Giving Summit 2024

Marika Anthony-Shaw is a musician, educator, social entrepreneur, and strategist specializing in the intersection of advocacy and culture. She is the founder and CEO of PLUS1.ORG, a non-profit that catalyzes systemic change for social and environmental causes through cultural leaders. To date, PLUS1 has worked with over 250 artists (Olivia Rodrigo, Noah Kahan, Rina Sawayama, Sam Smith, St Vincent, The National) and has granted over $26Million to impactful non profit organizations across Canada and the US. Previously, Marika studied music at McGill University, and played as a member of Grammy award winning band Arcade Fire for 9 years, while also managing the band's advocacy, community outreach and philanthropy.
 
Marika is a trustee of Partners In Health, and sits on the board of Partners In Health Canada. She was a fellow at the Aspen Institute, and is a public speaker on social entrepreneurship and culture change including at Forbes Under 30 Summit, SXSW, Pollstar, PopTech, MIDEM, Canadian Music Week, C2Mtl, Sundance Film Festival, and is a frequently invited speaker at several universities across the USA and Canada.
 

Beth worked as a fundraiser and charity manager for a decade before co-founding the Centre for Philanthropy at the University of Kent in 2008 where she now leads a team conducting research and teaching courses on philanthropy and fundraising, including an innovative MA Philanthropic Studies taught by distance learning. Beth researched and wrote the annual Coutts Million Pound Donor Report from 2008-2017, co-authored Richer Lives: why rich people give (2013), The Logic of Charity: Great Expectations in Hard Times (2015) and co-edited The Philanthropy Reader (2016). Two of her books The New Fundraisers (2017) and In Defence of Philanthropy (2021) have won the AFP Skystone Research Partners book prize. In 2023 she published two further books: Advising Philanthropists: Principles and Practice (co-authored with Emma Beeston), and The Fundraising Reader (co-edited with Donna Day Lafferty and Pamala Wiepking). Beth is currently working on the 3rd decennial update of the Why Rich People Give study, and has begun a new project to understand the nature, challenges of opportunities of Moonshot Philanthropy. In recognition of her services to philanthropic research and fundraising Beth was awarded the OBE by the Queen, presented by Prince William at a ceremony in Windsor Castle in December 2022.

James Chen is a Hong Kong based philanthropist. He is a key proponent of ‘moonshot philanthropy’, a model of audacious leadership which calls upon high net worth individuals to invest capital, time and expertise into high-risk, early-stage innovations to achieve global impact. James uses this form of philanthropy in his role as the Founder of Clearly - the internationally acclaimed campaign moved the dial on the United Nation’s first-ever resolution on vision in 2021 titled “Vision for Everyone”. Additionally, James is co-funding DRIVE - a set of nine randomised controlled research trials designed to inform policy to accelerate affordable eyecare, sustainable development and equity globally. 

Anne Marie Burgoyne has led Emerson Collective’s philanthropy since 2013. Under her leadership Emerson has become a major funder that supports important work across an array of sectors, including education, immigration, environmental justice, and health equity, fostering community among important leaders and organizations across issues to achieve long-lasting impact. At Emerson, Anne Marie has developed a model, frictionless philanthropy, that helps all grantee partners grow their impact through full access to a suite of opportunities for capacity building, convening, communications, and narrative storytelling, and leveraging technology. Prior to joining Emerson, Anne Marie served as portfolio director at the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, where she identified and funded early-stage, high-growth, high-impact nonprofits. She currently sits on the boards of directors of Hope Enterprise Corporation, The Management Center, Nia Tero, and Waverley Street Foundation.

CEO, Lever for Change; Board Director, Ex Officio
Senior Advisor, Collaborative Philanthropy and Fellows, MacArthur Foundation

Cecilia A. Conrad, Ph.D. is CEO of Lever for Change, a member of the Board of Directors - Ex Officio, and a Senior Advisor at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Dr. Conrad was formerly a Managing Director at the Foundation, where she led the MacArthur Fellows program and steered the cross-Foundation team that created MacArthur’s 100&Change—an athematic, open call competition that periodically makes a single $100 million grant to help solve a critical problem of our time. She continues to manage the 100&Change competition.

