Speakers

Rilla Clark is a highly skilled executive coach and facilitator who has worked with a variety of organizations, moving people to new levels of understanding, skill and mutual gain.

Fifteen 15 years of experience as a corporate leadership coach and fifteen previous years of experience in the fields of business, counseling and education have equipped her with the skills to challenge and support individuals and teams towards co-created outcomes.

Rilla specializes in working with designated high potential leaders who need to expand their repertoire of leadership competencies and whose organizations wish to accelerate their development.

Rilla has a B.A.and B.Ed. from U of T and a M.Sc. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Oregon.

Liane Davey, Ph.D. is a Principal and National Lead, Strategic Initiatives with Knightsbridge Leadership Solutions in Toronto.

Liane has over 17 years consulting experience in the areas of Leadership Effectiveness and Strategy Facilitation.

Liane works with executives at some of North America’s leading financial services, consumer goods, high tech, and healthcare organizations. Her areas of expertise include: executive team effectiveness; facilitation of business strategy development; leadership development and people strategy.

Liane is a dynamic keynote speaker who has presented at numerous conferences and management retreats and has written articles for trade and academic journals. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario, and a Master of Applied Science and a Ph.D. in Industrial/ Organizational Psychology from the University of Waterloo.

Liane has served on the executive of the Canadian Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology and as a evaluator for the Ontario Psychological Association Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards. She is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Psychology Foundation and is Chair of the Foundation's Diversity in Action project promoting mental health in immigrant communities. Liane’s first book, Leadership Solutions (Jossey Bass) co-authored with David Weiss and Vince Molinaro was released in Fall 2007. Follow Liane on Twitter @LianeDavey

A native of Toronto, Mr. Dodge received a bachelor’s degree (honours) from Queen’s University, and a PhD in economics from Princeton.

During his academic career, he taught economics at Queen’s University; Johns Hopkins University; University of British Columbia; and Simon Fraser University.

After serving in a number of increasingly senior positions at the Department of Finance, including that of G-7 Deputy, he was Deputy Minister of Finance from 1992 to 1997, and Deputy Minister of Health from 1998 to 2001.

Mr. Dodge, appointed Governor of the Bank of Canada, effective 1 February 2001 for a term of seven years, retired on 31 January 2008.

Mr. Dodge is currently Chancellor of Queen’s University. He is Senior Advisor at Bennett Jones LLP one of Canada’s leading law firms. He is a member of the board of directors of Canadian Utilities Limited, the C.D. Howe Institute, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, and the Bank of Nova Scotia. Also, he co-chairs the Global Market Monitoring Group of the International Institute of Finance and is a member of the International Advisory Council for the Central Bank of the U.A.E.. In 2009, he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He was also recognized by IPAC with the Vanier Medal 2011

Patrice Dutil is Associate Professor (and Director of Undergraduate Studies) in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Ryerson University. Before joining the department in August 2006, he was the Acting Executive Director and Director of Research at the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (www.ipac.ca).

Professor Dutil’s main research interests are political and public sector leadership. In 2008, he published an edited collection entitled Searching for Leadership: Secretaries to Cabinet in Canada (University of Toronto Press). His most recent books are The Guardian: Perspectives on the Ministry of Finance of Ontario (University of Toronto Press) and Canada, 1911: The Divisive Election that Shaped the Country (Dundurn Press).

Maria David-Evans, former Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Aboriginal Relations, Government of Alberta. She held that position from 2008 to 2011. Prior to this position, and since 1997 she has held various Deputy Minister portfolios including: Children’s Services; Learning; Infrastructure; and Family and Social Services. Before joining the Government of Alberta, Ms. David-Evans built her career in the public service with the City of Edmonton. There she held senior management positions in the departments of: Planning; Community and Family Services; and Parks and Recreation, concluding her career as the General Manager of Edmonton Parks and Recreation, the largest municipal recreation department in Canada at that time.

Dedicated to life-long learning, Ms. David-Evans continues to pursue higher education. Her undergraduate work includes: Recreation Administration; Biology; Math; and Economics. She holds two masters degrees: an MBA and an MA in Sociology and has completed all her course work towards a Ph.D in Criminology. She has taught in the Faculty of Business as a sessional instructor. She also holds a Registered Social Worker (RSW) designation, and recently was awarded a fellowship at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business – Centre for Social Innovation.

