Sara brings an abundance of life experience and two decades of research on lone mothers, social policy and precarious employment to her position as the Executive Director at Home Suite Hope. Growing up in a low-income, single mother-led household, and then raising her own children as a single mother, Sara understands the importance of a hand up and being connected to resources within the community. Through this support, Sara was able to pursue school, complete a PhD in Sociology from the University of Waterloo, and ultimately change the trajectory of her children’s lives – breaking her cycle of poverty. Sara brings this first hand knowledge and experience of the plight of marginalized low-income families to all programming at Home Suite Hope. In addition, as a Professor of Sociology at Sheridan College, Sara has spent her career arguing that complex social issues require multifaceted and innovative approaches to produce long-term solutions. She is thrilled to be part of Home Suite Hope as it epitomizes a complex wraparound, hand-up approach to stop generational poverty in its tracks.

Leah Gazan has been the NDP Member of Parliament for Winnipeg Centre since 2019. She is currently the NDP Critic for Children, Families, and Social Development, as well as the Critic for Women and Gender Equality and Deputy Critic for Housing. Gazan is a member of Wood Mountain Lakota Nation, located in Saskatchewan, Treaty 4 territory. Prior to being elected to parliament, Gazan was a prominent leader during Idle No More, articulating the movement to the Winnipeg public. Gazan also co-founded the #WeCare campaign aimed at building public will to end violence against Indigenous women and girls.

Krystal Valencia is the Director of Development for Home Suite Hope, a Halton-based non-profit that works to move single parent-led families from homelessness and poverty to self-sufficiency.

Krystal brings a wealth of knowledge and nearly a decade of experience in the philanthropic sector to her role.

Krystal is an accredited Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and holds memberships with the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and the Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP). She has  Blackbaud certification as a Raiser’s Edge professional (bCFE-Pro). Krystal has raised a career total of over $13-million through corporate giving, gifts from major philanthropists, community giving, foundation grants, government grants, and bequests.

She has a decade of experience in special event planning, including efforts outside of her role at HSH as Curator at TEDxOttawa; Head Organizer at Tamir's Stepping Out In Style Integrated Fashion Show; Development Assistant of UNA-Canada’s Global Citizens Gala.

Krystal brings expertise in fundraising, sustainable fund development planning, relationship building, strategic development, and government grants.

Julia Wagner is a Program Manager at the Ruff Institute of Global Homelessness (IGH). Julia leads IGH's Better Data Project, Community of Impact, and Vanguard Program. IGH's Vanguard Program partners with cities across 6 continents to work towards ambitious goals and exchange best practices on what works to end homelessness.

I am the Executive Director of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations. I am grateful to the Creator and I look forward to what this experience brings.

I believe in the protection of Inherent and Treaty Rights and Sovereignty. I have extensive experience in Traditional Knowledge, community planning, provincial regional planning, municipal planning, environmental planning, strategic planning and socioeconomic analysis. I’m experienced in designing, facilitating and implementing thoughtful indigenous and stakeholder engagement. I strongly believe in planning and decision-making from immersion from on-the-land.

I’m a Registered Professional Planner with the Alberta Professional Planners Institute and a Registered Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners.

Camilla studied architecture at the Architectural Association in London. She works at the intersection of sustainable urban design and transportation, creating urban environments that are socially inclusive and healthy and which address climate change issues. She is UK Design Council Built Environment Expert and a member of several design review panels. She works on urban design and transportation projects, working in Africa, Asia, Central and South America and India. She is a Committee member of the newly formed United Nations Urban Economy Forum, which seeks to promote cities that will deliver the UN Sustainability Development Goals. She is the author of several books and lectures at UK and USA universities and international conferences.

Elected as the Member of Parliament for Scarborough Centre in 2015 and re-elected in 2019, Salma Zahid is a committed champion for gender equality and a strong voice for the diverse families of Scarborough.

Salma is chair of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, and a member of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women. In her work on committee, she has worked to ensure the voices of racialized Canadians and visible minority women are heard and has advocated for improved customer service within the immigration system and for increased family reunification.

As an MP, Salma has worked to raise awareness of the oppression of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar and other oppressed persons around the world, and pressed the government to take a leadership role in providing humanitarian assistance. Her private members motion M-155, designating June as Filipino Heritage Month across Canada, was unanimously passed by the House of Commons.

In Scarborough, Salma has worked to bring people of different communities together through initiatives such as the Scarborough Centre Multifaith Council, firmly believing that what we have in common as Canadians is far stronger than what sets us apart.

Before entering politics, Salma was a community organizer working to support women, their families and youth, and served the public in several positions with the Government of Ontario. A recipient of the Diamond Jubilee Medal for Meritorious Community Service for her contributions to Canada, Salma holds a Masters in Educational Management and Administration from the University of London’s Institute of Education, and an MBA from Quaid e Azam University in Pakistan.