Before joining the Foundation in January 2013, Conrad had a distinguished career as both a professor and an administrator at Pomona College in Claremont, CA. She held the Stedman Sumner Chair in Economics and is currently a Professor of Economics, Emerita. She served as Associate Dean of the College (2004-2007), as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College (2009-2012), and as Acting President (Fall 2012). From 2007-2009, she was interim Vice President and Dean of the Faculty at Scripps College.

As Associate Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Pomona, Conrad championed the College's summer undergraduate research program and expanded it to the arts and humanities, led conversations regarding the value and assessment of a liberal arts college education, nurtured collaborations between the arts and the sciences, and worked with academic departments to improve the campus climate for diversity.

As a member of the faculty, Conrad contributed to the curriculum of several interdisciplinary programs and, in 2002, was recognized as California's Carnegie Professor of the Year, a prestigious national award that recognizes faculty members for their achievement as undergraduate professors. Conrad's academic research focuses on the effects of race and gender on economic status. Her work has appeared in both academic journals and nonacademic publications including The American Prospect and Black Enterprise.

Before joining the faculty at Pomona College, Conrad served on the faculties of Barnard College and Duke University. She was also an economist at the Federal Trade Commission and a visiting scholar at The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.
Conrad is a member of the board of trustees of Bryn Mawr College, The Poetry Foundation, the National Academy of Social Insurance, IES Study Abroad, and the African Center for Economic Transformation. She is a member of the TIAA Board of Governors and of the 2021-2023 Generosity Commission.

Conrad received the National Urban League’s Women of Power Award in 2008 and the National Economic Association’s Samuel Z. Westerfield award in 2018. She has honorary doctorates from Claremont Graduate University and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
Conrad received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College and her Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University.

Born into a medical family in Kingston, Ontario, Geoff went on to become educated in economics at the University of Calgary, The London School of Economics (LSE), and the University of British Columbia. He initially worked in tax and international policy within the Government of Alberta before moving on to the Global Energy Group of the Royal Bank of Canada. Geoff led the Bank’s venture capital group in Western Canada and then joined Peters & Co Limited as a Partner.

He sold Asamera Oil Corporation Limited Canada to Mr. George Gardiner of Toronto, and was then appointed as President and CEO of Gardiner Oil and Gas, LLC. He subsequently became President and CEO of the parent company, Gardiner Group Capital of Toronto, and founded the international investment companies Emerald Capital and Karori Capital. Geoff was Chairman of Western Oil Sands for six years and has been a Director of over thirty companies, both in Canada and on several continents. One early-stage company, where he is the largest shareholder, has grown into a $6 billion dollar, pre-eminent integrated retirement company.

In recent years, Geoff has become very active in global philanthropy. He founded and continues to fund The Ryman Prize- a global, $250,000 prize annually awarded to advancements that positively impact the quality of life for the elderly, which is presented by the Prime Minister of New Zealand. He made one of the largest donations ever in Canada by gifting $100 million towards long-term medical research at the University of Calgary, a contribution that was matched by the Government of Alberta.  And in 2022, he established the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics with a gift of $250 million to the University of Melbourne
 

Lauren has spent most of her career in marketing and strategy, starting with packaged goods marketing for PepsiCo in Canada and the UK. Following her MBA from London Business School, Lauren worked with several early-stage companies on strategy and operations. Lauren is a long-time champion of mental health, which she most recently channeled into establishing the Daymark Foundation on behalf of her family. Lauren is also a Director of McCain Capital and Chairman Mills.

The Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain was born October 1, 1934, in Amos, Québec. Her father was a prominent mining engineer in the early days of the Québec gold mining industry and her mother was Senator Margaret Norrie of Truro, N.S. Mrs. McCain received her early education in public and private schools in Québec, Nova Scotia and Ontario. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honors in History from Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick and a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Toronto. She has been presented with Honorary Degrees from several prominent Canadian universities. (see below).

Throughout her career, Mrs. McCain has been active in organizations that promote education, music and the arts at the provincial and national levels. She was a member of the Mount Allison University Board of Regents from 1974-1994 and served as Chancellor of the University from 1986-1994. She is a founding member of the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Foundation in New Brunswick which is devoted to the elimination of family violence through public education and research. Mrs. McCain chaired its capital campaign to endow a Family Violence Research Centre in partnership with the University of New Brunswick.

In 1955 she married entrepreneur G. Wallace F. McCain, who co-founded McCain Foods who died in 2011. They have four children, nine grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren. 

