Saäd Rafi is a Partner and the National Public Sector Leader at Deloitte LLP, a global leader in serving the public sector.

Prior to rejoining Deloitte in 2016, Saäd was the CEO of the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan Administration Corporation, where he was responsible for implementing the Ontario Pension Plan. The ORPPAC has been credited with helping to galvanize the provinces and federal government in achieving a national CPP enhancement.

Saäd was also the CEO of the Toronto2015 Pan Am Parapan Am Games Organizing Committee. The Organizing Committee delivered a very successful Games and returned $106 Million back to the Provincial and Federal governments.

Saäd was the Deputy Minister of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, from 2010 to 2014. During his tenure the Ministry undertook the most ambitious and significant transformation of the health system in a generation.

Over the course of his 24-year career with the Ontario Public Service, Saäd was also the Deputy Minister of Community Safety (formerly Public Safety and Policing Services), Transportation and Energy and Infrastructure.

Donald Savoie holds the Canada Research Chair in Public Administration and Governance (Tier 1) at the Université de Moncton. His research achievements are prodigious and his influence on Canadian society has been evident for years. He has published over 40 books including Breaking the Bargain: Public Servants, Ministers and Parliament; Governing from the Centre: The Concentration of Power in Canadian Politics, The Politics of Public Spending in Canada, and What Is Government Good At? A Canadian Answer. He founded the Canadian Institute for Research on Regional Development at l'Université de Moncton in 1983, which was renamed the Donald J. Savoie Institute in 2015.

Donald Savoie has won numerous awards, including: the 2016 Donner Prize, the 2015 Killam Prize in Social Sciences, the Order of New Brunswick (2011), the Trudeau Fellowships Prize (2004), the Vanier Gold Medal (1999), he has been honoured by the Public Policy Forum at its twelfth annual testimonial awards (1999), made an Officer of the Order of Canada (1993), and elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (1992). His The Politics of Public Spending in Canada was the inaugural recipient of the Smiley prize (1992) awarded by the Canadian Political Science Association for the best book in the study of politics in Canada. His articles have appeared in all the significant journals in political science and public policy. His books have been reviewed in leading national and international peer reviewed journals and in leading newspapers in Canada, the U.K., India and the United States. He has received seven honorary doctorates from Canadian universities.

Richard Saillant is the Director of the Donald J. Savoie Institute. Prior to joining the Institute in July 2013, Richard was Vice President, Administration and Human Resources, at the Université de Moncton. From 1997 to 2011, he has held various positions in a number of federal departments in Ottawa, including the Privy Council Office, Industry Canada and Transport Canada. Immediately prior to joining the Université in 2011, Richard was Director General, Investment Review and Strategic Planning at Industry Canada, where he notably advised the government on large foreign takeovers such as BHP Billiton’s bid for Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan.

Richard is the author of two books, Over the Cliff? Acting Now to Avoid New Brunswick's Bankruptcy (CIRPPPA, 2014) and A Tale of Two Countries: How the Great Demographic Imbalance is Pulling Canada Apart (Nimbus, 2016). He has also edited or co-edited two books, Shale Gas in New Brunswick: Towards a Better Understanding (with the collaboration of David Campbell, CIRPPPA, 2014) and Nouvelles perspectives en développement régional: Essais en l'honneur de Donald J. Savoie (Sébastien Breau, with the collaboration of Richard Saillant, PUQ, 2014).

Richard holds an M.B.A. from McGill University, a M.A. in economics from the Université de Montréal and a B.A. with double major in economics and political science from the Université de Moncton.

Mr. David Morhart, is Deputy Minister of the Alberta Human Services, responsible for strategic oversight and direction of income and benefits supports for vulnerable Albertans, children and youth in care, persons with disabilities and the province’s early learning, homelessness and poverty reduction strategies. Prior to this appointment, he has held positions of Deputy Minister for Alberta Enterprise and Advanced Education (Innovation and Advanced Education); Alberta Infrastructure; and Chief of the Oil Sands Strategy and Operation of Alberta Energy. Prior to joining the Alberta Government, Mr. Morhart held several senior positions in the Government of BC, such as Deputy Minister of Ministry of Social Development, Public Security Commission and Deputy Solicitor General of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Assistant Deputy Minister of Provincial Treasury and CEO, BC Ambulance Service.

Mr. David Morhart is the National President of The Institute of Public Administration of Canada. He sits on various boards and is the recipient of the 2010 IPAC Lieutenant Governor’s Silver Medal for leadership and excellence in the public service.

Patrice Dutil is Professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Ryerson University. Before joining the department in August 2006, he worked in the Government of Ontario, TVOntario and served as Director of Research at the Institute of Public Administration of Canada.

Professor Dutil's main research and writing interests are political and public sector leadership, institutionalism, governance, and the historical evolution of the policy development process. He is the editor of Canadian Government Executive magazine, co-author of The Service State: Rhetoric, Reality and Promise (2011), Editor of Searching For Leadership: Secretaries to Cabinet in Canada (2009) and The Guardian: Perspectives on the Ministry of Finance of Ontario (2011). He has a Masters degree from the Université de Montréal and a Ph.D. from York University.

Luna Bengio is the Executive Director responsible for policies governing the management of federal public service executives at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. Luna joined the public service in 1990 as a program officer in the then Department of the Secretary of State. She became an executive in 2004 and has since held management positions in areas such as IT planning, Access to Information and Privacy, Official Languages, strategic review of human resources and public health. 

Luna’s work on modernizing the management of public service executives touches on classification, compensation, performance and talent management. She notably led the development of a new set of Key Leadership Competencies for the public service which are in effect since April 2015. 

