Speaker:

• Dr. JP Gedeon, Leadership Psychology and Transformation Expert; Chief Executive Officer, Transformative Directions

Speakers:

• (Moderator) Miranda Mackie, Manager, Children Services, Children Services Section, City of Greater Sudbury

• Jane Bertrand, Program Director, Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation
  Jane Bertrand is the Program Director at the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation. The Foundation’s focus is on early childhood practices, policies and research in Canada. Jane is also an Adjunct Professor at OISE, University of Toronto and participates in OISE’s Flex Early Learning PhD program.  Jane worked in collaboration with Dr. Fraser Mustard and the Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain as the research coordinator for Early Years Study (1999), Early Years Study 2 (2007), Early Years Study 3 (2011) and Early Years Study 4 (2020).  In 2013, Jane received an honourary doctorate from the University of New Brunswick, for her contribution to early childhood education in Canada. 

  Jane was Professor at the School of Early Childhood at George Brown College until June 2011 and initiated a Bachelor of Early Childhood Leadership degree. She worked with the Ontario Early Learning Advisor to the Premier of Ontario that led to Full Day Kindergarten for four- and five-year-olds and was chair of Ontario’s Expert Panel that produced a provincial early learning curriculum framework. Jane is a member of the Directing Committee of the Centre for Excellence for Early Child Development and was a member of the Toronto First Duty Research team. She was a contributing author of the Science of Early Child Development (www.scienceofecd.com). Jane has authored a textbook, Becoming and Being an Early Childhood Professional and co-authored a textbook, The Essentials of Early Childhood Education, Canadian Edition. In Australia, she currently is on the research advisory committee for Our Place in Victoria and the Good Start Thought Leaders Advisory Group.

• Carolyn Ferns, Public Policy and Government Relations Coordinator, Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care
  Carolyn Ferns is Public Policy Coordinator at the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care. Carolyn worked for over ten years at the Childcare Resource and Research Unit, where she co-authored the Early Childhood Education and Care in Canada series. Carolyn has a Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Early Childhood Studies. She is a member of the Board of Directors of both Child Care Now and the Childcare Resource and Research Unit.

• David Lee, Consultant, Program and Policy Development, Child Care, City of Toronto
• Dan McCormick, Chief Administrative Officer, Rainer River DSSAB and OMSSA Past-President
• Kerry McCuaig, Fellow in Early Childhood Policy, Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto
  Kerry McCuaig is a Fellow in Early Childhood Policy at the Atkinson Centre, University of Toronto. Kerry co-developed and produces the Early Childhood Education Report, which tracks provincial/territorial progress in early years program development. She co-authored Early Years Study 3, Making Decisions, Taking Action with Margaret McCain and the late Fraser Mustard.
  
  Kerry has had a long involvement in early childhood policy including as a founder of Toronto First Duty, a pioneer in the integrated delivery of early childhood programming and in the development of Full Day Kindergarten.
  
  Kerry has authored several publications, including those commissioned by the Senate of Canada, the Toronto Board of Trade, and the governments of Manitoba, New Brunswick, the Northwest Territories, British Columbia, Ontario and the City of Toronto as well as reports for labour, women‘s and community organizations. 

Speakers:

• (Moderator) Jacqueline Johnson, Director, Community Access, Regional Municipality of Peel

• Adam Christmas, Property Manager, Community Services & Social Development, Housing & Homelessness Department, City of Brantford & Unit Chair - Ontario Works Brant and Housing Unit, CUPE Local 181
  Adam has been with the City of Brantford since 2010 in number of roles within the Housing & Homelessness Department as well as the Family & Income Stability Departments.  He has also been involved in the CUPE Local 181 Union since 2014 in various roles including his current role as Unit Chair. 

• Justin Diggle, Counsel, Miller Thomson LLP

  Justin Diggle is Counsel at Miller Thomson LLP.  Prior to joining the firm, Justin was a partner with a management labour and employment law boutique firm and subsequently served as Legal Counsel  with one of the province‘s largest Crown corporations. Justin most recently held the position of Senior Legal Counsel, Human Resources leader and Chief Collective Bargaining negotiator for one of Ontario‘s largest municipalities.  

  In addition to being a trusted business advisor and negotiator, Justin is an experienced advocate who has appeared before private arbitrators and the Grievance Settlement Board, the Ontario Labour Relations Board, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, Canada Labour Code Adjudicators and the courts.  Justin is also dedicated to training and education, having designed and delivered seminars and programs for a number of clients and professional organizations, and having taught for 21 years at the university level.

