Laura Nicholson
Session: The Living Network
Laura Nicholson is the Director Nursing Simulation Centre at York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Laura brings to this role a blend of the unique perspectives of a registered nurse, with over 20-years of experience in emergency nursing, and 18 years teaching in baccalaureate nursing programs. These two complimentary roles provided Laura with the perspective of membership and leadership within distinct teams who worked together to achieve identified goals. Regardless of whether the goal was stabilizing a client or providing educational support for future registered nurses, the respective teams worked with the best evidence available.
Laura’s past research projects involve the use of simulation as a learning modality. Two projects were the exploration of the use of simulation technologies in transformative nursing student learning and the influence of simulation on hand hygiene compliance in clinical practice.
Laura is Principle Investigator of a pilot project with funding from Ontario Centres of Excellence. The pilot involves working with an upstart technology company, Studio 1 Labs. Together we worked on the proof of concept of an innovative medical device. Engagement in a proof of concept project blended the principles of simulation, ethical research, adherence to best practices, and complex technologies. The relationship with Studio 1 Labs is an honest example of an innovative ecosystem where all parties focused on their areas of expertise and worked harmoniously toward achieving the end goal of safer patient care.
Laura is honoured to take part in this conference and excited to share her experiences. Sharing these experiences will hopefully inspire others to join teams whose members have different, yet complimentary areas of expertise.
Gordon Kakegamic
With over 20 years of experience managing projects in innovation and technology, Gordon Kakegamic is an experienced project manager that has brought positive changes to First Nations communities and organizations in the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN). A dedicated professional and innovator Gordon has worked with government, education, and industry to achieve positive outcomes for First Nations peoples through collaborative education and training initiatives.
Gordon has a background in Computer Science from Lakehead University. Gordon developed an early interest in computers and programming languages. After college and university, he set out to apply his computer science background towards bridging the education gap in First Nations by pushing forth the promise of broadband technology and e-learning in NAN First Nations.
Over the years Gordon has long been involved in the application of information and communication technologies and tools that have been effectively used by and for First Nations peoples living in remote communities who face multiple barriers to education and training opportunities. His early work in pioneering the uptake and use of the WWW to support high school programming at Wahsa Distance Education Centre has led to increasing access to secondary education for students living in remote First Nations communities. His work with K-Net in bringing NAN into the information highway forefront has progressively contributed to its globalization, modernization, and digitization of information and communications between NAN and its members.
Gordon has made the greatest impact through advancing Oshki-Pimache-O-Win Education and Training Institute’s vision and mission by creating unique partnerships with NAN communities, mainstream education institutions, and industry for delivering innovative education and training initiatives focused on community and industry needs. He has a passion for collaborating with industry and creating opportunities for First Nations youth living in remote northern communities.
Gordon is a member of the Sandy Lake First Nation. He currently lives in Thunder Bay with his three grown-up children.
Russell Verbeeten
Session: Disruptive Technologies and the Cyber Threat Landscape
Russell Verbeeten joined the nascent Ethereum project in March of 2014 after completing a masters in Social Science of the Internet at Oxford University. With an undergraduate degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Toronto, and successful exits at startups where he played the roles of CTO and founder, Russell joined ConsenSys in June of 2015.
Benoit Pelletier
Session: How 5G Will Change the Innovation Ecosystem
Co-founder of the 5G ENCQOR project and Vice-President of Innovation ENCQOR; a NPO created to deliver this collaborative innovation project across Quebec-Ontario corridor, Benoit Pelletier is currently director, Business Development and ENCQOR’s Program Lead within Ciena. He is involved in developing new business opportunities, partnerships and/or alliances as well as fostering innovation through collaborative ecosystems and synergy with Universities and Small & Medium Enterprises.
Passionate about creativity, “Innovate or Evaporate” has been its mantra over the last 30 years in different industry markets: Telecom at Ciena and Nortel, Transport at Bombardier and Aerospace at Oerlikon Aerospace. Benoit held a number of positions within design, system integration, program management and business development. Broad knowledge in Product Development, Cost Management and expertise in New Product Introduction of cutting-edge technologies and government relationships. Benoit holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree from Sherbrooke University.
