Speakers

Bob Bayles is a Director of Human Resources at the University of Saskatchewan with responsibilities for Engagement. Specifically, this includes strategic direction with the Health and Wellness team, the EAP, the annual Employee Opinion Survey and working with a team of HR Generalist Consultants. With an ever-growing role in development and learning for the University, he led a team of professionals in creating a Skill Development Series for University Unit Managers. Recently, he was appointed by the Provost to champion a key initiative, Leadership and Career Development, across the 30,000 faculty, staff and students. His extensive background includes work in the US and, overseas. While working for one of the largest consulting firms in North America, Bob has provided business advice as well as specialized HR programs and interventions. He is currently the President Elect of the Saskatchewan Association of HR Professionals (SAHRP) and is a national board member on the Canadian Council of Human Resource Associations (CCHRA). A believer in life long learning, he is expecting to complete his Master of Business Administration from the University of Leicester, England this year. Bob obtained his Certified HR Professional (CHRP) in 2004 and was honoured by his peers in 2005, winning the Ontario Outstanding CHRP Achievement Award.

Mary Ann Baynton's background includes 15 years in the corporate world and five years in the non-profit sector. Currently, she works as Director of Mental Health Works, a multiple award-winning initiative of the Canadian Mental Health Association of Ontario. Her firsthand experience as a business owner and manager helps her effectively address the management of workplace mental health issues from a practical perspective. Mary Ann also serves as Project Director for the Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace, which is a corporate social initiative of the Great-West Life Insurance Company. She is a member of both the Mental Health Commission of Canada's Workforce Advisory Committee and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Employment Standards Committee. Mary Ann holds a Master's degree in Social Policy, her research focusing on innovation and empowerment in policy implementation.

Lorene Beckett is Vice President of Customer Relations at Human Solutions™ and is responsible for the company's customer service standards and program integration strategy. Lorene has an extensive background in Employee and Family Assistance Programs (EFAP) and is an expert in integrating wellness and return-to-work programs with EFAPs. Lorene has developed and implemented EFAPs that are now being recognized as ‘best practice' programs. She is a founding and current member of the BC Business and Economic Roundtable on Mental Health, which works to improve the awareness, knowledge and understanding of addiction and mental health issues among executives, managers, and employees, and to defeat the stigma and discrimination attached to mental illness through workplace education.

Larry Birckhead began his post-collegiate work managing a prison cell block of 125 felons and 13 prison guards, and helping establish a "community living" concept in Michigan corrections. He moved into community mental health providing short-term, crisis-intervention counselling to families whose children were referred from the juvenile justice system. Larry capped his work in the field providing addictions treatment as a therapist in a Seattle-area methadone maintenance program. While making his living as an organizational development consultant and trainer for the last 18 years, Larry began a more in-depth study of the structure of successful human change. He has synthesized techniques from several areas of practice into what he calls Habit Shift, which he has taught to thousands of people around the lower mainland of British Columbia and Vancouver Island in the areas of fitness, wellness, mindfulness, and meditation. Larry holds a Master's degree in Psychology.

An educator, facilitator and performance artist, Sharon Bronstein has integrated the creative arts in her private coaching and counselling for over 25 years. She is Director of Open Hand Teambuilding, Coaching and Retreats, as well as Co-Founder of Salt Spring Island Playback Theatre. Sharon has worked with numerous employee assistance programs leading to deep insight into workplace dynamics. She has also trained theatre troupes across America for 12 years. Sharon has taught communications and counselling at the Counsellor Training Institute, and she has lectured on mediation at the Justice Institute of British Columbia. She has worked as a mediator overseas, and she has presented workshops across Canada and the US. Sharon holds a Master's degree in Social Work, specializing in systems.

Sue Brown has worked in the field of workplace wellness for over 25 years, and brings extensive and varied experience in health management. Prior to joining Sun Life, she ran the occupational health, safety and wellness program at a major Canadian telecommunications company, and was Director of the healthy workplace program at a well-known health management consulting firm. She also held health management roles at the National Quality Institute and University Health Network and spent several years teaching at Toronto's Centennial College in its post-graduate workplace wellness program.

Alan Caplan is Co-Founder of Open Hand Teambuilding, Coaching and Retreats, as well as Salt Spring Island Playback Theatre. He has been involved in education for over 30 years as a college instructor with a specialty in conflict resolution. He has had a private practice in Nanaimo as a counsellor, coach and consultant for over 20 years. He was Coordinator of the Drug and Alcohol Counsellor Training at Tillicum Haus Native Friendship Centre, and designed and facilitated courses on healthy relationships and anger management at Nanaimo Correctional Centre. Alan holds a Master's degree in Curriculum Development and Counselling.

