Category: Non-Profit Leadership

Topic: It is important to recognize the value of diverse ways of knowing, being and experiencing. This can be enhanced through intentional efforts in creating a diverse board that effectively represents the sector. Join us as we explore diversity, how to build and recruit diversity, and most importantly how to design a board to get value from that diversity.

Bios:

Jennifer Beyer has spent two decades working and volunteering with the non-profit sector at operational, governance, and systemic levels. From program design and delivery and strategic and operational planning to governance processes and team and partnership development, she’s worked on it all. 

Jen is passionate about building her own understanding of unconscious bias, intersectionality, colonization, power, and privilege and considering how these things play out for teams, communities, systems, and institutions. 

She feels it’s important to integrate this awareness into her work and hopes to pass not just this knowledge but the process of integrating this knowledge on to those she has the pleasure of working with so they can more deeply consider how these dynamics affect their work. 

Jen comes with strategies and passion for tackling the complex challenges we face through transformed policy development and community service delivery informed by collaborative dialogue that includes everyone, centres equity-deserving people, and builds true allyship with Indigenous Peoples. 

Jen is a settler of European decent, grateful to make her home in Treaty 6 territory. Her interests include social justice and environmental issues, backcountry hiking and paddling, reading, fun and laughter, and spending time with friends and family. 

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Sharif Haji – Executive Director, Africa Centre.

Sharif Haji comes with over 15 years of experience in public policy and program design, development, and implementation. Mr. Haji has a strong background in public policy formulation along with community development and organizational design experience. He brings a blended experience of both public and non-profit sectors in Canada and overseas.  

Mr. Haji is a co-founder of the Federation of African Canadians Economics (FACE), Montreal-based national entity that provides access to capital for Black businesses in Canada. Before accepting his current role as the Executive Director at the Africa Centre, Mr. Haji had worked with the Ministries of Seniors and Housing as well as Health for over five years. During his tenure in the public sector, he led and/or managed various provincial files including; implementation of Alberta’s first Provincial Affordable Housing Strategy, Alberta’s Primary Health Care Strategy, the design of the Family Care Clinics and Alberta’s Primary Care Networks. 

Prior to working with the Government of Alberta, Mr. Haji have had extensive experience in international development where he worked with World Vision in different countries and led or managed major bilateral and multilateral grant-based initiatives. Educationally, Mr. Haji has a Bachelor of Arts in Health Science and Social Services from the University of South Africa (UNISA), and Master of Public Health in Global Health, from the School of Public Health, University of Alberta. 

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David Feldman is the Director of Learning and Development at the Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations. His portfolio includes governance and one-on-one services for the non-profit sector in Edmonton and Greater Region.   

David holds a B.Sc. (Mathematical Sciences with a Psychology Minor), M.A. (Interdisciplinary Studies – Collective Cognition), PMP (Project Management Professional), and Q. Med (Qualified Mediator).  

David has worked with nonprofit, project management advisory, and family business boards for nearly 20 years. As a private consultant, David had the opportunity to work with nonprofits across all stages of their life cycles. He has supported nonprofits through challenges, helped them navigate crisis situations and inspired them to redefine success. As a mediator, David has supported boards through some of their toughest moments.  

He continues to help passionate caring people find common ground, unite around shared visions and ultimately move forward.   

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Corinne Rogers

Nursing is my second career. I was a chemistry/physics teacher for over 20 years, primarily teaching adults with learning barriers. I came to nursing leadership through my work overseas. I graduated from the after degree-nursing program at the University of Alberta with Distinction and completed a Master of Nursing in Nursing Leadership. As a Ph.D. candidate, my research focuses on the health and well-being of women previously trafficked. 

My international experience included working as the primary RN for Tenaganita, an NGO which works with trafficked women and children in Southeast Asia. As the Vice Chair of the New Canadians Health Centre, I am honored to work alongside gifted people in our community who are passionate about immigration health. As an Associate Professor at the University of Alberta, I enjoy my membership with the Faculty of Nursing Equity, diversity, and inclusivity (EDI) committee and the Scoping EDI committee for the University of Alberta.  

