Speakers

Program   Speakers   Registration   Accommodation

 Please note: Speaker details will be added as they are confirmed

Stephanie Allan
Specialist, Early Years & Child Care Services, Regional Municipality of Peel

Michael Anhorn
CEO, CMHA Toronto

Michael is a settler of Irish, German and Scottish descent who grew up on the traditional lands of the Niitsítpiis-stahkoii (Blackfoot) First Nation in what is now known as Saskatchewan. He now resides on the traditional lands of the Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee, and Anishinaabe peoples, also known as Toronto. 

With over 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector, including working for 16 years in the response to homelessness. Michael has dedicated his career to building coalitions to address complex and intractable issues and system-level improvements in the response to homelessness and mental health. In November 2020, he took on the role of CEO of CMHA Toronto. 

Throughout his career, Michael has served on the Board of Directors of several not-for-profit organizations and was one of the founding Directors of two of them: one focused on preserving the spiritual practices of Indigenous peoples, and the other a community service organization for the LGBTQ2S+ communities. He currently sits on the board of FindHelp Information Services. 

Michael is passionate about supporting the growing role of peers in the delivery of mental health services. He works tirelessly to ensure that the not-for-profit sector, particularly CMHA Toronto, has the leadership and governance capacity it needs to support people in our communities. 

Michael holds a Master of Arts in Planning from the University of British Columbia. 

Sheila Block
Senior Economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Ontario Office

Jessica Braimoh
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, York University

Deborah Childs
Director, Strategic Partnerships, WCG Services

Cordelia Clark Julien
Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services

Dr. Gordon Cleveland
Consultant Economist, President of Cleveland Consulting: Early Childhood Education and Care Inc.

Angela Cooke
Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing

Nicole Cortese
Manager of Homelessness Operations, Regional Municipality of Niagara

Stéphan Corriveau
Executive Director, Community Housing Transformation Centre

Stéphan Corriveau is the Executive Director of the Community Housing Transformation Centre. Throughout his career, he was President of the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association, Executive Director of the Quebec Network of Non-Profit Housing (RQOH), Vice-President and Director - North America of the Habitat International Coalition and been part of the Community Housing Aboriginal Caucus Working Group. Over the past 35 years, he has had successful experiences in Canada, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East as an organizer, project manager, researcher, and advisor for local, regional and national non-profit organizations. He contributed to municipal, provincial, and federal policy development. He actively participated in developing thousands of new housing units and played a key role in restructuring large and small NPOs facing significant challenges. He completed a master's degree in law and one in political science.

Shannon Costello
Director of Children's Services, District of Cochrane

Naomi Couto
Director and Associate Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration, York University

Naomi Couto the Director and an associate professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration (SPPA) at York University. One of her goals as the School’s Director is to make high school students aware that public policy and administration is an exciting and worthy field of study that they should consider such studies when researching University level programs.  

SPPA prepares tomorrow’s leaders for work in the broader public sector, spanning all levels of government and non-profit organizations. Our diverse programs provide the multidisciplinary knowledge, critical thinking, analysis, and management skills that will help students realize your goals. Naomi is very proud of all the SPPA grads and is the former Graduate Program Director of the Masters in Public Policy, Administration and Law (MPPAL) program.

MPPAL provides students with a comprehensive and cutting-edge education, focused on social justice issues, public and administrative law, public sector ethics and human rights. While including all the elements of the standard curriculum followed by other Canadian MPA programs, the MPPAL includes the opportunity to study leading-edge subjects such as social justice and human rights, the impact of multiculturalism on policy development and implementation, as well as innovative approaches to labour relations and conflict resolution, and the impact of globalization.