• Marianne Fenton, Manager, Human Resources Strategy and Workplace Culture, Municipality of Chatham-Kent

  Marianne Fenton is the Manager of HR Strategy & Workplace Culture at the Municipality of Chatham-Kent.  

  Her career began as a teacher with the Lambton Kent District School Board after graduating with an Honours BA from the University of Guelph and a Bachelor of Education from Western University. More recently, she achieved a Master Practitioner in Organizational Development from Queen’s University. 

  Great experiences working for the United Way of Chatham-Kent, the Ministry of Community & Social Services, University of Guelph and the County of Kent lead her to an exciting and rewarding career in Human Resources with Chatham-Kent where she has worked for over 25 years. 

  Marianne is a member of the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT), the Ontario Municipal Human Resources Association (OMHRA), and is a Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) managing a portfolio that includes the recent development of the Working Remotely policy.

  Marianne looks forward to collaborating with municipal partners today to discuss the opportunities and challenges to consider when transitioning to a hybrid workplace culture. 

• Brian Hutchings, Chief Administrative Officer, City of Brantford
  Brian Hutchings was appointed the City of Brantford‘s Chief Administrative Officer in August 2019. Guided by the policies and priorities of Council, he leads the single tier City of Brantford and brings together the efforts of all departments, ensuring that the City's programs and services meet the demands and expectations of the community.

  Previous to Brian‘s position in Brantford, Brian spent seven years as Vice-President, Administration at Brock University. Brian was the Acting President of Brock University for a period between Presidents.

  Prior to Brock, Hutchings was a senior staff member at the Niagara Region for 14 years. He held the positions of Commissioner of Corporate Services/Regional Treasurer and Commissioner of Community/Social Services. He is a past Board member and past President of OMSSA.

• Dr. Arif Jetha, Scientist, Institute for Work & Health, Assistant Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
  Dr. Arif Jetha is a scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. He is also an assistant professor (status-only) at the University of Toronto‘s Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
  
  Jetha earned his PhD in behavioural sciences and public health at the University of Toronto, and an MSc in health community and development from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He also held post-doctoral fellowships at the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety and the Institute for Work & Health.

  Jetha‘s program of research aims at understanding how the future of work will affect the employment of vulnerable workers. He is also interested in understanding life course differences in the labour market experiences of youth and young adults living with disabling health conditions with a focus on the school-to-work transition.

  Jetha's research takes a systems perspective to understand the role of policy-level factors and organizational conditions in the prevention and management of work disability. Jetha uses mixed-methods research approaches to pursue his research program and produce findings that are relevant and usable for diverse stakeholders. He is currently the recipient of the Stars Career Development Award from the Arthritis Society.

Speakers:

• (Moderator) Heidy Van Dyk, Acting General Manager, Health & Social Services, County of Norfolk

• Maya Ingrao, Housing Support Worker, Homeless Prevention Services, County of Norfolk
  Maya Ingrao is a Housing Support Worker at Norfolk County, working in the Homeless Prevention Services Team. Maya is a graduate from Western University, where she obtained an Honors Bachelors‘ Degree with a Specialization in Psychology. She has worked within the Housing Department of Norfolk County for the last three years, where she has assisted with developing the County‘s Emergency Housing Program, Intake/Diversion and Community Housing Support Services.  She has previous experience working in Hamilton within the Homelessness and VAW Sectors. Maya currently works in a frontline capacity providing case management supports to clients who are currently experiencing homelessness or at-risk. She is passionate about working from anti-racist and anti-oppressive framework as well as aligning her work closely with Health Equity, Housing First and Harm Reduction principles. Maya also continues her advocacy in the community by sitting on the Board of Directors for the Brant-Haldimand-Norfolk Community Legal Clinic.
  

• Louise Lovell, Program Manager, Homeless Prevention Services, County of Norfolk

• Megan Phillips, Registered Psychotherapist, Phillips Psychotherapy Services

• Monica Riutort, Manager, Peel Institute on Violence Prevention, Family Services of Peel

  I have earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Chile and a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Counseling Psychology at the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at York University. Along with my schooling, I have extensive experience working with organizations and agencies leading training, research, and programs that address equity, inclusion, and trauma. 

