager, Human Factors and Macro Analysis, from 2008 before being promoted to Director of Operational Services, 2011-2017. While at the TSB he represented Canada as a member of the Canadian delegation to the International Maritime Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization, providing guidance in the areas of human factors, accident investigation, and family assistance.

Dr. Donati has a career spanning over three decades in the federal government. Prior to joining the TSB, he served with the Canadian Forces as a Bioscience Officer in assorted roles, including in the integral support of accident investigations for the Directorate of Flight Safety. After his retirement, he worked as a contractor providing technical expertise to the TSB and carrying out projects for the Parole Board of Canada in support of its Senior Management and Board.

Dr. Donati holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of British Columbia. He also has two Master of Science degrees, one in Biology from Simon Fraser University, and one in Ergonomics from Loughborough University of Technology. He obtained his Doctorate in Human Factors in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department at the University of Toronto.