SPEAKERS & PANELISTS - 2020 FORUM
HON. STEPHEN LECCE, Minister of Education for the Province of Ontario and the Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for King-Vaughan.
As Minister, Stephen is fighting for student success and is working to build an education system that is equipped to support our next generation. It is his mission to ensure that students are given every opportunity to develop the transferable skills needed to lead productive lives and secure good jobs. Stephen stands for an inclusive and equitable system of education and believes that our future as a province and as a country, depends on unlocking the potential of all youth.
Stephen’s experience in politics began in his home town of Vaughan where he was involved with the 1999 election of the late MPP Al Palladini. Since then, he has served as the Chief Spokesperson for former Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, as Deputy Government House Leader, the Parliamentary Assistant to the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier.
Stephen is a community leader, who has devoted over half his life to public service. He continues to give back and support his local community as MPP, and as the former First Vice President of the National Congress of Italian Canadians, an active member of the Vaughan Chamber of Commerce and former Youth Education Chair of Vaughan’s Royal Canadian Legion (Mackenzie Branch 414).
Stephen lives in Vaughan, where he grew up, and remains active in his community.
HON. STEVEN MARSHALL MP, Premier of South Australia
Steven Marshall is South Australia’s 46th Premier.
He was elected to the South Australian Parliament as the Member for Norwood in 2010. His electorate has since been renamed Dunstan.
In 2013, Mr Marshall became the Leader of the Liberal Party and the State Opposition.
He led the Party to victory on March 17, 2018.
Mr Marshall is responsible for Tourism, Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Defence and Space Industries, the Arts, Veterans’ Affairs and Multicultural Affairs.
Prior to entering public life, Mr Marshall worked in the manufacturing industry, running his family’s furniture manufacturing business Marshall Furniture from 1997.
Mr Marshall was born and educated in Adelaide, South Australia. He completed his secondary schooling at Immanuel College before studying at the University of South Australia.
He graduated with a Business, Marketing degree. He also received an MBA from Durham University.
Mr Marshall is a patron and ambassador of numerous sporting and community organisations.
He has lived in the Dunstan area all his adult life and is the father of two children – Charlie and Georgie.
CATHY MONTREUIL, Deputy Minister, Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, NOVA SCOTIA
Cathy was appointed to the position of Deputy Minister of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development as of March, 2018. She brings a wealth of experience having worked in education for over 30 years.
During her career, Cathy has had teaching experience in both elementary and secondary schools, special education, care and treatment and custody programs, and has been a vice-principal, principal, superintendent, and Director of Education.
She served as a system leader for Special Education where she was instrumental in her board’s achievement of the Ontario Award for Inclusive Schools and collaborated with the Canadian Association for Community Living on an Inclusion Education tool for school communities.
Cathy has also written and taught Special Education Additional Qualifications courses for teachers.
Prior to accepting the position of Deputy Minister of Education an Early Childhood Development in Nova Scotia, Cathy served as the Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Student Achievement Officer for the province of Ontario.
Cathy and her husband Cam have a daughter who is a lawyer in Ottawa and a son who is attending College.
KIM CAMERON, Chief Identity Officer, Trybe ID
Kim Cameron is a Canadian computer scientist and engineering leader who has worked since the emergence of the Internet to create a humanistic system of Digital Identity. Kim moved to Seattle to join Microsoft in 1999 when it acquired Toronto-based Zoomit Corporation, a software company dedicated to digital identity that he co-founded in 1980. In 2000 he became the Architect of Microsoft’s Active Directory, which evolved into the most widely deployed identity technology used in enterprises globally. As the growth of the Internet made the importance of identity increasingly evident, his role expanded to become Chief Architect of Identity for Microsoft, a position he held until his retirement in 2019.
Kim led Microsoft to build technology that was part of an “identity metasystem” that worked across vendors, technologies and political boundaries. He introduced the concept of “claims” so the system could handle a world where the assertions of different entities were trusted for different things and to different extents – a major building block for what became cloud computing. In 2004 he wrote the Laws of Identity, a document that has long influenced both technologists and regulators, and which Microsoft adopted to guide its innovation. At the same time he began to champion innovations that would put users in control of their own identity as a way to solve the privacy and security problems of both individuals and organizations – work he continues to advance today.