Rick Daoust
Session: Effictively Managing a Ransomware Attack - Lesson Learned
Rick Daoust joined Cambrian College as Chief Information Officer (CIO) in 2016, following twenty years of progressive IT leadership experience. His breadth of knowledge spans from the desktop to the data center, giving him a holistic view of IT. He currently oversees all technology-related strategies and initiatives for the College. A graduate of Laurentian University, Rick is passionate about postsecondary education and motivated to increase access to quality postsecondary education through the use of innovative technologies. His self-awareness, authenticity, and empathy make him a respected people leader. In April 2017, two weeks prior to the WannaCry ransomware attack, Rick relied on those strengths to guide his team, and the College community, to a full recovery of all systems and information following a high profile ransomware attack.
Scott Currie
Session: Securing the Ecosystem
Scott is an experienced IT security and compliance leader with over 15 years of experience in all aspects of Information Technology, Information Security, Risk Management, IT Governance, Risk and Compliance, and Internal Control.
Throughout his career Scott has focused on delivering Information Security by working closely with both IT and business leaders to ensure that appropriate security and compliance strategies are adopted and disseminated throughout the organizations he has worked with. Scott has in depth knowledge of all IT and security compliance frameworks, including: PCI, COBIT, HIPAA, HITRUST, ISO 27001/27002, NIST, 21 CFR Part 11, FDA Computer Systems Validation, PIPEDA, PHIPA, and many more. Scott has experience with all major ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, etc), delivering on security assessments, controls implementations, and pre-implementation audits.
In various roles Scott has developed and managed IT security budgets, security implementation projects, security remediation, and security and control audits.
Scott has a very strong technical background that includes IT infrastructure, IT security, data privacy, systems administration, and internal control and IT governance.
Enrica Piccardo
Session: Watch Your Language
Enrica Piccardo is Associate Professor at OISE – University of Toronto and at the Université Grenoble-Alpes France. She has extensive experience in language teaching, teacher training and second/foreign language education research. She has been collaborating with the Council of Europe (CoE) since 2008 on major international projects and is a co-author of the newly released Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) Companion Volume. Her monograph From Communicative to Action-oriented: a Research Pathways (2014) available online is being used in teacher education in Canada and beyond. She is the principal investigator of two SSHRC funded research projects, Linguistic and Cultural Reinvented (LINCDIRE), QualiCEFR, and of a CoEe funded project QualiMatrix. Her research includes plurilingualism, emotions and creativity in language education, and assessment and its role in the curriculum. She has presented in many countries and published in different languages.
Carolyn McGregor
Session: How 5G Will Change the Innovation Ecosystem
Dr. Carolyn McGregor AM is the Canada Research Chair (Alumni) in Health Informatics based at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Canada. She received her Bachelor of Applied Science in Computer Science honours degree, and her PhD degree in Computer Science from the University of Technology, Sydney. Dr McGregor has led pioneering research in Big Data analytics, cognitive computing, real-time stream processing, temporal data mining, patient journey modelling and cloud computing. She now progresses this research within the context of critical care medicine, mental health, astronaut health and military and civilian tactical training.
Rob McCann
Sessions: How 5G Will Change the Innovation Ecosystem
Rob McCann is the founder of Clearcable Networks and the President of the Hamilton Technology Centre. He has been working with advanced broadband service deployments in mid-market and rural cable and telephone systems since 1998. He is responsible for building and maintaining technical, network, and application intelligence. Rob works closely with several carriers, cable systems, municipalities, and network service providers in Canada, the US, and the Caribbean providing them with the technology, integration, and business practices required to effectively operate voice, video, and data services in the changing broadband service provider industry.
Geneva Starr
Geneva is a Project Manager and Engineering Researcher at the Canadian Urban Institute. Her work focuses on driving sustainable, low carbon communities through applied research, technical tool development, convening experts, coordinating events and facilitating engagement. Geneva specializes in technical issues related to urban environmental management and resource conservation. As the Project Manager of CUI’s LSNetwork program, she leads initiatives that support communities integrating smart city solutions to improve overall quality of life for people at home, work and play. Geneva has an Honours Bachelor of Engineering with Distinction in Water Resources from the University of Guelph.
