August 30, 2022, 13:30-15:00 PST
Location: UVIC, David Strong Building, C116 (in-person only)
The health, food supply, and well-being of individuals and communities (both urban and rural), as well as national security, depend on a web of complex and uncertain global supply chains for the sourcing and distribution of goods and services. The advancement of transportation, communication, and information technologies has encouraged outsourcing and the further growth and expansion of global supply chains. In 2019, more than US$19 trillion was funneled through these chains, which are defined as loosely coupled sets of interdependent organizations that work from farm-to-composter or from mine-to-recycler.
Climate change, social inequalities, slavery, and the COVID-19 pandemic have revealed the fragility and the many vulnerabilities of global supply chains. The war in Ukraine, the ramping inflation, and increasing divides around the world are additional causes of concern about the resilience of global supply chains.
This round table will gather experts, stakeholders, and delegates to explore the following questions:
Dr. Elizabeth Borycki is a Professor in the School of Health Information Science at the University of Victoria. She is the Director of the Social Dimensions of Health and the Director of the Health and Society programs in the Office of Interdisciplinary Studies. Elizabeth received her PhD from the Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto, a Masters degree from the University of Manitoba in geriatrics and community health nursing and an Honours Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Lakehead University. Elizabeth joined the University of Victoria over 10 years ago. Prior to coming to the University of Victoria, she spent over 15 years working in health care in varying roles in chronic disease management, geriatrics, case management, clinical informatics as well as health information technology design and implementation management. She has published over 150 articles, book chapters and books in health and health informatics.
Elizabeth has served as Academic Representative for Canada for Canada’s Health Informatics Association (2007-2013), Vice President representing North America on the Board of Directors for the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) (2010–2013). She founded the International Medical Informatics Association Working Group focusing on Health Informatics for Patient Safety and she is currently the Scientific Program Committee Co-Chair for Medinfo 2017. Elizabeth returns to the Board of Directors of IMIA in August of 2016 as Vice President – Special Projects.
Dr. Andre Kushniruk is Director and Professor of the School of Health Information Science at the University of Victoria. Dr. Kushniruk conducts research in a number of areas including evaluation of the effects of technology, human-computer interaction in health care and other domains as well as cognitive science. His work is known internationally and he has published widely in the area of health informatics. He focuses on developing new methods for the evaluation of information technology and studying human-computer interaction in health care and he has been a key researcher on a number of national and international collaborative projects.
His work includes the development of novel methods for conducting video analysis of computer users and he is currently extending this research to remote study of e-health applications and advanced information technologies, including computerized patient record systems. Dr. Kushniruk has held academic positions at a number of Canadian universities and he has taught courses in areas such as human-computer interaction, database management and systems analysis and design. He holds undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Biology, as well as a M.Sc. in Computer Science and a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from McGill University.
Dr. Cheryl Mitchell is the Academic Director for the MBA in Sustainable Innovation. Dr. Mitchell’s research focuses on the business of healthcare, with an emphasis on the context and processes that support or impede care delivery. Specifically, her current projects examine how process, professions, legitimacy and the use of current and historical narratives inform organizational design and change. Cheryl is also a Principal Investigator at the Cardiac Network of Canada (CANet), a National Centre of Excellence (NCE) where she researches collaboration in research networks. Dr. Mitchell teaches primarily in the MBA program and has taught courses on collaboration, design thinking & innovation, organizational development, leadership, as well as overseeing all Capstone Consulting projects. She has a Masters degree in Counselling Psychology as well as a PhD in Human & Organizational Systems.
Prior to joining the University full-time, Dr. Mitchell worked as a freelance advisor, facilitator and social science researcher, who has provided organizational system solutions across the public service and social service sector for more than 20 years. During that time, she designed and facilitated hundreds of group programs for over forty thousand participants. Over the years her practice evolved from team building and leadership development, through engagement and strategic planning, to a focus on organizational structure, team crisis interventions, change management, and identity & culture development. Since 2016, Dr. Mitchell has specialized in healthcare working with on various projects both locally, provincially and nationally. She currently specializes in health system design & facilitating multi-stakeholder collaborative processes to develop sustainable solutions to complex system issues, and to drive innovation.
Dr. Mitchell has also developed curriculum and training programs on many topics for organizations and conferences, as well as delivered several keynote presentations. She uses her skills in social science to apply qualitative research methods for data collection and thematic analysis to better understand organizational dynamics and ensure the development of comprehensive and sustainable solutions. As well, she also has an understanding of implementation science, and the process required for system innovation and transformation. As a practitioner, she is known for her solution-focused approach, her ability to apply a range of collaborative strategies including design thinking and agile scrum methods, and her style of navigating through all types of conversations from resolving issues, identifying opportunities for innovation, and creating sustainable systemic strategies. Dr. Mitchell is also a certified executive & team coach and qualified to deliver a wide range of assessments.
Alexander Rekik has 30 years of entrepreneurial, management, consulting, training and NGO service experience both in the US and in the emerging markets.
After getting his Bachelor and Master degree in Engineering (Cum Laude) and after finishing his postgraduate studies in Business Administration and Management from the US, Alexander has contributed in setting up many successful ventures in the US, Europe and the Middle East.