Her areas of interest include Canadian criminal justice policy, education, ethical theory, and processes, practices, and power. She is currently working in the area of monotheism and public policy. Some of her publications include Paradox and Origin: On the Structure of Legal Communication, Violated and Silenced: The Gendering of Justice, Rob Ford and the End of Honour, Honest Politics Now: Seeking Integrity in Canadian Public Life, A Socio-Political Understanding of Education and Citizenship: Canadian Portuguese Youth, Alienation, and the Educational Process, and A Synthesis of Plato, Aristotle, and Marx on Critical and Liberal Education. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology from York University and has been presenting her research at International Conferences since 1998. She has been nominated for numerous teaching awards including, TVO’s Best Lecturer Competition, Ontario Wide, The President's University-Wide Teaching Award, the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations Teaching Award, the Faculty of Graduate Studies’ Teaching Award, and in 2023 was awarded the National CAPPA DeCelles Award for Excellence in Teaching Public Administration.

Kirsten Cutler
Executive Director, Transformation Secretariat, Employment and Training Division, Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development

Sponsor Presenter

Mike Davis
President and CEO, Davis Pier

Mike is the CEO of Davis Pier, a social impact consultancy with offices in Toronto and Halifax. He has worked as a consultant, public servant, and researcher with government and community sector partners across Canada, Europe, Africa, and Asia for over 20 years. His background as an engineer and social scientist brings a unique perspective to social service delivery—Mike is well-regarded for his ability to design and architect truly implementable solutions to complex societal issues. Mike’s passion for improving the well-being of Canadians has been a driving force behind Davis Pier’s transformation into a socially-focused consulting agency and its mission: innovative solutions to complex government and social challenges.
 
Mike’s consulting work has included projects focused on social service strategies, social assistance reform, the redesign of employment support programming, daycare regulatory reform, affordable housing innovation, and the design of new service models to support people living in food insecurity. 

Mike has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Industrial Engineering from Dalhousie University.  He also spent two years conducting research on the behaviour and decision-making of people living in poverty while completing his Master’s degree in Behavioural Sciences at the London School of Economics.  He has completed the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Behavioural Insights Program. He is certified as a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) a Distinguished Fellow with the Dalhousie University Faculty of Management.
 
Mike is the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for Kids Help Phone and Chairs its Youth Experience and Innovation Committee.  He was named to Province of Nova Scotia’s Environmental Racism Panel and dedicates significant time to supporting community organizations with a focus on alleviating poverty and better promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion principles.  Mike has also been named one of Atlantic Business Magazines Top 50 CEOs.  

Iain De Jong
President and CEO, OrgCode Consulting Inc.

Erin Dej
Associate Professor, Department of Criminology, Wilfred Laurier University

Samantha DiBellonia
Policy Lead, Maytree Foundation

Zoe Dodd
Community Scholar, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael's Hospital

Zoe Dodd has worked in harm reduction in Toronto for 20 years as a program coordinator, organizer and advocate who helped to found Toronto's first overdose prevention site in 2017 as a member of the Toronto Overdose Prevention Society. She co-founded the Toronto Community Hep C Program, a program for people who use substances, living with Hep C to access treatment and care. This model of support and care was one of the first in Canada and was modelled across the province of Ontario. 

Dodd has a Masters degree in Environmental Studies focusing on the experiences of people who use drugs with mandated drug treatment. She was named the inaugural community scholar at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, where she currently works. She has served as a member of Ontario's Opioid Task Force, the Toronto Drug Strategy Implementation Panel, and many other committees. 

She is currently working on many research and evaluation projects related to supervised consumption sites, harm reduction in shelters, encampments, criminalization, and treatment. 

Julia Drydyk
Executive Director, The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking

Harriet Ekperigin
Vice President, Mental Health, GreenShield

Harriet is the Vice President of Mental Health at GreenShield, a not-for-profit social enterprise passionate about creating better health for all Canadians. In her role, she is responsible for growing the Mental Health services that supports the organization’s mandate as a payer of benefits and a provider of health services. 

Harriet brings over 20 years’ experience in the mental health sector starting her career as a mental health nurse in the UK. Prior to her current role, Harriet was the Senior Lead for Virtual Mental Health at the Ontario Telemedicine Network and Ontario Health. She oversaw the dramatic growth of Ontario’s virtual mental health program – from a pilot project to Canada’s first province-wide, fully-funded internet-based cognitive behaviour therapy program. Of note, this program supported over 120,000 Ontarians during the COVID pandemic. 