Based in Toronto, Peter is a Partner at Deloitte Digital and runs the web and mobile app design/build practice. Peter has led teams who have designed and built some of the most complex mobile apps and responsive websites in Canada (Loblaws, Sonnet, Purolator, EQ Bank, ATB Financial). Peter has also authored an acclaimed paper entitled: The Rise of the Chief Digital Officer where he explores the rapid ascension of digital in large organizations and the leadership challenges and opportunities that exist for today’s C-Suite (in and out of government). 

http://deloittedigital.ca/

Josephine graduated from Ryerson's 4-year Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning degree program in 2012, and joined the Ontario Public Service (OPS) following graduation. Since then, Josephine has worked to advance the Ontario Place Revitalization Project and the government’s Enhanced Long-Term Care Home Renewal Strategy, and has served as a Chief of Staff to an Assistant Deputy Minister.

She is currently a Senior Advisor to the Deputy Minister of Ontario’s Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS), and has been the Provincial Chair of Tomorrow’s Ontario Public Service (TOPS) – an organization dedicated to promoting leadership, employee engagement, learning and development in the OPS, since 2013.

As TOPS Chair, Josephine leads a team of volunteers across the province as they develop and deliver programs and learning sessions to help equip the next generation of public service leaders with the right skills, network and knowledge to tackle public service challenges of the future.

You can reach her at: josephine.cusumano@ontario.ca

Nick started his professional career in the financial sector, where he spent five years in management. He equally gained leadership experience in the non-profit sector by leading a community organization in Montréal focused on diversity for five years earning him the “Prix hommage bénévolat Québec 2010”.

His career in the public service began in 2007 with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). In 2010, Nick joined the Québec Federal Council. In 2013, he returned to CRA and is currently the Director of the Official Languages, Employment Equity and Diversity Division, Employment Programs Directorate, Human Resources Branch. Nick sat as the Reverse Mentor on the Deputy Ministers' Committee on Policy Innovation (DMCPI) for two years.

Nick Frate holds a Bachelor's degree from McGill University in Political Science and a Master's degree in Public Administration from Université du Québec in Montréal. He is the proud recipient of the 2014 Public Service Award of Excellence, the 2016 Governor General of Canada Meritorious Service Medal (Civil Division) and the 2016 GTEC Federal Leadership Award.

He is also the creator and past host of the #LeadersGC Twitter Chat Series. Nick sits on the APEX Board of Directors and he is a 2016 GTEC Board of Governor member.

Fun fact: Nick speaks four languages: English, French, Italian and Spanish.

Dr. Lori Turnbull is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Dalhousie University in Halifax. Since July of 2015, she has been on secondment to the Privy Council Office, first in the Machinery of Government branch and now as Departmental Liaison to the Office of the Minister of Democratic Institutions.

Dr. Turnbull’s research and teaching focus on parliamentary democracy and governance, public sector ethics, and democratic reform. She has taught political science and public administration at Dalhousie, Queen’s, Carleton, and Acadia Universities. She has published a number of articles and book chapters and has freelanced with The Globe and Mail. Her book Democratizing the Constitution: Reforming Responsible Government, co-authored with Mark Jarvis and the late Peter Aucoin, won the Donner Prize in 2011 and the Donald Smiley Prize in 2012.

Catherine MacQuarrie joined IPAC as Senior Executive in Resident, Aboriginal Government Programs, on a two-year assignment from the Government of Canada to help IPAC extend its practice to include Aboriginal governments, and to work with IPAC members on the education of public servants at all levels of government about Aboriginal peoples, as recommended in the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Catherine joined the Canada School of Public Service in February 2013 as Vice-President, Strategic Directions, Program Development and Marketing Branch. Catherine was the lead on designing a major transformation of the School’s learning and business model to improve the quality and accessibility of learning for public servants across the country, focussed on excellence in public administration. She was also responsible for corporate leadership, development and oversight of the School’s strategic agenda, supporting School governance, corporate planning and reporting, the marketing and communication of the School’s programs and services, and relationships with academia, other governments, and private sector or other organizations that specialize in public sector management and leadership.

Before joining the School, Catherine was Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Public Service Renewal, at the Privy Council Office (PCO) for two years where she led the research and development of what is now known as “Blueprint 2020” in support of the Deputy Minister Committee on Public Service Renewal.

Prior to her tenure at PCO, Catherine spent two years with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada as Assistant Deputy Minister of Human Resources, and six years with Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) where she played a significant leadership role in policy development, management and integration of public service values and ethics in the Canadian Public Service, including the design and implementation of key policy instruments such as the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Service, and the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act.

Catherine first joined the federal Public Service in 1994 with Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, working in aboriginal land claims negotiations and self-government policy, including developing innovative approaches and programs for governance capacity development of First Nations Governments.

A Metis born in Alberta, Catherine grew up in the Northwest Territories where she launched her first career as a reporter, newspaper editor and a senior manager in Aboriginal media. She holds a BA in Radio and Television Arts from Ryerson University and an MA in Public Administration (Public Policy) from the University of Ottawa.

James (Jim) Eldridge retired at the end of December 2016, having completed almost 49 years in the public service of the Province of Manitoba – 45 full-time years and 4 years part-time. Over nearly fi decades, and in eight consecutive administrations, Mr. Eldridge was a witness to many of Canada’s most important national policy debates, serving as a delegate for his home province at most fi ministers’ and premiers’ conferences in those years, as well as at Western Premiers’ Conferences since their inception and at numerous meetings with U.S. governors.

