Ruth Armstrong 
Sandi Trillo Mike Armstrong
Ruth R. Armstrong, MBA founded VISION Management Services in 1986. A dynamic presenter and facilitator, she has provided leadership development and consultation to more than 300 public, private and non-profit organizations in Canada and the United States. Ruth is a recognized expert in the areas of
Governance and Strategic Planning. She also specializes in Organizational Change and Leadership Development.
As President of VISION Management Services, Ruth conducts workshops on a variety of topics in leadership, management and governance for executive directors, senior managers and board members. Her facilitation skills, in combination with her knowledge of, and experience in, a variety of sectors, create a highly stimulating learning environment. As a consultant her insightful analysis and creative ideas have been effective tools for developing leadership skills, addressing organizational needs and enabling strategic change.
After obtaining a BA in Psychology from McGill University, Ruth worked in the social services field for more than 10 years, after which she acquired an MBA at the University of Toronto. Her understanding of the public and non-profit sectors is based in part on these experiences, combined with her voluntary activities. Ruth has served as Board Chair* and in a variety of other capacities** on non-profit boards.
Ruth teaches non-profit governance and accountability as an Adjunct Faculty Member at York University's Schulich School of Business, MBA Program. Courses taught include: Non-profit Organizations and their Environment, Organizational Issues in the Non-profit Sector, and Civil Society: Non-profit Organziations, Community and Democracy. She has published a number of articles on governance and accountability in the non-profit sector.
Ruth is also a Co-founder of FutureShift Group Inc.. FutureShift has been helping organizations resolve workplace conflict and investigate workplace harassment and misconduct since 1992.
*Ontario Prevention Clearinghouse (now Health Nexus), Macaulay Child Development Centre and Project Management Association.
**Canadian Red Cross - Toronto Region, Canadian Public Health Association, Intedex (Canada) Inc., Toronto Dance Theatre, Training Renewal Foundation, and Youth Services Network.
Sandi Trillo, B.Comm., B.Ed. joined VISION Management Services in 2004. She has a background in the
design and development of performance improvement initiatives and
curricula; English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction; and
restaurant management. Since joining VISION Management Services, Sandi
has developed an appreciation for and understanding of the non-profit sector, its inherent creativity and challenges.
As an Associate with VISION Management Services, Sandi collaborates with Ruth to design planning sessions, workshops and leadership development programs; to conduct research and stakeholder consultation processes; and to develop presentations and reports. She occasionally acts as a scribe at planning sessions to capture discussions, enabling Ruth to concentrate on facilitation. She designed and maintains this website as well at the website for The Culture of Accountability project.
After obtaining a B.Comm. from the University of Guelph, Sandi spent several years overseas, including two years teaching ESL in Japan. She subsequently pursued a B.Ed. at the University of Toronto and then developed curricula and taught ESL at a Toronto school catering to adult learners from around the world. She later worked at Williams & Goffin Consulting, a small Toronto-based consulting firm specializing in performance improvement, where she acquired skills in instructional design.
Sandi spent several years on the board of Greenest City in Toronto; today she participates as a member of their Governance Committee. Greenest City is a non-profit, community-based organization that develops locally appropriate solutions (such as Parkdale's HOPE Community Garden). She also hosts a book club/Conversation Café on behalf of the Sierra Club in Toronto.
Mike Armstrong, BA (Hon), has been lending his expertise in conflict resolution and mediation to VISION Management Services since inception. Throughout his career Mike has facilitated conflict resolution with individuals, groups, families, institutions and within the justice system. He recently retired from a 26-year career as a Professor at Centennial College’s Community Services and Child Studies Department teaching Child and Youth Workers. In this role, Mike drew on his clinical experience working with at-risk youth; his knowledge of the youth justice system and his passion for conflict resolution and relationship building. He also designed an innovative Apprenticeship Program for Child and Youth Workers which helped to professionalize staff working in the field.
Mike’s Honours BA in Psychology at McMaster University and graduate work at the Centre for Criminology at the University of Toronto enabled him to take on a variety of roles at the Toronto Family Court Clinic. He resolved disputes and developed his clinical expertise in the juvenile criminal and provincial family court systems. This led to his participation on the Board of the influential Youth Services Network and later to policy work (related to what is now the Young Offenders Act) for the Ministry of Community and Social Services. Mike’s interest in justice has endured; he completed a Restorative Justice Training Program in 2007.
As a Consultant with VISION Management Services, Mike specializes in the areas of Conflict Resolution and Mediation; he is often retained to investigate and resolve organizational conflict. He investigates independently and as part of a FutureShift Group team. Mike is President and a Co-founder of the group that has been helping organizations resolve workplace conflict since 1992.
Mike has served on a number of boards over the years. During his term as Chair of Mercury Youth Services’ (now Turning Point) Board, the organization established a shelter for street-involved youth which remains today at Wellesley and Jarvis.