She has held many transformative roles in the private and public sector, including with KPMG, the Ministry of Transportation, eHealth Ontario and the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health

She currently serves as Vice-Chair on the board of Directors for Connex Ontario.

Harriet holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a Master of Business Administration, and is Project Management Professional Certified. 

Bonnie Elder
Director, Ontario Works, City of Hamilton

Bonnie Elder is the Director Ontario Works and OW Administrator in the City of Hamilton’s Healthy and Safe Communities Department. She started her career with the City of Hamilton in November 1989 as a Case Manager and has worked her entire 34 year career within social services. 

As the Director of Ontario Works, Bonnie has led a number of important City of Hamilton initiatives in recent years including the Ukraine Response, Snow Angels Program and most recently the Asylum Seekers Program.

Providing sensational service delivered with integrity to the residents of the City of Hamilton is something Bonnie has been most passionate about during her career. Bonnie will be retiring at the end of 2023 and is honoured to have worked with so many caring, passionate and talented people.

Jayne Garner
Director of Operations, Peel and York, WCG Services

Julie Gaskin
Director, Children's Services Division, Regional Municipality of Durham

Jaimee Gaunce
Director of Policy and Stakeholder Relations, National Indigenous Collaborative Housing Inc.

Jaimee Gaunce is from Pasqua First Nation in Treaty Four Territory in Saskatchewan.  Jaimee has a Bachelor of Health Studies from the University of Regina, Health Managers Certification from the First Nations Health Managers Association, as well she is in her final semester of the Double Honors Degree program in Criminology and Policing at Wilfred Laurier University. 

Jaimee has worked in the private-sector pipeline industry but also has some very unique perspectives in the Indigenous and community housing sector. She sits on the Justice Committee for her First Nation providing guidance and support to those navigating the Justice System, The Regina Homelessness Board, and the Rhythmic Gymnastics as well as The Community Housing Transformation Centre Board of Directors as well as several other boards in support of Indigenous housing in urban, rural and northern areas. 

Favorite quote The unknown isn’t always comfortable but it’s where the magic happens

Sam Gilchrist
Executive Director, Gwekwaadziwin Miikan

Sam Gilchrist was born in Sudbury and raised on Manitoulin Island and comes from a mixed Scottish Settler background. Being raised on Manitoulin allowed Sam to explore and learn from the land as he grew. Sam is a graduate of the Laurentian Indigenous Human Services program (BSW), and the Wilfrid Laurier Masters of Indigenous Social work (MSW), as well as being a Registered Social Worker with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. Mr. Gilchrist’ career has afforded him to work with various First Nation Communities and Organizations across the helping field and post secondary education. Sam continues to reside on Manitoulin and explore and learn from the land with his wife and 3 Children.

Mr. Gilchrist is the Executive Director of Gwekwaadziwin Miikan; a Youth Mental Health & Addiction Program. Sam started with the United Chiefs and Councils of Mnidoo Mnising as the project manager for Gwekwaadziwin Miikan in the development phase. During this time, he conducted research on programming across North America and played a role in development, advocacy for funding, and training and start-up of the organization. In his continued work as Executive Director of the Gwekwaadziwin program, Mr. Gilchrist continues to learn with staff and participants how to best evolve the program to meet the needs of the vibrant Gwekwaadziwin community. 

Jodi Guilmette
Director, Employment & Social Services, Regional Municipality of Halton

Jodi was appointed Halton Region’s Director of Employment and Social Services Division in August 2015. Halton is one of the fastest-growing communities in Canada and home to four distinct municipalities: the City of Burlington and Towns of Halton Hills, Milton and Oakville.

In her current role, Jodi is accountable for the delivery of the provincially mandated Ontario Works program across Halton Region as well as several Regionally funded programs that support low income residents. Jodi is also responsible for a number of employment programs that support both job seekers and employers. In addition, Jodi is responsible for providing stewardship to the Halton Newcomer Strategy Steering Committee as it strives to achieve its vision of making Halton an inclusive community that values diversity and recognizes the mutual benefits and responsibilities of creating environments where newcomers can access supports and thrive.