Mark Snyder
Session: Securing the Ecosystem
Mark Snyder is a Security Specialist at Juniper Networks aiding customers in reducing risk through solution based security architectures. Mark has over twenty years of industry experience having held IT Executive, Architect, Systems Engineering and Security consulting service positions within Fortune 100, CRN 100, Healthcare, Financial, Education and Government organizations. Mark is passionate in all things related to security and technology in addition to being an active participate in the Maker community working on several security electronic projects, in addition to robotics, Internet of Things and cloud registration.
Mark currently holds the following certification and accreditations.
CISSP, CISA, CISM, CEH, MBA, MSM, and Computer Engineering Technology degrees.
Grant Frost
Grant Frost is an experienced Executive, Information Technologist and Security Strategist with extensive experience in both public sector and private sector. Grant is known for and has extensive experience in IT transformation and the ability to increase capability while decreasing cost in IT services.
Grant is currently the Chief Information Officer for the Niagara Catholic District School Board where he has been working since 2014. He started his career in Information Technology in his teens developing video games in the 1980s and as a programmer, software & database developer for both a provincial and federal political party as well as for a municipality and business development organization in the Niagara Region.
Grant is a graduate of the University of Guelph. Prior to his current position he was a Senior IT Manager for BlackBerry (formerly Research In Motion) in Corporate IT working out of the HQ in Waterloo. Prior to BlackBerry Grant was a Senior Technology Analyst and Software Developer for CI Investments in Toronto.
Maxim Jean-Louis
Session: Digital Divide and the Inclusive Ecosystem
Maxim Jean-Louis is President – Chief Executive Officer of Contact North | Contact Nord, Ontario’s Distance Education & Training Network since 1996. Through 116 online learning centres across Ontario, Contact North I Contact Nord helps underserved Ontarians in 600 small rural, remote, Indigenous and Francophone communities access post-secondary education and training.
He currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Trillium Foundation and of Renewed Computer Technology. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Sudbury Art Gallery.
He is the Chair of ONLINE LEARNING 2018 Global Learning & EdTech Expo Teaching & Learning in the Digital Age.
Maxim is a former Chair of the Board of Directors of ORION, member of the Board of Directors of Polar Knowledge Canada, of the International Council for Open and Distance Education and former Chair of the World University Service of Canada and the Optical Regional Advanced Network of Ontario (ORION). He is a past member of Ontario’s Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board and of the Advisory Committee on French Language Postsecondary Education in Central-Southwestern Ontario.
Mohammad Qureshi
Session: Disruptive Technologies and the Cyber Threat Landscape
Mohammad became the Ontario Public Service’s first CISO in January 2018. He had joined the Treasury Board Secretariat on April 2016 as the Head of Cyber Security where he focused on increasing cyber security acuity across the OPS, and capably led the OPS response to a number of significant international cyber issues, ensuring the OPS response was both strategic and effective. Prior to joining TBS, Mohammad was the Vice-President of I&IT at the Ontario Clean Water Agency where he lead many successful I&IT initiatives. Mohammad holds a B.Sc. from the University of Toronto and has completed the Executive Program at Queens University.
Jim Spyropoulos
Session: Diverse, Talented: The (work) Force Awakens
Jim Spyropoulos is the Executive Superintendent of Equity and Engagement at the Toronto District School Board. As part of the portfolio, Jim plays a significant role in implementing the Board's Integrated Equity Framework, a strategy designed to infuse equity and inclusion into every aspect of the TDSB's work. He also provides leadership to the areas of Human Rights, Employment Equity and works with Caring and Safe Schools and Professional Support Services staff to support the work being done in the area of student mental health and wellness-being. In addition, Jim oversees Community Advisory Committees to ensure that authentic parent and community voice is present and included in the work of the Board. Jim has been privileged to work closely with the Board's Indigenous Education Centre where he supported the work initiated as part of the groundbreaking "Decolonizing our Schools" report. Before becoming a Superintendent, Jim was the Principal of two schools in the Toronto District School Board, Newtonbrook Secondary School and C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute. Jim holds a Master of Education degree from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education as well as Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Toronto.
