Speakers and Panelists
Dev Aujla
Founder and Executive Director, DreamNow
Panelist
Dev Aujla is the Founder and Executive Director of DreamNow, a charitable enterprise, which helps support the ideas of people who want to do something good for the world. DreamNow is best known for its ‘follow-up’ program which involves partnering with groups who run conferences and programs and ensuring the people they reach and inspire take action upon returning home. Through its programming last year, DreamNow helped to realize ideas which reached over fifty thousand people throughout Canada and the world.
Dev enjoys an active speaking career and has thus worked with several large organizations including the United Nations, The International Labor Organization and the Red Cross. Dev’s work has been featured through numerous media outlets including Time Magazine, The Globe and Mail and CBC Newsworld. He currently sits as an advisor to several start-ups and is a director of the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition.
Dev holds an English Literature degree from the University of Western Ontario and currently lives and works in Toronto, Canada.
Nigel Biggar
Social Performance Management Center, Grameen Foundation
Panelist
Nigel has over 14 years working with microenterprise and microfinance in developing countries. He began in this field working as a microentrepreneur with a street youth project he established in Quito, Ecuador in the early 1990s. He has worked extensively with MFIs in Latin America and Asia. Nigel has been with Grameen Foundation since early 2000. He is currently the Director of Social Performance and the principal for the Social Performance/ Progress out of Poverty Index initiative. He previously served as Grameen Foundation’s Regional Director for the Americas where he assisted start-up MFIs in Latin America to build and expand their programs based on the Grameen methodology.
He holds a masters degree in Development Studies from the Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University.
Tim Brodhead
President and Chief Executive Officer, The J. W. McConnell Family Foundation
Speaker
Prior to joining The J. W. McConnell Family Foundation, a private foundation based in Montreal, Tim Brodhead was Executive Director of the Canadian Council for International Co-operation (CCIC), a national organization representing over 120 non-profit Canadian international development agencies.
Tim attended McGill University and subsequently spent five years in Africa with the Canadian organization CUSO. He went on to do international development work in Africa and South Asia and co-founded Inter Pares, an Ottawa-based non-government organization. In a voluntary capacity, he has served on a number of boards, and currently sits on those of Vartana and the ETC Group (formerly Rural Advancement Foundation International). He is past Chair of Philanthropic Foundations Canada, the national association of Canadian independent foundations, and a former Board member of the United Way/Centraide de Montréal, Calmeadow Foundation and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
In 2001, Tim was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. In June 2002, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Carleton University in Ottawa, and another in 2005 from Dalhousie University.
Geoffrey Cape Evergreen is at the forefront of an international movement to green urban areas. This work is the work of communities – and includes people from all walks of life in the revitalization of their schools, homes and public spaces - ultimately, in the environmental, social and economic functioning of their cities. Beth Coates Beth has fifteen years experience as the Financial Manager of CAIC (Canadian Alternative Investment Cooperative), a faith based investment fund that has been providing financing to the non profit and charitable sector across Canada since 1984. Beth is a chartered accountant who also has extensive experience as a financial analyst and corporate risk manager. Beth and CAIC’s long history with this sector have provided insights which make CAIC ideally suited to provide financing for social enterprise. Marty Donkervoort After a long successful career in the corporate sector, Marty continued his career in community economic development and social enterprise sector. He was a founding member of the Worker Ownership Development Foundation and Co-op Work, a worker co-operative management consulting enterprise. In the mid 80’s he developed the concept and business plan for A-Way Express, a courier business employing ex-psychiatric patients in Toronto. A business that still flourishes today 25 years later. More recently Marty was a founding member and current general manager of Community Ownership Solutions Inc. a charity in Winnipeg committed to the alleviation of poverty. In 2002, he started up Inner City Renovation Inc. a social enterprise committed