Gerri Sinclair was first appointed as B.C.’s Innovation Commissioner in July 2020. She has a breadth of experience in senior leadership positions in the investment capital, digital media, and information technology fields. She is also an Associate with the non-profit Creative Destruction Lab.
Sinclair is the former Managing Director at Kensington Capital in Vancouver. In this role, she led the $100M B.C. Technology Fund. She was the founder of SFU’s ExCITE Media lab, a Visiting Scientist at IBM Research, the founder/CEO of NCompass (acquired by Microsoft), a past President of the B.C. Premier’s Technology Council and Chair of Canada’s National Telecom Policy Panel.
Sinclair was the Founding Director of the Centre for Digital Media’s Master of Digital Media program in Vancouver. She has served as Innovation Strategy Advisor at Vancity and Telefonica in Barcelona.
She has served on many government and corporate boards. Including the Toronto Montreal Stock Exchange, the Vancouver Airport Authority, Telus Corporation, BC Telecom and Ballard Power, as well as Canada’s Information Highway Advisory Council and the National Broadband Taskforce.
Sinclair is the recipient of many awards as a leading woman in technology. She has received the prestigious Canadian Public Policy Forum Testimonial Award. Additionally, Sinclair was named a member of “Vancouver Power 50”, a BC Business “Woman of Influence” and among the Top 150 Women in Canada. She is the 2018 recipient of the BC Technology Association’s Bill Thompson Lifetime Achievement Award. Recently, Sinclair was awarded the 2020 Business in Vancouver Women in Business Lifetime Achievement Award.
Samir Trabelsi is a Professor of Accounting and Governance at the Goodman School of Business. Professor Trabelsi began teaching at Goodman School of Business in 2004. He holds a Ph.D. in Accounting from HEC Montreal and a CPA designation. He has taught courses in corporate governance, external reporting, and research methodology. Prior to his academic career, Trabelsi practiced public accounting at KPMG Tunisia. Trabelsi’s research interests are in the area of corporate governance, sustainability, Corruption, and risk management. Trabelsi’s research is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. He won the best paper award at several conferences. He has also been the recipient of the Brock University Award for Excellence in Teaching (2017) and the Departmental Researcher of the Year Award (2019).
As the founding director of the CPA (formerly CGA) Ontario Research Excellence Centre and even prior to its establishment, Dr. Trabelsi has organized many international conferences, globally as well as on the Brock University campus. These events have brought together academics and practitioners from across the province, Canada and internationally.
Bruce Williams, CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, is one of Vancouver Island’s most recognizable faces. As a public figure and former broadcaster, he is known for his integrity, altruism and unique ability to create successful partnerships and collaborations.
Williams is well known for his impeccable communication skills. His in-depth knowledge of economic development and strong connections to leaders and decision makers have made him an effective engagement and development strategist for business, non-profits and First Nations. Williams’ background includes experience as a CEO, as well as diverse roles on senior management teams. He has chaired non-profit boards and spearheaded fund-raising campaigns.
Career Highlights:
Board Member:
Accolades
Dr. Stephen Flynn is the Founding Director of the Global Resilience Institute at Northeastern University where he leads a major university-wide research initiative to inform and advance societal resilience in the face of growing human-made and naturally-occurring turbulence. At Northeastern, he is also Professor of Political Science with faculty affiliations in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the School of Public Policy & Urban Affairs.
Dr. Flynn is recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on critical infrastructure and supply chain security and resilience. He is co-author of the textbook, Critical Infrastructures Resilience: Policy and Engineering Principles (Routledge, 2018) and has led teams in conducting post-disaster infrastructure resilience assessments, initially with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and then from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In 2014, Flynn was appointed by the Secretary of Homeland Security to serve as a member of the Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Council (HSSTAC). He also serves as chair of the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) Security Advisory Committee. Additionally, he holds research affiliations with the Wharton School’s Risk Management and Decision Processes Center, and the Earth Institute at Columbia University. He previously served as Founding Co-Director of the George J. Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security at Northeastern University. Dr. Flynn is also the principal for Stephen E. Flynn Associates LLC, where he provides independent advisory services on improving critical infrastructure security and resilience.
Before joining the faculty at Northeastern University in 2011, Dr. Flynn served as President of the Center for National Policy. Prior to that he spent a decade as a senior fellow for National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Prior to September 11, 2001, Dr. Flynn served as an expert advisor to U.S. Commission on National Security (Hart-Rudman Commission), and following the 9/11 attacks he was the executive director of a blue-ribbon Council on Foreign Relations homeland security task force, again co-led by former Senators Gary Hart and Warren Rudman. He served as the principal advisor to the bipartisan Congressional Port Security Caucus, advised the Bush Administration on maritime and homeland security issues, and after the November 2008 election of President Barack Obama, served as the lead policy advisor on homeland security as a part of the presidential transition team. From 2003-2010 he served as a member of the National Research Council’s Marine Board.