Twitter: @jspyropoulos
Bo Wandschneider
Session: Effectively Managing a Randsomware Attack - Lessons Learned
Bo Wandschneider is the CIO at the University of Toronto. He has been in Higher Education for 30 years having also worked at Queen's University and the University of Guelph. Bo has a MA in Economics and began his journey into technology in the early 80's working with the digitized versions Agricultural Census' of Upper Canada. Bo embraces collaboration within the campus environment, but also across institutions, having worked on many shared initiatives. Bo currently serves of various committees and advisory groups including, Research Data Canada, The Portage Advisory Committee, NRC's Research Information Technology and Advisory Committee and the CUCCIO Board.
Twitter: @bjuul
Jenn MacLean
Session: The Living Network
Dr. Jennifer MacLean is the Executive Director for SOSCIP, a unique R&D consortium based in Ontario which uses advanced computing to drive industry innovation. In this role, Dr. MacLean has supported the launch of more than 100 collaborative R&D projects which are delivering meaningful outcomes for Canadians and supporting the growth of Canadian companies. Dr. MacLean first joined SOSCIP in September 2016 as the Operations Manager. Prior to SOSCIP, Jennifer worked with Mitacs for over 5 years, serving on their business development and program management teams. Jennifer has a BSc in Genetics and a PhD in Medical Biophysics, both from Western. She is originally from rural Saskatchewan.
Rebecca Jamieson
Session: Watch Your Language
Rebecca Jamieson, Tuscarora, is the President-CEO Six Nations Polytechnic, mother, grandmother, sister and auntie. Six Nations Polytechnic (established 1993) is centre of excellence for Indigenous community-based learning at the post-secondary level. Rebecca has been involved at all levels of First Nations education in a wide range of roles including teaching; counselling; policy, curriculum and institutional research and development; teacher education; administration, governance and jurisdictional negotiations. In Ontario, Rebecca has also been actively involved in public postsecondary education, serving as the first Executive Director of the College Standards and Accreditation Council (CSAC), and on the Board of Governors for several Ontario Universities and Mohawk College.
Rebecca holds an undergraduate degree in psychology and philosophy from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Master of Education from the University of Toronto. Rebecca is a member of the College of Teachers and holds Supervisory Officers Qualifications. She is trained in mediation and alternative dispute resolution and is a Graduate of the Carver Institute, Policy Governance. In recognition of her contributions in Indigenous education Rebecca received the Order of Ontario (2008); was appointed Distinguished Fellow, Mohawk College (2015), received an Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Western Ontario (2015) and an Honorary Doctor of Laws, Wilfrid Laurier University (2017).
Mohini Athia
Session: Watch Your Language
Mohini Athia is Director of Communications at COPA (infocopa.com), offering schools in Ontario a range of unique programs and resources focusing on buying prevention, human rights and equity and inclusion. Mohini is also a secondary school teacher (currently on a leave of absence), specializing in business studies and special education. Mohini's long-standing commitment to social justice and the infusion of this perspective into the realms of her teaching life drew her to COPA's unique and remarkable rights-base approach to fostering 'safer, strong and free' schools and communities. Her personal interests include travelling, running and volunteering at Toronto's Native Canadian Centre.
Melanie Muncaster
Session: Digital Divide and the Inclusive Ecosystem
Melanie Muncaster is the Executive Director of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC), an agency of the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines. The NOHFC was established in 1988 with a mandate to promote and stimulate economic development initiatives in Northern Ontario by providing financial assistance to projects that stabilize, diversify and foster the economic growth and diversification of the region.
Melanie joined the Ontario Public Service (OPS) in 2004 and had held various positions at the ministry and the NOHFC, most notably the NOHFC finance manager, NOHFC program manager, and Assistant Director prior to her appointment to the Executive Director post in March of 2018. She has extensive experience in the economic development field at the municipal and provincial level and was the lead architect of the current NOHFC program offerings for both the private and public sectors.
Prior to joining the OPS, Melanie held roles in the financial services sector, particularly in commercial lending, as well as the energy and utilities sector.
