New chair for Ontario research network

Toronto, ON – Educator Maxim Jean-Louis has been named as chair of the board of the Optical Regional Advanced Network of Ontario (ORANO), which owns and operates the ORION ultra high-speed optical research and education network.

Currently the president and CEO of Contact North/Contact Nord, Mr Jean-Louis replaces York University VP of research and innovation, Dr Stan Shapson, who steps down as chair and board member after three years at the helm.

An executive specializing in technology and education, distance learning and alternative delivery with a special focus on small and remote communities, Mr Jean-Louis has been president and CEO of Contact North/Contact Nord since 1996.

With network use growing over 600 in the past two years alone, ORION is playing a growing and increasingly vital role as critical infrastructure for research and education in Ontario. It is enabling advanced teaching and learning, distributed high-performance computing, collaborative research projects spanning the globe and supporting researchers in fields such as medicine, the environment and physics.