Kim grew up in Canada, attending King’s College at Dalhousie University and l’Université de Montréal. He served on RISEPTIS, the high-level European Union advisory body providing vision and guidance on security and trust in the Information Society. He has won a number of industry awards, including EEMA’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2012), the European Identity and Cloud Award for Lifetime Achievement (2013), the Identity North Founder of Canada’s Digital Economy Award (2016), Digital Identity World’s Innovation Award (2005), Network Computing’s Top 25 Technology Drivers Award (1996) and MVP (Most Valuable Player) Award (2005), Network World’s 50 Most Powerful People in Networking (2005), Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing Privacy Award (2007) and Silicon.com’s Agenda Setters 2007. He has an honorary Doctor of Civil Law degree from King’s College, and is on the Board of Directors for ID2020. Kim blogs at identityblog.com.
DR. DAVID PORTER, Senior Adviser, Higher Education at Commonwealth of Learning (col.org) in Burnaby, British Columbia.
David is a long-time advocate for the benefits of adapting new technology to deliver educational opportunities and he has been involved in open and distance learning since the 1990s, at both the K-12 and higher education levels.
Most recently, David was Dean of Innovative Learning at Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning in Toronto, Canada. From 2016 – 2019, David was the CEO of eCampusOntario. Formerly, David was Associate Vice-President Educational Support and Innovation at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Prior to that appointment, David was the Executive Director of BCcampus.ca from 2003 – 2014.
JAMIE MERISOTIS, President and CEO, Lumina Foundation, Award winning author of “Human Work In the Age of Smart Machines”
Jamie Merisotis is a globally recognized leader in philanthropy, education, human work and talent development, and public policy. He has been Lumina’s president and CEO since 2008. He previously was co-founder and president of the nonpartisan, Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Higher Education Policy and also served as executive director of a bipartisan national commission on college affordability appointed by the U.S. president and congressional leaders. Merisotis is the author of the acclaimed book America Needs Talent, named a Top 10 Business book of 2016 by Booklist, and his second book, Human Work: In the Age of Smart Machines, will be released in October 2020.
He is often requested as a media commentator and contributor. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, National Journal, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Washington Monthly, Politico, Roll Call, and other publications.
Merisotis has extensive global experience as an advisor and consultant in southern Africa, the former Soviet Union, Europe, and other parts of the world. A respected analyst and innovator, Merisotis is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
He is the recipient of numerous awards and holds honorary degrees from several universities and colleges. Merisotis also is a trustee for a diverse array of organizations around the world. He serves as chairman of the Council on Foundations and is a past chairman of The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the world’s largest museum for children. He also is on the board of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership and serves as a special adviser to the executive committee of the London-based European Access Network.
ALLYN J RADFORD, CEO and Founder, C2People; Principal Consultant, Transforming Credentials
Allyn has been involved in the use of technology in learning for more than 30 years across a range of industries including education, defense, aerospace and government. During that time, he has worked for organisations such as University of Melbourne, RMIT University, Open Learning Australia (now Open Universities Australia), HarvestRoad Ltd, Cisco, and the Australian Computer Society. He has led projects in Australia, the United States, Mexico and South Korea.
As inaugural CEO of DeakinDigital, a wholly owned subsidiary of Deakin University, he led innovation in the development and implementation of Alternative Digital Credentials (ADCs) and developed the world’s first Masters of Professional Practice degrees based on ADCs together with Deakin University.
Allyn has been providing strategic consulting and workshops to Australian universities and international clients as an independent consultant with a special focus on transformational practices using credentialing. His work also included advisory board roles and the Academic and Quality Committee for TAFE SA.
In 2020 he also launched a new startup, C2People. This new venture is focused on career credentialing and career mapping in a powerful consortium of Australian and international companies working towards common goals.