Mr. Eldridge began his career in the Manitoba Department of Finance in 1968, where his duties included ten years as assistant deputy minister for fiscal and economic policy and federal-provincial financial arrangements. In 1982, he was transferred to the Executive Council (Cabinet) office, and, as deputy secretary to the Cabinet and then deputy minister of Intergovernmental Relations, was given broad responsibility for advising the government on the full range of federal-provincial-territorial issues within Canada as well as on Manitoba’s international relations activities. These included the establishment of formal bilateral and regional economic co-operation arrangements with several U.S. and Mexican states as well as with other sub- national governments outside North America. One particular priority was helping set up the Manitoba-North West Province Agreement on governance capacity-building and economic development under the Canada- South Africa provincial twinning program in the mid-1990s.

Between late 1999 and late 2004, Mr. Eldridge also held the position of secretary to the Cabinet, clerk of Executive Council, head of the public service, and deputy minister to the Premier. After stepping down from that position, he continued to work part-time for the government until the fall of 2009, when he was asked to return full-time as interim deputy minister of Federal-Provincial and International Relations. From May 2016 until his retirement, he served as a senior advisor to the Executive Council Office.

A graduate of the University of Manitoba in economics and political studies, he holds an honourary doctorate of laws from the University of Winnipeg and has received the Manitoba Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Excellence in Public Service. He has also been recognized by the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce for helping broaden business-government relations and by the Western Governors’ Association for helping strengthen relations between western U.S. governors and western Canadian premiers. Mr. Eldridge is a director emeritus of the Canadian West Foundation and has served on several other non-profit boards, including the Order of Manitoba Advisory Council and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Board. Since 2015, he has been a member of the Dallas-based Bush Institute Working Group on North American Competitiveness, which includes private and public sector participants from Canada, the United States and Mexico. In November 2016, he received the Public Policy Forum’s Peter Lougheed Award for Leadership in Public Policy.

David Szwarc was appointed as the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the Region of Peel in October 2005. Prior to 2005, David served as Commissioner of Social Services and Director of Ontario Works in Peel. David has also held positions with the Government of Ontario and the Region of Halton.

David has received the Rotary International Centennial Award for Professional Excellence. His work at Peel has been recognized with the IPAC Public Sector Leadership Award (Gold) and the Institute for Citizen-Centred Service (ICCS) 2012 Heintzman Leadership Award for the promotion of citizen-centred service within the Canadian public sector. David is a Fellow in the School of Policy Studies at Queen's University.

David has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto (Mississauga, Ontario) and a Master's degree in Public Administration from Queen's University (Kingston, Ontario), and has completed the Executive Education program at Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government (Cambridge, Mass.).

Roberta Jamieson is a Mohawk woman who has enjoyed a distinguished career of firsts. She was the first First Nation woman in Canada to earn a law degree; the first non-parliamentarian appointed an ex-officio member of a House of Commons Committee; the first woman Ombudsman of Ontario; and the first woman elected Chief of the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, where she continues to reside with her family. An accomplished expert in alternative dispute resolution, Roberta also served as Commissioner of the Indian Commission of Ontario.

Under Roberta’s leadership, Indspire has flourished. Raising funds from government, corporate and private sectors, Indspire’s annual disbursements of bursaries and scholarships to support Indigenous students in post-secondary education and training have increased sevenfold. An innovative K-12 Indspire Institute was launched providing support to educators and communities working to improve educational outcomes with culturally grounded curriculum and techniques. Roberta is also the Executive Producer of the annual Indspire Achievement Awards.

She has earned numerous awards, including, most recently, YWCA’s President’s Award and Women’s Executive Network’s “Canada’s Most Powerful Women” Hall of Fame, as well as 25 honorary degrees. In 2015, Ms. Jamieson was recognized by the Public Policy Forum for the outstanding contributions she has made to the quality of public policy and good governance.

She is an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Andrew Graham researches, teaches and writes on public sector management, financial management, integrated risk management and governance. He teaches at Queens University School of Policy Studies as well as a variety of international and Canadian venues. He is Series Editor of the Case Study Program of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada, Canada's leading source of public sector case studies.

He is the author of Canada's leading textbook on managing public money, entitled, Canadian Public Sector Financial Management, available through McGill-Queens Press.

Mr. Graham teaches in both the graduate and professional development programs at Queens and elsewhere. He also has writes extensively, now writing a regular column on management issues, Briefly Noted for the Public Management, a periodical of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada.

An Assistant Deputy Minister for 14 years in the federal government with over 30 years of service, he has experience in line operations (Warden, Kingston Penitentiary), leading a complex regional operations, and a number of national policy and corporate leadership roles, including Senior Deputy Commission of the Correctional Service of Canada. He has extensive corporate management experience, including having served as the ADM, Corporate Services of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. He took part in an executive interchange to the Conference Board of Canada for two years.

He served as President of APEX, the professional association of public executives. He is a voting member of the Institute on Governance. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the Canadian Public Administration Journal of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada.

He has a Masters of Arts degree in political economy from the University of Toronto and a B.A. from Glendon College, York University. He is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program of the Canadian Centre for Management Development.

Peter Wallace has 30 years’ experience working in public service. Peter became Secretary of the Cabinet, head of the Ontario Public Service and Clerk of the Executive Council on December 17, 2011. Before his appointment as Secretary of the Cabinet, Peter was Deputy Minister of Finance for three years. Peter also served as Deputy Minister of Energy. Earlier, he was Deputy Minister and Associate Secretary of the Cabinet with responsibility for Policy in Cabinet Office.