to providing quality jobs to low-income inner city residents. Born in Rotterdam, Holland, his education includes a B.Sc. in Forestry (Timber Engineering), and an MBA. Tim Draimin Tim Draimin is the newly appointed Executive Director of Social Innovation Generation (SiG) and the Chair of CAUSEWAY Social Finance. A partnership between The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, Toronto's MaRS Discovery District, the University of Waterloo and Vancouver's PLAN Institute, SiG unleashes the creativity of social innovators to tackle the profound social and environmental challenges facing Canadians. As Executive Director, Mr. Draimin will manage SiG's growing network of academics, field practitioners and entrepreneurs investigating ways to improve the health and resilience of our linked social, economic and environmental systems. CAUSEWAY is a new collaborative initiative (including SiG plus Carleton University and the Canadian Co-operative Association) dedicated to enabling the accelerated development of "social finance" capital instruments in Canada. A leader in the non-profit sector, Mr. Draimin was the founding CEO of Tides Canada Foundation, which focuses on the environment and social justice. During his time at Tides, Mr. Draimin guided the Foundation's expansion, established Canada's first national support system for social entrepreneurs – Sage Centre – and supported a world-renowned model of integrated conservation: BC's Great Bear Rainforest initiative. He will continue to serve Tides Canada as a Senior Fellow. Tim Draimin brings to SiG 30 years of international career experience. He is the author of Canada's first national study of social entrepreneurship and a frequent advisor to government, as well as to non-profit associations and leaders. He is a past board member of the Social Investment Organization (SIO), Canadian Environmental Grantmakers Network (CEGN) and past member of the Voluntary Sector Forum's Finance Action Group. Andres Dussan Andres is an experienced social entrepreneur and professor, with special expertise in social change projects in Latin America. His background includes work with non-profit, academic, government and private sectors. In 1992, while a student at Universidad de los Andes, in Bogota Colombia, Andres recognized the need for students to get hands-on experience doing development work and so he founded and directed Opcion Colombia Corporation, a not-for-profit organization, implementing social development programs for governments and international organizations in a variety of countries in Latin America. The organization took off rapidly, soon handling 14 million US$ of contracts. The organization has since spread to other parts of Latin America and, while Andres remains involved, he decided that the leadership should remain in the hands of the students it serves. While at the University he also created a prize for social entrepreneurs. Since then he has worked in a variety of consulting roles and as a professor of social entrepreneurship. Mostly recently, Andres has been working with Harbinger Foundation in Toronto where he has served as a Director. Andres first learned about Ashoka while in Colombia when he was invited to apply to become a Fellow. Born in Colombia, he has lived in Mexico, Brazil, the United States and is now living in Toronto with his Canadian wife and their two children. Al Etmanski Al is an author, advocate and social entrepreneur specializing in innovative solutions to social problems. He is the President and co-founder of Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network (PLAN), a non-profit organization assisting families in planning for the safety and well-being of their relative with a disability. He proposed and led the successful campaign to establish the Registered Disability Savings Plan, the world's first savings plan for people with disabilities. Al is the author of two best selling books: A Good Life - For You and Your Relative with a Disability and Safe and Secure. He is currently assisting 2010 Legacies Now advance accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities in association with the 2010 Vancouver Paralympic/Olympic Games. Al was one of the first two Canadians accepted into Ashoka's prestigious global fellowship of social entrepreneurs. He has received a number of accolades, including the Queen's Jubilee medal, the Civic Merit award from the City of Vancouver and the Governor General's Meritorious Service Medal. Dr. John R. Evans Dr. Evans received his undergraduate medical training at the University of Toronto and specialty training in internal medicine and cardiology in London, England, Boston and Toronto. Dr. Evans was founding Dean of the McMaster University, Faculty of Medicine in Hamilton, Ontario, served as President of the University of Toronto, and was founding Director of the Population, Health and Nutrition Department of the World Bank in