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Meet the Speakers

  • Linda Nazareth Economist and futurist

    Linda Nazareth is the Senior Fellow for Economics and Population Change at policy think tank the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. She is an accomplished economist and futurist specializing in demographic, workplace and economic trends, and how they will shape our future. She has authored several books including her latest, Working It Out: Getting Ready for the Redefined World of Work, a timely and insightful analysis that explores the significant changes taking place in the post-pandemic world of work, and offers practical strategies to help her audience adapt and thrive in the redefined future of work.

  • Tareq Hadhad Syrian-Canadian entrepreneur and founder of Peace by Chocolate

    Tareq Hadhad was a Syrian refugee and now living his new life with his entrepreneurial family in Canada’s East Coast. He is the founder and CEO of Peace by Chocolate, the recipient of the EY Entrepreneur of The Year 2021 for Atlantic, named one of the Top 25 Immigrants in The Maritimes, selected by Google as the National Hero Case, was awarded RBC’s top Immigrant Award and Entrepreneur of the Year in 2020 and Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal. All of this has happened since Tareq’s arrival on Canada’s East Coast in December 2015 as a Syrian-Canadian newcomer.

  • Dr. Peter Smith President and senior scientist at the Institute for Work and Health

    Dr. Peter Smith is president and senior scientist at the Institute for Work & Health in Toronto, and a professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Dr. Smith has extensive experience conducting research related to work injury and its consequences using large population-based surveys and administrative workers’ compensation data. His key research interests include gender and sex differences in the relationship between work and health; the measurement of work exposures, in particular the psychosocial work environment; and how labour market exposures contribute to health inequalities at the population level.

  • Dr. Julian Barling Borden Chair of Leadership in the Smith School of Business, Queen’s University

    Julian Barling is a Distinguished University Professor at Queen’s University, and the Borden Chair of Leadership in the Smith School of Business. He is the author of Brave New Workplace: Designing Productive, Healthy and Safe Organizations, The Science of Leadership: Lessons from Research for Organizational Leaders, and Employment, Stress and Family Functioning. Julian’s research focuses primarily on leadership and leaders’ own mental health, work and well-being, and workplace safety. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and several other international societies and has received several teaching awards including Leaders in Business Education from the National Post, and the Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Supervision from the Smith School of Business.

  • Anya Keefe Occupational and public health consultant

    Anya Keefe is an occupational and public health consultant with over 35 years of experience in occupational disease prevention, policy and research. She has consulted for a number of academic and research institutions, government and regulatory agencies, charitable organizations and private industry. Since 2014, she has provided pro bono assistance to workers diagnosed with occupational diseases (or their surviving spouses), helping to identify possible sources of exposure and working with them to create comprehensive occupational histories to support their claim for workers compensation. Anya has an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering and a graduate degree in Occupational Hygiene, both from the University of British Columbia. She is also a formally trained chef and chocolatier.

  • Dani Gomez-Ortega Diversity and inclusion champion

    Dani Gomez-Ortega is a diversity and inclusion champion with a passion for empowering others to create more inclusive spaces. Currently she leads the development of strategies and projects that remove barriers to success for 200,000 employees across Canada. She sits on the board of directors for Dignity Network Canada, an organization that advocates for the rights of 2SLGTBTQ+ people globally. Previously, Dani has had a number of leadership roles in community organizations like PrideHouseTO, Toronto PFLAG, and Out and Out Toronto. Her contributions have been recognized through various awards including the Bill 7 Award, Ryerson University’s Student Leadership Award, and most recently the Janice Waddell Collegiality Award. Dani’s work and commitment to inclusion are shaped by her experience as a Latinx, immigrant transgender woman with an invisible disability.

  • Stacey Maguire Fisheries Training Technical Advisor and Coordinator, Ulnooweg Development Group

    Stacey Maguire is a Mi’kmaw woman who resides in her home community of Glooscap First Nation, located an hour from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Stacey works for the Ulnooweg Development Group, an Indigenous organization that serves Indigenous communities, individuals, and businesses in Atlantic Canada, as well as the Gaspésie and North Shore communities of Quebec. As the Fisheries Training Technical Advisor and Coordinator Stacey is part of the Fisheries Development team that works with 50 Indigenous communities and groups to support their Commercial Fishing Enterprises. She also assists in developing and executing training plans and courses for the region. Stacey has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Acadia University and a certificate in Occupational Health and Safety from the University of New Brunswick. She also holds a Canadian Registered Safety Technician certification from the Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals (BCRSP).

  • Francy Munoz Community Legal Worker, C.A.R.E. for International Workers Program

    Francy Munoz is a Community Legal Worker at the Windsor-Essex Bilingual Legal Clinic where she has successfully led the C.A.R.E for International Workers Program and the Spanish Speaking Clients Program since 2017. Francy is an advocate for international workers safety, education, overall health and wellness in Windsor-Essex. She regularly collaborates with various social service, health, government, and settlement organizations to develop implement programs that support international workers. She also readily consults with various agencies to provide legal education, solicit resources, and build relationships that will support the well-being of international workers. Francy speaks Spanish, has a law degree and a masters degree in administrative law from her home country Colombia, studied the Paralegal and the Language Interpreter Program at St. Clair College, and is currently a candidate awaiting her call to the Bar of Ontario.

  • Dr. Melanie Gorman Ng Health and Exposure Scientist at the BC Construction Safety Alliance

    Melanie Gorman-Ng is an occupational health researcher and a certified occupational hygienist. She is the Health and Exposure Scientist at the BC Construction Safety Alliance (BCCSA), where she carries out occupational hygiene research with a particular focus on developing statistical models for estimating exposures to hazardous materials in the workplace. She developed the database and model that drives the Silica Control Tool with Dr. Hugh Davies of the University of British Columbia School of Population and Public Health. Melanie is also an adjunct professor in the UBC School of Population and Public Health, Occupational and Environmental Health. She holds a PhD in Medicine and Therapeutics from the University of Aberdeen and an MSc in Occupational and Environmental Hygiene from UBC.

  • Sheila Liston Manager, Public Administration Sectors and Specialized Services Team, WorkSafeNB

    Sheila Liston is the Manager, Public Administration Sectors and Specialized Services Team at WorkSafeNB where she leads a team of dedicated case managers who manage work-related injury claims for public sector employers as well as work-related traumatic psychological injury claims. Sheila strongly believes in the importance of psychological safety and is involved in initiatives to improve the psychological well-being of her colleagues. She holds a BSc in Psychology from the University of New Brunswick and has a certificate in Tribunal Administrative Justice from the Foundation of Administrative Justice.