Dr. Flynn has presented expert congressional testimony before the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives on 31 occasions. He has delivered keynote addresses at more than one hundred international and national conferences. Dr. Flynn is a frequent media commentator and has appeared on Meet the Press, 60 Minutes, The News Hour, The Today Show, the Charlie Rose Show, CNN and on National Public Radio. He has written two of the most widely-cited books on homeland security: The Edge of Disaster: Rebuilding a Resilient Nation (Random House, 2007) and America the Vulnerable (HarperCollins 2004). Five of his articles have been published in the prestigious journal, Foreign Affairs. Excerpts of his books have been featured in Time, as the cover story for U.S. News & World Report, and as the subject of two CNN documentaries.
A 1982 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Dr. Flynn served in the Coast Guard on active duty for 20 years, including two tours as commanding officer at sea. As a Coast Guard officer, he served in the White House Military Office during the George H.W. Bush administration and as a director for Global Issues on the National Security Council staff during the Clinton administration. He was a Guest Scholar in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the Brookings Institution from 1991-92, and in 1993-94 he was an Annenberg Scholar-in-Residence at the University of Pennsylvania. He received the M.A.L.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, in 1990 and 1991 and in 2009, he received an honorary doctorate of laws from Monmouth University.
Dr. Adel Guitouni is an award-winning associate professor of management sciences, operations research and decision support systems at the Gustavson School of Business. His PhD and master-level students benefit from his multi-disciplinary approach to teaching and professional activities, which includes his work with the Canadian government where he directed large scientific teams involved with major events and strategic initiatives such as the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and G8/G20 summits, and a variety of projects with the Canadian Forces.
Since 2011, on behalf of the business school, Adel has actively engaged in several educational activities that support the democratic transition and socio-economic development in the MENA region (i.e., Tunisia and Libya) from providing coaching sessions to senior government officials to obtaining grant funding to develop the country’s leadership capacity. In 2014 in partnership with Tunisian higher education institutions, he established a not-for-profit non-governmental organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship development and innovation.
Adel has published numerous refereed papers and book chapters, and is the recipient of several multi-million dollar research grants. On the research side, he has made several contributions to multiple criteria decision aid (MCDA), supply chain management, information systems, resource management, and cloud computing. His research interests include the automation of planning and scheduling, net-enabled dynamic resource management and supply chain management, classification and machine learning, multiple criteria decision analysis, multi-objective optimization, collaborative decision making, and decision support systems.
Through his research Adel’s goal is to help improve the decision-making process at the individual and corporate level. Through his entrepreneurship and leadership project work, he hopes to empower youth and leaders by giving them the tools to change their world.
Before joining the Gustavson School of Business full-time in 2011, Adel served as one of its adjunct professors. He has also held positions with the Canadian government and taught at Laval University, University of Sherbrook and Concordia. He has supervised numerous graduate students and six post-doctoral fellows, and he maintains membership in international policy groups and think tanks.
Location: UVIC, The First Peoples House (FPH) (in-person only)
Indigenous Peoples in Canada are developing their own economies and their own approaches to economic self-sufficiency, sustainability and success. Indigenous Peoples and their economies throughout Canada have tremendous potential to revitalize regional economies, contribute to national prosperity, and strategically move forward on their agendas with respect to governance, cultural protection and sustainable community development. How can Nations and Communities build a foundation of strong Indigenous governance within a framework that reflects traditional knowledge and respect for Indigenous peoples and their cultures? Our focus will be to invite the audience to explore ideas and learn from examples through this dialogue and to create the platform for further conversation on ‘wise practices’ for bridging divides through collaboration with leaders from Indigenous governments, other governments, business and social services sectors to advance Indigenous economic innovation and economic health throughout Canada.
Cliff Fregin was born and raised in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, and is Haida from Old Massett, Haida Gwaii. With 35+ years management experience, Cliff has been extensively involved in Indigenous economic & business development throughout Canada. A strategic thinker and strong financial manager he is known nationally for his expertise in leadership development, stakeholder relations, partnership development and development of programs and services.
Through 1995-2002, Cliff had been employed as the Executive Director of the Gwaii Trust – a partnership between the Haida Nation and the settlers on Haida Gwaii. Gwaii Trust manages a perpetual trust fund initially capitalized at $38 million in 1994; market value in early 2003 was $62 million.
In December 2002, Cliff was hired by National Aboriginal Capital Corporation Association (NACCA) as the Chief Operating Officer, responsible for finance and programs in Ottawa, ON. NACCA is an association of Aboriginal Financial Institutions (AFIs); these 55 AFIs provide high risk small business development financing and services to aboriginal entrepreneurs throughout Canada.
From October 2006 – July 2019, Cliff Fregin has led the New Relationship Trust (NRT) as Chief Executive Officer. NRT is a trust fund charged with building capacity for British Columbia First Nations by supporting First Nation governance, economic development, education, language revitalization, and youth & Elders initiatives.
Cliff has experience establishing youth mentorship programs with corporations nationally and internationally particularly in the business sector; Cliff is one of the founders of YES – Young Entreprenuers Symposium, which provides entrepreneurship training through an annual conference – for 15+ years.
Since August 2019, Cliff has held the Chief Operating Officer (COO) position with Indspire; a nationally recognized top 10 charity in Canada supporting indigenous students through scholarships, bursaries and mentorship initiatives. Indspire has grown to provide $20+M in scholarships to 6,900 students in the past 2021-22 year.