PATTY QUINONES, Assistant Superintendent of Innovation, St. Vrain School District
Patty Quinones, Assistant Superintendent of Innovation for the St. Vrain School District is responsible for overseeing the Innovation Center and integrating STEM initiatives and innovative programs in the District. Her 16 years in educational leadership as an innovator, designer, and entrepreneur provides necessary skills to implement the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) Initiatives in our District.
Patty’s visionary approach in the areas of K-12 programming, integrating STEM curriculum, developing teacher professional development, facility improvement and creating the Innovation Center are all under her facilitation and creation with successful outcomes. The Innovation Center is providing a pipeline for students in the St. Vrain School District to be involved in mentorships, internships, and client-based employment projects. This new facility is 50,000 square feet for students to transcend the traditional classroom and provide experiential opportunities that are developing today’s students into tomorrow’s leaders, innovators, and change makers.
She is instrumental in securing grants, business and educational partnerships for the school district. The I3Grant (2010) for $3.6 mil and the Race to the Top Grant (2012) for $16.6 mil have been the latest federal grants secured for St Vrain.
Patty served as Principal at Skyline high school for 5 years; she transformed and developed the STEM & Visual Performing Arts Academies, which have currently over 600 students as part of these certification programs. Ms. Quinones also organized efforts to implement: 1 on 1 Laptop Initiative, Mini-STEM Academy, HS Department of Computer Science, and internships & jobs for STEM students.
Ms. Quinones has presented at many national and regional educational conferences:
CU-Boulder-Keynote speaker for UTEACH Conference 2018
Denver Start-Up 2017 Session, ” Redesigning HS to Support Skills & Competencies for a 21st Century Workforce”
Longmont Economic Partnership- Industry Partners and Public Education Panel 2017
Colorado Educational Initiative Showcase (2016)
Colorado Succeeds Industry Luncheon-Panel member (2016), Discovery Education TV –American Ed Report (2016), Next Generation Learning documentary (2016)
ASEE, NSTA, CASE, XSci National Conference (2014), CASB, SxSW ED Conference (Austin-14), PEPCO- Colorado Collaborative STEM Summit, Colorado Collaborative for Girls in STEM Forums, Boulder Maker Faire).
Publications:
American Society for Engineering Education - Co-authored: Best Practices in High School and Higher Education (2012); Innovation Center: Preparing High School Students for the 21st Century Economy by Providing Resources and Opportunities to Create Genuine Projects with Industry Partners (2014)
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KAYE-MAREE DUNN, Facilitator and Coach for Change, Indigenous Maori Communities
It takes a lot of patience, dedication, and hard work to reach the top of one's profession and as hard to keep that position. Take, for instance, Tech Entrepreneur Kaye-Maree Dunn from Te Rarawa, Ngā Puhi, Ngāi Te Rangikoianaake, Ngāti Mahanga me Ngāi Tāmanuhiri and resides in Wainuiomata Wellington, who has been working in the realm of Maori and Community development for over 18 years.
More than her role as Tech Entrepreneur , Kaye-Maree is fascinated with family , community and technology. Her career has spanned Child Youth and Family, The Dept of Labour, The Māori Land Court, NZ Maori Tourism and Community Housing and she has recently been involved in Social Enterprise Development, Governance Training and Whānau Ora Facilitation and Planning – particularly with hard to reach families.
Kaye-Maree had a lot of significant professional experiences, she was the previous Contracted Special Projects Manager with Māori Womens Development Inc. and the current Managing Director of Making Everything Achievable, Indigital Blockchain Limited , Digital Identity and Traditional Knowledge platform Āhau.
Because of her long list of achievements, Kaye-Maree has become a member of the Board of NZ Tech, Te Paepae Arahi, a kaupapa Māori mental health provider in Lower Hutt, Para Kore Charitable Trust, the North Hokianga Development Trust and a current Sir Edmond Hillary Fellow. Kaye-Maree was previously one of the Wellington Representatives on the New-Zealand Māori Council for three years.
Quality Governance, Enterprise and Data Sovereignty is a passion for Kaye-Maree where she can use her untiring commitment and drive to ensure individuals have the right tools and support to govern their organisations with confidence and competence and have the ability to control access to their own data and information. Growth of NZ’s economic potential in particular the growth of independent, flourishing digital enterprises is one for her dedication.