As IBM's Talent and Engagement Leader for Canada, Tanya Gullison is focused on enabling business transformation that can drive long-term growth for clients. In this capacity, she leads people, services and solutions for IBM from Consult to Operate including: HR Transformation & Optimization, Talent Acquisition & Optimization, Talent Development & Optimization, Talent Analytics and Cognitive HR, HR Cloud Solutions, Talent Experience & Engagement and Digital Change Management. Tanya began her career in 1987 and has since built a track record of client success in implementing and managing large-scale IT and HR projects for a number of large organizations, including CIBC and Manulife.

Josh Hjartarson is the Vice President, Public Sector at KPMG and Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto’s School of Public Policy. He joined KPMG from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, where he was Vice President, Policy & Government Relations. He was also Policy Director at the Mowat Centre, where he helped build one of Canada’s most prolific and respected think tanks. Josh received a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto in 2005.

Josh has emerged as one of Canada’s foremost thought leaders on the pressing policy challenges facing Canada and Ontario. He has written and lectured extensively on public sector transformation and regulatory reform. Josh has led substantive policy efforts, including the founding of the Commissioning Academy, an executive education program for senior public servants on new service delivery models. His current scope of practice includes commissioning, evidence-based decision making, service user consultations, and public service delivery design.

Roger Scott-Douglas was appointed Vice President, Policy in September 2016. His role is to support the President in advancing the Government's innovation agenda through the continuing renewal of NRC.

Formerly, Mr. Scott-Douglas was the Assistant Secretary, Priorities and Planning, Treasury Board Secretariat. He led the development of transition advice post-election 2015; the re-set of the TB policy suite; horizontal work on reducing internal red tape, and reform of the Management Accountability Framework. He renewed internal TBS governance, linking it to integrated planning, performance measurement and risk management. He also managed departmental OAG audits and served as Chief Delivery Officer and liaison for files involving the Privy Council Office.

From 2009-12, Mr. Scott-Douglas led the TBS Strategic Review, followed by the Secretariat tasked with supporting the Red Tape Reduction Commission.

Mr. Scott-Douglas's international experience includes OECD and World Bank missions to Europe, India and the Middle East. He co-chaired the OECD task force on the Observatory on Public Sector Innovation and, from 2006-09, worked with the Ministère du Budget, des Comptes publics et de la Fonction publique, in France, where he advised the Director General and Minister on a major public service change initiative based on Canada's 1995 Program Review.

He has also held executive positions at Human Resources Development Canada, and senior analyst roles at the Privy Council Office and Western Economic Diversification.

Mr. Scott-Douglas has a Doctorate of Philosophy from the University of Cambridge, England, and is a Commonwealth Scholar.

Dan Danagher is Assistant Deputy Minister, International Platform Branch, Global Affairs Canada. Mr. Danagher started his career in a trade capacity at External Affairs and International Trade Canada in 1983. He subsequently moved to Supply and Services Canada and the Canada Communication Group where he played key communications, procurement, and management roles in several high level projects including Canada’s pavilions at international expositions and the Washington DC chancery construction.

In the early 2000s, Mr. Danagher returned to the international orbit as the Director of Government On-Line at Foreign Affairs and International Trade. After a DG assignment at Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada in 2005-06, he served for several years as the Executive Director of Compensation and Labour Relations at TBS, leading key pan-governmental policy and legislative changes. More recently, Mr. Danagher served at the ADM level in human resources at the Canada Revenue Agency and Public Works and Government Services Canada before rejoining Global Affairs Canada in July 2015 as the ADM of the International Platform Branch.

Dan holds a B. Comm. (Carleton University) and an MBA (University of Ottawa).

Tracy Bosch is an Associate Client Partner based in Korn Ferry Hay Group’s Vancouver office. Tracy brings over 20 years of consulting experience working with a wide range of large, small, and growing organizations in both the private and public sector to develop integrated people solutions. She is Korn Ferry Hay Group’s Client Relationship Manager for the Government of Alberta and the Government of the Northwest Territories, as well as many municipalities, public agencies, and post-secondary institutions based in Western Canada. Her exposure to a wide range of organizations, business issues, and diverse solutions drives an informed and innovative perspective on emerging client needs. Tracy is widely recognized for her ability to understand underlying issues and develop creative, integrated solutions.

Tracy’s experience draws on a broad body of expertise in organization effectiveness and design, strategic rewards, performance management, employee engagement, talent management, succession planning and leadership effectiveness. She brings specialized expertise in organization/job design, work measurement and rewards, and represents Canada on global job evaluation standards committees for job evaluation. As a leader in advanced work measurement applications such as job family frameworks, career pathing, organization analysis and reward strategies, she works with governments to develop creative, integrated solutions that tie classification together with broader talent management strategy.

Tracy holds a Bachelor of Commerce (honours) in International Business from the University of British Columbia, and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) in the UK.

Laryssa Topolnytsky is a Senior Client Partner for Korn Ferry Hay Group, based in the firm’s Toronto office. Ms. Topolnytsky specializes in CEO succession and executive team development. As a seasoned coach, she works with executives as they transition to new companies or roles to accelerate their performance. She also advises boards on CEO effectiveness, HR strategy, and succession issues. Earlier, she worked on competency modeling, conducted change readiness assessments, and pioneered a program to assess and develop the company’s corporate culture at another organization.

Prior to joining Korn Ferry, Ms. Topolnytsky worked with a large consulting organization as a founding member of the firm’s first international office. An expert in individual, team, and organizational assessment, Ms. Topolnytsky was a key member of the Organization Research Group. She supported executive-led change initiatives by advising on motivation and retention issues, delivering leadership development programs, and evaluating progress against custom-designed benchmarks.