Dr. Mary Jane McCallum is a First Nations woman of Cree heritage and an advocate for social justice who, over the course of her distinguished career, has provided dental care to First Nations communities across Manitoba.
She received a Dental Nursing Diploma at the Wascana Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences in 1977 and a Dental Therapy Diploma at the School of Dental Therapy in 1979, before earning a Doctor of Dental Medicine from the University of Manitoba in 1990.
From 1979 to 1997, she was involved in the dental field in various capacities, including as a dental therapist in northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba communities and as an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba running a dental clinic in Churchill and overseeing students completing their practicum. From 1996 to 2000, she worked on an interchange with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs as the Regional Dental Officer for the province.
From 1992 to 1996 and from 2003 to 2010, Dr. McCallum worked in her home community of Brochet, where she managed community health programs, including a children’s dental program, a diabetes program, and prenatal program, and volunteered for several committees, including a housing committee, a school committee, and an education committee. She also ran a monthly dinner and meeting with the Elders to discuss social issues affecting the community.
Dr. McCallum worked as an independent contractor for the federal First Nations and Inuit Health Branch providing services in northern Manitoba before returning to the University of Manitoba in April 2002 to lead the Aboriginal Dental Health Programs.
Since that time, she has continued to work to provide vital dental and health services to a variety of northern, First Nations, and Indigenous communities throughout the Manitoba region. She currently practices dentistry at the Opaskwayak Cree Nation reserve near The Pas.
In addition to her professional endeavours, Dr. McCallum leads workshops and presentations in which she shares her personal experience as a residential school survivor in an effort to raise awareness and understanding.
Dr. McCallum is a member of the Manitoba Dental Association, as well as the Canadian Dental Association.
Leslie Varley is a committed social justice advocate with over 30 years working for and with Indigenous peoples. Since 2016 she has been the Executive Director of British Columbia Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres, an umbrella agency supporting 25 Indigenous social services centres. Within this role Leslie is working with the larger social services sector and with provincial government agencies to lead reconciliation focussed initiatives aimed to make all social services culturally safe, appropriate and accessible to Indigenous people.
Previously Leslie held the Indigenous health portfolio at Provincial Health Services Authority where she led the development of San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety, a cutting edge decolonizing anti-racism training program offered to the health, social and justice sectors in Canada.
She is a board member of Central City Foundation, Vancouver’s oldest foundation, which invests in social impact real estate. She is a founding member of Honouring Nations Canada’s Circle of Advisors – an Indigenous committee of Fulbright Canada.
Her education includes a Masters in Business Administration from Simon Fraser University. Living as a guest at Musqueam First Nation in Vancouver, Leslie belongs to the Gisk’aast (Killer Whale) house of the Nisga’a Nation, and holds the name, Tan de-entqwl allugigat, (One who leads Indigenous people).
Miles Richardson, a prominent Indigenous leader, brings an extensive background in Indigenous and Canadian government relations.
After graduating in 1979 from the University of Victoria with a Bachelor of Arts in economics, he served as administrator for the Skidegate Band Council and directed the establishment of the Haida Gwaii Watchmen program.
In 1984 Miles was the youngest person to be elected President of the Council of the Haida Nation, a position he held until 1996.
During his tenure, Miles led the drafting of the constitution of the Haida Nation and protected the Gwaii Haanas area of Haida Gwaii with the Gwaii Haanas Agreement, the first modern nation-to-nation agreement between the Haida Nation and Canada.
Miles was a member of the former BC Claims Task Force that made recommendations to the Government of Canada, Government of BC and First Nations in BC regarding the framework for negotiations to build new relationships.
From 1991-1993, Miles was a delegate of the First Nations Summit Task Group, an executive body that represents First Nations in BC. In 1995, he was nominated by the summit and appointed as commissioner of the BC Treaty Commission, a position he held for two terms.
In November 1998, Miles was chosen as Chief Commissioner by agreement of Canada, BC and the First Nations Summit, and remained in the position until 2004.
In 2007, Miles was named an Officer of the Order of Canada. From 2010-2013 he was co-chair of the Indigenous Advisory Circle for the Institute on Governance.
Currently Miles operates his own strategy and advisory firm, is on the board of directors for Canadians for a New Partnership, the advisory board for the Indigenous Leaders Initiative and the steering committee for the BC Indigenous Clean Energy Initiative.
Location: UVIC, David Turpin Building, C215 (in-person only)
In many countries, States have used the opportunity of the pandemic to crackdown on, and constrain the freedom of speech of citizens who wish to have their voices and views heard in an open society. Issues: The pandemic has accentuated social inequality and seen the lives of most vulnerable social groups deteriorate substantially. While the initial public sentiment was that we ‘are all in it together’, the gap between the poor and the rich has widened domestically and globally. This roundtable will explore pathways towards establishing a new social contract and a new culture of public dialogue. It will identify opportunities based on participants’ experience to re-establish trust by building on the experience of the pandemic: securing fundamental, universal services and social rights for all citizens, building resilient – locally based – communities that can overcome social divides, and rethinking modes of democratic dialogue and engagement.