Salma, her husband Salman, and their sons Umaid and Usman are proud and long-time residents of Scarborough.

Meseret Haileyesus is a multi-award-winning economic justice and health equity advocate, thought leader, change-maker, and serial social entrepreneur.

She is the CEO of the Canadian Centre for Women’s Empowerment, the only Canadian organization addressing economic injustice with a keen interest in addressing systemic barriers and other challenges that prevent women and girls from fully realizing their economic rights.

Meseret works to influence public policy and legislation decisions that support women to make a successful transition to economic independence in Canada. She seeks to fill the gaps for the development of new approaches to address economic injustice and abuse by reviewing existing systems, policies, legislation and procedures in Canada. She is involved with various strategies to inform public policy.

She also serves on the Board of Directors at Centertown Health Center, End FGM Canada Network, and Advisor for various Anti-Racism initavies to contribute to a system that meets the needs of mental health challenges faced by Black youth, and their families in Canada.

Meseret works have been featured in media across Canada including CBC, CTV, Yahoo Finance, Canadian Center for Policy Alternative, Globes and Mail, Healthy Debate, Toronto Sun, Toronto Star, Ottawa Citizen, and National Observer.

Over her career, Meseret has been the recipient of several prestigious awards and fellowships:

• Named one of the 100 Most Accomplished Black Canadian Women in 2019
• Top 100 Women to Watch in Canada 2020
• Top 10 Loreal Paris National Women of Worth in 2020
• Under Forty under 40 award recipient in 2021, Ottawa Business Journal
• Top 3 recipient of the National RPA Award from Honorable Nina Tangri, Member of Parliament from Minister of Economic
• Development, Job Creation, and Trade/ Economic Development in 2021
• Recipient of Women of Inspiration 2021 (Social Impact  and Authentic leader Award)
• Nominee top Canadian Founders To Watch in 2022, Global Health Excellence Award, FACE Magazine, and Canadian Choice

She is a proud mother of one beautiful daughter who inspires and motivates her every day to continue her work towards a more just, fair, and inclusive society that protects and advances the well-being of women and girls.

Jan Peterson was awarded the UN-HABITAT Scroll of Honor, one of the world’s most prestigious awards presented to those working on urbanization, in 2009 for four decades of activism for grassroots women and their communities. 

She has spent her lifetime as an organizer with the mission of empowering poor and working-class women to become community leaders on housing and neighborhood development issues locally in New York City, nationally, and globally. 

Jan is also a member of the NYC/Brooklyn Community Planning Board 1, chairing the Women's Committee.

She is the founder of the National Congress of Neighborhood Women (NCNW, 1974), GROOTS International (1985), and the Huairou Commission (1995), all three of which have consultative status with the United Nations. Under her leadership, Huairou Commission’s global membership has expanded to include organizations in more than 50 countries. In addition to raising millions of dollars for work with grassroots women, Jan has pioneered methods and tools including the Leadership Support Process, the Local-to-Local Dialogue methodology, and the Grassroots Women’s Academy held at each World Urban Forum. 

In the 1980s, working with the NCNW and GROOTS International, she was successful at giving grassroots women a voice at the UN’s Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. Through her strong advocacy, Jan has ensured that the global women’s movement incorporates grassroots women’s groups and community development priorities for sustainable human settlements. As a result of these efforts, global agencies such as UN-Habitat, UN Women, and UN DRR have included women from poor communities in advisory and planning groups. Huairou Commission is now part of the UN’s Platform for Action, leading the Economic Justice Action Coalition for the Generation Equality Cluster, following up on the platform developed in Beijing. 

Christine Hegel is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Western Connecticut State University. As a legal and economic anthropologist, Hegel teaches courses on women, work, and power and her research focuses on discard reclamation labor, value transformation, and the uneven effects of capitalist modernity. Both an advocate and researcher, Hegel is involved in the growing movement for the rights and recognition of canners (informal recyclers) in New York City amid the evolving failures and possibilities of municipal waste management and EPR systems. As part of this work, she serves as a board member of Sure We Can, the only non-profit community-based redemption center in NYC, and as a member of the Advisory Committee of the Global Alliance of Waste Pickers.

Is a community development professional with an educational background in journalism and communications. She sees herself as a communicator for social change and social justice. Her career spans three continents including Africa and Europe, where she has worked with various international NGOs. She has spoken globally on communication competence and freedom of speech as a foundation for civic engagement in developing democracies and advocating for meaningful women’s participation to be at the centre stage in any development initiatives. Currently, she works as Community Development Coordinator for Dixon Hall Neighbourhood Services, which advocates for and addresses the challenges faced by low-income families and individuals living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in downtown Toronto, Canada.