Ms. David-Evans has received numerous awards for her leadership, and twice (November 2003 and November 2004) has been named as one of Canada's 100 Most Powerful Women with her long history of volunteerism being a contributing factor. She is presently President on the National Board of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC), and has been the President of the local IPAC – Edmonton Region. Ms. David-Evans is also a member on the Board of Directors for CAREERS: The Next Generation Foundation and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Edmonton Symphony Society. As well, she chairs the Winspear Centre Committee.

Ms. David-Evans is an accomplished ice sculptor. She and her late husband won a gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games and represented Canada in three international competitions where they won silver medals. They were the recipients of the City of Edmonton Civic Achievement Award for 1989 and 1990, and the Alberta Achievement Award in 1991. She enjoys swimming, regular exercise, music, ballet, gardening, golfing and spending time with her family.

Terry Fallis wrote his first novel as a personal challenge. He had no real expectations of ever being published. He simply wanted to see whether he could actually write a novel. Well, he finished the manuscript and spent a year sending it around to countless agents and publishers. The response? Deafening silence. Undaunted, Terry decided to build an audience for his novel himself and then to self-publish it, usually the kiss of death in the traditional publishing world.

So in January 2007, Terry started podcasting his entire novel for free, one chapter at a time. And people around the world started to listen to his satirical take on Canadian politics. In September 2007, Terry self-published The Best Laid Plans and like most self-published novels, it sold in modest numbers usually to family and friends.

Then in the spring of 2007, in what Terry describes as a head-on collision of shock and joy, everything changed when this unknown self-published novel, written by a first-time author won the venerable Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, one of Canada’s oldest literary awards, against such heavyweights as Douglas Coupland, Will Ferguson, and Rick Mercer. Terry’s life as a writer changed overnight. Within a week he signed a publishing deal with McClelland & Stewart. The Best Laid Plans went on to be crowned the winner of the 10th anniversary edition of CBC’s Canada Reads and is now in development by CBC Television as a six-part miniseries. The sequel, The High Road, was published in 2010 and was a finalist for the 2011 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. His third novel, Up and Down, will be published by McClelland & Stewart in September 2012.

Terry tells the entertaining story of his unorthodox and unlikely journey to the published land with humour, insight, and candour.

She was appointed Chief Student Achievement Officer of Ontario and Assistant Deputy Minister of the Student Achievement Division in 2008/09 for the Ontario Ministry of Education.

Before arriving at the Ministry of Education in her current roles, Ms. Gallagher had served as Director of Education of the Greater Essex County District School Board, and its predecessor, since 1995. She was also Chair of the Council of Ontario Directors of Education and was Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Education Improvement Commission from 1997-2000. Formerly a teacher of mathematics and computer science, as well as President of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation in her district, she also served as a secondary school principal and as a school Superintendent of Staffing and Development.

Ms. Gallagher’s passion for student achievement stems from her deepseated belief in the importance of education for all children, everywhere. Her belief in community service, whether within Canada or
abroad, led her to Rotary where she has been a member since 1991. In 2000 she spent a month in the Amazon Region of Brazil as a Rotary Volunteer in Action, establishing a new university in the region, with a special focus on serving the poor. In 2010, she travelled to India with Rotary and helped with a massive immunization effort which saw 172 million children vaccinated against polio within two days.

A former Windsor Woman of the Year, Ms. Gallagher has served as Chair of the Essex County District Health Council and has been a member of the Board of Directors of United Way. Mary Jean is the recipient of the MEDA Gold Medal for Community Service, 1995, the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, in 2003, for leadership in education and the Athena Award for her professionalism and community service. In June of 2006, she was bestowed an Honourary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of Windsor.

Ms. Hoy’s public service career has spanned more than 25 years. Ms. Hoy’s career in municipal public service began in 1980 with the former Metro Toronto government department of Community Services. From 1988 to 1996, Ms. Hoy served at various levels of municipal government and Provincial Government.

