2023 Speakers

Rachel Ward

Hope Cleaning

CEO of Hope Cleaning Inc, a cleaning company with the mission of providing meaningful employment opportunities to vulnerable women in Calgary.

Charla Vall

Vall Impact Company

Founder of Vall Impact Company, whose purpose is to propagate bold ideas and strategies that lead to a just and regenerative world. In this vision of the world, everything we do as a society has a net positive impact on the planet and its people.

Kelly Lydiard

On A Dime Transformations

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of On A Dime Transformations, an organization helping people in recovery from addictions build meaningful careers

Jesse Ward

Hope Cleaning

CEO of Hope Cleaning, a Calgary based commercial cleaning company that provides meaningful employment for vulnerable women. Their mission is to empower and equip their staff to embrace and create a better future for themselves and their families.

Evelyne Nyairo

Ellie Bianca

Founder and CEO of Ellie Bianca, a holistic skin care line that cultivates and empowers women through sustainable business practices and fair trade

Brian Hill

TuffHill eBikes

Co-Founder of TuffHill eBikes, locally designed eBikes suited for the Canadian riding environment. TuffHill eBikes takes an inclusive, educational approach as they connect with customers, and advocate with the city for better bike infrastructure.

Dr. Allison Bichel

EmergeCo

Founder and CEO of EmergeCo, a social venture dedicated to capacity building and collaborative action address complex challenges faced by individuals and society

Duncan Cryle

Clear Sky Meditation Center and Conscious Organizations

Founding member of Clear Sky, whose mission is empower people to transform struggle and embrace vitality through offering supported personal retreat spaces, group mindfulness and mediation retreats, online courses on integrating mindfulness into daily life as a force of transformation

Jane Bisbee

Social Enterprise Fund

Executive Director of the Social Enterprise Fund, one of Canada’s more active impact investment funds

Samuel Obadero

Ayo StudioX

Award-winning photographer who began the first black-owned photography studio in Calgary where he now mentors other young artists

Christopher Lawley

Facilitation & Coaching Services

Christopher Lawley is a coach and facilitator who helps his clients realize the vision they have for their lives and organizations. Christopher weaves together his diverse life experiences and keen questioning skills to hold space for deep transformation for his clients.

Adaeze Hubbard

Innovate Calgary

As the Inclusive Innovation Coordinator for the Social Innovation Hub, Adaeze supports diverse founders across Alberta to access programming, supports, and networking opportunities, while empowering underrepresented founders and entrepreneurs and connecting them to the innovative ecosystem in Alberta.

Sherilyn Trompetter

MT Consulting Group

Sherilyn is a compassionate and authentic consultant and accredited coach who has worked in various themes of diversity, equity and inclusion for over two decades. Sherilyn brings a trauma-informed approach to consulting organizations and coaching individuals and groups. A masterful facilitator, Sherilyn is able to elicit powerful insights and initiate transformative experiences.

Kira Hunt

Adaptive Ecosystems

Landscape technologist, biomimicry researcher, and artist with a broad range of knowledge that includes urban planning, ecology, biology, design, machining, and mapmaking

Zach Manntai

For the City

Zach Manntai acts as Managing Director at For the City, developing strategies and overseeing the team. Founded in 2017, For The City has established itself as a boutique consulting firm, focusing on the intersection of faith and community. Zach believes that the principles of empathy and community-oriented service has shaped his trajectory, punctuating every pivotal role and opportunity he's pursued.

Adrienne Furrie

Adrienne Furrie Makeup

Adrienne Furrie is a professional makeup artist and beauty brand founder with over 20 years of experience working in beauty, fashion, and business. Add working mom, fitness enthusiast, entrepreneur, carer of children, husband and two large family dogs to her life-experience and you get a pretty well-rounded, approachable, and pragmatic beauty confidant! One who’s found her calling helping others find their beautiful.

Ryan Lacanilao

Alberta Living Wage Network

Ryan Lacanilao is the Coordinator and Economist for the Alberta Living Wage Network. He guides the living wage calculations, manages the certification program, and leads the Network’s projects. Before shifting focus to the nonprofit sector, he spent a decade in the public service as a policy researcher, analyst, and advisor, where he specialized in principles-focused evaluation, intersectional analysis, and systemic design.

