Anna McGregor is an Associate Consultant at Mindset Mental Health Strategy Inc. With her background in molecular sciences and health care, she brings strong observation, problem-solving, and communication skills to the table. Since starting with Mindset, Anna has developed an in-depth understanding of the best practices organizations can take to support the mental health of their employees. A life-long learner herself, she enjoys delivering complex information using clear and accessible messaging and is passionate about being a knowledgeable support to others as they seek learning, growth, or change. Her attention to detail has helped ensure plans for organizational change are well-rounded and actionable. Her clients would say that she is warm and open and ensures they feel welcome and heard throughout their engagement.
Originally, from Northern Ireland, Catherine worked in London, UK for eight years before immigrating to Vancouver, BC in 2005. She has experience in the recruitment, legal, technology, regulatory, environmental, healthcare and non-profit sectors, the latter being her passion. She joined internationally recognized Canuck Place Children’s Hospice in 2018. As Chief People and Culture Officer; she supports all aspects of HR for over 200 staff across BC.
A life-long learner Catherine holds the following qualifications:
Disability Management Practitioner and Effective Responses to Workplace Mental Health certification through the Pacific University for Workplace Health Sciences.
Elizabeth has over 30 years’ experience as a faculty member at Confederation College with a focus in human services programs. Elizabeth also has more than 40 years’ experience in community based social services in the areas of developmental services, brain injury rehabilitation, and mental health. Her academic research has explored the service provider experience and ways to prevent and mitigate the complex nature of burnout in healthcare and social services. Elizabeth is the author of Conscious Service: Ten Ways to Reclaim Your Calling, Move Beyond Burnout and Make a Difference Without Sacrificing Yourself (Hazelden Publishing, 2022). Elizabeth is a PhD candidate with the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University. In addition to her academic research, Elizabeth has co-led 3 community based applied research projects in Vancouver, BC since 2021, including At the Intersection of Service Provider Wellbeing and Equity in Healthcare and Social Services (2021), a follow up to this project through a Momentum grant (2022), and Safe Inclusive Spaces: An inclusive, compassionate response to illicit drug poisoning: Self-responsive and relational approaches between healthcare service providers and service users (2023). Elizabeth is a consultant and trainer, actively working with organizations to collaboratively improve personal and collective wellbeing and transform workplace culture. She also holds a diploma in Developmental Services, a BA in Psychology/Religious Studies, and a Masters in Adult Education.
Jordan Friesen is the President of Mindset Mental Health Strategy Inc. He is a mental health expert with experience leading national programs and initiatives focused on workplace mental health. He uses is knowledge of best practices to assist organizations who want to take progressive action to support the mental health of their employees as an imperative for the future of work. A skilled educator, Jordan can distill complex ideas into actionable insights for a wide range of audiences, from executives to students. He is known for his pragmatic approach, ability to coach and influence leaders, and drive to help companies meaningfully move the needle on mental health in their workplace. Grounded in his own lived experience of illness and recovery, he takes a person-centred approach to making workplaces healthier and, ultimately, more human again.
Jordan is a registered occupational therapist and holds a Master of Occupational Therapy degree from the University of Manitoba.
He lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba with his wife Caitlin and daughter Charlotte. In his spare time, he can be found cycling, backcountry hiking, and enjoying local craft beer.
Katharine is the National Associate Director, Workplace Mental Health at Canadian Mental Health Association. She holds a M.Sc. in Occupational Psychology focusing her thesis on Workplace Well-being. She currently leads the workplace mental health department and oversees the Not Myself Today program, Psychological Health and Safety training and custom workplace mental health offerings at CMHA national.
As the VP SME Programs, Louie is responsible for developing and implementing initiatives of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce that are designed to strengthen the business climate of Ontario and support our members by providing them with access to resources. During his career with the Government of Ontario, Louie held a number of senior management positions in policy, planning and direct operations with several Ministries including the Ministry of the Solicitor General and Correctional Services, the Ministry of Tourism and Recreation and the Ministry of Health Promotion.