Anne-Catherine joined BCCIC in the position of Executive Director in May 2021. She comes from a background of activism and alliance with feminist, intersectional, indigenous and community development movements in Latin America, West Africa and Canada. She has accrued over twenty years of experience leading programs for Oxfam International, Crossroads International, International Media Support, and BC’s Justice Education Society, among others. She has further managed university international cooperation projects at the University of Victoria.
Anne-Catherine’s journey began as a youth activist and continues as such, with an ever-increasing commitment to intergenerational and intersectional approaches. She believes in continuous learning and credits the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon, the domestic workers’ movement of Bolivia, the youths of Liberia and community economic development initiatives in Western Canada for helping shape her vision.
Anne-Catherine is a long-time member of BCCIC and was a member of the Board in earlier years in representation of Crossroads International. She was a founding member of the Canadian Community Economic Development Network’s International Committee. She is committed to the development of local and global partnerships and alliances and recently applied this to her work on Oxfam’s Knowledge for Impact Team.
Born and raised in rural Manitoba, Canada, called to the Bar of Ontario, named a Member of the Order of Canada (1985) in recognition of her co-leadership in the successful campaign for stronger gender equality protections in the Canadian constitution and appointed to the Senate of Canada by Governor General David Johnston on the recommendation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2016, Marilou McPhedran is a lawyer and educator who specialized in teaching and developing systemic and sustainable change mechanisms to promote equality and diversity, having co-founded several internationally recognized non-profit Canadian organizations, such as LEAF – the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund, which has conducted constitutional equality test cases and interventions for 30-plus years, METRAC – the Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children, and the Gerstein Crisis Centre for homeless discharged psychiatric patients.
She founded the International Women’s Rights Project in 1998 and the Institute for International Women’s Rights at Global College in 2009 – based on her intergenerational models “evidence-based advocacy” and “lived rights”. When Chief Executive Officer of a Federal Centre of Excellence based at York University, Canada, she directed staff and programs that included a cyber research network on women’s health and rights.
She has developed human rights courses online and in the classroom and has chaired three independent inquiries into the sexual abuse of patients (1991-2015), co-investigated and co-authored applied research, including: the first international study to assess impact of the UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women in ten countries (1998-2000); What about accountability to the patient? (2001), the National Study on Rural, Remote and Northern Women’s Health in Canada (2001-2003); the textbook, Preventing Sexual Abuse: a Legal Guide for Health Care Professionals (2004); a strategy paper for Canada’s ambassador to the UN, Engendering the ‘Responsibility to Protect’ Doctrine (2005); Women’s Constitutional Activism in South Africa and Canada (2009 International Review of Constitutionalism); 28-Helluva Lot to Lose in 27 Days: The Ad Hoc Committee and Women’s Constitutional Activism in the Era of Patriation (2015).
Her authorship includes: the 2006 National Journal of Constitutional Law article, Impact of S.15 equality rights on Canadian society: beacon or laser?; the 2007 Supreme Court Law Review article A Truer Story: Constitutional Trialogue; and the 2014 Michigan State Law Review article, Complements of CEDAW – U.S. foreign policy coherence on women’s human rights and human security.
A pioneer in research and advocacy to promote human rights through systemic reform in law, medicine, education, governance, she chaired the 2006 international Forum on Women’s Activism in Constitutional Reform, held the Ariel F. Sallows Chair in Human Rights at the University of Saskatchewan College of Law, was appointed Chief Commissioner of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission in 2007, and was Principal (Dean) of The University of Winnipeg Global College in Manitoba from June 2008 to July 2012, then served as the Human Rights Fellow in the UNFPA Geneva Liaison Office and taught as a Visiting Professor at the UN-mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica in 2012-13.
From 2008 to 2019, she was a tenured full professor at the University of Winnipeg. She was the founding director of the Institute for International Women’s Rights at Global College from 2009 to 2016 and the creator / director of the annual ‘Human Rights UniverCity’ summer institute based at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights from 2011 to 2018.
Dr. Tandon is an internationally acclaimed leader and practitioner of participatory research and development. He is Founder-President of Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), a global centre for participatory research & training. He is also Co-Chair of the UNESCO Chair in Community Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education since 2012. The UNESCO Chair grows out of and supports UNESCO’s global lead to play ‘a key role in assisting countries to build knowledge societies’. Dr. Tandon also heads the Forum for Indian Development Corporation (FIDC) as its Chairperson. He is Chairperson of the Committee to carry out appraisal of the UGC scheme under ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyan’ and Member of Expert Group for Development of Educational Framework for Global Citizenship in Higher Education Institutions, constituted by the University Grants Commission.
Engineering in Electronics from IIT, Kanpur, MBA from IIM Calcutta and PhD in Management from Case Western Reserve University, USA, Dr. Tandon left his teaching job at IIM Calcutta to support & champion the cause of building organisations and capacities of the marginalised through their knowledge, learning and empowerment. A pioneer of participatory research, Dr. Tandon has given new meaning to academic research by redefining the relationship between the researcher and the researched. He has been contributing to the emergence of several local, national and international initiatives to promote authentic and participatory development of societies.
Dr. Tandon has taught courses on participatory research & democratic governance in South Africa, UK, Canada, Italy, USA, Colombia, Malaysia, Philippines and Cambodia, in addition to several universities in India. He has written more than 100 books, articles and training manuals on participatory research, social responsibility of higher education, civil society & local governance.