Melanie holds a Bachelor of Business Administration, with a concentration in Economics. She is a native of Sault Ste. Marie, ON and is a very proud mother of two adult daughters, Tiffany and Alanna.
Twitter: @nohfc
Rusul Alrubail
Session: Watch Your Language
Rusul is the Executive Director of Parkdale Centre for Innovation. Parkdale Centre is a Canadian non-profit committed to making entrepreneurial & professional skills accessible through inclusive programs, with a focus on equity & innovation. Previously, she was Partner at Ci. Strategy+Design, a design thinking agency that works with organizations on strategy, design and inclusion. Alrubail co-founded her first product and business, The Writing Project, back in 2015. The Writing Project is a student publishing platform currently used in the States by educators and students to amplify student voice and help students become better writers. She is also an education writer, and a social justice advocate. Alrubail has taught English composition and literature to high school, college, and undergraduate students for 10 years. She has written with Edutopia, Education Week, The Guardian, PBS Newshour, The International Literacy Association, EdWeek Teacher, Teaching Tolerance, ASCD's Educational Leadership, Edsurge, Annenberg Learner Foundation, Medium and other prominent education publications. She's a TEDx speaker and a social media influencer on education, race, and equity. Her work focuses entrepreneurship, diversity and inclusion, and teacher professional development and training
Jeff Gardiner
Session: Effectively Managing a Ransomware Attack: Lessons Learned
Jeff Gardiner is Central Information Security Officer (CISO) at Western University since 2010. As CISO he has provided leadership and guidance managing enterprise risks while overseeing Western’s cybersecurity portfolio tasked with protecting intellectual property, institutional data, and critical information technology systems. Building strong relations with business units and faculties Jeff was responsible for: introducing essential cybersecurity policy; architecting the introduction of critical cybersecurity technology; and for championing security awareness efforts to enhance Western’s cybersecurity posture which is constantly tested by persistent threats. On behalf of the Canadian Council of CIO’s Jeff co-chairs a national cybersecurity Special Interest Group consisting of CISO’s and Security Directors from Canadian Universities across the country. Jeff is also a veteran of the Afghanistan conflict.
David Wolfe
Session: The Innovation Ecosystem
Dr. David A. Wolfe is Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto Mississauga and Co-Director of the Innovation Policy Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs. From 2009 to 2014 he was the Royal Bank Chair in Public and Economic Policy at the University of Toronto. He has been the Principal Investigator on two Major Collaborative Research Initiatives funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. He is currently leading a five year SSHRC funded Partnership Grant on Creating Digital Opportunity for Canada. Prof. Wolfe has published extensively on cluster dynamics, innovation policy and related knowledge-based economic development. He is the editor or co-editor of ten books and numerous scholarly articles. His most recent book, co-edited with Meric Gertler, is Growing Urban Economies: Innovation, Creativity and Governance in Canadian City-Regions.
Alison Paprica
Session: The Innovation Ecosystem
Vice President, Health Strategy and Partnerships, Vector Institute
Assistant Professor, Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), University of Toronto
Prior to joining the Vector Institute as VP Health Strategy and Partnerships in November 2017, Alison's roles included: Director, Strategic Partnerships at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), Director of the Planning, Research & Analysis Branch at the Ontario Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care (responsible for up to $60 million of annual health research investment) and Manager of Performance Measurement & Results at the Ontario Ministry of Research & Innovation. From 1993-2001 she worked in international pharmaceutical R&D at Eli Lilly, Astra Pharma and Genpharm Inc. Alison holds an Honours Combined BSc in Biochemistry and Chemistry (McMaster), a PhD in organic chemistry (Western University) and is Assistant Professor (status) at IHPME. She is among the first 5% of people to obtain Project Management Professional (PMP) certification internationally, and led the development and delivery of two University of Toronto courses focused on project management for research.