In 1993, Ms. Hoy became the Assistant Deputy Minister of Operations and Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Housing Corporation in the Ontario Ministry of Housing. From 1996 to 2001, Ms. Hoy held numerous posts in municipal government, all associated with community services and the complex components associated with these services.

Ms. Hoy was appointed Toronto’s City Manager in June 2001, where she managed the Toronto Public Service for the City of Toronto.

Ms. Hoy was appointed Chief Executive Officer for the Toronto Lands Corporation on January 5, 2009, a position she currently holds.

Ms. Hoy holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto and a Master of Public Administration from Queen’s University. She continues to serve in many volunteer roles with the University of Toronto, on the Board of Directors for Service Ontario, and other community organizations and Boards

Carol Layton was appointed Deputy Minister of Transportation on September 1, 2010.

Carol was formerly the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Revenue – a role she assumed on July 21, 2008. Prior to that, she was Deputy Minister of the former Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal (PIR) from October 24, 2005 to July 2008.

Carol's first appointment as Deputy Minister was with the Ministry of Citizenship in 2003. Along with this appointment, she was the Deputy Minister Responsible for Seniors and for Women's Issues.

She also has held senior management positions in Cabinet Office, Management Board Secretariat, and the ministries of Health and Long-Term Care, Finance, and the Attorney General.

Carol is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Financing Authority (OFA). She is also a past president of The Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) (2006-2007) and remains a member of its Endowment Fund Committee.

She holds an Honours Environmental Studies degree from the University of Waterloo and attended the Queen's University Public Executives Program.

He has been Director from 1998-2009 and returns to that role in January 2012. During 2010-11 he held the ANZSOG-ANU Chair in Applied Public Management Research at the Australian National University. He is an Adjunct Faculty Member with ANU’s Crawford School of Economics and Government. Starting January 2012, Professor Lindquist is Editor of Canadian Public Administration, the country’s flagship journal for scholars and practitioners published by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada.

Professor Lindquist has published widely on topics relating to public sector reform, governance and decision-making, central agencies and initiatives, policy capability, think tanks and consultation processes. He is working with colleagues at the Australian National University and the Australia and New Zealand School of Government on several research initiatives, including projects on the impact of the global financial crisis on national budget systems, complexity and policy visualization, perspectives on policy analysis and implementation, and theories of central agencies in government.

Rudi Loepp is the Smarter Government Solutions Executive for IBM Canada. He is responsible for assisting clients at all levels of government from municipal through to federal departments. He has worked with clients in such diverse areas as Traffic Management, Water Management, Public Safety, Social Services, Revenue Management, and cross departmental collaboration and operations. He has spent the last 25 years working with Public Sector organizations, and has a thorough understanding of how they operate.

Peter MacLeod is the co-founder and principal of MASS LBP, an innovative firm based in Toronto which works with visionary governments and corporations to deepen and improve public consultation and engagement. Since 2007, MASS has led some of the Canada's most original and ambitious efforts to engage citizens in tackling tough policy options while pioneering the use of Civic Lotteries and Citizen Reference Panels on behalf of a wide array of clients.

Over the past ten years he has worked with leading organizations in North America and Europe, including Fast Company magazine, Vancouver's Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Britain's Demos think tank and the Kaospilots, a Danish school for business design and social innovation. A fellow at the Centre for the Study of Democracy at Queen's University, he writes and speaks frequently about the citizen's experience of the state, the importance of public imagination and the future of responsible government. A graduate of the University of Toronto and Queen's University, he subsequently left his doctoral program at the London School of Economics to found MASS, after travelling across Canada and visiting nearly 100 federal constituency offices. He is the 2008 recipient of the Public Policy Forum's prestigious Emerging Leaders Award. peter[at]masslbp.com

Agapi Mavridis has been with the Ontario Public Service since 2008 after completing her Masters degrees in both anthropology and public policy. Agapi’s current role is as Executive Assistant and Senior Policy Advisor to the Chief Diversity Officer, Agencies, at the Ministry of the Attorney General. Agapi’s expertise and the focus of her work is in supporting organizations to build cultures of inclusion in their roles as policy makers, employers and service providers. Agapi is a 2012 DiverseCity Fellow with Toronto’s CivicAction, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Cretans’ Association of Toronto “Knossos.” She is the recipient of IPAC’s 2011 Promising New Professionals Award.