Recently, I developed the Perspectives on Inclusive and Global Health course for the faculty of nursing at the University of Alberta. Through this work, I came to think about how EDI is attended to in personal and professional spaces and places. I am a narrative inquirer, thus attending to EDI as a board member means that when we care about the stories others share with us, we also care about the people we serve. However, I do not consider myself an expert in EDI, as attending EDI is a personal journey that is always becoming. In this becoming, it can then inform professional spaces and places.  

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Sophie Hallée

Location: Logan Room

Category: Resilience & Transformation

Topic: In this session our panelists will share perspectives on what good data actually looks like, how data informs decision making processes and how do we ensure we are using ethical practices in the use of our data. The Panelists will share stories that highlight how data has not only improved organizational decision making but also made a real difference to the people they serve. Join this conversation to learn more about data standards, data privacy, organizational capacity, and leadership through an equity lens.

Bios:

Dr. Alina Turner is the Co-Founder/Co-President of HelpSeeker Technologies – a social technology and innovation Alberta-based B-Corp, founded in 2018. Her background is as a social scientist with a specialization in systems planning and integration, and as a funder and social policy expert. She’s had the opportunity to work in systems change efforts on homelessness and affordable housing, domestic violence, poverty, mental health, and addictions throughout her career. Alina’s drive and passion for her work are grounded in her lived experience of the social issues she continues to challenge in her professional work. She is a Fellow at The School of Public Policy, University of Calgary. Her most recent interest is in putting new technologies to use in reforming the design and delivery of social safety nets.

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Gemma Dunn is the Executive Director of the Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations, a leading resource and advocate for Alberta’s charities and nonprofit organizations. She is a seasoned nonprofit thought leader with over 20 years of experience in the sector, including 15 years in capacity building where she is recognized for her ability to tackle complex issues.  

Gemma’s passion has driven her to work very closely with communities and non-profit organizations to create innovative solutions and develop systems that support a thriving non-profit sector.  Her work focuses on sector transformation, leadership development and strengthening the evidence base for voluntary action. She believes that building authentic relationships and deepening connection within the sector will ultimately lead to better outcomes for all.  

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Robyn Blakadar is the President & Chief Executive Officer, PolicyWise for Children & Families.

Appointed in 2012 as President and CEO, Robyn is responsible for strategic and operational leadership of PolicyWise for Children & Families. 

Robyn oversees the organization’s generation and mobilization of evidence for child and family well-being through a collaborative, cross-sector approach between government, academia, and the community.  

Robyn has over 30 years of experience in Alberta’s social and health system focusing on policy development and analysis, quality improvement, knowledge mobilization, and data system innovation. Robyn has been co-leading the Alberta Nonprofit Data Strategy, and guiding her organization’s involvement in numerous local, provincial, and national data initiatives.  

Robyn holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Calgary and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Alberta. 

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Nimir Raval 

is a Licensed Social Worker, Trained Humanitarian Aide, and Certified Executive Coach with 16 years of experience in various sectors from Non-Profits, Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) and Government Organizations. 

Right now, he works as Director of Community based Services at The Family Centre and is the founder of the EI growth firm of executive and business coaching.  

Since 2008 he has practiced data coaching and incorporated data management and governance models of the nonprofit sector and corporate companies.  

Recently he has developed and implemented a data governance leadership framework for the non-profit profit sector in collaboration with Data Orchard, Europe and Chicago University, US. 

He leads the digital technology and data governance and implementation committee at the Family Centre and is Co-chair of Race-Based Data in Edmonton.  

He sees data governance as a tool to bolster access, security, quality,  and insight generation to enhance practice, governance and advocacy in non profits. 

Location: Palisades Room

Category: Advocacy & Politics

Topic: It is not enough to simply establish an online presence through a website and social media channels.  

In this session, Alberta Counsel’s Associate of Digital Strategy will discuss how to use your online presence to your advantage in order to reach and engage with your target audiences.

Bio: Aaron Singleton holds a degree in Political Science from the University of Alberta with a focus on public policy development. In addition to his academic background, he brings electoral experience having worked as a campaign manager for a candidate during the 2011 federal election. 

Prior to joining Alberta Counsel, Aaron spent six years serving with Justice and Solicitor General as a Senior Judicial Clerk and Acting Team Lead for the Court of Appeal of Alberta.

Location: Palisades Room