Iliana Oris Valiente
Session: The Innovation Ecosystem
Iliana Oris Valiente, CPA, CA, CBP (Certified Bitcoin Professional) is widely credited for being a trailblazer in the blockchain space, having been among the first to recognize the tremendous impact of this traditionally "hacker" technology on the enterprise world. Her focus has been on exponential technology, entrepreneurship and bridging the gap between the corporate world and the start-up communities. In her current role as a Managing Director and Global Blockchain Innovation Lead at Accenture, Iliana is responsible for strategy initiatives and overseeing projects to conceptualize and build blockchain solutions across industries, with a focus on FSI, supply chain, healthcare and the public sector. Iliana is also the founder and Chair of ColliderX, the world's first non-profit, open sourced, and crowdsourced R&D hub for blockchain and related technologies. Previously, Iliana was the catalyst in getting Deloitte actively involved with blockchain innovation, and founded the Rubix by Deloitte practice in 2014 where she led teams providing advisory services and building decentralized applications across multiple technology platforms. Iliana has strong views on how the network effects of this technology will impact multiple verticals, and how it will radically change many status quo business models. Iliana is an author and sought after speaker, regularly presenting at conferences and events around the world.
Twitter:
Mark Dillon
Session: Sense and Sensibility
Mark Dillon is currently the Corporate Manager of Information Technology for the City of Sarnia. Mark started out as a software developer during Y2K. Since then, Mark has been a driving force in municipal broadband, SCADA information security and fiber optic networks across Ontario Canada. As a longtime supporter of the Intelligent Community Form, Mark brings a unique perspective when it comes to innovation surrounding smart communities, internet of things and the social effects of the ever-growing intrusion/benefits technology has in our day to day lives.
Twitter:@customkernel
Mark Patterson
Session: Diverse, Talented: The (Work) Force Awakens
Mark Patterson is a changemaker pioneering new approaches in career development, inclusive recruitment and contextualized labour market information to drive social and economic change. For more than a decade he has focused on providing opportunities for diverse job seekers - whether MBA students, hi tech professionals or refugees - and addressing the needs of employers for talent. As Executive Director, Mark led the creation of Magnet a social Innovation project based at Ryerson University where he has built a national network of partners across sectors powered by a data-rich, job-matching technology platform to bridge the skills gap. Supporting 13,000 employers with more than 250 communities, labour, educational and industry organizations, Magnet is bridging the skills gap while advancing diversity and inclusion.
Twitter: @MagnetToday
Michele Mosca
Session: Disruptive Technologies and the Cyber-Threat Landscape
Dr. Mosca is globally recognized for his drive to help academia, industry and government prepare our cyber systems to be safe in an era with quantum computers. He is a founder of the Institute for Quantum Computing, and a founding member of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. He co-founded evolutionQ Inc. to help organizations evolve their quantum-vulnerable systems and practices to quantum-safe ones. His work on quantum computing has been published widely in top journals and textbooks.
Nadja Bressan
Session: The Living Network
Nadja Bressan received a BS in Industrial Automation from Universidade de Caxias do Sul, Brazil, in 2005; MSc in Automation, Instrumentation and Control in 2007 and PhD (European Doctorate mention) in Biomedical Engineering in 2011 from Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, Portugal.
She developed the first Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system for total intravenous anesthesia using Target Controlled Infusion in the neurosurgery environment. During six years, she was a clinical researcher at the Anaesthesiology Department of Hospital Geral de Santo António in Porto, working regularly in the neurosurgery setting collaborating in clinical and animal research.
She joined the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, for a collaborative research project from 2011 - 2014. Her postdoctoral research topic was physiological stream processing in real-time and retrospective analysis to support nosocomial infection, apnoea and intraventricular haemorrhage. In 2015, she became a Research Associate of the Neonatology Department at SickKids, where her research focused on the intersection between modelling neonatal physiology, developing decision support tools to assist physicians in the interpretation of physiological data, and translation of biomedical science into knowledge to be applied and disseminated for the benefit of premature infants.
She is currently an Assistant Professor with the School of Sustainable Design Engineering at the University of Prince Edward Island. Her research interests are: design, modelling, and control of mechatronic systems; Big Data to Knowledge (B2K); Target Controlled Infusion Schemes; Drug modelling; Software development; Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition applications.