Washington, D.C. As Chair of Allelix Inc., Dr. Evans was associated with the birth of biotechnology in Canada. He oversaw the evolution of Allelix into a public company, and the strategic merger with NPS. He currently serves as a director of several Canadian corporations and institutions. Dr. Evans previously served as Chairman of Torstar Corporation, Chairman of Alcan Inc. and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation. Dr Evans is a Companion of the Order of Canada, member of the Order of Ontario, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, (London), Master of the American College of Physicians and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. David Galenson David W. Galenson is a professor in the Department of Economics and the College at the University of Chicago, and a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. He has been a visiting professor at the California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Texas at Austin, the Ecole des Hautes Etude en Sciences Sociales in Paris, and the American University of Paris. He is author of Old Masters and Young Geniuses: The Two Life Cycles of Artistic Creativity (Princeton University Press, 2006), Painting Outside The Lines: Patterns of Creativity in Modern Art (Harvard University Press, 2001), Traders, Planters and Slaves: Market Behavior in Early English America (Cambridge University Press, 1986), and White Servitude in Colonial America: An Economic Analysis (Cambridge University Press, 1981). His most recent work examines the economics of creativity. Mary Gordon Mary Gordon is recognized internationally as an educator, best-selling author, child advocate and parenting expert who has created award-winning programs informed by the power of empathy. In 1996, she founded Roots of Empathy, which now offers programs in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and the Isle of Man. In 2005, Ms Gordon founded the Seeds of Empathy program. She is a Member of the Order of Canada and an Ashoka Fellow. Ms Gordon is also the founder of Canada’s first and largest school-based Parenting and Family Literacy Centres, which she initiated in 1981. They have become public policy in Ontario, with more than 120 schools involved for Fall 2008. They have been used as a best practice model internationally. The Nelson Mandela Children’s Foundation brought Ms Gordon to South Africa to share her parenting expertise. Ms Gordon speaks and consults to governments, educational organizations, and public institutions. She is the recipient of several prestigious awards recognizing her contribution to innovation in education and international social entrepreneurship. Her 2005 Canadian bestseller, Roots of Empathy: Changing the World Child by Child, was ranked as one of the Top 100 Books of the Year by the Globe and Mail, Canada’s national newspaper. Allyson Hewitt Allyson is establishing the social innovation program at MaRS that will include the creation of Social Innovation Generation (SiG@MaRS) along with partners across the country. This program will provide social innovators and entrepreneurs access to resources that could help turn their ideas into positive outcomes for society. Allyson comes to MaRS from SickKids where, as the Executive Director of Safe Kids Canada, she was a passionate advocate in preventing injuries to children. Prior to that, Allyson was the Executive Director of Community Information Toronto, an agency that brings people and services together. In this capacity she helped lead the development of 211, providing three-digit and online access to social service, community and government information. For this work she was awarded the Head of the Public Service Award, as sponsored by HRDC and several other prestigious awards for meritorious public service. She has a BA in Criminology and Law, a diploma in Public Affairs and certification in Voluntary Sector Management and Leading Change. Stephen Huddart Stephen Huddart is the Vice-President of The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation in Montreal. The Foundation’s mission is “to support initiatives that engage Canadians in building a society that is inclusive, sustainable and resilient.” Prior to joining the Foundation, he was the Executive Director of Troubadour Music Inc., a triple bottom line music and book publishing company. Before this, he held several executive posts with the BC SPCA, where among other innovations, he developed a humane food labeling program - ‘SPCA Certified’ - that protects farm animals and supports family farms in BC and Alberta. He has a Masters of Management degree from McGill. Valerie Lemieux Valerie Lemieux is an experienced writer/researcher, producer & editor of newsletters, promotional material & educational videos. Valerie currently provides Outreach Coordination & Office Management services to the Canadian Alternative Investment Cooperative (CAIC) and is the