Marsha Hebert

Eat For Life By Marsha

Founder and owner of Eat For Life By Marsha Inc., a Calgary-based gluten-free company focused on promoting healthy eating through her cookbooks and Gluten-Free Pantry store

Antoine Palmer

Sparrow Capital

Co-founder and director of Sparrow Capital and the Sparrow Group of Companies based in Edmonton

Karen McAllister

The Mindful Money Coach | Clear Sky Retreat Center

Karen is a Certified Money & Business Archetype coach, a Time To Think Facilitator, a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, non-profit leader, and spiritual-seeker. Her passion is helping individuals, families, couples, social entrepreneurs, and mission-based organisations wake up to their value and talents, so that they can contribute their very best to the world.

Jill Drader

Struggle Is Your Success | OwlSeek

Jill Drader is a renowned public speaker, award winning entrepreneur, and professional mentor based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. With over two decades of experience in the personal development industry, Jill has become a trusted advisor and spiritual director to countless individuals and organizations seeking to transform their lives and achieve their goals.

Suzanne Braun

Relish New Brand Experience Inc.

An experienced entrepreneur, Suzanne Braun is the Founder and Managing Partner of Relish New Brand Experience Inc. Since 1998, Suzanne has led the transition of Relish from a design boutique with one employee into an integrated agency of over 25. Suzanne championed Relish to become a Certified B-Corporation in 2017, voluntarily meeting the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.

Christine Spottiwood

AB Seed | Namada | ABSI Connect

Christine has been working in the not-for-profit and small business sectors for the better part of 15 years, with a formal background in accounting and strategic measurement, and an informal background in strategy and broad thinking. She brings to the table a range of skills from facilitation, to writing, to data analysis, to relationship development, to challenging the status quo.

Latosia Campbell-Walters

Sparks Planning Group

RPP, MCIP, PMP, and Principal & Managing Partner at Sparks Planning Group, with over 20 years of experience in urban planning and project management

Maroof Ahad

Newo Global Energy

Member of the energy audit and solar teams at Newo. With a background in civil engineering and NAIT’s alternative-energy technology program under his belt, Maroof seeks to combine the technological with the relational.

Denise Kirk

GBV Resource Collective Inc.

Business and finance executive whose expertise lies in strategies harmonizing processes, people, and technology to take organizations to the next level in growth and profitability. She brings 30+ years of business experience extending across corporate finance, organizational development, strategies, operations, and corporate sustainability.

Zach Lyster

The Commons | Ripple PM

Zach uses creativity and innovation to solve collective problems. Buzzing with constant ideas, Zach co-leads a powerful team to innovate how people gather, meet and collaborate. With relationship building and connection at the forefront, Zach’s evolving knowledge and expertise enables him to see the details and the bigger picture.

Xolani Ncube

Ubuntu Pies

Xolani has a passion for bridging the economic inequalities through empowering economically vulnerable groups through employment and entrepreneurship skills training.

Ernestina Malheiro

Uplift Learning Inc.

Ernestina’s lived experience with resilience and trauma has inspired her vision of working towards a kinder and more compassionate society that is Resilience and Trauma-Informed. As a Curriculum and Instructional Designer, she’s had the privilege of working with dozens of subject matter experts. She’s strategized and implemented e-learning for organizations with 25,000 to 90,000 employees over the last 20 years.

Theodora WarriorHealy

Warrior Moccasins

A proud Blackfoot member of the Piikani Nation from the southern region of Treaty 7, in Alberta, Canada. An independent Indigenous Empowerment Facilitator with a passion for financial literacy, awareness and education. Through her life experience, truth telling and knowledge sharing she helps her people navigate the Western world.

Leah Fink

All Thrive

Leah Fink helps transform the leadership and culture of organizations in order to create better mental health, not just within the company, but for families as well. Her consulting focuses on developing systemic understanding, meaningful communication skills, an ethical use of power, capacity in clarifying assumptions, skillfully using healthy tension, and increasing EQ.

Mariah Dolores Tanedo

Cocobakes YYC

At Cocobakes, they believe that food has a way of bringing people together. Their food truck isn't just a business - it's a place where friends and family can come together and enjoy great food and company. Cocobakes take pride in their personalized service and strive to make every customer feel like part of our family.

Meaghan Farquharson

Bright Lights

A registered psychologist, clinical counsellor and certified yoga instructor, Meaghan has worked in hospital psychiatric wards, prisons, addictions treatment centers, homeless shelters, palliative care facilities, and the Victim Services Unit of the RCMP. Her passion is supporting community leaders, oscapewis and helping professionals to stay vibrant and well as they support others to rise above abuse, trauma, and life altering events

Natalie Wynn-Dempsey

Momentum Indigenous Engagement Coordinator | Owner of Little Wonders Early Literacy Music Play Program

My name is Natalie Wynn-Dempsey (aka Miss Natalie of Little Wonders). My traditional name is Rainbow Eagle Woman. My family has numerous opportunities to express themselves through the diverse and vibrant perspectives rooted in our African and First Nations ancestry, among others.