Nela Petkovic
Session: Securing the Ecosystem - With great power comes great responsibility
Nela Petkovic joined Laurier in 1995 as a Senior Systems Analyst and has since served in a number of progressively responsible roles, culminating in her 2014 appointment as CIO. In her capacity as CIO she has helped shape ICT at Laurier through the creation and implementation of a 5-year strategic plan for the department, as well as the establishment of a formal ICT governance structure, and the realization and adoption of a university-wide cloud policy.
Nela holds a Master of Science in electronic engineering, is a designated Project Management Professional (PMP ®), and has participated in numerous professional development training programs, recently earning the Advanced Executive Certificate in General Management from the Queen’s School of Business Executive Education. She is also a member of the OUAC Advisory Board.
Samer Adi
Session: Disruptive Technologies and the Cyber-Threat Landscape
Samer currently is the Head of Information Security and Internal Controls for Indigo Books and Music Inc. – Canada. Leading a team of security professionals to provide Indigo with the best information security protection possible and maintain compliance with regulator’s requirements. Before joining Indigo, Samer was the CISO for the Canadian office of a Global IT Consultancy company. Managing a team which is responsible for providing a complete cyber security services externally to the clients and internally within a Global structure. Samer was the CISO for the largest payment processing company in Canada. Samer could maintain PCI-DSS complaint status for the company for 2012 – 2014 and PA-DSS status for all their payment applications. In addition, Samer served with the largest network provider for white label ATMs with the same capacity. Samer have more than 30 years’ experience in Information Security and Information Technology Infrastructure support.
Samer holds a Master of Science in Computer Science and Information Technology. C|CISO, PCIISA, PCIP, CISM. Samer published two books in Computer Maintenance. Both books are part of the Grade 11 & 12 curriculum.
Wendy Cukier
Session: Diverse, Talented: The (Work) Force Awakens
Dr. Wendy Cukier recently completed a term as the Vice President of Research and Innovation during which she increased research funding by 60 percent and helped build the innovation ecosystem. Previously, she was the Associate Dean of the Ted Rogers School of Management, Canada’s largest business school.
A leading researcher in her own right, much of her work has focused on disruptive technologies, entrepreneurship, innovation, and the skills gap. She’s coauthor of the bestseller “Innovation Nation: Canadian Leadership from Java to Jurassic Park” and has written more than 200 papers and presented around the world on emerging technologies, their adoption, and technological change.
The founder of Ryerson’s Diversity Institute, Dr. Cukier has also done pioneering work on diversity and inclusion focusing on developing “the business case” and applying innovation models to driving change beyond human resources across value chains. She created the Advanced Digital and Professional Training (ADaPT) program to bridge the skills gap and level the playing field for women and under-represented groups in the ICT sector.
Dr. Cukier serves on the boards of the Refined Manufacturing Acceleration Process (ReMAP) Network and NPower, and chairs both the Information and Communications Technology Council’s Diversity Committee and Women’s College Hospital Board in Toronto. She helped create and grow several successful start-ups and social ventures including Flybits, Think2Thing, the Madeleine Collective, and Growing North. Recently she was appointed to the Vaughan Smart City Advisory Council.
She has received many awards for her leadership including a YWCA Woman of Distinction, Top 25 Women of Influence, 100 Alumni who shaped the Century (at the University of Toronto) the Black Business Professional Association’s Harry Jerome Award for Diversity, and the Governor General’s Meritorious Cross, one of Canada’s highest civilian honours. She holds a PhD, an MBA, an MA, and honorary doctorates from Laval and Concordia.
Olivia Lin
Session: The Living Network
Olivia Lin, Ph.D., is the Executive Director and co-founder of Studio 1 Labs. With her background in cognitive psychology and analytics, she advances Studio 1 Labs' functional bed sheet for AI applications and works closely with researchers and collaborators for scientific validation. She manages internal relations and oversees the product development cycle including textile manufacturing, software and advanced analytics.