Grants & Communications Manager of the Catherine Donnelly Foundation. Valerie is also a partner in Ticking Time Bomb Productions, an innovative web & print design company. David LePage David LePage is the Program Manager of the Enterprising Non-Profits Program (enp), www.enterprisingnonprofits.ca, a program that contributes directly to building a supportive environment for social enterprise across Canada as well as providing grants for social enterprise technical assistance in British Columbia. Replication of the enp program is currently being piloted in Toronto and under consideration across western Canada and throughout Ontario. David is a member of the Social Enterprise Council of Canadian, the CCEDNet Policy Council and the BC Social Economy Roundtable. David is the former CEO of Fast Track to Employment (FTE), where he was instrumental in development of the Social Purchasing Portal. He continues to provide support for the SPP sites across Canada. He has worked in social enterprise and community economic development initiatives for nearly 30 years, including inner city economic development and community media. Jonathan Loudon Before joining Cooler to lead projects and design teams, Jonathan worked for numerous top design consultancies around the world on award-winning products. After receiving his Industrial Design degree from Carlton University Jonathan worked for Arnott Design Group where he designed medical products, and also won an IDSA business week award for the VisionMaker Desk. Jonathan gained further experience in the medical design sector at Treadwell Design, then moved on to Teknion as part of the Advanced Concepts department. Using ethnographic insight, market research and design innovation thinking, Jonathan created market growth in the contract furniture industry. One of the results of his work was a sustainability initiative which produced the IDSA Award winning Avion workstation. Whilst living in Australia in 2003, Jonathan orchestrated large projects in medical products at Outerspace and furniture design at Schiavello. Jonathan taps into his training as a filmmaker to face the complexities of visualizing and orchestrating huge projects. Jonathan believes great things can come from the fusion of creative thinking, understanding the customer’s needs and realizing those needs within a business and engineering context. Julia Moulden Julia Moulden is an award-winning writer. Since 1985, she has written remarks for CEOs, cabinet ministers, and celebrities from Nelson Mandela to Adrienne Clarkson. She has also written copy for some of North Americas leading organizations, including AstraZeneca, Avon, Canadian Tire, CIBC, Ford Motor Company, and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Julia’s first book, Green is Gold, was published by HarperBusiness in six countries. She has also written for a wide variety of publications, including the Globe and Mail, Financial Post, Toronto Life, and Ms Magazine. Julia’s latest book is WE ARE THE NEW RADICALS: A Manifesto for Reinventing Yourself and Saving the World (McGraw-Hill, New York). Julia coined the phrase ‘New Radicals’ to describe the thousands of men and women who are putting skills acquired in their careers to work on some of the world’s greatest problems. How we earn our living can become the way we give back. Julia has lived in Europe, the United States, and Mexico, and speaks rudimentary French, humble German, and market Spanish. She is an autodidact, although she has studied at both the University of Toronto and Ryerson University. She makes her home in Toronto, and kayaks as often as possible on Georgian Bay. Peter Nares Peter Nares is the founding Executive Director of Social and Enterprise Development Innovations (SEDI). An internationally-known social entrepreneur, Nares was elect Nares’ career in social services started in 1979 with the Ontario Social Development Council (OSDC), where he worked for 16 years and went from senior program coordinator to program director. In 1986, Nares founded SEDI. Initially a division of the OSDC, the organization evolved into an independent national nonprofit organization that uses innovative approaches to help low-income Canadians reach self-sufficiency. Under his leadership, SEDI has helped shape Canada’s social policies in the areas of entrepreneurship, financial literacy and asset- building. By acting as a knowledge broker between policy-makers and communities, Peter Nares has helped open the way for Canadians to enter the social and economic mainstream. His ideas have achieved visible success on a national scale. In 1992, his program to provide entrepreneurship training to the unemployed was incorporated into the Employment Insurance legislation. In 2000, SEDI received support from the federal government to develop and implement learn$ave. A nationwide pilot program, learn$ave uses a matching savings system to help low-income earners save