Dr. Tandon has served on numerous Expert Committees of Govt. of India, UGC, UN, Commonwealth and World Bank. In 2015, the Indian Adult Education Association (IAEA) awarded Dr. Tandon the Nehru Literacy Award. For his distinguished work on gender issues, the Government of India honoured him with the prestigious Award in ‘Social Justice’ in March 2007. The University of Victoria, Canada, awarded Dr. Tandon the degree of Doctor of Law (Honoris Causa) in June 2008. He is the first Indian to be inducted to the International Adult and Continuing Education (IACE) Hall of Fame (class of 2011). He is also the first Indian scholar to be inducted in Academy of Engagement Scholarship in 2019.
Dr. Sarah Marie Wiebe grew up on unceded Coast Salish territory in British Columbia, BC. She is an Assistant Professor in the School of Public Administration at the University of Victoria and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Hawai’i, Mānoa with a focus on community development and environmental sustainability. She is a Co-Founder of the FERN (Feminist Environmental Research Network) Collaborative and has published in journals including New Political Science, Citizenship Studies and Studies in Social Justice. Her book Everyday Exposure: Indigenous Mobilization and Environmental Justice in Canada’s Chemical Valley (2016) with UBC Press won the Charles Taylor Book Award (2017) and examines policy responses to the impact of pollution on the Aamjiwnaang First Nation’s environmental health. Alongside Dr. Jennifer Lawrence (Virginia Tech), she is the Co-Editor of Biopolitical Disaster and along with Dr. Leah Levac (Guelph), the Co-Editor of Creating Spaces of Engagement: Policy Justice and the Practical Craft of Deliberative Democracy.
At the intersections of environmental justice and citizen engagement, her teaching and research interests emphasize political ecology, policy justice, and deliberative dialogue. As a collaborative researcher and filmmaker, she worked with Indigenous communities on sustainability-themed films including To Fish as Formerly. She is currently collaborating with artists from Attawapiskat on a project entitled Reimagining Attawapiskat funded through an SSHRC Insight Development Grant. Sarah is also a Co-Director for the Seascape Indigenous Storytelling Studio, funded through an SSHRC Insight Grant with research partners from the University of Victoria, the University of British Columbia, and coastal Indigenous communities. For more see: www.sarahmariewiebe.com and follower her on Twitter @smwiebe.
Peter Taylor is Director of Research at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS). Previously he was Director, Strategic Development, at the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Ottawa, Canada where he was responsible for leading IDRC’s strategic planning processes.
During his ten years with IDRC, he also served as Acting Director of IDRC’s Inclusive Economies Program Area, and as Associate Director for the Think Tank Initiative, a ten-year, multi-partner programme that supports strengthening of policy research organizations in Africa, South Asia and Latin America. Peter has more than 30 years of experience in international development. He also worked at IDS as a Research Fellow, Head of Graduate Studies, and Leader of the Participation, Power and Social Change Team; as Education Technical Advisor with the Swiss NGO Helvetas in Vietnam; as Lecturer in Agricultural Education at the Agricultural Extension and Rural Development Department at the University of Reading, UK; and as Head of the agriculture department in a rural secondary school in northern Botswana.
Peter holds a PhD and MSc in agricultural education, and a BSc degree in animal sciences. He has research, teaching and writing interests in the theory and practice of organizational development and capacity strengthening, evaluation and learning, and facilitation of participatory and social change processes in a diverse range of international contexts.
Dr. Crystal Tremblay is a faculty member in the Department of Geography and Director of CIFAL Victoria at the University of Victoria. CIFAL Victoria is one of several centres around the world and an initiative of the United Nations Institute of Training and Research (UNITAR) building capacity and leadership to address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). She is a social geographer and community-based scholar specializing in participatory community-based research and arts-based methods working across sectors with a focus on social justice and eco-cultural land and water stewardship. She is the academic lead for the Salish Sea Hub, an initiative of the Knowledge for Change Global Consortium founded by the UNESCO Chair in Community-based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education.
Location: UVIC, David Strong Building, C118 (in-person only)
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has destabilized a world hoping for a change for the better following the far-reaching impacts of Covid-19 that included border closings, disrupted global supply chains, and the prioritization of national security. From lockdowns to travel restrictions, the pandemic was already making life more limited, but recent geopolitical tensions have added a new overlay of risk. The broader impact of geopolitical crises adds plenty of unknowns to Canada’s role in the world and our own economic outlook. Join us as we discuss how a less globalized world leads to higher prices, disrupts trade, hampers movement of people, and ultimately, reduces our capacity for international cooperation and global citizenship.
Pedro Antunes is the thought leader and spokesperson for the Conference Board’s suite of economic forecast products, as well as other reports and economic indicators that relate to Canada and its regions. Mr. Antunes has provided expert testimony before parliamentary committees. He makes numerous presentations on economic topics and dialogues with Canadian leaders, the public and media about issues important to Canada.
Mr. Antunes joined the Conference Board in 1991 after working with the Canadian Forecasting Group at the Bank of Canada. In addition to his contribution to regular forecast products, Mr. Antunes led research on the impact of demographic change on the financial sustainability of public health care, productivity and other issues affecting the long-term economic growth for Canada and its provinces. He also worked on several international projects, helping decision-makers in Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan and Ukraine develop appropriate forecasting and policy analysis tools.