Prior to joining the Region, Jodi worked for a number of municipalities in a variety of positions. In Norfolk County, she oversaw the delivery of the Ontario Works program for Haldimand and Norfolk Counties and was also responsible for the implementation of the provincially mandated Best Start initiative. With the City of Hamilton, Jodi led a multi-disciplinary community based team in the co-ordination of a broad range of services related to the planning, development and management of the early years system.

Jodi is passionate about helping people. She believes in equal opportunity for all people and also believes that there is much work to be done to make this a reality in the lives of so many people. For this reason, she has dedicated her career to making a difference in people’s lives.

Jodi received a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Western University.

Nancy Hendy
Program Manager, Every Child Belongs, Toronto Children's Services

Curtis Hildebrandt
Senior Advisor, Health System Transformation, Indigenous Primary Health Care Council

Colin Johnson
Chair of the Toronto Harm Reduction Alliance

Colin H. Johnson identifies as a Gay, Black man, a long-term HIV survivor and a Person Who Uses Drugs. He works as a consultant with governments, universities and private enterprise on issues of anti-Black racism, human rights, disabilities, decolonization, HIV, Hep C and Harm Reduction especially as it impacts African, Caribbean, Black and Queer communities. Colin is the Chair of THRA (Toronto Harm Reduction Alliance) as well as the Vice Chair of the Board of PASAN (Prisoners AIDS Support Network). An Advocate for the decriminalization of drugs he is a member of the Toronto Decriminalization Working Group for Substances. He graduated from Ryerson University with a Certificate in the AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities) and is now pursuing a Certificate in Mental Health and Addictions at Toronto Metropolitan University. A futurist, he is passionate about soccer and F1 Racing. 

Debra Johnson
Manager, Income and Social Supports, Human Services, Region of Peel

Lindsay Jones
Director of Policy and Government Relations, Association of Municipalities Ontario (AMO)

Lindsay Jones joined the Association of Municipalities of Ontario as the Director of Policy and Government Relations in October 2022, where she leads advocacy and policy work on behalf of Ontario’s municipal governments. Over the past 20 years, she has developed a deep expertise in strategy, policy and government decision-making through progressively senior roles in the Ontario and federal governments in areas such as income security, labour markets and employment, and community infrastructure. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre and the Jane and Finch Centre.

Samara Jones
Researcher, Canadian Observatory on Homelessness & A Way Home Canada; Coordinator - Housing First Europe Hub (FEANTSA) - on sabbatical 

Samara Jones has worked on homelessness and social justice issues both in Europe and Canada. She is usually based in Brussels and is the Coordinator of the Housing First Europe Hub.  This year, she is taking a sabbatical to spend a year back home in Canada and is working with the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and A Way Home Canada as a researcher. 

The Housing First Europe Hub (www.housingfirsteurope.eu) is a partnership of organisations, including FEANTSA (the European Federation of Organisations working with Homeless People) and the Y-Foundation (Finland), as well as over 20 housing providers, governments, cities, researchers and foundations from across Europe and beyond.  The Housing First Europe Hub promotes systems change to end and prevent homelessness based on the principles of Housing First. 

Zoltan Kertesz
Policy Advisor, Region of Peel

Alfred Lam
Executive Director of the Centre for Immigrant and Community Services and Board Chair/Provincial Director, Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants

Alfred Lam is a seasoned professional in the non-profit sector. He joined the Centre for Immigrant and Community Services (CICS) in 2010 and assumed the role of Executive Director in 2021. Under his leadership, CICS has continued to expand and improve its programs and services to meet the evolving needs of newcomers and communities across the Greater Toronto Area.

Alfred has been actively advocating for policies and programs that support immigrants and refugees. He is the Board Chair and Provincial Director for the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI), which advocates for and coordinates responses from more than 200 immigrant and refugee-serving agencies across the province. He also co-chairs York Region’s Newcomer Inclusion Table, a multi-sectoral group that advises regional government officials and staff on developing and implementing newcomer integration initiatives that respond to community needs. Prior to his tenure at CICS, Alfred was the Executive Director of the Helpmate Community Information and Volunteer Bureau in Richmond Hill.