Chelsea Prescod

Canadian Women's Chamber of Commerce

Chelsea is the Vice President of Business Development and Growth at The Canadian Women's Chamber of Commerce (CanWCC). CanWCC is the first – and only – Chamber of Commerce for women-identified and non-binary business owners in Canada. Chelsea encompasses an eclectic professional and entrepreneurial background with a deep commitment to empowering and mobilizing communities, specifically youth, women, and systemically excluded entrepreneurs.

Carrie Liu

Bamboo Dumplings

Carrie has experience as an IT Business Analyst to help organization streamline and automate processes in addition to running Bamboo Dumplings for the last 5 years.

Mrs. Matilda Lewis

Mrs. Matilda Lewis recently graduated from the Indigenous Languages Certificate Program through the University of Saskatchewan. Mrs. Lewis holds a Bachelor's of Education as well as a Master’s Degree in Education. She has taught for over 30 years at all levels and was a part of the Cree Immersion Program of Island Lake School.

Elder Margaret Crookedneck

Elder Margaret Crookedneck was born and raised in the boreal forest of what is now known as the Meadow Lake Provincial Park. She’s never formally attended school but has learned and shared history, song, story and curricula for social studies, math, science and Cree Languages Arts in nêhiyawêwin. She sits as and Elder in the Ministikwan Lake Elders Council and continues to assist as a consultant and knowledge keeper.

Juanita Marois

Métis Crossing

CEO at Métis Crossing and a proud citizen of Alberta’s Métis Nation

Heather Gray

Camp Living

Camp Living’s social mission is to alleviate the cost of living, while uniting generations of families under one roof. Families are spread all over long distances and its tough to find time or money to visit. Cooking and cleaning can get exhausting. Our aim is to have a room for everyone with a cook and cleaner on site for families to live together, affordably.

Diane Cassidy

Vacant Lots Farm Club

Diane is a designer, flower enthusiast, and daydreamer. Her career has been dedicated to design creativity, best practices, and operational excellence. After a decade at a multi-disciplinary design firm she have worked on over a million square feet of interior design projects while leading teams and clients of many sizes.

Jack Goodwin

Vacant Lots Farm Club

Jack am a scientist at heart who was diverted into practical design and ecological agriculture by the ominous realities of the present world: ecological degradation, climate change, and incredible disparity. After spending 9 years at the University of Calgary pursuing a BSc. in Chemistry and working in a world class geo-chemistry lab, he found the challenges of supplying humanity’s needs to be more present than ever.

Kat Gagnon

Dreamcatchers Healing Circle

Kat is a certified Yoga Therapist, a Soul Care Coach, and an inspirational speaker. Kat helps those who have forgotten their dreams, to remember who they are, deepen their connection with self and to hear the whispers of their hearts through yoga therapy and dream filled wisdom circles.

Tynan Allan

CultureING

Tynan is a compassionate innovator, speaker, challenger of the status quo, and optimist for the future. Today, he spends his days acutely focused on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Consulting practice, CultureING. His expertise lies in leading change, facilitating difficult conversations, and creating a safe place at work where people can thrive. As a Queer Biracial Black man, he also brings a unique lived experience that enriches his approach to DEI.

Ava MacLean

Clear Sky Meditation Center | Awakening Lovers

Ava is the Marketing Director at Clear Sky Meditation Retreat Center and a Somatic Sex and Relationship Coach in her free time.

Rachael Aliza John-West

Secret Garden Studio

Rachel Aliza is a social worker and a recording artist. She works alongside people to help them improve their quality of life and to empower their true selves. She loves to use creativity, especially music, as a tool towards healing and wholeness.

Tim Lipp

Peer Mediation and Skills Training +

Tim has been in the social venture space for a while. His career started in sociolinguistic mapping of minority communities in Nepal. He then studied business and won a few academic and enterprise competitions. Tim has been an auditor and a tech-founder. Always learning and building new connections!

Sarah Mateshaytis

Collectively Tangled

Sarah Mateshaytis (she/her) is a registered social worker who cares deeply about how we’re all actually doing. She's a co-founder of Collectively Tangled, a social enterprise that provides mental health services, education and support specific to entrepreneurs and individuals working in the startup and innovation sector.

Guirlene Joseph

The Dollar Detectives Society

Guirlene Joseph is an Accredited Financial Counsellor of Canada (AFCC) and the founder and Executive Director of The Dollar Detectives – a national non-profit organization committed to empowering youth with the financial knowledge, perspective and skills required to walk confidently into adulthood.