  I am passionate about working collaboratively to promote social integration and respect for human dignity. I am currently serving as Manager for Family Services at the Peel Institute on Violence Prevention (PIVP) where I lead and build human, social, and community capacity. In this role, I have had the opportunity to provide sound strategic advice to senior management and staff and develop innovative programs that address equity from a framework of anti-oppression and anti-racism. I am a founding member of the International Society for Equity in Health as well as establishing the Americas, Balkan, and Middle Eastern Chapters for this organization. I have managed a network of over 250 equity researchers globally as well as recently completed a publication entitled New Roads to Anti-Racism Oppression and Equity for the International Diversity Journal. My career also includes teaching primary health care, trauma screening, and trauma-specific in academic and community settings and developing strategic community coalitions with a strong focus on equity, human sex trafficking, violence against women and women’s reproductive health. I have over 10 years of experience writing grant proposals for programs and research initiatives. I have extensive knowledge of qualitative research using grounded theory and action research. I also have experience developing partnerships between the community, academia, and service providers. My experience also includes making regional, provincial, and international connections with equity and violence against women networks. I have developed a Trauma Screening Training and Trauma Specific Manuals.

• Sandra Rupnarain, Executive Director, Family Services of Peel
  Sandra Rupnarain is the Executive Director at Family Services of Peel and is focused on transformational leadership, live the culture, and lead by example through setting expectations and leveraging human capital. She creates a culture of learning and motivating through mentoring and a systemic approach and evaluative measures based on actionable long and short term outcomes. Her research interests are focused on Violence prevention and immigrant refugee, marginalized and racialized women. She established the Peel Institute on Prevention, a research arm of Family services of Peel that bridges academia and community to develop evidenced based services on all forms of violence prevention. Her special interests is in evidence informed practice, data driven, quality improvement and equitable service outcomes. Sandra has presented to a wide variety of audiences locally, nationally and internationally on promising practices with a diversity and anti-oppressive lens. She has over 20 years of experience writing grant proposals, operationalizing programs, developing research initiatives, collecting and analyzing data to inform continuous program improvement. 

Speakers:

• Gertie Mai Muise, Chief Executive Officer, Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres & Member, Urban Sub-Working Group, 2SMMIWG Urban National Action Plan

Speaker:

• Catherine Chambers, Economic Development Researcher and PhD Student
  Catherine Chambers has facilitated learning and development programs for a range of professionals across Canada and the United States. She has recently worked on racial-justice and equity and inclusion initiatives with the House of Commons, Dairy Farmers of Ontario, CBC-Radio Canada, and the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa. Her research is grounded in social change at the intersection of anti-racism, innovation, sustainability and economic development. Catherine is an Ontario Certified Teacher and she holds two graduate degrees in education (Master of Teaching and Master of Education) from the University of Toronto where she is currently completing her PhD. 

Speakers:

• (Moderator) Craig Cooper, Director of Housing Stability Services, City of London
  Craig Cooper is the Director of Housing Stability Services at the City of London. Before coming to the City in April 2019, Craig worked as a program supervisor at Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. In this role, Craig oversaw the Developmental Services Sector for Grey and Bruce counties.
   
  Craig has also worked at the Ministry of Municipal of Housing as a Senior Housing Advisor and oversaw implementation of the various Provincial housing and homelessness programs.
   
  Craig has an HBA from Western University and spends his spare time with his Wife and two kids. Craig has been a Big Brother for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of London and Area for the past 13 years.

• Deborah Everley, Chief Executive Officer, Kenora Association for Community Living
  Originally from Red Lake in Northwestern Ontario, and choosing to live in Kenora to live, work and play for the past 38 years, Deborah has always had a perspective on doing what is necessary to create capacity and confidence in her community, and its citizens, that they have the answers within to create the solutions needed to address the social conditions that serve to confine the dreams and aspirations of its people.
  
  As a fierce advocate for inclusion and the healing power of gifts, Deborah was involved in the efforts to deinstitutionalize people with developmental disabilities living away from their families and to welcome them back home. It was a bit of surprise for her and her staff to find that the powerful social forces that served to remove people from their families and homes to place them in institutions far from home had emerged again in her community and were focused now on young adults with developmental disabilities, who were struggling with trauma, addictions and mental health needs, and who were unable to find a safe place to call home. Since 2014 KACL has been learning alongside transition aged youth, to understand what they need to feel belonging, safety and joy, on their terms, and how to help them find and maintain housing. Deborah leads her team to deliver a diverse range of inclusive living options to adults with developmental disabilities, and works with KDSB, private sector landlords, and other stakeholders in order to ensure that the most vulnerable in her community have a place to call home.
  