Ms. Topolnytsky holds a doctorate in industrial and organizational psychology and a master’s degree in the same field. Both degrees are from the University of Western Ontario. Ms. Topolnytsky co-authored a book on employee retention and numerous articles on employee commitment and organizational change. She speaks at professional conferences and is a guest lecturer at several business schools including University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Business.

Alan Broadbent is Chairman and Founder of Maytree, and Chairman and CEO of Avana Capital Corporation. He co-founded and chairs the Caledon Institute of Social Policy, Tamarack – An Institute for Community Engagement, and the Institute for Municipal Finance and Governance at the Munk Centre, University of Toronto. In addition, Alan is a Director of Sustainalytics Holdings B.V., Chair of the Toronto Inner-City Rugby Foundation, Senior Fellow and Chair of the Governing Board of Massey College, Member of the Governors’ Council of the Toronto Public Library Foundation, Board member at Jazz.FM, and Member of the Order of Canada and recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. Alan is the author of Urban Nation: Why We Need to Give Power Back to the Cities to Make Canada Strong, and co-editor of Five Good Ideas: Practical Strategies for Non-Profit Success, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Ryerson University in 2009, and from Queen’s University in 2015.

Julian Stodd is a writer and consultant on the Social Age. He specialises in exploring learning design, the role of communities, social collaborative technology and social leadership. Author of eight books, including 'Exploring the World of Social Learning', and 'The Social Leadership Handbook', and over a thousand articles and blog posts, Julian works on strategy and delivery with many global organisations. You can find his latest writing at www.julianstodd.wordpress.com.

Julian is the founder of Sea Salt Learning, where he helps organisations get fit for the Social Age. Clients include financial services, military, manufacturing and petrochemical, as well as healthcare and charity. Julian splits his time between writing and working around the world, exploring the strategy and implementation of learning, leadership and cultural change.

#sociallearning #e-learning #mobilelearning #writing

Elisa Levi brings forward over 15 years strategic and project management experience in health systems and the philanthropic sector. She most recently led the First Nations, Inuit & Métis Cancer Control Strategy at the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. Elisa is passionate about sharing the spirit of life-long learning, weaving networks and supporting innovative change-making causes. In addition to her consulting practice - Debisinii - Elisa contributes leadership to several organizations. She is Vice Chair of the Board for the Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada, Advisor at Small Change Fund and the University of Toronto Waakebiness-Bryce Institute for Indigenous Health, as well as a Trustee for Edkaagmik Nbiizh Neyaashiinigamiingninwag Edbendaagzijig Trust and a member of the Board of Health for the City of Toronto. Elisa draws upon a Master of Public Health from Lakehead University. She graduated from Ryerson University School of Nutrition and has pursued a vibrant career as a Registered Dietitian. Elisa is a proud Anishnaabe-kwe and member of the Chippewas of Nawash in Ontario. 

Twitter: @elisa_levi

Teddy Syrette (Ozhawa Ahaunj Kwe/Yellow Star Woman) is a 2 Spirit, gender-fluid Anishnahbek person of Batchewana First Nation. Their background includes social justice, Queer-Indigenous rights, Indigenous and musical theatre, and community arts training. Using their ability of storytelling and advocacy, they are able to share their story with others and assist with building inclusive and anti-oppressive spaces, organizations and communities. Teddy currently lives in Toronto and works as a freelance 2 Spirit/Queer-Indigenous advocate and artist.  

Seonaid Charlesworth works with C-suite and executive successors to understand what they’re capable of and what could derail their success. She has assessed over 400 executives in Canada, US, UK and South America.

Seonaid combines her expertise in Industrial and Organizational Psychology with deep experience assessing leaders to help organizations make smarter decisions about people. As Vice President of Executive Assessment and Succession at Lee Hecht Harrison Knightsbridge, she is sought out by Boards and CEOs at some of North America’s leading organizations.

Seonaid challenges conventional thinking, by showing the common traps we fall into when making decisions about people. Drawing on stories from some of the world’s fastest growing organizations, she shows how leaders can avoid these traps and make smarter decisions about people.

Seonaid holds a Ph.D. in Industrial / Organizational Psychology from the University of British Columbia and a B.A. with honors from Queen’s University.

Prior to her appointment as Deputy Minister, she was the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Administration and Finance Division for the Department of Families, providing financial management and oversight for a $1.927 billion annual budget. The Department provided a wide range of programs and social services in Manitoba including Child and Family Services, Employment and Income Assistance, disability services for children and adults, and housing support.

Ms. Bruce holds a Masters of Business Administration from the Asper School of Business and has over 17 years of experience managing and coordinating large and diverse projects that build individual, organizational and community capacity. She was the founder and President of AMR Planning & Consulting, one of Canada’s leading Indigenous companies, working with a variety of partners to support the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous governments, including providing management consulting, research, evaluation, community consultation, and project management support. As an active community member, she has volunteered on the Board of Directors for a number of organizations including the United Way Winnipeg, Habitat for Humanity and the Métis Economic Development Organization.

Steve Paikin is the host of TVO’s flagship current affairs program, The Agenda with Steve Paikin, the gold standard for depth of analysis and thoughtful debate in Canadian media. In more than 30 years in the business, Steve has built a sterling reputation as an eminently fair journalist who has moderated federal and Ontario election debates. In the Fall of 2012, Steve marked his 20th year hosting TVO’s current affairs programming. Earlier in his career, Steve worked at CBC News as an anchor and correspondent, a reporter for the Hamilton Spectator and CHFI radio, as well as radio and television stations in Boston. Steve has authored seven books including his latest, Bill Davis: Nation Builder, and Not So Bland After All, has produced several feature-length documentaries, and reported from two different war zones. In October 2013, Steve became an educational ambassador beginning a five-year term as Chancellor of Laurentian University in Sudbury, where he received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters. Steve also has honorary degrees from Victoria University at the University of Toronto, McMaster University in Hamilton, and an honorary diploma from Humber College. In December of 2013, Steve was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for his contributions as a journalist who engages, informs and educates viewers on a broad range of public policy issues, and was invested into the Order of Ontario in 2014.

