VP Research, Advocacy & External Relations at Imagine Canada

Jodene Baker is Vice President, Research, Advocacy & External Relations at Imagine Canada, where her work focuses on strengthening the nonprofit sector’s voice, evidence base, and impact. She has more than 20 years of experience spanning the nonprofit and academic sectors, with a focus on research, evaluation, public policy, and social impact. Prior to joining Imagine Canada, Jodene held senior leadership roles at United Way Winnipeg and spent more than a decade at the University of Winnipeg.

Senior Advisor, Strategy & Policy at United Way Winnipeg

Barb Besner is a Winnipeg-based planning, policy, strategy, and governance professional working across the non-profit, public policy, and community development sectors. She currently serves as Senior Advisor, Strategy & Policy at United Way Winnipeg, where she supports organizational planning, governance, public policy, government relations, and strategic initiatives. Over her career, she has worked with boards, governments, community organizations, and cross-sector partnerships on issues ranging from community well-being and evaluation to urban development and collective impact.

Director of Huddle Integrated Youth Services at United Way Winnipeg

Heather Block has been with United Way Winnipeg for sixteen years, filling a number of different roles including the launch of Peg, 211 Manitoba, and co-developing the last three strategic plans. She is currently the director of Huddle Integrated Youth Services, providing support to seven youth hubs across the province. Prior to her time with United Way, Heather’s work focused on community development and working with women who had experienced gender-based violence.

Senior Manager of Cyber Clinic Programs at Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst

Gordon is the Senior Manager of Cyber Clinic Programs at Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, where he advances the growth of the organization's cybersecurity clinic and supports other institutions across Canada in building and launching their own cyber clinics. He also serves as a board director for Open North, a nonprofit organization that works with governments and civic-minded organizations to leverage data for greater innovation and service delivery.  He holds an MBA from UC Berkeley, and previously worked with organizations such as the Raising the Village, Future Skills Centre, Engineers Without Borders, and Deloitte.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, SPECTRUM

Dr. Anita Durksen is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy and a long-time member of Social Policy Evaluation Collaborative Team Research at Universities in Manitoba (SPECTRUM). Her research explores the structural determinants of health, health equity, and the use of administrative data to inform health and social policy. She is passionate about collaborative, partnership-based research and transforming data into meaningful knowledge that can improve lives and communities.

Senior Director of Strategy & Growth at Volunteer Toronto

Cara Eaton is a seasoned communications professional and the Senior Director of Strategy & Growth at Volunteer Toronto, Canada’s largest volunteer centre. She has a decade of experience in public relations, communications, fund development, and leading data-driven projects and campaigns that influence and strengthen volunteerism across Ontario.

An advocate for the power of sector-owned data in the volunteerism space, Cara is currently bringing to life an ambitious shared data framework and vision for volunteer centres as aligned with Canada's upcoming National Volunteer Action Strategy.

Cara holds a B.A. with Honours in Media Communications, a Post-Graduate Certificate in Public Relations, and a Certificate in Data Storytelling from the University of Chicago.

Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience

Wilfreda is the Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience, where she helps nonprofits build the skills and tools they need to thrive in a digital world. With a background in government and years of experience working on data, policy, and technology, she is passionate about making digital access fair and meaningful for all communities.

Lead Research Associate at University of Manitoba

Dr. Enns works at the interface of research and health policy as a Research Scientist at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, University of Manitoba. Her research program uses population-based administrative data to study early childhood development, child and adolescent health, the social determinants of health, and health equity. She is interested in learning more about what helps kids grow up happy and healthy and advocates for the removal of structural barriers that interfere with their ability to thrive.

Program Director at Let's Give Together

Dean Ferley, P.Eng., is Program Director at Let's Give Together, a Winnipeg-based registered charity building technology to help end chronic homelessness. He leads Mozaics, a shared data platform that helps organizations like Siloam Mission, Main Street Project, and Ndinawemaaganag Endaawaad to better know the community members they serve. Mozaics reduces duplicate data entry, automates workflows and reporting, and integrates with PathFind, a free public resource navigation tool. Dean also supports BraiDB, a de-identified community data tool developed with the University of Calgary, and collaborates on research with the Assembly of First Nations and the University of Winnipeg. He holds BSc and MSc degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Manitoba and the FNIGC OCAP® certificate, and brings a systems-thinking approach to building data infrastructure that communities can trust.

Associate Director of Equity, Engagement, and Impact at Manitoba Centre for Health Policy

Dr. Amy Freier is an Associate Director (Equity, Engagement, and Impact) at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy. In this role, she also leads the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Team for the Health Data Research Network Canada, a pan-Canadian network that connects data centres across the country. Amy works at the intersection of health equity, data equity, and community partnered research. Dr. Freier examines how data organizations can take a more equitable approach to research using administrative data and identifies ways to address data biases in all phases of the research process.

Researcher at University of Manitoba

Aynslie has more than 10 years of experience supporting community organizations with their research and evaluation needs through student supervision, volunteer work, and contract projects. She coordinates the Certificate in Applied Psychology (CiAP) at the University of Winnipeg and has taught statistics and quantitative research methods

courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. She is passionate about connecting student learning with community needs and helping organizations use data to understand their impact and make informed decisions. Through teaching and community work, she aims to make statistics accessible to everyone.

