Miguel Aguayo, M.S.W., R.S.W 
Manager, Employer Outreach Secretariat, Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services

Miguel is the Manager of the Employer Outreach Secretariat in the Ontario Disability Support Program Branch (ODSP) and is responsible for the implementation of the unit’s four pillars, which includes engaging employers in dialogue that helps the government enhance employment opportunities for people with disabilities, review and selection of projects requesting funding through the Employment Innovations Fund, development of an employer awareness campaign, and recognizing employer champions that have demonstrated track records of hiring people with disabilities. 

Miguel’s experience with disabilities and career management is extensive. In previous roles, he led Diversity Outreach while with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), managed a virtual employment resources centre for people with disabilities at WORKink Ontario, and provided personal and/or vocational rehabilitation counselling through a private practice, which involved vocational counselling, disability management, trauma counselling, and disability accommodation assessments.

Miguel, who holds a masters degree in social work, was deafened at the age of 14 years.

Laura Garton (Introduction)
Director, Human Resource Management Research, Conference Board of Canada

Laura Garton is Director of Human Resource Management Research at the Conference Board of Canada. She leads a team of research professionals and network managers who provide evidence based insight to over 400 HR executives of major Canadian organizations. Recent research projects include a report on the state of diversity representation and best practices in organizations across Canada as well as a benchmarking report on HR trends and metrics. Current projects include a series of diversity seminars across Canada highlighting innovative practices in attracting, retaining and motivating a diverse workforce. Laura will also lead a global diversity summit in May 2007 where Conference Board Councils from Europe and the U.S. will meet to share experiences and challenges.

Laura is an organizational sociologist with over fifteen years leadership experience in the field of workforce research and talent management. As former Director of Workforce Research and Strategy at Nortel Networks during the talent wars of the late1990’s, Laura provided senior leaders with competitive intelligence on the factors that attract, retain and motivate high tech talent.

Laura has published in peer-reviewed journals and presented her work on strategic HR research at international conferences and industry forums. She has held executive positions on corporate benchmarking consortiums and earned academic awards for her work in the area of organizational change. Her interest in human and social factors influencing organizational performance stems from her doctoral studies at the University of Toronto on social networks and the diffusion of innovation.  Laura holds an Honours B.Sc. from the University of Ottawa and a M.A. in Sociology from the University of Toronto.

Jane Lewis
Country Human Resources Manager, Procter & Gamble Canada

Jane Lewis joined P&G 22 years ago, after graduating from Queen’s University with both Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Arts degrees.  She had assignments in Finance and Logistics before moving to Human Resources in 1991.   Within Human Resources, Jane progressed through various assignments of increasing responsibility in several areas including organization design, organization capability and employee relations.  Jane was appointed Country Human Resources Manager in 2002 for P&G Canada.

As part of P&G’s strong commitment to diversity, Jane was an inaugural member of the Advisory Group for Career Bridge, a paid internship program helping qualified, professional-level immigrants gain their first Canadian work experience in their fields.  Jane is a current member of the Council of Inclusive Work Environments (CIWE).

Candy Palmater
Mi'Kmaq Liaison Officer, stand-up comic, activist, and recovering lawyer, Nova Scotia Department of Education

Candy has practiced both Aboriginal and labour law during her career as a lawyer and has many years of experience in the public sector.

Candy has been providing training in Aboriginal and diversity issues for more than a decade. She currently delivers corporate training on Aboriginal Perceptions to the Nova Scotia civil service as well as a number of private sector clients.

She has lectured extensively throughout Canada on Aboriginal legal, education and employment equity issues. She has provided commentary to print, radio and television media, nation-wide, on Aboriginal legal issues. Candy is sought after as a public speaker with a reputation as a dynamic and provocative orator, who speaks with passion about the struggle and survival of her people. Candy has emerged as an extremely vocal advocate for the rights of Aboriginal peoples; earning her the support and respect of her community.

Wyatt White (Session Moderator)
A/Director of Policy, Office of Aboriginal Affairs, Government of Nova Scotia

Wyatt has been supporting the policy division of Aboriginal Affairs since 2002, growing from policy analyst to intergovernmental affairs coordinator and now in his current capacity as interim director.

Despite considering himself a true Nova Scotian, he'll always call the Listuguj Mi'gmaq First Nation in Quebec home. A graduate of Acadia University, Wyatt "applies his knowledge and skills toward improving government relations with thprovince's 13 First Nations and improving its understanding of how to work better with Nova Scotia's Mi'kmaq community. Having had the chance to try various government hats on in the past, clearly, the provincial hat fits best. In fact, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who enjoys their work more! Wyatt lives in Halifax, is a proud GoverNEXTer and is honored to sit on the initiative's executive.