RealWorld Systems is led by Dr. Gillian Kerr, an industrial/ organizational psychologist, David Llewelyn, a professional engineer, and Lori Criss Powers, a systems analyst and process improvement expert.
The RealWorld Systems draws on a network of over 20 consultants working in virtual teams supported by project intranets, secure file services and IEEE processes. Our team provides creative solutions that meet clients’ needs through effective use of technology, through critical thinking and analysis and through rich and detailed methodological approaches.
Dr. Gillian Kerr is a psychologist whose previous positions have included Vice President of one of the largest United Ways in the world; Vice President of MarketLink Corporation, a Canadian technology company; an independent consulting practice on policy analysis, evaluation and program development; and many years as a rehabilitation psychologist working with people with disabilities.
As Vice President of United Way of Greater Toronto, she was responsible for the allocation of $30 million/year to over 200 agencies. She has developed and managed several funding initiatives for various funders, including the Ontario government, and has developed an evaluation matrix to evaluate projects funded by the Office of Learning Technologies at HRDC. At United Way, she managed or supervised several government-funded projects directed at building the capacity of nonprofit agencies.
Dr. Kerr was on the committee that set up the Joint Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement (CERIS). One of her United Way policy papers (Family Services to Ethnocultural Groups in Metro Toronto) is posted in the historical documents section of the CERIS web site. While at United Way she was involved in negotiations between settlement agencies and mainstream social services to ensure appropriate services were provided for immigrants. She carried out government relations activities at the provincial and federal levels, advocating for better family services to immigrants and refugees on behalf of United Ways of Ontario. As a policy analyst and funder, she was deeply engaged in settlement issues across Metro Toronto and Ontario.
David Llewelyn is a professional engineer with extensive experience in leading multi-million dollar development programs. He has held senior management positions for over 10 years, including General Manager and Managing Director of FLIR Systems and Chief Technology Officer at AlliedSignal Power Systems.
David has worked in the European and North American aerospace sector, as a member of the UK Ministry of Defence, and in many aerospace and technology companies including British Aerospace, Northrop Grumman, L-3 Communications and Spar Space Systems. Former clients include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Airbus, Royal Navy, NASA, Canadian Space Agency, RCMP, OPP, Canadian Forces, US Army, USMC and Sweden’s FMV.
While mostly involved in large scale integration projects, David has also managed small research projects with universities and small businesses. David has a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Cardiff University and a Master of Science in Systems Engineering from the Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham, UK. He is a Member of the Professional Engineers of Ontario, the International Council on Systems Engineering and the Project Management Institute.
Lori Criss Powers is a highly experienced systems analyst and project management director with skills that have been developed over 18 years in the I.T. industry and has a track record of successful major projects and senior positions in consulting and clinical research companies.
Ms. Powers has extensive experience in process improvement and in conducting quality assurance and control assessments in strictly regulated environments where the quality of the data is critical. She designed a customizable and scalable methodology for conducting software development projects in the pharmaceutical industry that supported IEEE standards while being responsive to the client environment.