Executive Director of Winnipeg Arts Council

Dominic Lloyd is a lifelong arts worker who joined the Winnipeg Arts Council in 2010 to manage Winnipeg’s year as Cultural Capital of Canada before transitioning into the role of Program & Arts Development Manager, where he oversaw WAC’s grant programs and provided guidance to individuals and organizations seeking support for artistic creation. He became Executive Director in March 2025. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Canadian History and Political Science from Simon Fraser University.

Executive Director of Main Street Project

Jamil is the Executive Director at Main Street Project and was previously the Executive Director at the Spence Neighbourhood Association. Jamil studied at the University of Winnipeg where he received a bachelor's degree in International Development studies and was active in grass root activism like food not bombs. This was largely informed by their work in Pakistan with landless peoples setting up non-formal education schools and in Ecuador running a shelter for street youth.

At Main Street Project Jamil has led the creation of a 5 year strategic plan and is a tireless advocate for meeting people where they are at, harm reduction and ending homelessness.

Jamil believes strongly in community led development, social justice, harm reduction and empowerment. 

Senior Evaluation Lead at the Future Skills Centre

Allison Meserve is the Senior Evaluation Lead at the Future Skills Centre where she works to ensure policy makers and program managers in the skills ecosystem can generate and use high-quality evidence.

Allison is on a continual learning journey to better understand how knowledge synthesis, evaluation capacity building and human-centred design can improve social programs. She has worked as a program manager, evaluator, and capacity builder in many sectors including, public health, health care, economic inclusion, food security, and workforce development.

Vice President of Data Capacity and Analytics at Blueprint

Max’s main areas of focus are building data capacity in the nonprofit sector, and leveraging public sector data sets to build better policies and programs. His work revolves around the principle that better use of data in Canada by both nonprofit organizations and government decision-makers can lead to better services, policies, and ultimately outcomes for individuals and communities. Max holds a Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Economics and Psychology from the University of Waterloo.

Founder of Focus Further Solutions

Sigrid Penner is a strategy and analytics consultant who helps nonprofit leaders use data as a practical tool for better governance and decision-making. As Founder of Focus Further Solutions, she partners with executive teams and boards to connect strategic priorities with meaningful measurement, ensuring data informs action rather than simply producing more reports.

Sustainability Planner at the City of Winnipeg

Laura Rempel is a Sustainability Planner with the City of Winnipeg, bringing ten years of policy and collaborative planning experience. Her work intersected with the PEG team when she co-led the OurWinnipeg 2045 review, and supported initiation of Council’s first Strategic Priorities Action Plan. She is currently working on Winnipeg’s Climate Action Plan update.

Policy Advisor at International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD)

Hillary Rosentreter is a Policy Advisory working on the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s International Environmental Governance team. Her work primarily focuses on the localization of global sustainability frameworks, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She holds a Master of Arts in Peace Studies from the International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan.

President & CEO of Winnipeg Boldness

Proud member of Skownan First Nation, Diane Roussin is an Anishinaabe community leader committed to the pursuit of mino bimaadiziwin (the good life). Working at the local, regional and national levels to promote Indigenous People's values and ways of knowing, being, doing and feeling, she has led many avant-garde initiatives. Currently heading Winnipeg Boldness, Diane is a driving force in establishing the first and longest serving Indigenous Social Innovation Lab in Canada that seeks large-scale systems change for children and families.

Executive Director of Volunteer Manitoba

Ashley Seymour is a dedicated nonprofit leader and advocate with a deep commitment to community engagement, volunteerism, and inclusive leadership. She serves as Executive Director of Volunteer Manitoba, where she works to strengthen the nonprofit and voluntary sector by supporting organizations, empowering volunteers, and fostering collaboration across communities.

Ashley’s commitment to community engagement and volunteerism extends beyond her professional role as she serves on the board of Inclusion Winnipeg and is the past Chair of her community’s Recreation Commission. She is also the former Vice President of Abilities Manitoba and held several volunteer roles including coaching with Special Olympics Manitoba, the 2025 Grey Cup Festival, and with her community’s Age Friendly Initiative. Ashley was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2025 in recognition of her commitment to advancing the voluntary sector and for creating positive change in the community.

Ashley also plays a key role in the development of a Manitoba Non-profit Network and represents Manitoba at the national level as a member of the Canadian Federation of Non-profits.

With her unwavering dedication to making a difference, Ashley is passionate about strengthening the nonprofit sector by supporting organizations, fostering collaboration, and creating inclusive spaces where individuals and communities thrive.

Founder of Joanne Zuk Strategy

Joanne Zuk is a strategist and facilitator who loves working with organizations that help our community thrive – especially those that address complex challenges while navigating complex relationships with government. Through her firm, Joanne Zuk Strategy, she works with a circle of deeply experienced practitioners in the spaces of strategic planning, engagement, facilitation, and training to meet the specific needs of clients.