for long-term assets such as post-secondary education, job skills training and self-employment. In seven years, the 3,609 participants of the program saved over $3.7 million. Nares has worked with over 800 nonprofit organizations across Canada. He was chair of the Metro Toronto Task Force on Community Economic Development and served on the boards of the Family Service Association of Toronto and of Participation House Markham. He was also a member of the Task Force on Modernizing Income Security for Working Age Adults, the National Roundtable on the Social Economy, the National Advisory committee on Financial Capability, and the founding committee for Women and Rural Economic Development. Tamzin Ractliffe Tamzin Ractliffe considers her creations GreaterGood South Africa and the South African Social Investment Exchange as her “brainchildren.” Launched in 2004, GreaterGood is a non profit portal dedicated to utilizing 21st Century technology to facilitate indigenous philanthropy and thoughtful giving in South Africa whilst SASIX, launched in ’06, translates the highly accountable due diligence assessment protocols and risk analyses of the financial capital market into an effective and highly accountable investment and reporting tool for the social development sector. Prior to that, Tamzin worked at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital Trust before establishing Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Africa, a non profit mentoring organization for youth at risk affiliated to Big Brothers Big Sisters International, as well as Funding SA, a development & fundraising consultancy serving corporate and grassroots non-profit organizations across South Africa and www.Thefundingsite.co.za, a web-enabled resource site providing a comprehensive range of information and training services to the South African NGO and Development Community. Qualified with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Applied Psychology, with a background in both social and biological/life sciences and further education in commerce, Tamzin has worked internationally in the area of financial management and strategic organizational development for more than twenty years. This includes a number of years with Rothschild Asset Management in London where she was actively involved in raising £60 million in venture capital for the International Biotechnology Trust. Joel Solomon Joel Solomon is CEO of Renewal, a collection of Vancouver-based organizations which use business and philanthropy together to work towards creating a triple-bottom-line economy. Renewal has invested in over seventy-five companies that share its commitment to socially responsible growth, including some of the best-known social purpose companies in Canada. He is also Chairman for Renewal2, a social venture investment fund for both private and charitable mission-based investors. Solomon recently underwent a kidney transplant in Canada and is passionate about sharing his personal experience with socialized health care. Solomon is a founding member of Social Venture Network, Business for Social Responsibility, Canadian Business for Social Responsibility, Tides Canada Foundation, and the Sage Centre. He serves on a number of business and charitable boards in the U.S. and Canada, including chairing the Tides Foundation and Hollyhock Foundation. What is your momentum? My fuel comes from the nexus where impact, creativity, and fun meet stewardship of the future and dedication to what is most precious to carry forward. Barb Steele Barb Steele is a CSR advisor and works with members in the Financial, Information and Communications Technology, Consumer Goods and Retail sectors. She greatly enjoys being part of the growing Toronto team, and working with both members and prospects. Barb comes to CBSR with 15 years of corporate marketing and management experience. Her areas of consulting expertise include employee engagement, strategic and operational planning, group facilitation, project management, team building and coaching. She brings a unique combination of education including a Masters of Science in Organization Development (Pepperdine University) and an Honors Business Administration degree (University of Western Ontario). Barb believes that the path to a better world will be found through supporting corporations in making solid business decisions while respecting the environment that they operate in. Barb is a committed leader with a wealth of experience, education and compassion. She looks forward to using this energy to support you in your issues and on your business. When not at work Barb enjoys spending time at home in the west end of Toronto with her husband and three children. Tonya Surman CSI is a dynamic convergence space the mission of which is to spark, connect and support new ideas tackling social, environmental, economic and cultural challenges. CSI provides shared space and services to