Lorraine Lam
Crisis Outreach Worker, Regent Park Community Health Centre

Brian Lewis
Senior Fellow, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto, and Senior Fellow, C.D. Howe Institute

Brian Lewis is an experienced Canadian public policy economist currently based at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy of the University of Toronto, where he teaches in the Master of Public Policy and Undergraduate Public Policy Major programs. His areas of specialization include public finances, labour markets and macroeconomics. He is also a Senior Fellow with the CD Howe Institute.  Brian has recently published reports and been cited in the media on Ontario budgetary matters, financial support for manufacturing investments, public sector collective bargaining and housing policy.

Earlier in his career, Brian worked mostly in the Ontario Ministry of Finance in progressively senior roles in economic and fiscal policy, forecasting and analysis. He was Chief Economist and Assistant Deputy Minister of the Office of Economic Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Finance from 2015 to 2021. In that role, Brian led the development of advice to the Ontario government on economic performance, forecasting, analysis, and policy.  He also played a leadership role in statistics policy and practices. From 2012 to 2015 Brian was the inaugural Director of the Strategy and Integration Branch in the new Prevention Office in the Ontario Ministry of Labour, leading many aspects of the transformation of the provincial occupational health and safety system.

Prior to joining the Ontario Public Service, Brian taught economics at Wilfrid Laurier University, Brock University and the University of Alberta. He holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Master of Arts from the University of Alberta.

Brian is a member of the Board of Directors and Treasurer for Govfest, a registered charity that delivers an annual festival by Ontario-based public servants that celebrates music and arts and supports community-based projects worldwide.

Kyle MacIntyre
Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Health

Samantha MacNeill
Nurse Advisor, Anti-Human Sex Trafficking Strategy, Region of Peel

Samantha has dedicated her career to working with marginalized populations. She is a Registered Nurse and a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner with 23 years of experience working with victims, survivors and individuals at-risk of sexual violence, domestic violence and sex trafficking. She is also the Advisor of the Peel Anti-Human Sex Trafficking Strategy with the Region of Peel. She has experience working in public health, clinical settings and with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.  

Samantha supported the development of the Region of Peel’s Anti-Human Sex Trafficking Strategy and provides clinical training on human sex trafficking to health care providers across Ontario. Samantha is a strong social justice activist and change-maker.

Tara Matte
Director, Children's Inclusion Support Services and Chair, Ontario Network of Special Resource Programs

Tara has been active with ONSRP since 2017 and became co-chair in 2021.   She takes an active role in developing the networking plans and in leading meetings with the ONSRP members who represent SNR services across Ontario. 

She leads a team of 32 dynamic consultants at CISS, part of Andrew Fleck Children’s Services, in Ottawa. Currently, supporting the team with a transition in service delivery is the focus of her attention. 

James McLean
Director of Research and Policy, The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking

James McLean currently serves as the Director of Research and Policy at the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking. In this role, he is initiating a series of original policy briefs that assess how gaps in housing, shelter, and labour policy make people vulnerable to trafficking. Prior to joining the Centre, James worked with a non-profit organization in Ottawa, the City of Toronto, and as a Senior Advisor to Ontario’s Minister of Education. 

Holly Moran
Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education

Cameron Mustard
Adjunct Scientist, Institute for Work & Health and Professor of Epidemiology (Emeritus), University of Toronto

Naomi Nichols
Associate Professor & Canada Research Chair in Community-Partnered Social Justice, Trent University

Naomi Nichols is an Associate Professor (Sociology) and the Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Community-Partnered Social Justice at Trent University where she founded and directs the Research for Social Change Lab https://www.socialchangelab.ca/. 

Nichols’ research activities and publications span the areas of social inequality; poverty; homelessness; critical social policy studies; critical data and technology studies; youth justice; child welfare; education; youth at risk; youth mental health; higher education, research impact and community-academic research collaborations. 