On April 28, 1994, Margaret Norrie McCain was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of New Brunswick – the first female to hold this position. She served in that role until April 1997. At that time, she moved to Toronto to re-join her family.

Margaret McCain was a member of the Board of the National Ballet School for 18 years serving as Board Chair from 1998 to 2000. She then went on the Chair the School’s successful $100 million fundraising campaign. She is currently Chair of the Margaret & Wallace McCain Family Foundation. The mission of this Foundation is to champion effective early childhood programmes across Canada; programmes that provide equal opportunities for all children, align with the school system and operate within a provincial or territorial framework.

In April 1998 Mrs. McCain was appointed by the Secretariat for Children, Province of Ontario, co-chair of the “Early Years Study.” In 2002 she co-chaired a Commission on Early Learning and Child Development for the City of Toronto. She has participated in numerous early child development policy and programme initiatives in Canada and is frequently asked to speak at conferences, seminars and meetings across the country. 

The Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth & Family Mental Health was established in 2012 by the Hon. Margaret McCain.  The McCain Centre is driving clinical research, community partnerships and youth engagement initiatives designed to influence mental health policy and practice.
 

Michael H. McCain is Executive Chair of Maple Leaf Foods, one of Canada’s flagship food companies, with annual sales in excess of $4.5 billion and a vision to be the most sustainable protein company on earth.
Michael has devoted his career to the food industry, starting at McCain Foods in the late 1970s, where he held a variety of roles, including President and Chief Executive Officer of McCain Foods USA. He joined Maple Leaf Foods in 1995 and became Chief Executive Officer of the company in 1998, a position he held until May 2023. Michael is a practical visionary who has been instrumental in establishing Maple Leaf Foods as a sustainable, purpose-driven company with world-class assets, iconic market-leading brands, and bold ambition.

Michael is a vocal proponent of stakeholder capitalism, and deeply committed to creating shared value for all stakeholders. Under his leadership, Maple Leaf Foods transformed its business, becoming a focused protein company with an impressive growth trajectory that is grounded in a values-based culture. Michael led the establishment of the Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security, a charitable organization dedicated to addressing systemic causes of food insecurity in Canada through action, advocacy and partnerships, and was the driving force behind Maple Leaf Foods becoming the world’s first major carbon-neutral food company in 2019.

In addition to his role as Executive Chair at Maple Leaf Foods, Michael is a Director and Honorary Chair of the Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security, a Director of the Daymark Foundation, and Chair of McCain Capital Inc. He is also a member of the Business Council of Canada, and the Board of Trustees for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation.
Born in Florenceville, New Brunswick, Michael attended Mount Allison University and received an Honours Business Administration degree from the University of Western Ontario. He holds honorary degrees from Western University, St Mary’s University, Brock University, Carleton University and Guelph University. He is devoted to his children, grandchildren and family, and lives in Toronto.

Aatif Baskanderi is CEO of The Northpine Foundation, a startup that is one of the most giving philanthropy foundations in Canada that supports ventures to achieve scalable outcomes for underserved and underinvested communities in Canada. Their starting portfolios include refugees, formerly incarcerated persons, Scarborough, and rural Newfoundland and Labrador. Northpine deploys approximately $50M annually through gifts, grants, loans, equity, and blended finance while building deep relationships with its portfolio organizations as they pursue their ventures. 

He is also the Co-Founder of Salaam B’y, an award-winning documentary and anti-racism education initiative. His previous work spans leading innovation across sectors and communities. His educational background includes engineering, social policy, and technology management.

Dr. Sharilyn Hale helps those who give, give well, engage their families, and channel their wealth and influence for good.  As President of Watermark Philanthropic Counsel, Sharilyn works with leading philanthropists, generous families, and social purpose organizations across North America and the Caribbean, resulting in them having greater confidence and clarity.
 
With a career spanning the philanthropy sector, Sharilyn is an advisor with 21/64 to support multi-generational family philanthropy, and a faculty member of the Ultra High Net Worth Institute.  A Chartered Director (C.Dir), Sharilyn is also a certified governance advisor with BoardSource, blending the best of corporate and family governance in her work with private foundation and nonprofit boards. 
 
Sharilyn serves on the Advisory Council for Canada’s only graduate program in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership (MPNL) at Carleton University, where she also teaches governance and leadership.  Her award-winning doctoral research produced a governance model that helps multi-generational families approach their giving in a way that works.  She has also released a study exploring affluent philanthropy in the Caribbean, where she grew up and continues to work.
 

