The Service Excellence Program team consists of individuals with expertise in process improvement and organizational change management who collaborate with the wider community to create a culture of client-centric service delivery across York.
The program takes a community-focused approach to identify opportunities for improvement and implement solutions that meet the long-term needs of the community. And works to create an environment where staff are empowered to provide outstanding service in all interactions.
Service Excellence Program Leadership
Mario Verrilli | Executive Director, Service Excellence Program
Mario Verrilli is a proud York University graduate who has dedicated 25 years of his career to the University. Prior to joining the Service Excellence Program, Mario held numerous roles at York, including as the director of institutional enrolment and resource planning within the Office of Institutional Planning and Analysis and assistant vice-provost, resources and strategic planning within the Division of Students. Mario's versatility and deep understanding of the University's operations have allowed him to contribute meaningfully to a diverse range of departments and initiatives. His dedication to service excellence and strategic planning has earned him a reputation for delivering exceptional results while driving positive change.
This big fan of superhero comics and movies invites you to drop by his office to geek out.
Matt Zilli | Director, Process and Service Improvement
Matt has a background in human-centered design, business strategy, and project management that he applied to delivering process and service improvement solutions since he joined York in 2019. He applies his expertise in leading others through the human-centered design process, from beginning to end, to solve tough business problems for businesses at all stages of growth and across many different industries, including within the technology, health, and education spaces. Matt holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Politics and Philosophy from Queen's University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.
His passion for nature and outdoor sports started early. His first memory is of being taken down an expert ski run as a toddler while his father held him by a harness.
Abdulazeez “Azeez” Dawodu | Director, Project Management Office and Organizational Change Management
Azeez joined the Service Excellence Program team in 2021 to lead change management efforts. He has over 12 years of experience advising clients across the public and private sectors, with a focus on change management, communications, and organization design. Prior to joining York, Azeez worked with Celestica and LCBO in Canada and PwC in South Africa and Nigeria. He holds a Master of Arts in Human Resources from Leeds University Business School and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Anthropology from the University of Ife.
Azeez is a huge fan of soccer and when he’s not working, you can find him on a pitch somewhere in the GTA playing.
Process and Service Improvement Team
Adetola Oyinlola | Lead, Process & Service Improvement
Adetola successfully leads digital transformation projects at York. She holds an MBA in Finance and Risk Management from Concordia University Wisconsin and is Scrum Master, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, and Prosci® change management certified. Prior to joining York, she worked as a Scrum Master and Business Analyst.
When not working, Adetola likes to listen to music, sing, and travel, although, ironically, she has a fear of flying.
Nador Bakalli | Lead, Process & Service Improvement
Nador specializes in driving improvements across finance services, including invoicing, vendor management, and accounts payable. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA), in Commerce from York University, is Six Sigma Green Belt certified, and is an ISO 9001 Internal Auditor.
Nador is very close with his family and enjoys spending time with them, playing soccer, and advocating for the absentee voting rights of the Albanian diaspora.
Maria Rosalind Victorio | Lead, Process & Service Improvement
Maria’s degrees in Psychology and Management are put to good use in her role with the Service Excellence Program. Prior to joining York’s School of Continuing Studies, Maria worked at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Asia Pulp & Paper-China, and Accenture before changing her career focus to on transformational project management. She is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and has Scrum Master and Project Management certification.
Maria enjoys being in nature and lives by the notion that people may forget what you say but won’t forget how you made them feel.
Sukhjit Ghuman | Lead, Process & Service Improvement
Sukhjit’s passion for technology and lean principles for business processes is evident in his work with the Service Excellence Program and his experience in robotic process automation and machine learning. He holds an MBA in Operations Management and has varied experience designing and implementing solutions for insurance and finance services and contact centres.
Outside of work, Sukhjit loves to cook, play chess, and run technical analyses of stocks and currency pairs.
Augustina Oguntoye | Lead, Process & Service Improvement
Augustina has more than 10 years of project and operations experience, including managing full-cycle technical projects within the post-secondary sector, but worked most recently with Technical Safety BC as a Project Manager. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Lagos, a Master of Science in Management from Robert Gordon University, and a Mastère Spécialisé Business Administration Research from ESSEC Business School. Augustina is also a Six Sigma Black Belt through ASQ, holds PMP and Agile project management certifications through PMI, and is a Certified Change Practitioner through Prosci®.
Ernest Byers | Lead, Process & Service Improvement
Ernest returns to York after spending two years in Atlantic Canada raising twins with his wife and coaching C-suite executives through frontline staff in the understanding and application of continuous improvement in business. He holds a Master of Industrial & Organizational Psychology, a Doctorate in Adult Learning & Leadership, has a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and Global Leadership Coach certification. His extensive experience at York includes roles as a process improvement lead within York’s Service Transformation initiative, program lead for Learning and Organizational Development leadership programs, including Emerging Leaders U, and a course director within the School of Health Policy and Management. Ernest also led the Centre of Excellence & Capability Building at KPMG and the Improving and Driving Excellence Across Sectors program at with the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
Alessia De Faveri | Summer Student
Alessia is in her second year of studies towards her Bachelor of Business Administration from York's Schulich School of Business. The four-year honours BBA program provides students with a strong foundation in all aspects of general management, including accounting, marketing, finance, and strategy. These skills and the experience gained as part of the Service Excellence Program team will help Allesia achieve her aims of working in the accounting or finance fields.
In her spare time, Alessia loves to read non-fiction novels and hike.
Project Management and Organizational Change Management Team
Maximilian Mackenzie Fantuz | Data Strategy Manager
Max applies his expertise in strategic management, data analytics, continuous improvement, and business process mapping to help leaders make data-informed decisions and that ensure services are delivered on time, on quality, and within budget. He holds an MBA and Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Windsor, is Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certified, and is working toward a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
In his spare time, you can find Max wearing his Excel sweater and planning family events in Excel.
Vivian Hisey | Learning and Change Strategist
Vivian brings twenty years of experience running her own corporate consulting firm and teaching at the School of Business at George Brown College to her work. She is certified in Prosci® Change Management and is both a recognized training and development professional and an Organizational Growth Indicator® Associate who specializes in supporting organizations implementing new service-related initiatives.
Vivian joins the Service Excellence Program through a partnership with Organizational Learning and People Excellence (OLPE) helping to bring York’s "vision for Service Excellence" to life.
In addition to working at York, Vivian is a talented screen and voice actor.