Sharon Carne has been involved in music from an early age. She has performed throughout Alberta both as a soloist and as a chamber musician with Clarke and Carne, a flute and guitar duo. Since 1988, Sharon has served on the Faculty of The Conservatory, Mount Royal College, Calgary, Alberta. Sharon's interest in Sound Therapy began some fifteen years ago with a series of exercises to help nervous adult students overcome stage fright. Unexpected results from one of these exercises sparked an intense curiosity to find out how sound can be a carrier wave for thought. Her knowledge and experience grew, and Sharon recorded and produced two CDs in the Applied Psychoacoustic genre, and has appeared as guest speaker for many diverse groups. Sharon has a Bachelor of Music degree from Queen's University, Ontario, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Minnesota.

Kate Carty is the Project Manager for the Tobacco Free Workplace Initiative, a program of the BC Healthy Living Alliance, led by the Canadian Cancer Society. Kate has a Master's Degree in Kinesiology and over 20 years of experience in health services planning, project management and health-related research and evaluation. Much of Kate's work experience has been in the area of tobacco reduction. In the late 1990s, Kate led a health advocacy initiative to facilitate the development of healthy public policy to protect the public from exposure to second hand smoke. This work put Vancouver and the Lower Mainland on the map as one of the first jurisdictions in Canada to ban smoking in indoor public places. Subsequently, Kate worked in public health to deliver tobacco prevention education to children and youth. In her current role, Kate is excited to be working with employers and employees to identify and implement effective practices for smoking cessation in the workplace setting.

Diane Champagne is a principal with Mercer who specializes in Occupational and Organizational Health. She has more than 20 years experience in planning, implementing and evaluating programs in the areas of Wellness, Absenteeism, Presenteeism, Disability Management and Health and Safety. Diane has worked with a diverse range of clients in many industries such as, the service industry, telecommunications, manufacturing and utilities as well as in the public and private sectors. Diane Champagne is a graduate in Kinesiology and has a Master's degree in Project Management. Diane also holds a Teaching Certificate from the Québec Ministry of Education and is a Certified Human Resource Professional. Diane is a past president of the Quebec Association for Hygiene and Occupational Safety and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Québec Order of Human Resources Professionals and the Association of Health Professionals in the Workplace.

Martin Chung brings over 15 years of experience in the health care sector, including workplace health research, the pharmaceutical industry, pharmacy business management, as well as community and hospital pharmacy. Currently, he is Vice-President of Aon Consulting and is responsible for developing innovative and practical health solutions for employers, as well as for fostering relationships with a large variety of employers on non-health related, business issues. Prior to joining Aon, Martin worked with a major pharmaceutical company, advised insurers and benefit consultants on outcome-based health strategies and business-to-business partnerships. He has conducted ERB (Ethics Review Board)-approved studies with several major Canadian employers. As well, Martin is the lead author of a Canadian workplace-health study, which is currently under consideration for publication by one of the largest peer-reviewed publications. He has a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Toronto and sits on a variety of advisory boards.

Rory Cohen is President of Entelekey, Inc. and co-creator of the "Take 10 Success System™," a simple step-by-step system guaranteed to help users get started, stay motivated and keep in action on any goal, no matter how potentially overwhelming. She is an expert in the psychology of success, and a specialist in taking ideas from concept to implementation. Before using the "Take 10 Success System™" to re-create her career and start her own business, Rory spent twelve years as an Executive in the health care industry. She is an expert coach for top business enterprises, a frequent public speaker, and repeat media guest on topics ranging from the psychology of success to physician well-being. Rory earned a Bachelor's degree in Community Health from Tufts University, an MPH in Health Administration from Yale University, and a Master's degree in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica.

Tanis Farish co-operates Integrated Focus Consulting, where she works with organizations and employees to generate sustainable work rituals for both mental and physical performance. In addition to consulting, Tanis is an adjunct professor in the Graduate Health Promotion Practice at the University of Alberta, and serves on the Faculties of the University of Victoria and Camosun College. Previously, she was Health Promotion Manager for the Pacific Navy, where she co-authored the manual "Top Fuel for Top Performance" and was the first civilian to be deployed on the naval ships to train the special operations Naval Boarding Party. Tanis earned an LPN in Nursing from the College of the Rockies, and a Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences from Queen's University. She has a Master's degree in Health Promotion and a PhD in Employee Health – both from the University of Victoria.

Merv Gilbert is a principal partner with Gilbert Acton Ltd., Organizational Consultants. Gilbert Acton enables organizations to create psychologically healthy climates through valid methods of assessment, consultation, coaching, training and evaluation. He has worked as a psychologist for over 20 years and has served in leadership roles at regional, provincial and international levels. Merv has published in national and international professional journals and has presented in the media and a diverse array of forums on the importance of workplace mental health issues for individuals and organizations. He is Co-chair of the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Collaborative and a member of the Consortium for Organizational Mental Healthcare. Merv also serves as Senior Research Consultant and Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University.

