Affiliation: Toronto Metropolitan University
Candidate Assessment: Qualified and Additional Recommended Skills
Candidate Questionnaire
1. ARIN Board of Trustees Qualifications and Responsibilities:
Please review the ARIN Board of Trustees Expected Qualifications and Responsibilities thoroughly.
Please describe, providing specific details, any barriers you foresee to your fully meeting those qualifications and undertaking those responsibilities. Trustees’ responsibilities have usually require about 5-10 hours per week.
No barriers.
2. Conflicts of Interest
a) Please disclose any conflicts of interest you may have, real or perceived, that would impact your ability to perform your duty as a member of the ARIN Board of Trustees. (If no conflicts, please enter “N/A”)
N/A
b) How do you propose to resolve any conflicts identified in (a)? (If no conflicts identified, please enter “N/A”)
N/A
c) Are you currently eligible to serve on the Board of Trustees according to the Conflict of Interest Requirements and the eligibility requirements?
Yes
d) If not currently eligible, describe how you will become eligible to serve, if elected (i.e., “If elected, I will resign from the position of ________ before 31 Dec 2026”). If currently eligible, please enter “N/A”.
N/A
3. Education:
a) Please list any educational degree(s) you received, the institution and the date issued.
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours), Queen’s University, 1987
- Master of Business Administration, Bond University, 1991
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), York University, 2002
b) Please list any professional designations, certifications, or development education (non-degree) and the dates completed.
- ICD.D Institute of Corporate Directors, Director designation, 2017
- ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program, 2016
- ICD-Rotman Not-For-Profit Governance Essentials Program, 2014
4. Employment and Experience:
a) Please provide the name of any company or organization you currently are employed by, or from which you receive directly or indirectly a material portion of your compensation. Please describe the business of each such entity, your current title, and the office address of the organization.
Employer: Toronto Metropolitan University
Business: Post-secondary educational institution
Current Title: Professor
Address: 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON, Canada M5B 2K3
b) Please refer to the ARIN Board of Trustees Guidance to the 2026 Nomination Committee in answering this question: Please describe your relevant professional experience and expertise and explain how this background will make you an effective Trustee.
As an academic researcher and educator, I bring demonstrated expertise in strategic thinking, creative problem solving and evidencebased decision making to Board deliberations. My capacity to synthesize complex information and assess multiple perspectives ensures that as a Trustee I consider all relevant information and can encourage the Board to consider a broad range of alternatives when making decisions. In my role as Director of the Ted Rogers School of Information Technology Management (offering undergraduate and graduate education to more than 2000 students in interdisciplinary programs positioned at the intersection of business management and information technology) I led the School through the COVID-19 pandemic (requiring crisis management skills and extensive collaboration with peer academic leaders, while providing calm and steady guidance to faculty and students). In this role I assessed and monitored risks for the School and managed resources in a constrained financial environment. I have extensive experience in hiring and assessing colleagues (including multiple terms as chair of departmental hiring and evaluation committees and as equity advocate on these committees), and have mentored many graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty members. I have strong capacity to develop and apply metrics and performance indicators, honed through decades of experience in assessing research funding applications and outcomes. My research expertise in telecommunications policy provides me with knowledge of the internet governance landscape, strong insights into the telecommunications regulatory process (including a year as a policy fellow at the CRTC, Canada’s communications regulator), as well as an understanding of broadband and mobile markets and the ISP business.
Attach a resume, curriculum vitae, or other biography highlighting your experience most relevant to the duties of the ARIN Board of Trustees. (PDF, DOC, DOCX files only)Remove any personal contact information (postal address, email, and/or phone number) from your resume/CV, as it will be posted publicly as part of the candidate information.
https://arin-elections.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/middleton-resume.pdf
You may also optionally include additional web links to external websites (e.g., social media), though not as a substitute for your biography. One URL per line.