In his leisure time, Louie can be found supporting youth development through his efforts as a soccer coach in his local community, an activity he has been involved with for the past 25 years
Lisa Paull, whose ancestral name is Ts’eláselwet, is the new Director of Programs & Services at New Relationship Trust. Her professional background encompasses educational programs and services, as well as personal development. Lisa is dedicated to supporting Indigenous capacity building through the delivery of impactful programming and services, which includes fostering true collaboration with stakeholders and partners. With extensive experience in leadership, counseling, administration, and Indigenous capacity building, she has served on diverse advisory groups focused on Indigenizing programs and providing wrap-around supports. Lisa is inspired to uphold BC First Nations in achieving their diverse goals and objectives.
Rachel is a people-focused strategist and has spent the past 12 years combining subject-matter expertise in human rights with skills in dialogue, education, policy analysis, strategic planning, and program design. She truly believes in the power to positively change lives through creating better systems, and has impacted thousands through her work in Canada and the UK. In an increasingly polarized world where opinion is often seen as fact, Rachel provides grounded, data-driven recommendations while still championing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). Her passion for people-driven change and community care was instilled in her from an early age by her family, who taught her that we are responsible for ourselves and for each other. Rachel holds degrees from the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Western University.
Motivated by the belief that every person deserves an equitable opportunity to thrive and succeed, Susan has focussed her career on marshalling the support of key stakeholders to affect change at some of Canada’s top academic, health and research organizations to drive positive change. She has a passion for the city and wants to see the region – and those who live it – have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Trevor Buttrum is an award-winning leader with 20+ years of experience in recruitment strategy, career education, and fostering inclusive talent pipelines. In 2022, he became Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers (CACEE), which provides national leadership, resources, access to a network of expertise and professional development to help members excel in supporting students in their journey from post-secondary studies to career success.
Carine founded Volunteer MBC in September 2008 and brought to the Centre a 30-year history in progressively senior management positions in the field of Customer and Community Relations, Corporate Social Responsibility, Marketing & Communications Travel/Event Management and Global Purchasing with Husky Injection Molding Systems.
She learned a life lesson around “community” and caring early in life, from her dad who was a successful entrepreneur, who demonstrated the same sense of responsibility around giving back and who reminded her as she left for Canada as a young bride to “always be kind and make sure to care for people.” She has carried that mission into her role as the Executive Director of Volunteer MBC, the Volunteer Centre for the Peel Region, which she founded, dedicated to connecting, serving, and helping people, while building capacity for social purpose organizations. Philosophically, she describes Volunteer MBC as “a conduit for good,” as the matchmaker…the one-stop shop, connecting people to community organizations where they can help others and where in turn, they end up helping themselves.
Gary has his Bachelors and Masters in Social Work. He has 25 years’ experience, having worked as a probation officer, counsellor, hospital social worker, program manager, researcher and clinical supervisor. He is founder, Executive Director and Clinical Supervisor of a non-profit collaborative called Moving Forward Family Services, which provides low barrier counselling and support services to residents in BC and across Canada. The organization’s vision is ‘A world without sorrow’ and their mandate is to provide counselling to anyone who needs it, as well as partner with as many agencies as possible to overcome silos within the social service, criminal justice and education sectors. Gary is a widowed father of two boys and identifies himself as a wounded healer.
Lais Gomes is a passionate legal professional with over 5 years of experience in the Canadian NGO sector as an employee, volunteer, and board member. Her journey began with a simple yet profound belief: strong communities are the backbone of a thriving society. This conviction has shaped her life and fueled her commitment to making a meaningful difference.
Currently, Lais is pursuing her LLM at the University of Toronto, actively engaging with the Asper Centre’s Encampments and the Chart Student Working Group. Her interests in international law and human rights drive her dedication to finding innovative ways to create a more equitable and just legal system for everyone.
Lori is a volunteer management leadership expert and consultant and podcaster, as well as an internationally published author and workshop facilitator and podcaster who has taught workshops to many diverse audiences, including Boards and Committees, Associations and Nonprofit organizations across North America.
Lori is a contributing author the Volunteer Management Handbook, 2nd Edition as well as a subject matter expert guest on various podcasts in the nonprofit space. Lori has helped organizations with strategic planning, board and committee development, employee volunteerism, marketing volunteer programs, developing resource and learning centres, tools and resources for volunteer programs, and developing volunteer programs to name a few areas of expertise.