SUZANNE PERKOWSKY, Co-Founder & Head of Education, New Nordic School
Suzanne is the Co-Founder and Head of Education for New Nordic School, based in Finland.
Originally from India, she is an experienced educator and educational leader who has worked in schools across the globe in countries such as Finland, India, United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, China and Saudi Arabia.
On returning to Finland in 2014 and being part of the leadership team in an international school, she discovered that through the new Finnish National Core Curriculum, teachers had the freedom to teach as she had been teaching abroad for years, focusing on competencies, soft skills, and the child leading their own learning. Her passion led her to further her self-development and understanding of the Finnish educational system via the Finnish Post-Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from the University of Jyväskylä.
After managing schools and opening several daycares in Finland, she still dreamt of starting her own school where students would lead their own learning and shape their own future. In early 2018, the founding team realized that this philosophy and pedagogy is something students and teachers around the world need. New Nordic School was founded. With a rapidly growing team of experts, this dream is becoming a reality; ‘transforming the K-12 educational journey through a fully integrated, interdisciplinary system that provides personalized and purposeful learning. This is supported by our integrated AI-driven technology solution that automates planning, creates dynamic suggestions of grouping and activities, and suggests next steps of personalized learning for students and teachers.'
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HELEN PEREIRA-RASO, Head of School, Holy Trinity School
Helen Pereira-Raso has dedicated her career to inspiring students to be creative, engaged and curious learners who are fully prepared for life. In her role as Head of School at Holy Trinity School (HTS) in Richmond Hill, north of Toronto, Helen brings a forward-thinking, progressive approach to education that is the foundation for HTS’s reputation as leaders in learning.
Helen’s career as an educational leader has always focused on what matters most – developing a school culture in which all learners, adult and young alike, are able to explore, create and learn in meaningful ways. She is committed to professional learning as essential in the journey of educators and has led workshops both in Canada and the United States.
Helen has a deep understanding of both elementary and secondary education, having taught grades 7-12 in both the public and independent school systems. In these schools, she has held various leadership roles that allowed her to learn and grow as a reflective practitioner.
Her leadership and innovative approaches, combined with her passion and commitment to developing learning environments that inspire all learners, is what drives her life’s work.
STUART MILLER, Director of Education, Halton District School Board
Stuart Miller has been the Director of Education for the Halton District School Board since 2015 and has more than 35 years of experience in education.
He started his career as a Secondary Math and Science Teacher and moved through the education system holding roles as a Vice-Principal, Principal, Superintendent, Associate Director and his current role of Director of Education.
He holds a Master of Education degree from the University of Edinburgh and earned a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Toronto as well as a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Guelph.
DR. JANETTE HUGHES, Canada Research Chair Technology and Pedagogy and Professor at Ontario Tech University
Dr. Janette Hughes is a Canada Research Chair, in Technology and Pedagogy and Professor at Ontario Tech University. She is the recipient of multiple research and teaching awards and research grants. She is widely published and is the author of The Digital Principal, a guide for school administrators who are interested in promoting technology-rich learning environments for students and teachers.
Dr. Hughes is a prolific author and presenter, sharing her work both nationally and internationally in prestigious scholarly and professional journals, keynote talks, and conferences. She has presented more than 100 peer-reviewed research papers conferences across Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America.
Attesting to the recognition of her leadership in technology and pedagogy, Dr. Hughes is routinely contacted by school districts, Ministry personnel and industry partners to consult on a variety of topics, including online teaching and learning, equity issues in ed tech, creating innovative learning environments, establishing Makerspaces in schools, shifting pedagogies in a digital era and how to foster the development of global (21st century) skills and competencies in K-12 and higher education.
CHAMI AKMEEMANA, CEO at Convergence.Tech and Trybe ID
Chami Akmeemana is the CEO of Convergence.Tech and Trybe ID. He is a Blockchain and AI Specialist. He pursued a Ph.D. in Bioceramic Engineering at Queen Mary, University of London, until deciding to forgo an academic career in favor of Law Enforcement. In 2002, he joined London’s Metropolitan Police.