Dr. Michael E. Raynor is a Director with Deloitte Consulting LLP. He works with senior executives in the world's leading corporations across a wide range of industries. He is the author of two bestselling and critically acclaimed books, The Innovator's Solution, co-authored with Clayton M. Christensen, and The Strategy Paradox. His third book, the forthcoming The Innovator's Manifesto, demonstrates that the careful application of the right theory improves overall innovation success rates. Michael lectures widely, delivering over 100 major presentations and workshops around the world each year. He is a columnist for The Conference Board Review, and publishes in leading magazines and scholarly journals. Dr. Raynor holds a DBA in General Management from the Harvard Business School, an MBA from the Ivey Business School in London, Canada, and a Philosophy degree from Harvard University. He lives in Mississauga, Canada.

Ms. Rogers began her career with the City of Vancouver as the Director of Equal Employment Opportunity in 1988, leading City staff through a cultural change process and ultimately positioning it as a progressive employer. She also managed the public process around the City Plan, and was the Director of Social Planning. Between 1994 and 1998, she was Assistant City Manager, then Deputy City Manager.

On January 1, 1999 Ms. Rogers became Vancouver’s first female City Manager, responsible for the overall operations of the City with an annual operating budget of over $1 billion.

Beyond Vancouver, Ms. Rogers has served with the Organization for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD) in the study of Stockholm, Sweden. She was awarded the Pratt Fellowship in Australia and has provided governance advice to the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia. Ms. Rogers worked with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to demonstrate Vancouver’s “best practices” on how to address drug abuse, addiction and related social problems to existing prevention and treatment service programs in Bangkok. In 2004, Ms. Rogers was the President for the Institute of Public Administration of Canada.

In 1971, Ms. Rogers graduated from the University of British Columbia as a Top Graduating Student with a Bachelor of Physical Education (Recreation). To enhance her specialties, she received her Master of Public Administration from the University of Victoria in 1998. In addition, she earned a Professional Development Certificate (Teaching) in 1977 and an Advanced Management Diploma for Non‐Profit and Volunteer Sector Organizations in 1986 from Simon Fraser University.

Jay Schlosar is the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Strategic Initiatives Division. Jay joined the team to provide support to the Deputy Minister's Committee on Transformation and Technology, which is exploring opportunities for the British Columbia Public Service to better utilize the opportunities that technology can bring to the transformation of government services and relationships with citizens.

Prior to joining this team, Jay served for seven years in the Office of the Premier, most recently as Deputy Chief of Staff for Issues Management and Policy Coordination in that office where he provided communications and policy support to the Premier and Cabinet. Before that, Jay served as a senior political assistant under both the Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services (2001 to 2002) and the Ministry of Competition, Science and Enterprise (2002 to 2003).

Jay's educational background includes a Masters of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science. Jay and his wife, Tamara, both grew up in the B.C. interior, but have called Victoria home for the last 15 years. They live in a condo near downtown, love not having to mow their own lawn or shovel much snow, and are proud parents to Linus.

GEORGE KOJO SCOTT, SECRETARY GENERAL, AFRICAN ASSOCIATION FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT (AAPAM)

With a public service career that has spanned 35 years, George K. Scott brings a wealth of experience to his current position as the Secretary General of the African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM). Mr. Scott has held progressively senior positions in the Government of Ghana, with his most recent position as Chief Director (Deputy Minister equivalent) in the Ministry of the Environment, Science and Technology. In this position he was responsible for the general coordination of the Ministry’s four main agencies: Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, and Town and Country Planning Department as well as five main Directorates and a unit. Prior to this position, Mr. Scott was the Chief Director of the Ministry of Aviation. He also served for many years as Coordinating Director (City Manager) in many municipal authorities and as Director of Finance Administration in the Office of the President, Ghana.