Lindsay Baker, CVA, has been leading volunteer teams for 20+ years in a variety of settings. Currently she is the Senior Manager, Volunteer Resources at the BC SPCA and an instructor for Conestoga College’s Volunteer Management Certificate program. She is also a past President of the Volunteer Management Professionals of Canada (VMPC) and currently co-hosts their book club. In 2017, she was awarded the Impact Award for Exemplary Leadership of Volunteers by her peers.
Connect with Lindsay Baker, CVA, on LinkedIn at: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-baker-cva
Micheal McOuat (he/him) has been part of Volunteer Alberta’s operations team for the last 3 years, supporting the nonprofit and voluntary sector through their capability nourishing programs and helping to illuminate paths forward. Born and raised in a small town in Northern Alberta, he has had the opportunity to live all throughout Canada and experience the wide breadth of community. Micheal holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Calgary, an overflowing “to be read” book pile, and maybe a few too many post-it-notes on his desk. More than anything, he is a proud Métis and part of the 2SLGTBQ+ family.
Anouk Bertner is the Executive Director at Future of Good, a fast-growing award-winning social purpose media organization with a mission to equip changemakers with valuable news, insights and knowledge so they can make a bigger difference at work and in the causes they care about. Future of Good has a bold ambition to be a top professional resource for 1 million changemakers by 2030. Given her experience managing the complexity of growth, Anouk leads all day-to-day management and is in charge of the impact model and organizational trajectory for the next phase of our mission. Anouk also manages high-value programs such as the 2023 Social Finance Forum, Canada’s largest conference on social finance and impact investing. Anouk is also the Board Chair of Common Approach to Impact Measurement, a critical infrastructure and network for the social purpose sector. Formerly, Anouk was Executive Director at EcoEquitable, a profitable award-winning employment-based social enterprise that supports newcomer women.
Jim’s 50+ years in technical and business information services have been packed with innovation and achievement, in the last 30 years focused largely on the nonprofit sector. He launched Canadian FundRaiser in 1991, co-founded Charity Village in 1993, and went online with Canadian FundRaiser eNEWS in 2001. Renamed Hilborn Charity eNews it is now read by 13,000 fundraisers and NFP specialists every week and features the latest news in fundraising in Canada and around the globe. Finally, in 2010, his long fascination with planned giving resulted in the formation of the planned giving consulting firm PGgrowth Inc with an associate, now servicing dozens of charity clients all across Canada.
Zahra is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vantage Point, a non-profit organization that focuses on strengthening the capacity of non-profits across BC. Zahra has worked in the non-profit sector for over 15 years with experience in international development, housing and homelessness, community development, youth entrepreneurship, fundraising, and microfinance. Zahra is the Chair of BC’s Poverty Reduction Advisory Committee, an independent committee that advises government on policy developments related to poverty reduction and prevention. She is also on the board of Lookout Foundation, Cuso International, and Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society. Zahra was recognized as one of Business in Vancouver’s Forty Under 40 in 2019. She gratefully resides on the traditional, ancestral, stolen, and unceded lands of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) peoples with her husband and school-age daughter.
Rochelle, co-founder of Story Point Consulting, brings decades of expertise in data and analytics to the nonprofit sector. She has worked with staff and volunteers at nonprofits and charities across Canada, helping them find the right donors for their cause, effectively communicate their story, and build strong, lasting relationships with supporters. Her approach involves using practical fundraising strategies that empower small teams to raise the essential funds they need to support their missions well into the future, allowing them to focus on the work that truly matters.
Carolynn Dubé is the Executive Director of Fertility Matters Canada (FMC), the leading Canadian charity dedicated to providing support, education, and advocacy for fertility and family-building care. Since assuming her role in 2015, Carolynn has been instrumental in driving advocacy efforts at various levels, including federal, provincial, employer, and insurance providers and has supported over 1 million Canadians in connecting with resources and support for their reproductive health and family-building options. She co-founded the Fertility Benefits Matter Campaign in 2019 serves as founding Board Director of the Women’s Nonprofit Network.
Duke Chang is an accomplished executive with over 25 years of leadership experience in financial services and technology, transforming businesses through innovation and product-led growth. Most recently, Duke served as the Worldwide Head of Product, Business Development, and Customer Experience for Lenovo Solutions and Services Group where he built and scaled the broad solution portfolio to support Lenovo’s $3 billion business.
