Our friendly staff are excited to work with you to ensure that you and your guests have an enjoyable and memorable conference experience.

A closer look at our leadership team...

Ruth has spent more than 20+ years in the hospitality industry, working in London, Toronto, Barrie and Lake Louise, Alberta. Ruth started her career at The University of Western Ontario in 1993 with Great Hall Catering and joined the Conference Services leadership team in January of 2001.

In the fall of 2004, Ruth accepted the University position of Congress Coordinator for the Congress of Humanities and Social Sciences. She dedicated more than 2 years to coordinate the largest conference ever hosted at The University of Western Ontario with over 7,000 delegates attending in May/June 2005. She was an integral component to the incredible success of the conference.

Another personal achievement for Ruth was graduating from Western in June 2006 with a degree in Commercial Administrative Studies - quite an accomplishment while working full time!

Melanie has experienced life in both London, England and London, Ontario. She grew up in England where she obtained her diploma in Hotel Management and Institutional Studies. After gaining work experience in various hotels in London (England), she immigrated to Toronto, Canada with her parents and two sisters, in 1981.

Melanie's accomplishments include more than 28 years of experience in the hospitality industry, more than 20 have been here at The University of Western Ontario, in Hospitality Services. She has enjoyed her position as Conference Manager since 2001and prior to that, developed her Conference Coordinator position for 10 years, prior to which she worked with the Great Hall Catering team for two years.

Outside of her work, Melanie enjoys family time with her two sons, Tim and Jay, and husband, Dave.

For over 20 years, Patty has honed her skills in a variety of roles at The University of Western, joining the Conference Services team in September 1992. In her current position as Senior Operations Assistant, Patty juggles the administrative needs of the department, year-round. She works closely in conjunction with the Conference Services leadership team as well as the student Conference Assistants, during the peak summer months.