Juliette Nicolet
Acting Director, Policy, Education, Monitoring & Outreach, Ontario Human Rights Commission

Juliette Nicolet is a seasoned social policy professional with extensive experience in public affairs, government relations, advocacy, strategic foresight and planning, and communications in urban Indigenous, non-profit and the broader social policy sector. She is currently Acting Director of Policy, Education, Monitoring and Outreach at the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Prior to this, she was the Director of Policy and Government Relations at the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres, and Counsel at the Ministry of the Attorney General. Juliette holds an MA from the University of Toronto and an LLB and a BCL from McGill University, and has two children who keep her on her toes more than any work ever could.

Susan Orlando
Provincial Coordinator, Ontario's Human Trafficking Prosecution Team, Ministry of the Attorney General

Joanne Pearson
Integrated Program Manager, Housing and Homelessness, District of Sault Ste. Marie

Charlene Pineda
Director, Operations, Employment Ontario, Ottawa & the Eastern Collaborative, WCG Services

Charlene is a dynamic operations strategist and communicator with a keen eye on emerging trends within the leadership space. With over 20 years of proven experience in for-profit and not-for-profit sectors, Charlene believes that Human Capital is our most expensive resource, therefore worthy of investment.

In her current role as the Director Operations for WCG Services - Employment Ontario, Ottawa and the Eastern Collaborative, Charlene is focused on helping employment service organizations reach and serve those, furthest from the labour market, to get jobs. Charlene is honoured to be part of the life changing effects of helping people find work.

Charlene holds a Master of Arts Degree in Leadership and a Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching, both from Royal Roads University. Charlene is also certified in Prosci Change Management, a Mentor for Women in Communications and Technology, and a Certified Member of the International Coaching Federation.

Denise Plinton
Advisor, Early Years & Child Care Services, Regional Municipality of Peel

Camille Quenneville
CEO, Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Division

Shanthi Rajaratnam
Senior Director, Service Quality, Fedcap Canada

Jennifer Richardson
Senior Director of Strategy and Communications, Ontario Native Women's Association

Alissa Savage
Senior Manager, Project Governance and Stakeholder Engagement, Transformation Secretariat, Employment and Training Division, Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development

Alissa Savage is Senior Manager at the Transformation Secretariat in the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development (MLITSD). She has over a decade of experience working in Social Assistance in various roles including as an ODSP caseworker, in analysts roles supporting the SAMS implementation, and as Manager for the Business Technology Solutions team. Since 2019, Alissa has been working on Employment Services Transformation for Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services where she led the implementation of prototypes catchments and Phase 1 for Social Assistance offices. More recently she has moved to MLITSD to continue working on EST supporting the Transformation Secretariat with Project Governance and Stakeholder Engagement. Alissa is passionate about developing client-centred solutions and about working collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders across the province. 

Sunny Sharma
Director, Business Innovation and Implementation Branch, Social Assistance Programs Division, Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services

Salima Tejani
Senior Contract Manager, WCG Services

Salima Tejani is a Senior Contract Manager at WCG Services, a leading Canadian organization dedicated to providing innovative workforce solutions to help individuals, families, and communities achieve their full potential. In her current capacity, Salima is responsible for working closely with Peel, York, and Ottawa Municipalities as their dedicated contract manager, where she provides leadership and support to accelerate performance and build capacity.

With over 15 years of progressive experience in operations and management of Government-funded programs and services, Salima has developed a deep understanding of community-centered services, community engagement, and integrated employment services. Her expertise has been instrumental in developing effective strategies that address the unique needs of diverse communities.
 
Salima's passion for community service and advocacy has been widely recognized, and she was awarded the Top 40 Under 40 award for being an exceptional community leader in Peel and advocate for immigrant inclusion in Canada. In addition to her professional achievements, Salima is actively involved in community initiatives and volunteers at the Ismaili Council for Canada.

Tana Turner
Principal, Turner Consulting Group

Christine Wilmot
Manager, Employment Service System, Regional Municipality of Durham

Christine Wilmot is the Employment Service System Manager with the Municipality of Durham Region.  Christine has over 25 years of experience in community employment services working in the not-for-profit and public sector.  Christine has extensive experience with system transformations and start-up and delivery of innovative programming.  Her true passion is supporting individuals furthest from the labour market.  Christine is looking forward to building a strong integrated employment services system in Durham set to launch January 2024.