Chami has had 4 successful exits over the last decade and is passionate about the intersection of technology, business and social good. His experience includes serving as Director of Regulatory and Government Affairs at ConsenSys Inc; Fintech Advisor to the Ontario Securities Commission; Managing Director, Fintech and Blockchain at the Global Risk Institute; and Regulatory Advisor to the Republic of Liberland.
Chami is also the Chairman of the Blockchain Association Australia and an Advisory Board member of doc.ai.
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RYAN PERSAUD, Director of IT and Innovation, The International School of Curitiba
Ryan grew up in Toronto, and although he is an expat, is a proud Canadian. Ryan earned a BBA at Wilfrid Laurier University, as well as a Bed and Med at the University of Toronto.
He started his career in the banking industry with the Bank of Montreal and then shifted into education. He spent 10 years working for the Halton District School Board, and then moved abroad to South Korea to Korea International School.
He currently sits as the Director of IT and Innovation at ISC. During his time at ISC, Ryan has led major system changes in the school's SIS and LMS platforms. Additionally, the school has earned Google Reference School status. Ryan has most recently led the development and implementation of the school's Virtual Learning Program during the Covid Crisis.
RAHIM ESSABHAI, Teacher of Business & Cooperative Education, John Polanyi Collegiate Institute (TDSB)
Rahim Essabhai has been an educator for over 15 years. In addition to facilitating experiential learning curriculum and creating strong partnerships within the local and global community, he also has completed a Masters of Education in Applied Psychology & Human Development.
While studying, travelling, teaching and volunteering in more than 25 countries, Rahim often spends his time gazing at maps searching for the next eye-opening experience; this led him to Africa to volunteer within a secondary school located in one of the world’s largest refugee camps which was the spark for his students and staff at John Polanyi Collegiate Institute to volunteer and build schools in Nicaragua and Ecuador.
Rahim teaches Senior Business Leadership and Cooperative Education at John Polanyi Collegiate Institute in the Toronto District School Board, and is a 2016-2017 recipient of the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence.
GUY PEARCE, Chief Digital Officer, Convergence.Tech & Trybe.ID
Guy has served on governance boards in banking, financial services and a not for profit, and as CEO of a financial services organization. He has played an active role in 10 enterprise digital transformation programs, experiences which led him to create a Digital Transformation course for the University of Toronto SCS. He is a regular speaker at McMaster University on topics such as big data, blockchain, digital transformation and IT governance, and has rich experience in the regulatory requirements for data governance, through regulations such as BCBS239 and GDPR.
His experience in enterprise technology and in leveraging data for business benefit extends to the conceptualization, design, development and deployment of enterprise BI, CRM and credit systems impacting 5,000 users at 1,300 branches, big data analytics enabling $95 million in incremental value in six months by big data fusion, and BI value enablement creating $50 million in incremental value in four months, to name a few.
He readily shares his experiences by conferences and by publications in journals such as the ICD’s Director Journal, the NACD’s Directorship, and ISACA Journal, and is the recipient of the 2019 ISACA Michael Cangemi best author award for contributions to the field of IT governance. Guy holds a BSc (Comp Sc) from the University of the Witwatersrand (SA), a BCom (Econ and Quants) from the University of South Africa, a MBA from Heriot-Watt University (UK), and is Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT).
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JAY VYAS (MC), Musician & Previously Managing Director, Head of Research and Innovation at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board
Jay is a dedicated amateur musician who is currently focused on improving his guitar, electric bass, and drumset skills. He also serves on the national Board of Directors of Little Kids Rock, a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring, expanding, and innovating music education in schools.
Jay's professional life covers over 30 years in the field of quantitative investing. Most recently, he was the Managing Director, Head of Research and Innovation at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Prior to that, Jay was a co-founder and managing member of Vyas Capital Management, LLC.
Continuing back into time, his career journey included roles at Barclays Global Investors, Martingale Asset Management, and BARRA, Inc.
Jay earned his BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley, and he holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
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