Widely respected, Eva Friesen has provided effective leadership in the Not for Profit sector for nearly 40 years. Since 2005, Eva has been the President and CEO of Calgary Foundation, a community foundation established in 1955 to facilitate philanthropy and support community today and forever. Calgary Foundation is one of the largest and fastest-growing community foundations in Canada with assets over $1 Billion. The Foundation is a 360-degree grantor distributing over $60 million annually to all sectors of the charitable community.

Prior to joining Calgary Foundation, Eva was the CEO of Calgary Health Trust (2001-2005). Prior to the Health Trust, Eva enjoyed a 22 year career with the YWCA spanning three cities, starting in Winnipeg (1979-1984), then Yellowknife where she was CEO for 5 years (1985-1989), and then Calgary where she was the CEO for 12 years (1989-2001).

A Rotarian since 1993, Eva served as the first female President of the Rotary Club of Calgary (downtown) for the 2013-2014 year, its centennial year.

Eva has served on a variety of NFP Boards including the Calgary Police Commission (1991-1996), and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce (2007-2013), and currently serves as a director on the Calgary Rotary Clubs Foundation. She has delivered the keynote address and facilitated workshops for numerous organizations and groups across Canada on a variety of Leadership and Board Development topics and for 6 years was part-time faculty at the Banff Centre for Management facilitating a Not-For-Profit Leadership program.

Eva’s education includes the Institute of Corporate Directors ICD.D (2016), an MBA from the University of Calgary (2000), the Executive Program from Queen’s University (1988), a degree in Physical Education from the University of Manitoba (1979).

Recent awards include an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Calgary (2022), an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the Mount Royal University (2020), the Grant McEwan Lifetime Achievement Award from the City of Calgary (2020). In 2017 YW Calgary recognized Eva in their Canada 150 project, She Who Dares, that honored 150 women who have impacted Calgary during the past 150 years. The Haskayne School of Business recognized Eva in 2011 with the Management Alumni Excellence (MAX) award, a recognition of outstanding success of Haskayne alumni, celebrating personal achievement and extraordinary service to both the school and the community.

Originally from Manitoba, Eva has made Calgary her home for the past 34 years. Married to Calgary lawyer and rancher, Stan Carscallen, her life is made complete by their blended family, 3 lovely granddaughters and many horses.

A professional with a depth of corporate and non-profit experience, Zai Mamdani leverages her education and experience to provide strategic leadership and operational guidance. Zai holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human and Social Development from the University of Victoria, as well as a Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Development.

Zai is active in both the corporate and non-profit sectors. In the past, she has provided leadership and guidance at Strategic Group, the company she co-founded, in support of the organization’s vision for community partnerships and corporate sponsorships. Looking for ways to use philanthropic dollars to make lasting economic impact, she established the YYC Food Security Fund, which raises money to finance innovative solutions to the systemic issues facing our community’s food security challenges. Some of her recent projects include using the philanthropic YYC Food Security Fund to organize and incubate a Local Food Distribution Hub. The pilot helped create and understanding, of some of the barriers faced by the industry, to support local farmers and producers get their product to market. A current project of the YYC Food Security Fund is to incubate and pilot KIN, a Pay What You Want Market in order to gather data to gauge the sustainability of such a venture.

Zai has been a Board Member with The Institute for Canadian Citizenship over the past 6 years and is currently serving as Chair of the Development Committee. She is also a fifth year member of the Board of Governors for Glenbow Museum. In addition, Zai is a member of the Board of Directors of The Walrus, an organization committed to Fact Based Journalism. In the past, Zai has been an active and valuable contributor to other non-profit organizations, including the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, the City of Calgary, the University of Calgary Office of the Provost– Inclusion and Diversity Group, the Dean’s Advisory Group - Faculty of Arts at the University of Calgary, as well as the University of Calgary President’s Campaign Advisory Group. She is an active advisor to multiple Arts and Culture organizations in her capacity as a Community Leader and Advocate. Zai strongly believes that Arts and Culture are key to inclusion and belonging.

Building upon the strengths of the organizations she is passionate about, Zai has a demonstrated track record of identifying and capitalizing on new opportunities and collaborations. She is passionate about organizations that promote vibrant, thriving and inclusive communities. Of particular passion is, the “new Canadian” demographic from an aspect of belonging and inclusion, as well as advocacy for new Canadian Citizens. She participates with the City of Calgary on several initiatives and has advised the Mayor’s Office in brainstorming ways in which to activate a community action plan to impact social change.