Tenzin Topdhen

True Gents Barbershop

Tenzin Topdhen inherited the business in 2022 after his friend who owned the business sadly passed away. As a proud Tibetan business owner, Tenzin has been able to both preserve his friend’s legacy and continue his journey towards his childhood dream by creating a vision statement that gives a strong purpose to his business. His end goal is to make the Dalai Lama, who he describes as his “Superman,” proud.

Lulu Mashonganyika

LiiT Care Connect Inc.

Lulu Mashonganyika, the spirited founder and CEO of LiiT Care Connect Inc. Hailing from Zimbabwe, she knows well the benefits of the proverb "it takes a village to raise a child," when one has access to it.

Travis Smith

Hop Studios

President of Hop Studios. Creator of many ExpressionEngine add-ons, and an expert with multiple CMSs like Craft CMS and Wix and Squarespace. Was editor of large news websites (Variety, Los Angeles Times), university lecturer (USC, BCIT), board member (VUL, WFDF, OpenMedia), conference speaker, Ultimate player (#SOTG @ USAU, UC, Leiout, Boracay), Canadian & American. Mac user. Loves gadgets and camping.

Carol Markusse

Induna Solutions

Rooted in a deep understanding of the psychology of business, people, and leadership, Carol has positioned herself as an OD Consultant and Leadership Coach at the intersection of business transformation and human psychology. She has led transformations for diverse clients, showcasing her ability to understand people's psychology in the workplace and implement dynamic and practical solutions.

Erin Melnychuk

Blue Monarch Management

Erin is a community economic developer, social innovator, and business leader who gives a damn. She works with companies, governments, and community organizations to design effective solutions to some of the biggest challenges society is facing today.

Heather MacKenzie

Solar Alberta

Heather MacKenzie is the Executive Director of Solar Alberta, where she and her team are working hard to accelerate Alberta’s transition to a just and sustainable energy future. She is a seasoned leader, community organizer, and green business advocate.

Jordana Armstrong

UCeed Social Impact (investment fund)

Jordana Armstrong is a social impact practitioner with over a decade of experience leading initiatives to advance social entrepreneurship. As Director, Social Innovation at Innovate Calgary, she manages a team that supports hundreds of impact-oriented researchers and entrepreneurs across Alberta who are using market approaches to achieve impact in communities they serve.

Victoria Ross

aGRO Systems Inc., AB SEED

With a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calgary and four years of experience operating a social enterprise called aGRO Systems Inc., Victoria brings a wealth of lived experience in social entrepreneurship and Albertan Agriculture.

Colin Christensen

LendHOPE

Cofounder of LendHOPE, an enterprising non-profit that creates equity through training, community, and access to crowdfunded microloans. Their first loans went out in April 2020 and they are now in 4 languages, 10 countries, 150+ entrepreneurs and holding a 100% repayment rate.

Dr. Leah Gramlich

Faculty of Medicine and Department of Medicine, University of Alberta

Physician, nutritionist specialist and Gastroenterologist. Dr. Gramlich is a professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta with a cross appointment in Agriculture Life and Environmental Science. She is also Provincial Medical Advisor for Nutrition Services and is the Scientific Director of the Diabetes, Obesity and Nutrition Strategic Clinical Network in Alberta Health Services.

Micah Louison

Coala Energy Inc.

Conducts research and development at Coala Energy Inc, a for profit company that provides safe seating and heating, using recycled sediment left behind from oil sands and coal /silver mines extraction

Jayda Karsten

Building Equality in Architecture Calgary

Jayda Karsten’s interdisciplinary artistic and curatorial practice investigates the spaces and places in the built environment that are in a state of flux. She is the Treasurer of Building Equality in Architecture Calgary, a ground up initiative that promotes equality and diversity in the city-building professions.

Rachel Forbes

Canada Bridges Social Development

Program Assistant at Canada Bridges, a non-profit which supports young people to be catalysts for change in their lives and communities.

Lisa L’Hirondelle

Moon Beadz

Artist and Kairos Blanket Exercise Facilitator

Gail Yakemchuk

Social Enterprise Fund

Gail is an accomplished business and project manager with several years working in the communication, television and arts industries. She has combined production expertise with commercial business awareness to implement effective management and accounting practices in the private and public sectors.

