Team Profiles

Sophie Turner, MMIE, PCC, CPCC, CCMC

Sophie is a visionary innovator and business strategist who thrives on bringing groundbreaking ideas to market. Her inherent talent for identifying opportunities and transforming them into successful ventures has established her as a trusted advisor to entrepreneurs and corporate innovators alike.

As the Director of Entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property Management at Durham College, Sophie currently oversees FastStart, the college's entrepreneurship incubator. Previous to this, her career spanned leadership roles at NIKE, American Express, Habitat For Humanity, the Canadian Olympic Committee, and Smith School of Business at Queen's University, where she consistently pushed boundaries to create new market opportunities. Her expertise in launching products and reimagining global customer loyalty programs has driven significant business growth across international markets.

Sophie partners with forward-thinking seasoned and emerging leaders who drive innovation and change within their organizations and communities. She excels at creating clear structures and actionable roadmaps that transform ambitious visions into reality, helping entrepreneurs and corporate innovators navigate the complex journey from concept to market success. Her unique combination of product development, marketing, and brand strategy expertise guides those she works alongside through both the strategic and operational challenges of bringing innovation to market.

Her entrepreneurial mindset and human-centered approach have proven particularly effective in designing transformative initiatives across a wide range of industries. These include Banking, Sport Industry & Management, Consumer Goods, Professional Services, Professional Coaching, Entrepreneurship, New Product Development, Higher Education, Non for Profit, Loyalty Programs, Construction, and Health Care. This diverse experience allows her to draw unique parallels that benefit innovative leaders and aspiring entrepreneurs across industries.

Beyond her professional work, Sophie demonstrates her commitment to social impact through her involvement in global and national career practitioner boards since 2018. She is actively engaged in pioneering new approaches to mental health support for young adults, applying her expertise in product development to create cutting-edge resources.

Sophie holds a Master of Management in Innovation and Entrepreneurship and is a multi-accredited certified coach.

Specialities Include:

Business Development, Business & Executive coaching, Marketing, Brand, Strategy, Communications, Client Relations, Talent Development, Pitching, New Product Development, UX/UI, Design Thinking, Value Proposition Strategy, Sales Process, Operations, Process/Policy Design, Instructional Design, Negotiations, Operations, Corporate Innovation, Analytics, Project Management, Budget & Financial Management

    Jennifer Bedford

      K. Jennifer Bedford is a full-time professor and program coordinator of the Film and Motion Design program. She has been the Research Coordinator in the Faculty of Media, Art, and Design since 2020. She holds an Honours B.A. in Communications, Multimedia, and Fine Art, as well as an M.A. in Communications and New Media from McMaster University.

      Before joining Durham College, Jennifer worked with prominent visual arts organizations, where she contributed to communication strategies and digital and print campaigns. Her creative work has been exhibited across North America, Europe, and Africa and has been published internationally.

      As a faculty advisor for FastStart/Enactus DC, Jennifer is a firm believer in the transformative power of Enactus and its mission to harness the potential of entrepreneurship to drive meaningful, positive change in the world. She is passionate about empowering individuals and communities to solve pressing social and environmental challenges through innovative, sustainable business solutions. Through her involvement with Enactus, she is dedicated to fostering the next generation of leaders committed to making a lasting impact on society. In May 2024, she was named a John Dobson Fellow at the Enactus National Exposition, recognizing her mentorship and contributions to student success.

        Danielle Harder

        Danielle Harder has been a full-time professor in the Journalism – Mass Media program since 2012. Danielle holds a B.A. in Journalism and Communications from the University of Regina and an M.A. in Communications and Technology from the University of Alberta. Prior to joining Durham College, Danielle worked as a reporter in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, P.E.I., and Ontario at several media outlets, including CBC Radio and Television, before establishing her own successful business as a freelance writer and producer. Danielle teaches courses focused on broadcast production, including podcasting and audio and visual storytelling, as well as the basics of writing and reporting.

        Danielle has led several international media projects with students related to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals and continues to focus on empowering youth to use their voice and stories to make change in the world. Danielle joined the FastStart/Enactus DC team as a faculty advisor in 2020 where she offers her storytelling expertise across a range of projects.

        Image for Sara Mercier-Priebe.

        Sara Mercier-Priebe

        Sara Mercier-Priebe has been a full-time professor in the Marketing Program at Durham College since 2015. Education has remained an important component to both Sara’s personal and career growth.  She holds a Master of Digital Experience Innovation degree from the University of Waterloo, a post-graduate certificate in International Marketing from Humber College and a Radio and Television Arts bachelors degree from Ryerson University. Before joining Durham College, Sara enjoyed watching her career evolve within broadcast media, at a creative digital agency and within a corporate marketing environment.  Sara teaches Digital Marketing, Integrated Marketing Communication, Computer Applications for Marketing and other marketing related courses within her program.  As a FastStart faculty advisor, Sara works with entrepreneurial students looking to navigate and grow their marketing expertise as well as eCommerce offerings.  When she’s not teaching, Sara delights in cheering on and supporting Enactus DC marketing initiatives and projects.

        Rogier Ten Kate

        Rogier has a passion for helping, teaching and educating companies, students and entrepreneurs. He currently is a professor and program coordinator for the International Business Management Post graduate program at Durham College.

        He was a board member for the World Institute for Action Learning and chair of the WIAL Marketing Committee.

        Besides being a full time educator, he has a consultancy firm helping organizations understand culture, implement Action Learning and supports them in their (sustainable) change processes. 

        He has 25 year of industry experience in International Sales, Marketing and organizational change processes covering many industries and sectors

        Before coming to Canada, 12 years ago, he worked and lived in Holland, Belgium, USA and Switzerland making him very sensitive to various cultures and understand how to adapt effectively and successfully. His industry background are in: Automotive, Finance, IT and Education – developing many programs and courses within various institutions.