Pedro is fluent in both official languages. He is married with one son and enjoys hikes with his dog and playing soccer. Mr. Antunes holds an M.A. (Economics) from Queen’s University and a B.A. (Honours Economics) from Bishop’s University.
Jeff Nankivell joined APF Canada as President and CEO on September 7, 2021.
Prior to this, he had a 33-year career in Canada’s Foreign Service. He held various positions at the Canadian International Development Agency between 1988 and 2008, working on programs related to China, Russia, strategic policy, and international financial institutions. A fluent Mandarin speaker, he was posted three times to Canada’s embassy in Beijing – in the development assistance section 1991-95 and 2000-04, and as Deputy Head of Mission 2008-11.
From 2011 to 2016, Jeff served in Ottawa/Gatineau as Director General responsible for Canada’s official development assistance programs across Asia, first with the Canadian International Development Agency and then with Global Affairs Canada. In 2016 he was appointed Consul General of Canada in Hong Kong and Macao, serving in Hong Kong until May 2021.
Jeff holds a Master’s degree in political sociology from the London School of Economics, BA in international relations from the University of Toronto and Université Laval, and certificate (one-year program) in Chinese language and culture from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Appointed to the Senate of Canada in November 2016, the Honourable Yuen Pau Woo sits as an independent representing British Columbia. He has been the Facilitator of the Independent Senators Group since 2017, and was re-elected for a second term in December 2019.
Senator Woo has worked on public policy issues related to Canada’s relations with Asian countries for more than 30 years. From 2005-2014, he was President and CEO of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and on the Standing Committee of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Committee. He is also Senior Fellow at Simon Fraser University’s Graduate School of Business, and at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia. He is a member of the Trilateral Commission and on the board of the Vancouver Academy of Music. He also serves on the Advisory Boards of the Mosaic Institute, the Canadian Ditchley Foundation, the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, and the York Centre for Asian Research. Senator Woo has been a member of the following Senate Standing Committees: Foreign Affairs and International Trade; National Finance; Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources; Selection; Transport and Communications; and Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament.
Kresse has also served as a Social Enterprise Ambassador for the UK Government and as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.
Sohaib Shahid is the Director, Economic Innovation at The Conference Board of Canada. As part of CBoC’s Economic Forecasting Knowledge Area, Sohaib leads the Economic Innovation Team and their new economic product research and development initiatives.
Sohaib is an economic thought leader with experience in both the public and private sectors. Prior to joining the Board, he was a Senior Economist at TD Bank leading TD’s global economic forecast. He also worked as an Economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in Washington, DC. At both organizations, Sohaib worked on a wide variety of economic issues for a diverse set of countries.
When asked about what’s important to him in his role as Director of Economic Innovation, Sohaib didn’t hesitate:
“I’m very passionate about coaching my fellow colleagues and helping them enhance their skillset, so they can become Canada’s future leaders. By mentoring and training the next generation, we’ll continue to help solve some of the toughest problems Canadians face and make a difference in Canadians’ lives.”
Sohaib holds a MA and a PhD in Economics from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland.
Location: Virtual Only – Please Register
Students around the world have long been granted the opportunity to shape university decision-making through various forms of student voice, whether through their student unions, representatives on university decision-making bodies, or through student experience surveys. These approaches have faced growing concerns, including about the extent to which they meaningfully include the diverse perspectives of the broader student body and the extent to which they can have a consequential impact on decision-making. A small but growing number of universities and student unions around the world are reimagining how they engage students through the use of innovations like student panels comprised of students selected through the use of democratic lotteries. Join us as we discuss how we can reimaging how to engage students in in university decision-making in the future.
Dr. Matthew Jenkins (Ph.D., Cardiff) [He/Him] is the Policy and Campaigns Coordinator at Leeds University Union in Leeds, England. His day-to-day work centres around the successful delivery of a variety of democratic processes at the union and supporting student-led campaigns at a local, regional, and national level. He is especially involved in sortition-based decision-making at the ‘LUU Better Forums’ and the training of student campaigners in campaign coordination, strategy, and planning. Around this he also works on several long-term democracy improvement and empowerment projects; from ensuring democratic representation of marginalised voices at the union, to improving the transparency and accountability of internal policy implementation procedures. He is currently working to ensure that student-led policy is implemented more consistently in a way which treats students as experts in the future of their union.
Prior to taking up this post, he completed a Ph.D. in the philosophy of science at Cardiff University working on structural analyses of replication failures and the role of theory in designing highly replicable experiments. He was examined by Prof. Alessandra Tanesini and Dist. Prof. Edouard Machery. His research prepared him for the complexities of implementing and supporting policy and teaching prepared him to engage enthusiastically with students’ wildcard ideas!
