Above: panelists LCol (ret’d) Ted Opitz, Dr. Stephanie Carvin, Maj (ret’d) Howard Michitsch, and LCol (ret’d) Walter Perchal make up Panel 2 of our “Positioning for Peace Preservation: The New Form of Peacekeeping” on November 30, 2017 at the Royal Canadian Military Institute.
LCol (ret’d) Ted Opitz: is a former Canadian politician who represented the Toronto riding of Etobicoke Centre as a member of the Conservative Party of Canada in the Canadian House of Commons from 2011 to 2015. As a member of the Canadian Armed Forces he was involved in the Bosnian War and was awarded the NATO Decoration for Service in Former Yugoslavia.
Dr. Stephanie Carvin: is an Assistant Professor of International Relations at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. Her research interests are in the area of international law, security, terrorism, and technology. Currently, she is teaching in the areas of critical infrastructure protection, technology and warfare, and foreign policy. From 2012 to 2015, she was an analyst with the Government of Canada focusing on national security issues.
Maj (ret’d) Howard Michitsch: is a retired Canadian Army Infantry Major with 22 years of service. He has extensive experience in training, security planning, managing, and supervising overseas operations both in the military and the private sector. He is an experienced staff officer, security consultant, and project managers whose specialties include: security, psychological operations, field engineering, training, and project management.
LCol (ret’d) Walter Perchal: currently teaches at York University. He serves as both graduate and undergraduate faculty in the Program in Disaster and Emergency Management. Concurrently, he is the Program Director of the York University Schulich Executive Education Centre – Centre of Excellence in Security, Resilience, and Intelligence. Previously, he served as a Senior Officer in the Canadian Forces. During that time, among his various duties, he served as: Special Advisor to the Army Commander, and as a Military Advisor overseas. His areas of specialization include: international security, counter-terrorism, and crisis management in support of civilian authorities.
