VEday75Team

Mike Bechthold

Lead Historian

Mike Bechthold, PhD (mikebechthold.com) has been writing and teaching about Canadian military history for over 25 years. He is the author/editor of eight books and numerous articles, most recently Flying to Victory: Raymond Collishaw and the Western Desert Campaign (2017). He co-authored three guidebooks about the Canadian battlefields of the Second World. He specializes in military air power, the Canadian army in Normandy and Northwest Europe, and the Canadian Corps in the Great War.

Alex Fitzgerald-Black

Lead Researcher

Alex Fitzgerald-Black is the Operations and Outreach Manager at the Juno Beach Centre Association, the Canadian charity that owns and operates the Juno Beach Centre in Courseulles-sur-Mer, France. He has a Master of Arts in Military History from the University of New Brunswick and a Master of Arts in Public History from the University of Western Ontario. Alex hosts Juno Beach and Beyond: Canada’s Second World War Podcast.

Nathan Kehler

Digital Creative Lead

Nathan Kehler is the Executive Director of the Canadian Research and Mapping Association and one of the creators of Project ’44: The Road to Liberation. Nathan is a veteran of the Canadian Forces, having served in both Afghanistan and Latvia. His expertise is in web mapping and data management, and his passion lies in showing the history of where.

Drew Hannen

Digital Story Lead

Drew Hannen is the Vice-President of the Canadian Research and Mapping Association and one of the creators of Project ’44: The Road to Liberation. He specializes in digital preservation, collection management systems, and mapping history. Through this work, he has developed a keen interest in understanding people’s connection with the land and the role contemporary and archival maps play.

Craig Brumwell

Education Consultant

Craig Brumwell has been teaching Social Studies for over 30 years in Vancouver. The focus of his practice is inquiry approaches to place-based learning through digital interactive storytelling. Examples of his projects are Dilemma 1944 and its online educational resource site, Though Poppies Grow and Kitsilano Fallen. He is the recipient of three national awards for teaching excellence, the Governor General’s History Award (2015), the Government of Canada History Award (2015), and the Prime Minister’s Award (2018).

Anne-Chantal Fontaine

Translator

Certified by OTTIAQ in 2010, Anne-Chantal holds a master’s degree in French Studies from the University of Sherbrooke (1996) and has nearly 25 years of experience in translation. She has acquired a diverse clientele almost everywhere in Canada (Quebec, Ontario, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Manitoba). In addition to the privilege of contributing to the promotion of the French language, Anne-Chantal translates for museums and organizations that, like Defining Moments Canada, cultivate the duty of remembrance and raise awareness about important chapters of history, some of which are dark and little known, particularly concerning Indigenous Peoples and veterans.

Geneviève Desaulniers

Translator

Marie-Catherine Gagné

Translator

Seasoned translator, Marie-Catherine has over 25 years of experience, working in many fields. She has been a translator for the federal government for over 15 years, but also for several humanitarian non profit organizations. Marie-Catherine enjoys literature, cats and great food.