Jeff Kennedy is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at Queen Mary University of London’s School of Law, where his teaching has been recognized with a President and Principal’s Prize and Education Excellence Award, and as a finalist for Oxford University Press’ national Law Teacher of the Year (2022) award. While teaching primarily on issues of criminal law and justice, he researches and writes more broadly on the intersections of democracy within criminal justice, legal education, and university governance. His interest in these intersections had led to a variety of more practical projects in both non-profit and higher education contexts, within an emphasis on democratic innovation in educational settings. In 2021, for instance, he co-organized the Students’ Jury on Pandemic Learning, a deliberative democracy pilot project through which students advised the School of Law on its management of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ricardo is the Head of Student Voice at LSE Students’ Union (LSESU) and a former Parliamentary Assistant to Keir Starmer MP, Frank Dobson MP and Glenda Jackson MP.
His current role includes, among other things, oversight of LSESU’s democratic activities, and most recently, he was responsible for project managing a wide-ranging review of the organization’s democratic setup.
Jennifer Vornbrock joined the University of Victoria as its Executive Director, Community and Government Relations in April 2016. The Community and Government Relations department in UVic’s External Relations division provides strategic direction and advice on all community and government relations for the university. Jennifer also sits on the board of the South Island Prosperity Project where she serves as Vice-Chair.
Previously, Jennifer held the position of Vice President, Knowledge and Innovation at the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Prior to joining the Mental Health Commission in 2013, Jennifer worked for more than a decade at Vancouver Coastal Health in various operational and strategic roles.
Strongly committed to public service, Jennifer has led a number of value driven, innovative strategic plans and projects on important social issues such as homelessness, mental health and addiction, primary care, early childhood and seniors. Jennifer holds a degree in political science from Simon Fraser University.
Simon Pek is an associate professor at the Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria. Simon teaches and researches in the area of sustainability and organization theory. His research explores how organizations and the individuals within them embed social and environmental sustainability into their cultures, strategies, and daily operations.
His primary research interests centre on helping democratic organizations like co-operatives, schools, and unions achieve their social and environmental objectives through the use of democratic innovations. He is particularly interested in collaborating with organizations on joint action research projects. He currently serves as the Steering Committee Lead for the Ontario Assembly on Workplace Democracy and was the Project Lead on the 2020 Uvic Students’ Dialogue on Democratic Engagement.
Location: UVIC, David Turpin Building, A120 (in-person only)
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report “Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis” concluded that it is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean, and land. Policymakers, investors, businesses, and academics are using climate scenarios to project the impact of global warming on society, the economy, and financial markets. The panelists will share how their organizations are evaluating both the risks and opportunities in their respective domains.
Greg Flato is the Acting Director, Climate Research Division for Environment and Climate Change Canada. Dr Flato has been a research scientist at the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis (CCCma) since 1993, and its manager from 2004-2014. He is the Vice-Chair of the IPCC’s Working Group I (WGI), which examines the physical science underpinning past, present, and future climate change. He is an adjunct professor at UVic’s School of Earth and Ocean Sciences. Dr. Flato is an expert on sea-ice and global earth system models and their application to historical climate simulation, seasonal to interannual climate prediction, and long-term climate projection.
Adam Goehner is the Director, ESG Strategy and Risk, at the British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI). Mr. Goehner oversees BCI’s overall total portfolio ESG risk exposure and has developed a cross-asset class risk and opportunity identification framework to track and evaluate long-term systemic ESG issues to inform investment strategies. Adam’s background includes advising public and private venture investments in strategic start-up companies, developing corporate sustainability and climate change strategies and supporting clean technology development accelertors.
Miguel Molico is the Senior Director, Climate Analysis Team, at the Bank of Canada. He oversees the Bank’s analysis and research on the macroeconomic and financial stability implications of climate change. He is a co-author of the 2022 BoC Staff Discussion Paper “Transition Scenarios for Analyzing Climate-Related Financial Risk”. Dr. Molico has worked in the Financial Stability Department since 2014 and previously worked in the Funds Management and Banking Department. Prior to joining the Bank in 2006, Dr. Molico held academic positions at the University of Western Ontario and Penn State University. He holds a PhD in economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Merran Smith is a fellow at the Simon Fraser University Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, and the founder and executive director of Clean Energy Canada—a leading think tank advancing clean energy and climate solutions. Merran serves as co-chair of the B.C. government’s Climate Solutions Council, a member of the independent Task Force for a Resilient Recovery, and a Canadian representative of the C3E International Ambassador Corps. For most of her career, Merran has worked to unite industry, government, and civil society organizations to solve pressing social and ecological challenges.
Dr. Michael R. King joined the Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria in July 2019. Prior to UVic, Michael was at Ivey Business School (2011-2019), where he held the Tangerine Chair in Finance and co-founded the Scotiabank Digital Banking Lab – Canada’s first FinTech research centre. He is the co-author of The Technological Revolution in Financial Services: How Banks, Fintechs and Customers Win Together (with Richard W. Nesbitt). Michael is working on a 3-year project with BCI and PICS on “Climate Finance: Integrating Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Considerations into Investment Decisions”.
Before moving to academia, Michael spent two decades working in investment banking (1990-1998) and central banking (2001-2011) in New York, London, Zurich, Ottawa and Basel. Michael completed his PhD at the London School of Economics in 2001 and his CFA designation in 1999. He has taught finance to undergraduates, MBAs and executives. His research focuses on climate finance, FinTech, banking, international finance, and corporate finance.