Steve was born in Hamilton, Ontario and lives in Toronto.

Dr. David Weiss is President & CEO of Weiss International Ltd. David and his team of learning and organizational consultants lead innovative projects that generate effective strategy, leadership, innovation, and HR solutions for leaders throughout Canada, USA, and Europe.

Some of his more recent projects include:

• Facilitating strategic planning, restructuring, & change management 
  
• Designing executive team governance and alignment agreements 
  
• Delivering innovative thinking and leaders of innovation workshops  
  
• Assessing stakeholder, leadership and employee engagement 
  
• Executive coaching and conducting 360° survey processes
  

Dr. Weiss currently is also a visiting faculty member at three university executive development programs at Rotman, Schulich, and DeGroote. His received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto and he has three Masters degrees, in Education, Psychology and Philosophy. David is also an Advisory Board member of the Institute for Performance and Learning, an Institute Certified Director (ICD.D) with the Institute of Corporate Directors, a Certified HR Executive (CHRE), and a Certified Training and Development Professional (CTDP). Previously, Dr. Weiss was an Affiliate Professor of the Rotman School of Management, a Senior Research Fellow at Queen’s University, a Director on the Board of the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, the Chief Innovation Officer in a multinational consulting firm, and the Past-President of the Industrial and Organizational Psychology Section of the O.P.A.

Dr. David Weiss has received numerous international honours, among them:

• The “Distinguished Lecturer” certificate from the Government of Canada and Government of Ontario 
  
• The “HR Leadership Award” by the Asia-Pacific HR Congress 
  
• The “HR Distinction Award” by the Israel HR Association  
  
• The first lifetime “Fellow” of the Institute for Performance and Learning (formally CSTD) 
  
• The lifetime “Fellow” designation of the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) 
  
• “Lifetime Member” of the “Global Directory of Who’s Who” and the “Presidential Who’s Who”  
  

Dr. Weiss is a sought-after motivational speaker and has conducted executive sessions in Canada, USA, England, Hungary, Switzerland, China, Malaysia, Russia, Israel, Uganda, South Africa, and Chile on the ideas in his books. He has delivered over 200 conference presentations and has written over 50 journal and trade articles. Dr. Weiss has authored or co-authored six business books: Leadership-Driven HR (Jossey-Bass, 2013), Innovative Intelligence (Wiley, 2011, also available in Chinese), Leadership Solutions (Jossey-Bass, 2007), The Leadership Gap (Wiley, 2005, also available in Korean), High Performance HR (Wiley, 1999), and Beyond the Walls of Conflict (McGraw Hill, 1996, also available in French). His co-authored book, Innovative Intelligence, was a “top 5 business book for 2011” reported by CBC News (February 17, 2012) and his most recent book Leadership-Driven HR was listed by the Globe & Mail Report on Business as the #1 business book seller on April 9, 2013. For more information about the firm of Weiss International Ltd. and for free downloads of over 30 of David’s published articles (in English and French) please view www.weissinternational.ca.

For the past 6 years, Bob has been the Director for the Province wide implementation of the Integrated Service Delivery framework/model for children and youth with significant emotional behavioural and mental health issues.

Bob spent over 20 years working in the youth justice system in New Brunswick as a counselor, social worker, youth advocate, and senior policy and program adviser.

He has a BA and Bachelor of Social Work degree from Saint Thomas University and a Masters’ degree in Social Work from Carleton University in Ottawa.

He teaches part-time in the Criminology program at Saint Thomas University.

He was the provincial oversight manager for the implementation of the Youth Criminal Justice Act in New Brunswick.

He was the project lead on the NB government response “Reducing the Risk Addressing the Need” to the Ombudsman and Child and Youth Advocates reports “Connecting the Dots” – A report on the condition of youth-at-risk and youth with very complex needs and the Ashley Smith Report- services provided to a youth involved in the youth criminal justice system.

He worked with CIDA Canada as a youth justice expert on a project of youth justice reform in the Ukraine and was a key note presenter on the Youth Justice system in Canada at a number of workshops in the Ukraine.

Bob is past president of Fredericton Big Brothers-Big Sisters and is presently a Director within the Lions Club.

Rob Prosper is Vice-President for Protected Areas Establishment and Conservation, a Directorate responsible for the establishment of national parks and national marine conservation areas, the management of law enforcement, and overall Parks Canada guidance with regards to natural resource conservation and ecosystem science. He has worked with Parks Canada for 37 years, initially in the areas of natural resource conservation and in national park management. After 22 years of working in the field he took on senior management roles in park operations, managing Canada’s 12 artic national parks, and he has been instrumental in advancing the Agency’s priorities related to strengthening relationships with Aboriginal peoples. He holds two degrees in Biology from Carleton University and is a member of the Acadia First Nation.

R. Stacey Laforme is the elected Chief of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation (MNCFN). Born and raised on MNCFN, Chief Laforme has served his community for over fifteen years, being first elected to council in 1999.

Chief Laforme has participated in a number of committees and boards throughout his seven terms served as a Councillor, including involvement with the MNCFN’s Pan Am Games Secretariat (PAGS). As Chair of the PAGS Committee, Chief Laforme was instrumental in raising the profile of all First Nations through the recognition of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation as the first ever official Host First Nation of the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games.