over 85 social mission groups, acts as a community centre for social innovators, convenes across issues and provides a home to a limited number of incubated projects including Green Enterprise Toronto and the Toronto Enterprising Non-profit Program (www.socialinnovation.ca). CSI was recognized by the Toronto Community Foundation as A Vital Idea 2007 and is NOW Magazine’s Pick for Best Social Enterprise 2007. Tonya has been working with social mission groups to collaborate, innovate and build resilience for nearly 20 years. Prior to CSI, she was the founding Partnership Director for the Canadian Partnership for Children's Health and Environment (www.healthyenvironmentforkids.ca), a senior partner in the Commons Group (www.commons.ca), the founding business manager for www.rabble.ca and executive director of Web Networks (www.web.net), the first ISP in Canada dedicated to the social sector. Tonya has been creating and leading social enterprises for 13 years and has built her body of knowledge around multi-sectoral collaboration and entrepreneurship for social change. Tonya is the mother of two boys and is actively engaged in her community organizing street parties, movie nights, founding a cooperative day care, building a community garden and whatever trouble she can get herself into. Nick Temple The School for Social Entrepreneurs is a registered charity that promotes social change by developing and supporting social entrepreneurs, using its unique action-learning model. Michael Young, the foremost social entrepreneur of the last century in the UK, founded the School. As Policy and Communications Director, Nick is responsible for all SSE's policy work, evaluation, research, external communications, and so on (including all press, media and online work). Previously, Nick was the Network Director in charge of sustaining and expanding the SSE franchise around the UK. Prior to his work with SSE, Nick was Director of the Global Ideas Bank, an online think-tank promoting creativity for social good, and was formerly Co-Director of the Nicholas Albery Foundation, an umbrella charity funding socially innovative projects. He also helped co-ordinate the Natural Death Centre, the UK's only independent organization giving funeral advice and information direct to the public. Nick studied literature at Warwick and Queen Mary and Westfield Universities. Lisa Torjman Lisa is assisting to establish the social entrepreneurship program at MaRS that includes the creation of Social Innovation Generation (SiG@MaRS). The program provides social innovators and entrepreneurs access to resources to help them realize a combined economic profit with social purpose. Lisa is involved in a wide variety of SiG@MaRS activities, from website and operating plan development, to advisory services, resource coordination and events management. Lisa previously worked as an account executive at the social marketing agency Manifest Communications, where she helped advise clients on strategic communication, managed creative production and conducted market research. Before moving to Toronto, Lisa was employed at the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation over three summers while attending McGill University as an English Major with a Cultural Studies concentration. Lisa is actively involved in the arts and the broader Toronto community, most recently with the Luminato Festival, Drawn to Develop and the Couchiching Institute on Public Affairs. She counts among her accomplishments; membership with the Golden Key International Honour Society and recipient of a Canada Millennium Scholarship. Dr. Ilse Treurnicht Ilse Treurnicht joined MaRS from her role as President and CEO of Primaxis Technology Ventures, a start-up stage venture capital fund focused on the advanced technologies sector. Prior to Primaxis, Ilse was an entrepreneur with senior management roles in a number of emerging technology companies. She serves on a number of Boards, including the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIAR), BIOTECanada, the Canadian Venture Capital Association (CVCA), and is a member of ORIC (Ontario Research and Innovation Council). Ilse holds a DPhil in chemistry from Oxford University, which she attended as a Rhodes Scholar. Tamara Vrooman As the head of Canada's largest credit union, Tamara considers her role as a continuation of her career in public service as Vancity extends its financial success to facilitate positive social and environmental change. Formerly Deputy Minister of Finance for British Columbia from 2004 through mid-2007, Tamara also served as Secretary to the Treasury Board and CEO of the Public Sector Employers' Council. Among her achievements in that time, Tamara led the strategy development and implementation to successfully renegotiate 100 per cent of expiring collective agreements in the public sector without strike or mediation and led the Ministry to two AAA credit