Susan Phillips is Professor and Supervisor of the Master of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership (MPNL), School of Public Policy and Administration, Carleton University. Her research focuses on comparative public policy for the charitable sector and on place-based and justice-oriented philanthropy. From 2016-2022, she served as Editor-in-Chief of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, the leading international journal in the field.  She co-edited the first international handbook on philanthropic institutions (2015), the first comprehensive book on Canada’s nonprofit sector (2021) and the first book on disaster philanthropy (2023). Susan is currently the Policy Lead on the Charity Insights Canada Project (CICP), an innovative, ‘rapid response’ survey of Canadian charities. 

Her work in advancing research in nonprofit studies has been recognized by a Distinguished Service Award from the Association of Nonprofit and Social Economy Research (ANSER) and in public management from the Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration (CAPPA).  
 

Gena Rotstein, FEA, MA, is one of Canada’s leading experts in Social Enterprise and Philanthropy. The founder of Canada’s first Philanthropic Brokerage Firm, Dexterity Consulting, leading into the creation of North America’s largest charity search engine, Dexterity Ventures Inc. and venture philanthropy fund – Place2Give Foundation. Gena sold her company in 2016 to Good Done Great, a BCorp based in Charleston, SC.

In September 2017, Gena launched along with Richard Ouellette Karma & Cents Inc. – A Social Impact Lab working with single and multi-family offices in designing impact driven legacy and philanthropy plans. In 2021 K&C launched its Indigenous Philanthropy Advising service led by David Turner from Saulteaux from Pinaymootang First Nation in Manitoba and a Knowledge Keepers Circle comprised of Elders and Issue Area experts from Treaties 1, 6, 7 as well as the Metis Nation.

With 30 years of social-purpose business management and non-profit work experience throughout Canada and the United States, Gena has worked with some of Canada’s most influential family foundations, family enterprises and financial institutions helping them generate greater social impact beyond traditional philanthropy for themselves and their customers. She is an active member in her community as a board member of a number of charities, non-profits and social enterprises. She is currently training to ride her bike across Canada.

Jo-Anne Ryan FEA, MFA-P, is Vice President, Philanthropic Advisory Services at TD Wealth. She develops strategies to help clients incorporate philanthropy in their overall financial and estate plans. As a certified 21/64 advisor, she works with multi-generational families to guide them along their philanthropic journey. She has also led TD’s research efforts around Women and Philanthropy since 2014. She is the architect and Executive Director of the Private Giving Foundation, the first donor advised fund to be launched by a financial institution in Canada. Jo-Anne is a member of Canadian Association of Gift Planner's government relations committee. She is also the Vice Chair of the Board for Bishops University Foundation and is a member of the advisory board at Carleton University's Masters in Philanthropy and Non-profit Leadership program – the only one of its kind in Canada.

Keith Sjögren is a former Managing Director at Investor Economics, a leading provider of research and advisory services to the financial services industry in Canada. 

Prior to joining the consulting profession in 1995, Keith held a number of executive positions at CIBC including Senior Vice President, Private Banking & Trust and President, CIBC Securities. 

Keith is the Chair of the Advisory Council to the Master of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Carleton University, a member and former Chair of the Investment Committee of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation and a member of the Executive Committee of the Emeritus Counsel of the Canadian Opera Company.

Educated at Carleton University, Ottawa and the University of Toronto, Keith is a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers and holds the Partners, Directors, and Officers qualification of the Canadian Securities Institute.

Keith is the author of a number of major reports on issues such as women and philanthropy; donor-advised funds; the transfer of wealth; entrepreneurs in Canada; women and wealth; and the priorities and expectations of the HNW segment in Canada. 
 

Lisa is one of three owners of the Pacific Investment Corporation, a family-owned real estate holdings and investment company, where she has several governance roles. She also leads the family’s private foundation, the Vancouver-based Wolverton Foundation, which is dedicated to elevating exposure to the arts and facilitating artistic programs for children who would otherwise be excluded from these opportunities. The foundation has provided a permanent home for The Sarah McLachlan School of Music, its primary grantee partner, for over ten years.