Chief Laforme is committed to increasing involvement and communication between Elected Council and both on and off-reserve membership. He is very active throughout MNCFN’s traditional territory which encompasses 3.9 million acres of Southern Ontario, not only as a Chief, but as a notable storyteller and poet. His dedication to the land, history, language and culture of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation are helping to guide his First Nation towards a prosperous future.

With more than 15 years of experience in change management, organization design and enterprise learning, Janet Mertens provides leadership and guidance to clients undertaking major transformations and supports project teams in the development of strong stakeholder experiences. Ms. Mertens led the development of the IBM Institute for Business Value research study on Cognitive HR which was launched in January 2017.

Akin O. Alaga is a public sector executive who leads the Government of Ontario's approach to enhance the global competitiveness of its $720B economy through industry cluster and regional economic strategies.

Prior to government, Akin was a management consultant at a global consulting firm where he held management and global roles.

Akin has a BA in Political Science from McGill University and an MBA in strategy from the Rotman School of Management in the University of Toronto. Akin received his primary and secondary school education in Nigeria.

Gilbert Sabat is the Commissioner of Service Innovation, Information and Technology (SIIT) at the Region of Peel. SIIT leverages a balanced approach of business process re-engineering, user experience and technology to bring about a range of change from optimization and automation to alternate service delivery models.

Gilbert has over 17 years of experience in senior executive positions, 15 of which in the private sector. Throughout his career, he has delivered valuable outcome based initiatives that have generated double-digit growth through the efficient use of leading edge, practical concepts and technologies. He continues to practice this philosophy in Regional Government and is passionate about the potential for change.

Gilbert holds an MBA in Marketing from Concordia University and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Time: 10:30am - 11:45am

Location: Seymour

Digital technologies are changing the way we live, work and communicate. Public sector leaders in Canada are recognizing the opportunity presented by digital and how new technologies can enable the public sector to fundamentally re-imagine the way it interacts with and services the public. The public is not only ready for digital – they are coming to expect it. They expect products and services that are simple, user-friendly, visually appealing and incorporate seamlessly into their everyday lives.

Governments need to reflect and adapt to these shifts. You, as a leader, need to imagine and adapt. This panel of digital experts and public sector implementers will identify opportunities for adoption, discuss leading practices and share the lessons learned on their journey to implementing digital solutions.

Moderator: 

Nicolino Frate 

Panelists:

Peter Hughes, Partner, Studio Lead, Deloitte Digital Canada

Tanya Coyle, Lead, Digital Culture and Change, Digital Government, Ontario Cabinet Office

Gilbert Sabat, Commissioner of Service Innovation, Information & Technology, Region of Peel

Time: 10:30-11:45

Location: Stevenson

Program delivery in the 21st Century will need to change in response to the growing complexity of government and the growing demands from citizens to do better, do more and spend less. Examples abound of organizations/institutions that have artificially separated policy from implementation thereby weakening their ability to deliver effective, flexible programs in which stakeholders are engaged and committed and outcomes realized.

This session will identify and discuss new approaches, models and tools that are available for you and your organization to build a new space where vision and action are used together to develop resilient, effective, and flexible services.

Moderator: 

Andrea Migone, Director, Research and Outreach, IPAC

Panelists:

Josh Hjartarson, Ph.D., Vice President, Public Sector, KPMG MSLP

David Szwarc, Chief Administrative Officer, Region of Peel

Stuart MacFarlane, Vice-President, Sales, MAXIMUS Canada

Time: 10:30AM - 11:45AM

Location: Mountbatten Salon

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s ‘calls to action’ started Canada – federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments – on a path to forging new and respectful relationships with Indigenous peoples. Explore how we can help build new relationships and new ways of connecting.

Moderator:

Catherine MacQuarrie, Senior Executive in Residence, Indigenous Government Programs, IPAC

Panelists:

Angie Bruce, Deputy Minister of Indigenous Relations, Government of Manitoba

Chief R. Stacey Laforme, The Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation

Theodore “Teddy” Syrette, Anishnahbek person, Batchewana First Nation

Rob Prosper, Vice-President, Protected Area Establishment and Conservation, Parks Canada

Sponsored by Deloitte

Public awards are one of the best ways to celebrate public servants' contributions; they are meaningful to those who receive them; they bestow an honour that benefits the organization, group and individuals; they are a lasting public acknowledgement of excellence; and they fuel further innovations and productivity. Canada’s public sector organizations are increasingly at the forefront of leadership, willingly embracing new opportunities and taking innovative approaches, in pursuit of better outcomes.

Celebrate the best of the best for 2016 Public Sector Leadership Awards Finalists. This luncheon event will recognize organizations that have demonstrated outstanding leadership by taking bold steps to improve Canada, through advancements in public policy and management. 

Time: 9:00AM - 10:00AM

Location: Mountbatten Salon

This session will explore the Social Age. Learn how to become social leaders, and take on the challenge of how

we evolve our organizations, our democracies, our society, to become fairer, more equal, and fully Socially Dynamic. 

Julian Stodd, Captain and Founder, SeaSaltLearning, United Kingdom; Author of Social Leadership Handbook.

Time: 1:15PM - 1:45PM

Location: Mountbatten Salon

The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence –

it is to act with yesterday’s logic – Peter Drucker.

Organizational change and transformation is a reality throughout the public sector. However, there is a gap between being aware of the need to change, and the ability to make those changes happen. Dr. David Weiss brings to life how to lead change from lift-off to end-results with a story to illustrate how it is done. Take-away thought-provoking insights that are key success factors for how to plan and implement change successfully.