None
5. Governance Experience:
a) Please identify any boards on which you currently serve that carry fiduciary duties, whether at a for-profit or nonprofit organization. Please note how long you have served and what offices, if any, you have held.
Commission for Complaints for Telecom-Television Services (CCTS): CCTS is a nonprofit ombuds organization that resolves telecommunications and television services complaints in Canada. (https://www.ccts-cprst.ca/about-ccts/ ) I joined the Board in 2020 and my term will end in 2028.
Offices held:
- Chair, Service Delivery Working Group (this working group provided board oversight for an organization-wide digital transformation project encompassing significant technology and process changes)
- Chair, Strategic Planning Working Group (developed the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan)
- Chair, Budget Working Group (reviews annual budget before it is brought to the full board and members for approval)
CCA (Council of Canadian Academies): CCA is a not-for-profit organization that convenes the best experts in their respective fields to assess the evidence on complex scientific topics of public interest to inform decision-making in Canada. (https://cca-reports.ca/about/) I joined the Board in 2024. My first term will end in 2027 and is renewable for an additional three years.
b) Please identify any other boards on which you have served in the past 10 years that are not included in answer to (a), listing your dates of service.
- ARIN (2020–2022)
- CANARIE (2011–2019)
c) How does your past governance experience prepare you to help fulfill that role by serving as an ARIN Trustee?
As a former ARIN Trustee, I have demonstrated the required governance skills set out in the ARIN Trustee Job Description.
Specifically, I have a strong understanding of ARIN’s role in the governance of the Internet and of ARIN’s organizational structure; an understanding of the duties that Trustees have to ARIN; an understanding of the responsibilities of the Board; and relevant previous governance experience. As an ARIN Trustee I demonstrated compliance with legal requirements, as well and ethical and other standards; and met the commitments expected of individual Trustees. Through committee work (especially as a member of the Governance Working Group and Chair of the Governance Committee) and contributions to board deliberations I demonstrated the necessary skills and experience to exercise and perform my duties in an effective and efficient manner.
I hold the Institute of Corporate Directors, Director designation (ICD.D) and maintain my currency by participating in governance education seminars offered by the ICD and the AICD (Australian Institute of Company Directors), as well as board education sessions.
Recent topics include governance of AI, cybersecurity and managing board dynamics.
I will bring extensive governance experience to ARIN, developed through 15 years of service to not-for-profit boards, primarily in the telecommunications sector, in a variety of leadership roles. My particular expertise is board governance, with a focus on board performance, evaluation, mentoring, processes, structure and succession planning to ensure boards can fulfil their strategic leadership and oversight duties effectively. I have recent experience with CEO succession planning and onboarding a new CEO, and understand the extensive advance planning needed to prepare an organization for transition. I have worked closely with management teams and peer board members in reviewing organizational budgets.
6. Describe any past experience or involvement with ARIN or other Internet governance bodies.
I was a member of the ARIN Board of Trustees from 2020-2022. I did not put my name forward for re-election at the completion of this three-year board term due to the demands of my leadership role as Director of the Ted Rogers School of Information Technology Management (ITM), Toronto Metropolitan University. My term as Director of the School of ITM ended in 2024. I now have the capacity and time to rejoin the ARIN Board of Trustees, and bring additional experience as a Director through ongoing service on the CCTS and CCA boards.
7. Aside from any governance experience, describe your specific skills, background, and/or areas of expertise you believe will assist the Board in carrying out its duties.
My background is different from other ARIN Trustees and I will bring an independent perspective to board discussions. I offer focused, analytical insights informed by consideration of risks and strategic impacts of proposed actions, contributing to a foundation for robust board discussion. While each organization is unique there are often opportunities to learn from governance approaches taken in other not-for-profits and I will share experiences of effective governance practices that could advance ARIN’s strategic objectives. I am highly collaborative, dedicated to excellence, detail-oriented, and have the time and energy to contribute to the governance of ARIN.