  Deborah is the co-chair of the All Nations Health Partners OHT which is working collectively on Treaty #3 lands where citizens of 10 First Nation communities and the City of Kenora share the riches of the lands and the responsibilities for the delivery of health and social services for all its people.  She is also a founding Partner of From Presence to Citizenship, a coalition of leaders within the developmental services sector committed to ensuring that the institutions of the mind do not replace the warehousing institutions of the past, and that people with developmental disabilities can live in the home of their choice and with the supports they need to live successfully, meaningfully enjoying the citizenship rights all Ontarians enjoy. Deborah will tell you that it is the relationships she has with these two collaborations, and the many relationships she and her team have built in her community, that allow her and her team to work in new ways to support the housing related needs of the vulnerable populations in her community.

• Tom Fortier, Manager, Housing Programs, County of Simcoe
  Supporting affordable and community housing since 2008, Tom has worked within multiple services managers building diverse knowledge of the community housing system and affordable housing programs. Tom has been with the County of Simcoe since 2016, and is currently managing the Housing Programs team to deliver a diverse range of social and affordable housing investments within non-profit and community housing providers, private sector landlords, and other stakeholders in order to ensure the effective delivery of the County's housing programs that target local community needs.

• Haily MacDonald, Director of Operations, Huronia Transition Homes
  
  

• Sarah Stevenson, Director of Integrated Social Services, Kenora District Services Board
  

Speakers:

• (Moderator) Heather Tillock, Manager of Community Partnerships & Support Services, York Region

• Kojo Damptey, Executive Director, Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion
  Kojo Damptey is an interdisciplinary scholar practitioner, musician and decolonial advocate. His work revolves around communication, music, African culture, African politics, International Development and social movements. Born in Ghana, he moved to Hamilton in 2001 to pursue a degree in Chemical Engineering at McMaster University.
  
  He is currently working towards a Master of Arts at McMaster University in Cultural Studies and Critical Theory, studying African Political Thought for the 21st Century and beyond, and has also received an Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from Royal Roads University.
  
  

• Jenna Dolly, Policy and Project Development Specialist, York Region
  Jenna Dolly wants to live in a world where people are free to live, work and play without systemic oppression and discrimination and where social systems actually work for people not against them. Balancing a family with two young children, Jenna openly navigates the challenges of work/life balance in her roles as a social worker and policy specialist. With a Bachelors and Masters degree in Social Work, Jenna’s career expands 15+ plus years of frontline community work, direct client support, and policy analyst experience. A true advocate at heart, Jenna lives and breathes community, disrupting structural oppression and values meaningful dialogues. In her career at York Region she has held the roles of a Social Assistance Case Worker in Social Services, a Social Worker in Public Health and now a Policy and Project Development Specialist in the Inclusion and Accessibility unit specifically working on the portfolio of implementing York Region’s Action Plan to address anti-Black racism.
  
  

• Moira Eichenberg, Program Supervisor - Youth Inclusion Program, Recreation & Culture Division, Community Services Department, City of Thunder Bay

  Moira Eichenberg is a Youth Inclusion Program Supervisor and serving member of Sisters for Canadian Black Community in Thunder Bay. She is also a member of the Federation of Black Canadians. Moira obtained a Bachelors degree in Social Sciences and has worked in mental health and community services for over 7 years.

  Her passion for social justice services, equality and diversity has led her to foster networking among with the Black owned Businesses and Professional in Canada. Moira advocates for youth and family services. She is also a proud hockey, soccer and track and field supporter of her three children.
  

• Marci Gray, Chief Executive Officer and Lead Psychotherapist, Gray Matter Health
  

• Jabari Lindsay, Manager, Employment and Social Services, City of Toronto

• Hanna Samater, Program Manager (A), Addressing Anti-Black Racism and Inclusion Initiatives Strategies and Partnerships, Community and Health Services Department, York Region
  Hanna Samater is the Acting Program Manager for Addressing Anti-Black Racism and Inclusion at the Regional Municipality of York (York Region). Her fascination with solving complex problems and passion for community led her to a career in social policy development and analysis. She now brings this lens to her current role where she leads delivery of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and implementation of York Region‘s Action Plan to Address Anti-Black Racism. Hanna holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts and Science from McMaster University. With her education and experience in public policy, she strives to deeply examine the social fabric and systems that govern how we live and work to find and develop equitable solutions where everyone can thrive. Hanna previously worked in progressive roles in York Region‘s Finance Department working on budget development and exploring the intersections between policy and finance to deliver departmental priorities. 

