Chelsea, Quebec Director General of Communications, National Research Council Emily Woods is passionate about how storytelling, partnerships, and thoughtful innovation can advance national initiatives and create positive change. She currently serves as Director General of Communications at the National Research Council of Canada, leading communications for the country’s largest research and innovation organization. Over the…
Sauble Beach, Ontario Teacher/OECTA Councillor, Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association Erin is an educator, labour leader, and community advocate from Sauble Beach, Ontario, with over 20 years of experience in education. She currently serves on OECTA’s Provincial Executive, where she helps develop policy and set priorities to support healthy and sustainable working conditions for educators…
Surrey, British Columbia Chief Programs and Advocacy Officer, Mothers Matter Canada Yusra Qadir works to advance systems change at the intersection of gender equity, care work, and newcomer integration. As Chief Programs and Advocacy Officer at Mothers Matter Canada, she leads pan‑Canadian initiatives supporting immigrant women and families, integrating program leadership, policy engagement, and data‑driven…
Whitehorse, Yukon Associate Professor, Yukon University Sara McPhee-Knowles is an Associate Professor in the School of Business and Leadership at Yukon University, and she has past experience in policy development with the Yukon government. In 2024, she chaired the Yukon Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform, sparking her interest in deliberative democracy. Sara’s professional interests focus…
Toronto, Ontario Head, Indigenous Youth Leadership Program, Mastercard Foundation Erica McCloskey is Algonquin and a member of Kebaowek First Nation through her mother, with mixed settler ancestry on her father’s side. She leads the Indigenous Youth Leadership Program at the Mastercard Foundation, a new initiative supporting Indigenous youth knowledge and leadership across Canada. Throughout her…
Fort McMurray, Alberta Security Specialist, Technology and Systems, Canadian Natural Resources Limited As a lifelong resident of Fort McMurray Alberta, Todd has a deep knowledge of both the challenges and successes of the region’s “boom-and-bust” industry cycle. A paramedic by trade and currently working in the oil sands under emergency and security management, he is…
Kingston, Ontario Co-founder, Program Director, Get on the Bus Driven by Small Change Fund Dan Hendry is a sustainability and community building leader focused on youth mobility, climate action, and systems change. He helped pioneer a simple and effective model in Kingston, Ontario that combined youth transit training with free transit passes, increasing annual high…
Innisfil, Ontario Child Protection Worker, York CAS President OPSEU/SEFPO Local 304 Andrew is a Child Protection Investigator and long-standing union president with more than 20 years in protection services. He began his career in Central Massachusetts, working on the front lines with high-risk youth involved in crime and gangs, an experience that shaped his lifelong…
Montreal, Quebec Editor – Tumivut Magazine, Avataq Cukltural Institute Janice Grey, is a Haitian Inuk author and editor from Aupaluk, in Nunavik northern Quebec. She published her first book of short stories, Cautionary Tales, in 2024. She currently lives in Montreal, teaching Inuktitut at Nunavik Sivuniksavut and writing freelance. Janice has become increasingly involved in…
Calgary, Alberta Assistant Professor and Clinician, University of Alberta and University of Calgary Dr. Monty Ghosh is an internist, addiction medicine specialist, and health-systems researcher working at the intersection of clinical care, public health, and innovation for marginalized groups. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary, and…