In addition to the family’s business, Lisa is an active philanthropist and impact investor. She is the President of Forward Global Canada, leading Canadian membership development for its parent organization, Forward Global, a community of 400 global philanthropic funders tackling today’s biggest problems through learning, community and action. She joined Forward Global’s board in 2018 and was the chair of the US and UK boards from 2019 – 2021.

Lisa currently sits on the Board of Directors for The Fuller Project, the global newsroom dedicated to groundbreaking reporting that catalyzes positive change for women, and from 2021 to 2023 was a member of the Council of Advocates for the Freedom Fund, a global fund whose sole aim is ending slavery and exploitation. She is also a former member of the President’s Council of the International Crisis Group, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing and resolving deadly conflict.

A passionate advocate for youth, Lisa has worked for many years to improve the lives of children in Canada. She has has served on the Board of Directors of UNICEF Canada, the Board of Director of Family Services of the North Shore and was a mentor for the Loran Scholarship Foundation of Canada.

Mary Tidlund exemplifies a bold, ground breaking and entrepreneurial spirit and brings heart, purpose and positivity to every everything she does. Her life experience has led her into many domains. As a brown woman from Alberta, opportunities were not easy to come by so in the early 1990’s Mary co-founded Williston Wildcatters Oil Corporation, a public exploration and service corporation that traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange. With her co-partners, the corporation built its operations in Saskatchewan where they became deeply involved in community revitalization.

From 1998 to 2017,  Mary founded the Mary A. Tidlund Charitable Foundation, a global organization in 29 countries which funds programs focusing on women and children impacting health, education, and the alleviation of poverty. She has raised millions in public funds for over 90 programs globally with the goal of transferring skills and promoting equality and leadership amongst people with no material wealth.  Mary’s travels and contribution to the development of programs globally have given her invaluable experience in communicating and working with various cultures, religions, and genders as well as the donors that fund programs. She is a keen listener, and simplifies complex ideas into action and execution, with the outcome of sustainable impact.

Mary has served on profit and not for profit boards contributing her knowledge, skills and wisdom. She currently is a board member of Valhi Inc. and CompX International Inc. public corporations in Dallas Texas, Grace Institute and Foundation in New York, the advisory board of the O’Brien Institute for Public Health based in Alberta, past board member of Women Moving Millions in New York and Tostan Inc. in Washington, USA  and Dakar, Senegal and as Trustee of a Private Canadian Trust.  She is a Member of the Order of Canada and is an avid downhill skier, hiker, tennis player, reader, traveller and former hobby pilot who enjoys yoga and meditation and lives in the Rocky Mountains.

Jeff is Métis from the White Horse Plains area of Southern Manitoba, the traditional Buffalo Hunt staging grounds of the Red River Valley. For nearly 25 years, he has provided strategic Indigenous leadership for-profit companies, charitable and not-for-profit institutions, and government organizations. Recently, he was Vice-President of the Indigenous Innovation Initiative at Grand Challenges Canada, a sessional lecturer at Carleton University in Public Policy, and a guest lecturer at Oxford University in Social Finance. 

 Jeff has helped create and implement the community-driven outcomes contract (a unique pay-for-success social finance model) and the Indigenous Solutions Lab process, which earned him an Ashoka Fellowship in 2019. 

 Prior to establishing Raven Indigenous Capital Partners, Jeff was the Executive Director of the National Association of Indigenous Friendship Centres (NAFC) and spent over a decade working in the Government of Canada in key leadership roles. He is the former Chair of the Institute Advisory Board for Indigenous Peoples’ Health at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. A graduate of the University of Manitoba, he holds a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Languages and Politics and a Master of Arts (with distinction) in Political Studies/International Relations. He is currently on the Advisory Committee to Royal Rhodes University Business School and the Finance and Investment Committee of the Indigenous Peoples Resiliency Fund. He also sits on the Advisory Committee of Diabetes Canada and the Technical Committee of Climate Engagement Canada. As well as being Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Raven Capital, he is CEO of the Raven Indigenous Impact Foundation, and Managing Partner and Founder of Raven Indigenous Outcomes Funds.

 Jeff is a proud husband and father of five and currently lives and works on unceded Algonquin lands in what is now known as Mont-Tremblant, Quebec.