Susannah Tawse

IncluCity Calgary

Multidisciplinary Designer | Community Builder | Co-Founder IncluCity Calgary

Amanda Jenson

Volunteer Lethbridge Association

Executive Director for Volunteer Lethbridge Association

Maria Adria

Canadians Helping Eachother

Passionate about health care and social assistance

James Boettcher

Righteous Gelato

Custodian of Culture & Chief Empowerment Officer at Righteous Gelato, a certified B Corp using business as a force for good for people, planet and community

Garett T. Strawberry

O'Chiese First Nation, Community Development

Garett is from the O’Chiese FN, the only Ojibwe Nation in Alberta. Garett is currently working for his FN Community as an Economics Development Manager, and has been very involved with the community development planning with Wellness as the core of the scope of work.

Gino Genson

Newo and Re(source)

Co-founder of Re(source), a carbon offset development company that helps homeowners sell their solar-PV carbon offsets. He also devotes part of his time to helping Newo with marketing, videography, photography and more.

Melissa Gladue

Futupreneur

Business Development Manager for Indigenous Entrepreneurs at Futupreneur, the only national, non-profit organization that provides financing, mentoring and support tools to aspiring business owners aged 18-39.

Sara Sail

Skip The Line

CEO of Skip The Line, a shopping delivery service application that brings fashion to your fingertips in less than two hours

Tiffany Matson

Futurpreneur

Senior Business Development Manager at Futurpreneur Canada, an organization that provides free resources, financing and mentorship to young entrepreneurs

Martin Baker

Local Investing YYC

Board Member of Local Investing YYC, a for-profit investment cooperative investing in early-stage Calgary-based businesses that generate financial, social, and environmental returns. Local Investing YYC removes barriers to receiving funding through traditional channels, while creating local impact through member investments that are RRSP and TFSA eligible.

Ken Scheck

BLive Music

Founder of BLive Music, a company dedicated to promoting and supporting local musicians. They are focused on building tools, implementing technology, and fostering community via collaboration and peer to peer promotion of live music. They provide the support and let the artists do what they do best: create and connect those who love their work

Vanessa Richards

Hollyhock Leadership Institute

Transdisciplinary artist and facilitator with a passion for communities, collaboration and culture she initiates arts-based social projects that move us towards life affirming change

Keith Murray

Second Fire Sacred Arts

Faith leader and transdisciplinary artist – a writer, designer, activist, speaker & facilitator

Dr. Karen Benzies

Liminality Innovations Inc

Founder and CEO of Liminality Innovations Inc whose flagship product, Merge, is an evolution of family centred care that systematically creates a culture shift to bring parents closer to the care of their baby in NICU. She holds a PhD and two post-doctoral fellowships (Stockholm and Ottawa) and served as Associate Dean Research and Acting Dean. Benzies acquired $33 million in operating grants and led multiple large teams to generate over 160 research publications.

Mike Rowlands

Junxion Strategy

President & CEO at Junxion, a firm that for over 20 years has been advising on strategy, sustainability, and social impact for some of the world’s most courageous and generative companies, non-profits, and movements

Shelby Corley

Three Hive Consulting

Shelby is the CEO of Three Hive Consulting and Eval Academy. After years of serving clients in the non-profit, government and healthcare sectors, her approach to evaluation has become highly practical. With a graduate degree in anthropology, Shelby inherently prioritizes equity and systems thinking.

Philip Lozano

Be Local YYC

Manager of Be Local YYC, with almost 10 years of experience working in social enterprise, with a focus on community and grassroot initiatives

Laurel Dault

Hollyhock Leadership Institute

Facilitator and lead of Hollyhock's Signature Programming, including Activate, Run for Office, and Social Venture Institute (SVI)

Jenna Walsh

Momentum/Be Local YYC

Social Business Coordinator with Be Local YYC, Co-founder of GOT Foundation and Founder of Elevated Escapes

Keltie Gower

Social Innovation Institute, MacEwan University

Program Coordinator of the Social Innovation Institute, whose mandate is to assist Social Entreprises through connection to community, faculty and students

Tammy Plunkett

Author | Advocate | Advisor

Tammy is a certified life coach, DEIB Strategist, author of Beyond Pronouns: The Essential Guide for Parents of Trans Children, and a speaker who began her career as a registered nurse.

Christina Owczarek

XhAle Brew Co.

Founder of XhAle Brew Co, a profit-for-purpose craft brewing company, and a first of it's kind as Alberta's first all-women-and-queer founded brewing company

Jean Byllingiro

Ubumwe Community Consumer Co-op

Program Director of Ubumwe Community Consumer Co-op, with the goal of using co-ops as a vehicle for systematic change

Winnie Chow-Horn

Government of Alberta

Serves in the Community Development Unit for the Government of Alberta

Azalea Kim

Bow Realty

Realtor and property manager for 25 years with a passion for problem solving and helping others