Nadia Caidi
Session: Digital Divide and The Inclusive Ecosystem
Nadia Caidi is a Professor at the Faculty of Information, University of Toronto. Her research focuses on human information behavior, societal implications of information and communication technologies, and information policy. Her current research is situated in the context of global migration and the role that information resources, institutions, and technologies play in the everyday lives of displaced and marginalized people. She focuses on three key areas:
1) Information for Social and Economic Inclusion (i.e., interactions and rituals that support migrants’ settlement, inclusion and contributions to Canadian society) ;
2) Digital diaspora (i.e., dynamic processes of identity construction and transnational community building supported by digital/social media); and
3) Diversity by Design (i.e., how institutions' values, tools, practices and payrolls are (or ought to be) altered in light of changing demographic realities).
Dr. Caidi was the 2016 President of the International Association for Information Science & Technology, and the 2011 President of the Canadian Association for Information Science. She consulted extensively on information/media practices for a range of governmental agencies and foundations.
John Levay
Session: Securing the Ecosystem – With great power comes great responsibility
John is currently the CIO/CTO at Niagara College. He has over 35 years of experience in IT with 29+ of those years involved in Higher Education supporting teaching and learning, research projects, teaching into Business and Computer Science and building collaborative networks. John continues to be his wife’s only child.
Dino Miele
Session: The Innovation Ecosystem
Dino Miele brings over 35 years of experience in the information and communications technology industry to his role at the District School Board of Niagara. He provides strategic and operational leadership for an innovative, robust, and secure information technology environment to support 21st century learning. Mr. Miele served six years as a board member and Vice-President of Educational Computing Network of Ontario (ECNO). He serves as an advisor with the Customer Council Committee for the Ontario Educational Collaborative Market Place (OECM), industry expert for Innovate Niagara’s Generator@one incubator, Edtech expert at the MaRS educational technology accelerator. Mr. Miele also serves as CEO and founder for the non-profit organizations ihub Niagara Educational Research and Innovation centre, the Canadian educational Technology ConnectED Conference as well as President of the Niagara CIO Consortium (NCC) comprised of all 12 municipalities in the Niagara Region.
Neil Wilkinson
Session: The Living Network
Neil Wilkinson is the Project Manager overseeing the Digital Media and Web Solutions Portfolio at Niagara College, Ontario. Neil joined the College’s Research & Innovation team from the private market research sector where he managed projects in fields including telecommunications, education and banking, with clients around the globe. Neil is a graduate of Georgian College's post-graduate Research Analyst Program where he was awarded the Millward Brown Leadership Award for demonstrating perseverance, patience, and superior project management skills.
He also holds a BSc(Hon) in Biochemistry from Liverpool John Moores University, UK. Neil is completing his MBA at the University of Fredericton and enjoys growing innovation partnerships and assisting entrepreneurs bring new concepts to market.
Denise Ernst
Session: Effectively Managing a Ransomware Attack: Lessons learned
Denise Ernst is a leader in information security and risk management. She is the Information Security Officer at Queen’s University, a research-intensive university located in Kingston, Ontario.
Denise has over 25 years of public and private sector experience in Information Technology, with 15 years of specialized practice in Information Security. She has presented at national security conferences and co-authored three papers on security and data management.
Denise is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). She is also an instructor for the Safe and Secure Online program, which educates elementary school children about safe online practices.
In her spare time, Denise enjoys staying active, reading, and volunteering.
Jason Testart
Session: Effectively Managing a Ransomware Attack: Lessons learned
Jason Testart is the Director of Information Security Services at the University of Waterloo. Jason started his career as a system administrator, focusing on Sun Solaris security, eventually branching into network security and ultimately information security leadership. Jason and his team support a plethora of activities at Waterloo: From network security monitoring to identity & access management to cyber security assessments of research projects.
Lena Patterson
Session: Diverse, Talented: The (Work)force Awakens
Lena has been a part of the eCampusOntario team since the organization opened shop in August 2015. She worked closely with the government to establish the consortium model in Ontario and now heads up a growing project team in her role as Senior Director, Programs and Stakeholder Relations. Lena focuses on cross-pollination, collaboration and the promotion of open education, access and innovation in online and technology-enabled teaching and learning across the province. Lena has an MA from Dalhousie University and is a student in the Doctorate of Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership program at Western University. You can find her on twitter @lpatter10 and blogging at chatter.themasthead.ca.