Alison is CEO of CNSRV-X Inc. (Conserve X), a Canadian company researching and applying emerging technology in agriculture. She is the Managing Partner of The51’s $50M Food & AgTech Fund investing in diverse founders transforming food and agriculture, and an AgTech Venture Partner at Builders VC, a San Francisco/Calgary venture capital fund helping founders modernize antiquated industries with $500 AUM. Alison is a Fellow and Founding partner in the Ag Stream of the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) Rockies. She is an advisor council member of Ivey Business School’s Center for Building Sustainable Value, and advisor to the Arrel Institute, University of Guelph’s Feeding the Future Pan Canadian strategy, and a member of the Council of Canadian Academies/Conseil des académies canadiennes, Technologies for Food Security Panel. Alison is a judge and mentor to the Weston Family Foundation Homegrown Innovation Challenge, a six-year challenge aiming to build the resilience of Canada’s food system. Formerly as CEO/Co-Founder of GrowSafe Systems Ltd., she grew their research and development skunkworks from an Alberta garage to global operations receiving international recognition for science-based innovation. She holds patents for innovative technology and has published and presented widely. Alison is passionate about advancing women in STEM and, in 2021 was recognized as one of Canada’s most influential agricultural leaders.

Elected in 2019, Ryan Turnbull is the Member of Parliament for Whitby, Ontario, Canada. Appointed Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry in September 2023, he currently serves on the Industry and Science and Research standing committees. He is also the Chair of the Social Innovation and Sustainable Finance Caucus he founded as well as spearheading the Sustainable Finance Forum for two consecutive years.

An experienced social entrepreneur with a proven record of community service, Ryan is committed to working in Ottawa on the issues that matter most to the people of Whitby. His priority is to ensure all voices are heard in the community to reflect the diverse experiences and needs of Whitby and the people who call it home.

Ryan is passionate about having a positive impact on Canada’s most pressing social issues, that’s why in 2008 he launched a social innovation consulting firm. Since then, he has managed numerous projects set on tackling some of society’s toughest challenges he’s worked to address: climate change, children’s health, seniors’ home care, community safety, diversity and inclusion, food insecurity, poverty, and affordable housing.

As a father, Ryan’s passion for working towards social and economic progress is a deeply personal endeavour. He aims to continue the progress made on climate change and gender equality, in part, to ensure that future generations in Whitby can enjoy the same vibrant and thriving community we have today.

Throughout his career, he has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to take action and move Canada forward. After 10 years of advocacy, Ryan is working hard on these issues in Ottawa on behalf of the people of Whitby.

Sylvie Trottier is a philanthropist, family principal, and advocate, with a primary focus on climate and inequality. She is a board member of Trottier Family Foundation and the Eclipx Family Office. The Trottier Family Foundation has a primary focus on climate, health, education, and science, seeking to catalyze and scale transformative innovations, create cross sector collaborations, and take risks that others cannot. The Eclipx Family Office has a three-fold objective wherein (i) investment, (ii) environmental and social, and (iii) family objectives, values, and mission align toward a common purpose. Sylvie also engages in the philanthropic ecosystem, sitting on the coordination committee for Le Collectif des fondations québécoises contre les inégalités and as a member of Forward Global, as well as within the family office ecosystem as co-chair of the Cambridge Forum on Family Office Development and as a member of CREO Syndicate.  Sylvie worked in the environmental sector for nearly fifteen years, holds a BSc in Environmental Studies from McGill University and an MSc in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics. 

Russ’s extensive background in venture capital, venture-backed startups, strategy, and financial management bring invaluable experience to the Next Legacy team. Co-founding Legacy Venture in 1999, Russ helped build Legacy’s culture, processes, relationships, and community. Now that Legacy Venture and Next Play Capital have joined forces, Russ’s leadership continues to play an integral role in the combined Firm.

Starting his venture career in 1987 at Merrill Pickard Anderson & Eyre, Russ led the firm’s investment in Synopsys, an electronic design automation company now valued at over $50 billion. His storied resume in the venture capital world includes time as Vice President of Marketing for Logic Modeling, Director of Sales at Silicon Solutions, Senior Vice President for R. Eliot King & Associates, and consultant at Boston Consulting Group. He also rose to the rank of Captain in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, serving in Hawaii, Korea, Chicago, and at the Pentagon.

Russ is an Arjay Miller Scholar with an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. He holds a master’s degree from UC Berkeley and B.S. from West Point, graduating second in his class. Russ has served on the boards of The Gathering and The Philanthropic Workshop. He and his wife, Debbie, have one daughter and three granddaughters.