Yevgen Vazhaylo

Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec Officer Commanding, Canadian Forces Leadership And Recruit School Yevgen is a Canadian Armed Forces officer, but first a father, a partner, and a builder of teams. What drives him is people—how they learn, adapt, and perform when they feel trusted and supported. He has led large teams in demanding environments, made hard decisions,…

Darcy (Joseph) Tootoosis

Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan Lands & Economic Strategy Advisor, Kihew Consulting & Research Joseph Tootoosis is a proud member of Flying Dust First Nation and the Lands & Economic Strategy Advisor at Kihew Consulting & Research. He is a First Nations lands and economic development specialist with over 10 years of experience working with Indigenous governments,…

Florence Tanguay

Gatineau, Quebec Manager, Public Health Agency of Canada Florence Tanguay manages the Global Public Health Intelligence Network with the Center for Emergency Preparedness. She is a mother of three, including a kindergartener, so life is wonderfully full. Even with a busy schedule, she finds fulfillment both at work and in my personal life. She maintains…

Graeme Reed

Ottawa, Ontario Strategic Advisor, Assembly of First Nations Dr. Graeme Reed is a Strategic Advisor at the Assembly of First Nations, working to elevate First Nations in national and international dialogues. He does this in a variety of contexts, including on Ministerial advisory committees, non-profit Boards, Parliamentary committees, and UN climate change processes. In his…

Samantha Reusch

Montreal, Quebec Executive Director, Apathy is Boring Sam Reusch is the Executive Director of Apathy is Boring, a leading non-partisan democracy organization mobilizing young people across Canada. Since 2020, she has led national growth, scaled year-round programs, and delivered record-setting youth participation and turnout campaigns. Her work centers on democratic reform, elections, and countering mis-…

Tanya Palson

Winnipeg, Manitoba Executive Director, Manitoba Building and Construction Trades Council Tanya Palson is Executive Director of the Manitoba Building and Construction Trades Council, representing 12 affiliated unions and more than 10,000 skilled trades professionals. She also serves as Chair of Manitoba’s Apprenticeship and Certification Board. With a background in public policy, communications, and workforce development,…

Heela Omarkhail

Toronto, Ontario Vice President, Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships, The Daniels Corporation Heela Omarkhail is Vice President, Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships at The Daniels Corporation, a purpose-driven real estate developer based in Toronto. She leads social impact and business development strategies focused on affordable housing and cross-sector partnerships. Drawing on her lived experience growing up in…

Dorothy Melville Hsia

Mississauga, Ontario Vice President, Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF), District 19 Peel Dr. Dorothy Hsia Melville is a secondary educator and union leader based in Ontario. They serve as Vice President of the province’s second largest district teachers union. They have led province-wide professional learning on human rights and have advised on education-related policy…

Sara-Christine Gemson

Toronto, Ontario Directrice générale, Fellowship d’Action Canada et école du Forum des politiques publiques For the last decade, Sara-Christine Gemson has been a non-profit leader, focusing on effective communications, deploying resources in alignment with clearly defined strategic outcomes, and developing programs that are filling a gap in the market. SC was VP of Programs at…