rating upgrades. Her role included overseeing the government's annual $100 billion borrowing and cash requirements and developing the government's $36 billion fiscal plan. Her prior portfolio was as Deputy Minister and Executive Financial Officer for the Ministry of Health where she balanced the budget and developed the Ministry's financial management plan. Her accomplishments have been recognized with the 2007 Knowledge and Leadership Award from the Association of Women in Finance; inclusion on Canada's Top 40 Under 40™ and the 2003 Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal for outstanding contributions to public service in B.C. Tamara currently serves as a Board Governor of the BCBusiness Council, and is also a member of the Council's Corporate Social Responsibility Committee. She has recently been appointed to the Advisory Board of the Vancouver Board of Trade's Women's Leadership Circle, as a Board Director for the Conference Board of Canada, as well as an Advisory Board Member for the University of Victoria's School of Public Affairs. Tamara is chair of the Board of Citizens Bank of Canada, a wholly owned subsidiary of Vancity. Dr. Frances Westley Dr. Westley is a renowned scholar and consultant in the areas of social innovation, sustainable development, strategic change, visionary leadership and inter-organizational collaboration. Her most recent book, Getting to Maybe (Random House, 2006) focuses on the dynamics of social innovation and institutional entrepreneurship in complex adaptive systems. Before joining University of Waterloo, Frances Westley was the Director of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies (2005-2007) at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Other positions she has previously held include the James McGill Professor of Strategy at McGill University's Faculty of Management, Director of the McGill-Dupont Initiative on Social Innovation and Director of the McGill-McConnell Masters program for National Voluntary Sector Leaders. Frances Westley serves on numerous advisory boards including Resilience Alliance Board of Science, Emery University School of Ecology, World Conservation Union-Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, the Canadian Biodiversity Institute, the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, the Stockholm Resilience Center, the SARAS Institute and Evergreen Canada. She is on the editorial board of several journals, including Journal of Applied Behavioral Science and Ecology and Society. Dr. Westley is the recipient of several awards including the Corporate Knights Award and the Ulysses S. Seal Award for innovation in conservation.
Executive Director, Evergreen
Keynote
Evergreen’s mission is to bring communities and nature together for the benefit of both. They engage people in creating and sustaining healthy, dynamic outdoor spaces - in schools, communities and homes. Evergreen believes that local stewardship creates vibrant neighbourhoods, a healthy natural environment and a sustainable society for all.
Evergreen is a registered national charity founded in 1991 to bring nature to cities. Evergreen motivates people to create and sustain healthy, natural outdoor spaces and provides practical tools to be successful through its four core programs:
Financial Manager, Canadian Alternative Investment Cooperative
Speaker
President and CEO, Inner City Development Inc.
Panelist
Executive Director, SiG National and Chair, CAUSEWAY
Host
Director, Ashoka UK
Moderator
President, PLAN Institute
Ashoka Fellow, Panelist
Chair, MaRS
Moderator
Professor of Economics, University of Chicago
Panelist
Founder/President, Roots of Empathy
Ashoka Fellow, Panelist
Director, Social Entrepreneurship and SiG@MaRS
Host
Vice-President of The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation
Moderator
He also co-founded and operated Vancouver’s Alma Street Café, a business that supported many social and environmental causes, for which he was named Business Person of the Year by the Kitsilano Chamber of Commerce.
Outreach and Management, Canadian Alternative Investment Cooperative
Speaker
Program Manager, Enterprising Non-Profits
Host
Managing Partner, Cooler Solutions Inc.
Panelist
Founder, The Company of New Radicals
Panelist
Founding Executive Director, SEDI
Ashoka Fellow, Panelist
2008 an Ashoka Senior Fellow, marking him as one of Canada’s leading social entrepreneurs.
Founder, GreaterGood South Africa, Founder, SASIX
Keynote
President and CEO of Renewal, Chairman for Renewal2, and Executive Director of the Endswell Foundation
Keynote
CSR advisor, CBSR
Panelist
Executive Director, Centre for Social Innovation (CSI)
Speaker
School for Social Entrepreneurs, UK
Panelist
Associate, Social Entrepreneurship and SiG@MaRS
Moderator
CEO, MaRS Discovery District
Speaker
Chief Executive Officer, Vancity
Speaker
J.W. McConnell Chair in Social Innovation, University of Waterloo
Keynote