Shelina Dilgir, Director of Development at the Dr. Peter Center, is a dedicated leader committed to fortifying the nonprofit sector through comprehensive education and training initiatives. With over 15 years of experience as a Program Manager, Director, and Consultant, she has consistently expanded program impact, strengthened organizational infrastructure and governance, and significantly increased fundraising revenues. Shelina has collaborated with a diverse range of organizations, from grassroots entities without paid staff to national and international offices generating over $10 million annually.
Alison Besecker (she/her) As the Network and Engagement Coordinator at Volunteer Alberta, Alison manages VA’s members, leads our Alberta Volunteer Center Network, and looks at other ways to connect with the sector. She also has 8 years of experience as a volunteer coordinator. When not at work, you find Alison out enjoying neighborhood walks with her cat, Kat, going to art and cultural events, and eating ice cream.
Shaminda volunteered in the judging panel representing Volunteer Canada where he served as the Knowledge, Practice and Learning Lead until September 2024. He led an innovative and future-focused portfolio to deliver a learning agenda strengthening Canada’s volunteering infrastructure. His portfolio included mobilizing knowledge and learning on volunteerism, liaising with Volunteer Centres across Canada, and leading the Data-driven Engagement initiative, which coordinates the Canadian Knowledge Hub for Giving and Volunteering. Since 2012, he has led learning initiatives to support not-for-profit organizations and community groups to apply best practices in volunteer involvement. In 2015, Shaminda introduced the Service Excellence Blueprint, a framework for not-for-profit organizations to foster a culture of excellence in volunteer engagement, programs and service delivery. Shaminda gives back to the community through volunteering and philanthropy with the Mississauga Cooksville Lions Club and Volunteer MBC.
With over 25 years immersed in the voluntary sector, Subrina intimately understands the challenges and rewards of engaging community members as volunteers. She began her journey as a volunteer herself, before stepping up to serving on the boards of various nonprofits. Through these experiences, Subrina gained first-hand knowledge of how volunteers are the lifeblood of so many impactful organizations. Her passion for empowering volunteers grew, leading Subrina to take on leadership roles before becoming the Executive Director of a regional volunteer center, South Okanagan Similkameen Volunteer Centre in 2021. Early this year, Subrina was also appointed the Executive Director of Volunteer BC where she can focus her efforts on championing and celebrating volunteers in her home province.
Emma Asiedu-Akrofi is a dedicated advocate for women and girls, committed to addressing gender-based inequalities. She holds a degree in political science and sociology from the University of Toronto and has over 10 years of experience working in the charitable sector. She currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Fora: Network for Change. Through renowned leadership, advocacy, and community-building programs, Fora helps young women and youth navigating gender-based discrimination gain new skills, confidence, supportive networks, and opportunities to lead gender equity movements, advance in their career trajectories, and change the status quo.
Raaj is an award-winning social entrepreneur, researcher, and community leader. Raaj’s background in engineering led him to work on Apple’s latest products and recycling technology. Raaj’s passion for technology-enabled sustainable change drew him to research the major capacity constraints nonprofits face in building SDG-aligned community impact. In 2020, Raaj began to design a solution by bridging the corporate and nonprofit worlds, founding the startup MeaningfulWork. The startup’s online platform enables companies to embed social purpose by engaging their employees through skill-based volunteering with nonprofits in the community. MeaningfulWork also works with their 300+ nonprofit partners to connect their impact to a theory of change, UN SDGs, and actionable capacity-building plans.
A graduate of the University of Toronto, Tovah began her career in the film industry; both in her hometown of Miami at the Miami Jewish Film Festival and at the Canadian Film Centre in Toronto. In 2009 Tovah joined the Earth Rangers team, taking on the role of Development Director in 2012 and Vice President, External Relations in 2017. During her tenure at Earth Rangers, Tovah has developed countless partnerships with the private sector and all levels of governments. Perhaps most importantly, she has played an integral role in Earth Rangers’ strategic planning and growth into the largest youth conservation group in the world. In 2017, Tovah was named by the Province of Ontario as a “trailblazing woman who is transforming our province” and for “leading and shaping the future”.