Rebecca Alty became the 15th Mayor of Yellowknife when she was sworn into office on November 5, 2018. Prior to being elected as Mayor, she served as a Yellowknife City Councillor for two terms, from 2012 - 2018, and worked in communications and community relations for the Diavik Diamond Mine, NGO's, and the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Outside of work, she enjoys walking, gardening and traveling.

Sara Tahir started doing youth programming in Regent Park as a youth 12 years ago. Recently Sara has played a pivotal role as a Healing As one employee to engage young women and develop them into leaders of tomorrow. She designs and coordinates youth programs specific to at-risk youth to develop their interpersonal / communication skills and helps transition them into different meaningful career paths across the Regent Park community and the City of Toronto. Sara is also very passionate about mental health and continues to understand the challenges that the youth face in today's circumstances. She also helps develop workshops with notable keynote speakers to help achieve a healthy mental state for all. Sara also connects with mothers from the community who are aspiring entrepreneurs and helps understand their skills set and provides employment opportunities through the various Healing As One food insecurity initiatives. Her role also entails outreach to other women-led collaborations, initiatives and groups to continue to enhance a strong connection/partnerships with women leaders across the city.

Maria Sjödin (she/they) serves as the Acting Executive Director for OutRight Action International. Previously, Maria served as OutRight’s Deputy Executive Director leading the work of the Development and Communications teams, where they oversaw a period of extraordinary growth in visibility, diversification and increase in funding, in addition to launching groundbreaking initiatives, such as OutRight’s COVID-19 Global LGBTIQ Emergency Fund and pioneering engagement with international businesses. Prior to OutRight Maria served as Executive Director of RFSL, Sweden’s largest LGBTIQ organization. Maria has led leadership trainings for hundreds of LGBTIQ activists on topics including strength-based coaching and appreciative inquiry. They regularly provide expert opinions to governments, UN agencies, and corporations and are frequently quoted by the media, including by outlets like Time magazine and Thomson Reuters.

Tania has a degree in Sociology and a Master in Political and Social Studies from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

She worked as a Monitoring and Evaluation Analyst at Freedom House, Mexico, and as a consultant in Research, Health and Demography (INSAD). She has worked as an external consultant and analyst with other civil society organizations and foundations.

She has participated in research teams on labor rights, migration, new technologies and systems theory. Among her publications are “Workers who do not exist. Strategies of resistance and emancipation” in the book Uncertainty and strategies of meaning; Free and open software: communities and networks of digital production of common goods, and “Cross-border networks: the production and exchange of free and open software”, in Communication, transmigration and emerging systems, among others.

In Fondo Semillas she has served as an external advisor, as Analysis and Strengthening Coordinator and Program Manager. She is currently the Executive Director of Fondo Semillas.

Ireri Andrea Muñiz Ortega is Digital Communications Manager for PSYDEH, a Mexican non-profit organization that empowers women. She is an enthusiast of textiles and Mexican crafts with an interest in local knowledge and traditional techniques.

Hannah Swenson serves as Sustainability Coordinator at PSYDEH, empowering Indigenous women as leaders of community development in rural Hidalgo, Mexico. Hannah is an active community organizer, writer, and facilitator co-leading PSYDEH’s Red Sierra Madre cooperative incubation program and the organization’s latest textile initiative, Bordamos Juntos.

Alejandra Ríos Pérez es Licenciada en Planificación para el Desarrollo Agropecuario por la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). 

Ella es una apasionada del trabajo comunitario, en el que busca acompañar los procesos reflexivos de la población que permitan las mejoras culturales pertinentes que consideran a la población para auto desarrollarse.

Ha trabajado al interior del mundo de las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil en México, coordinando a equipos multidisciplinarios en procesos de planeación: leyes, programas, proyectos y asesoría a municipios ya otras organizaciones. Actualmente trabaja en la organización mexicana PSYDEH como Coordinadora de Programa en Campo.

Ms. Pavithra Sulanthar currently works as the community coordinator with Regent Park Neighbourhood Association (RPNA) and, also serves as the Secretary for the Board. She is an active member with the Regent Park Social Developmental Plan Stakeholders Table and has previously worked in evaluating the same. She is a bridge-builder and has initiated a resident led project to empower the vulnerable women in Regent Park.

As a new immigrant to Canada, Ms Pavithra has always been people-centred and volunteers in various community-based activities. She recently earned a professional designation as “People Analytics Specialist” and obtained Master’s degree in Business Administration (Bangalore University, India) and Bachelor’s degree in Physical Science (St. Joseph’s affiliate to Bangalore University, India).