Speakers:

• (Moderator) Stuart Beumer, Director of Ontario Works, County of Wellington

• Denise Andrea Campbell, Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, City of Toronto

  Denise Andrea Campbell has been working nationally and internationally on social inclusion issues since the age of 16. Before joining the City of Toronto, she worked internationally on race and gender policies in numerous United Nations forums and the African Union.

  She's received numerous awards for these efforts and has been an avid media spokesperson on social inclusion-related issues.

  Denise joined the Toronto Public Service in 2004 as a Community Development Worker assigned to the Toronto Youth Cabinet, and quickly moved on to progressively more senior positions. In the City of Toronto’s Social Development, Finance and Administration Division she’s worked in youth development, led the Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy, and as Director of Community Resources, oversaw the City's neighbourhood revitalization, Tower Renewal, community development, and community funding portfolios. 

  In April 2014, she became the Director of Social Policy, Analysis and Research, bringing a community development approach to complex social policy development and implementation. She has lead files such as the Poverty Reduction Strategy, developing a Social Procurement Strategy for the City, and a strategy on Confronting Anti-Black Racism.

  Most recently, she was named Executive Director, Social Development Finance and Administration Division in Community and Social Services.

  Denise holds a Masters of Voluntary Sector Management from McGill University and completed her undergraduate degree in Political Science and Women's Studies at the University of Ottawa and University of Toronto. She is a passionate transformational leader able to work collaboratively with a broad range of community and institutional stakeholders, building agreement and support across many divergent perspectives and competing interests. 

• Martine Creasor, Circles Canada & Lambton Coordinator, Homelessness Prevention and Children's Services, County of Lambton

• Ashley O'Brien, Manager, Integrated Care Hub, Trellis HIV and Community Care

• Jessica Plain, Circles Leader and Student
  Jessica Plain is a strong Indigenous woman. She is the proud mother of 4 beautiful children, 2 girls and 2 boys. Jessica is a fighter and stands up for what she believes in. She has just finished her first year of college in the Pre-Community Service program. Jessica applied and was accepted into the Social Service Worker program for September 2022.
  
  Jessica’s dream job would be to work with people who are struggling with mental health and addictions. She would also love to do this work within her own Indigenous community. Jessica wants to show her community that with hard work and dedication, recovery is possible. 

Speakers:

• (Moderator) Sutha Balasingham, Head, Strategic Initiatives, Community and Health Services, York Region

• Bill Bradica, Chief Administrative Officer, District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board

• Jessica Logozzo, Executive Vice President, Regional Transformation and Integration, Thunder Bay Regional Health Services Centre
  Jessica Logozzo is the Vice President, Strategy and Regional Transformation in Northwestern Ontario. In this role, she works in an integrated leadership role, on behalf of all of the hospitals in Northwestern Ontario, to advance health system transformation and integration. She has the privilege of working with many urban and rural health system partners to build an integrated experience for people across the region; with the ultimate aim to improve the health experience and outcomes for the people in the North West region. She currently Co-Chairs the Northwestern Ontario Integrated Care Working Group, which is focused on advancing Ontario Health Teams in the North West. Prior to this role, she was the Director of System Strategy and Innovation at Ontario Health North and a Management Consultant with KPMG, where she led large system transformation initiatives across the province as well as in New York State. 
  

• Diane Walker, Chief Executive Officer, Children's Centre Thunder Bay

Speaker:

• Françoise Mathieu, Psychotherapist and Executive Director, TEND Academy
  Françoise is a Registered Psychotherapist in the province of Ontario and a subject matter expert on topics related to psychological trauma, empathic strain and secondary trauma. Françoise has worked for nearly 25 years in community mental health, crisis intervention and with the military and law enforcement. Françoise's company TEND developed a training program in 2002 to help professionals recognize and manage the impact of working in high stress, trauma exposed settings.

  This program has grown in size and scope since its early inception and TEND is now present across North America, offering training and consulting to a wide variety of workplaces. Françoise has worked with the Los Angeles Police, St Jude Children's Hospital, Cirque du Soleil, the Chief Coroner’s Office, several many other organizations who do high stress exposed work. Please visit the TEND Academy website for more information.