Dr. David S. Weiss, ICD.D, CHRE is President and CEO of Weiss International Ltd., a Toronto-based firm specializing in innovation, change and leadership consulting

Time: 1:45PM - 3:00PM

Location: Mountbatten Salon

A good change story has context, challenge and resolution. This highly engaging and interactive workshop will help participants answer the following:

• What are the four stories of change? 
  
• What are techniques to help the listener engage with the story? 
  
• How to apply the change story to the participants’ situations? 
  

Dr. David S. Weiss, ICD.D, CHRE is President and CEO of Weiss International Ltd., a Toronto-based firm specializing in innovation, change and leadership consulting

Time: 1:45pm-3:00pm

Location: Stevenson

Take a tour through the new model of Social Leadership, learning how we find and earn our social authority.

Julian Stodd, Captain and Founder, SeaSaltLearning, United Kingdom; Author of Social Leadership Handbook

Dr. Seonaid Charlesworth, Senior Vice President, Executive Assessment and Succession, Lee Hecht Harrison Knightsbridge

Time: 1:45pm - 3:00pm

Location: Seymour

Decisions about people are the most important decisions that leaders make. This workshop will explore three common mistakes senior leaders make in talent decisions without realizing it. We’ll discuss strategies and tools for making smarter decisions about people. Dr. Charlesworth will share stories from the board room regarding how critical decisions were made, and guide the group in small group discussions to prepare to make better decisions about building their teams for the future.

Time: 3:45PM – 4:25 PM

Location: Mountbatten Salon

This panel will respond/debate the question: What is government good at? and other points discussed by Donald J. Savoie in his interview. 

Moderator:

Patrice Dutil, Professor, Department of Politics and Public Administration, Ryerson University

Panelists:

Lori Turnbull, Professor, Department of Political Science, Dalhousie University

Roger Scott-Douglas, Vice President, Policy, National Research Council and former Assistant Secretary, Priorities and Planning, Treasury Board Secretariat 

Peter Wallace, City Manager, City of Toronto

Time: 9:00am - 10:15am

To break barriers to effective leadership, you have to first recognize them, whether they be in your culture, your environment, your organization or yourself. Using some upfront ideas, group discussions and group sourcing, this session will identify barriers and discuss ways to deal with them.

Andrew Graham, Professor, School of Policy Studies, Queen’s University

Time: 10:45am - 12:00pm

Location: Seymour

Bringing a new executive onboard is a fresh opportunity to breathe new energy into the organization. It’s a chance to look at old issues and emerging challenges from a different perspective. It opens a new chapter for everyone – for the executive, for staff, and for the web of stakeholders your new executive will inherit. The complexities of stakeholder relationships are high for any executive, but navigating the informal structures and politics at leadership levels in the public sector requires exceptional savvy.

This leadership panel discussion will build on best practices in executive onboarding and explore real issues and solutions to executive onboarding in the public sector.

Moderator: 

Tracy Bosch, Associate Client Partner. Korn Ferry Hay Group

Panelists:

Luna Bengio, Executive Director, Executive Policies, Treasury Board

of Canada Secretariat

Dan Danagher, Assistant Deputy Minister, International Platform Branch, Global Affairs Canada

Laryssa TopoInytsky, Senior Client Partner, Korn Ferry Hay Group

Donna Achimov, Assistant Deputy Minister, HR Branch, Public Services and Procurement Canada

Time: 10:45am - 12:00pm

Location: Stevenson

Three different but excellent examples of how developing and implementing good public policy in

today’s environment requires a collaborative effort – breaking down the barriers, engaging and getting

commitment from all partners and users to achieve optimum results. Each panelist will provide insight

into the leadership required to meet that objective.

Moderator: Robert Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, IPAC

Panelists: 

David Morhart, Deputy Minister of the Alberta Human Services

Bob Eckstein, Deputy Minister, Integrated Service Delivery, New Brunswick Education and Early Childhood Development

Fausto Natarelli, Manager, Infrastructure, York Region Rapid Transit Corporation on Detroit River International Crossing Initiative

Time: 10:45pm - 12:00pm

Location: Mountbatten Salon

This workshop will explore key competencies that are critical for high performance leadership. We'll identify a framework of twelve behaviours that characterize strong leaders, and examine how personality, experience and background affect a leader's ability to deliver on those behaviours. Led by Talent and Employee Engagement experts from IBM, this session will include a combination of presentations as well as interactive, small group exercises.

Moderator: Andrea Migone, Director, Research and Outreach, IPAC

Facilitators:

Tanya Gullison, Talent and Engagement Leader, IBM Global Business Services, Canada

Janet Mertens, Managing Consultant, Talent & Engagement practice, IBM Global Business Services,

Canada

Time: 12:00pm - 1:30pm

Location: Mountbatten Lane & Salon

This session is first a celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday but more importantly an exploration on moving

forward – what should Canada look like in 10 years, 20 years, etc. and how can we get there. Five Canadians,

with different voices, will present their thoughts, ideas, and vision for what Canada can be and the action

required to move Canada to the next level. Join the conversation.

Panelists:

James R. Eldridge, former Clerk of the Executive Council and Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Relations for the Government of Manitoba

Josephine Cusumano, Senior Advisor, Deputy Minister's Office, Treasury Board Secretariat, Government of Ontario; Chair, Tomorrow’s Ontario Public Service

Elisa Levi, Vice-Chair, The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples of Canada

Alan Broadbent, Chairman and Founder of Maytree; Chairman and CEO of Avana Capital Corporation, and author of Urban Nation: Why We Need to Give Power Back to Cities to Make Canada Strong

Akin O. Alaga, Director, Regional Economic Strategies Branch, Ministry of Economic Development and Growth, Government of Ontario