Mr. Scott was an Adjunct Faculty Member / Part-time Lecturer for the Post-Graduate Diploma in Public Administration and a Facilitator of a public sector reform training program for Ghana’s civil service leadership at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration. He has been the Chair and Team Leader of various programs, conferences, and committees, including a donor conference made up of key donors such as the World Bank, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Mr. Scott is in his final stages of completing a PhD in Development Studies at the University of Cape Coast focused on the management of public funds for development in district assemblies of Ghana and holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration and a Diploma in the study of French language. He has authored publications on management and control of public funds and strategies for improving organizational performance.

Neil Sentance is currently the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Ontario Public Service (OPS) Green Office. The office was created in September 2008 to work with ministries to ensure there is an integrated approach to reducing the impact of government operations on the environment. In addition, the OPS Green Office ensures that environmental responsibility becomes an important part of the culture and day-to-day work of the OPS.
From 2004, Neil was an Assistant Deputy Minister with the Ministry of Government Services, responsible for developing and implementing government-wide supply chain management programs. Neil has also held several senior management positions in the OPS including in the Office of the Corporate Chief Information Officer and the former Management Board Secretariat.

Before joining the OPS in 1990, Neil was a lecturer/adjunct professor in public administration and public policy at the University of Toronto and has a BA and MA in political science from McMaster University.

Dr. Robert Taylor has had an extensive professional career spanning over 25 years. As the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Ministry’s Municipal Services Division, Dr. Taylor was responsible for coordinating and delivering key ministry and government priorities.

Prior to joining Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing in 2008, he was the acting Assistant Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Research and Innovation (MRI). Prior to his work at MRI, Dr. Taylor was the Director of the Land and Waters Branch at the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR).

Dr. Taylor’s career also extends beyond the Ontario Public Service to include working as the Planning Director with the Municipality of Prince Edward County and as a team leader in areas of Southern Africa to help establish essential municipal and environmental programs. He has also worked extensively with Queen’s University on a number of programs with the Government of People’s Republic of China.

Dr. Taylor was appointed Chief Executive Officer for the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) on November 29, 2010, a position he currently holds.

Dr. Taylor holds a PhD from the University of South Africa, where his studies focused on strategic planning processes. He also has a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Queen’s University and an undergraduate degree in Urban Geography from McGill University.

Dr. David S. Weiss, SHRP, ICD.D is President and CEO of Weiss International Ltd., a firm specializing in strategy, innovation, leadership, and Human Resources consulting. Previously Chief Innovation Officer in a multinational consulting firm, David’s current university positions include Affiliate Professor at the Rotman School of Management of University of Toronto, Senior Research Fellow of Queen’s University, and Visiting Faculty member of The University College of Cayman Islands. His doctorate is from the University of Toronto and he has three Masters degrees. He has been honoured with the “Distinguished Lecturer” certificate from the Government of Canada, the “HR Leadership Award” at the Asia‐Pacific HR Congress, the “HR Distinction Award” from HR Israel, the lifetime designation of “Fellow CHRP” from HRPA, and the first lifetime “Fellow Member” of CSTD in Canada. David is a sought‐after keynote speaker who has presented at over 200 conferences and is the author or co‐author of five best‐selling business books: Innovative Intelligence (2011), Leadership Solutions (2007), The Leadership Gap (2005), High Performance HR (2000), and Beyond The Walls of Conflict (1996). For more information, visit www.weissinternational.ca or follow David at @DrDavidWeiss.

John Wilkinson was first elected to the Ontario Legislature in 2003 as the MPP for Perth-Middlesex. In 2007 he was re-elected as the MPP for Perth-Wellington.

During his first term he served as; Vice Chair of the Standing Committe on Finance & Economic Affairs, Vice Chair of the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of the Environment and then as Parliamentary Assistant to Premier Dalton McGuinty in his role as Minister of Research & Innovation.

During his second term John was called to Cabinet and served as Minister of Research & Innovation, then as Minister of Revenue and finally as Minister of the Environment.

John and his wife live in Stratford where he founded Wilkinson & Keller Financial Planning Limited. He was the first Certified Financial Planner elected to the Ontario Legislature. John and his wife have three children, a daughter in graduate school, a son in university and a son in high school.