Hélène Grandmaître has been active in the field of mental health since 1990. As a counsellor, group facilitator and trainer for the Ottawa Catholic Family Services, she has worked with a variety of clients from all walks of life. In 1997, Hélène joined the federal public service internal EAP Programs, where she worked for the Wellness Program of Human Resources Development Canada, managed a team offering EAP services, and later oversaw the delivery of these services to 27,000 employees across the country at the National Office. In 2005, Hélène joined the Canada Revenue Agency's EAP as Senior EAP Advisor. Her expertise in change management and organizational health was especially useful in the development of training tools and workshops countrywide. In partnership with Heritage Canada, Hélène contributed to the writing of the booklet "Mental Health: First Aid in the Workplace," which was distributed to 25,000 federal public service managers in just one year.

Joel Hershfield has been Manager of Finance and Technology for Materials Distribution Agency (MDA) since 2002. He has spearheaded the creation of wellness activities at MDA by putting together a business case for the creation of various wellness activities based on a health-risk appraisal of the staff. Since 2007, MDA's wellness committee has been organizing an annual wellness fair for staff and their adult family members, the first of its kind in the provincial government. In 2007, Joel and his wellness committee were nominated for a Manitoba Service Excellence Award. Later that year, he was also nominated for a Canadian Workplace Wellness Pioneer Award. This past March he was nominated for a community healthy living award. As well, Joel is a continuing education instructor and has incorporated a physical activity unit into each of his classes, the first such endeavour in the province. He provides advice and guidance on workplace wellness issues to the Minister of Healthy Living of Manitoba.

Andrée Iffrig is a writer and award-winning graduate architect with a passion for all things sustainable. She uses her broad background in environmental design and organizational development to investigate trends in design and workplace well-being. Andrée has a long history in participatory research and community development, both locally and internationally. As a consultant, she works with organizations to improve their communications and support employees in developing leadership skills. She is a facilitator with the management certificate program at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. Andrée offers communication courses, coaching and consulting through her private practice, Limegrass. Her clients include oil and gas companies and suppliers, non-profit agencies, and institutional organizations. Andrée is a Master of Environmental Design, Architecture.

Heather Kennedy, MBA, Team Leader, Case Management Services, has been working with Medavie Blue Cross since 2001. Heather holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Masters in Business Administration. She worked for a number of years in financial services and is currently responsible for the life claims, rehabilitation services and attendance support teams in Disability Management. Her attendance support team works with employees when they begin missing time from work to assist them in overcoming the obstacles keeping them from work. They assist employees and employers in identifying wellness initiatives, accommodation needs, and offering support to employees experiencing difficulty with their health, personal, or work lives. They also assist in educating employees with the transition to disability benefits.

Victoria Labalme is an international performing and presentation coach. Her unique approach to speaking has revolutionized the industry. She has been a guest teacher in presentation and performance skills at The Actors Institute, the National Dance Institute, The New School (Adjunct Professor), New York University and many other educational institutions. After attending Stanford University, Victoria went to train and work professionally in acting, comedy, writing, and film production. She had the rare distinction of being mentored by the legendary Marcel Marceau. Known for her unique style of blending the spoken word with physical expressiveness and comedy, Victoria has earned awards for her writing and performance work and acclaim from critics across the country ranging from The New York Times to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Frédéric Lavoie obtained his Master's Degree in Economics in 1995 from Université du Québec à Montréal and his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences in 2007. Until 1998, he worked as a health economist at the Centre for the Analysis of Cost-Effective Care within the Division of Clinical Epidemiology, an affiliated department to McGill University. In 1997, Frédéric was part of a working group of researchers mandated by the Government of Quebec to evaluate the economic impact of the proposed tobacco legislation. He began his career in the pharmaceutical industry when he joined Pfizer Canada in 1998 as Outcomes Research Manager. He then held various positions with the company until 2008 when he was promoted to director of Patient Access. Frédéric also serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care.

Peter Legge, OBC, is Chairman & CEO of Canada Wide Media Limited, a $30 million publishing company based in Vancouver with a staff of 140. Having guided his company successfully through four recessions, he understands the need of the power of a team. Peter prides himself in learning from his business and life mentors along with the discipline of reading a book a week. A balanced life is not always possible, so you'd better love what you do. Success is not only about a healthy bottom line. Peter learned from his father that the best reward is service to the community. Peter has received honorary doctorate degrees from Simon Fraser University and Royal Roads University, and was presented with the highest honour in his province, The Order of British Columbia; all for his commitment to the community. The author of 12 books and considered one of North Americas Top 20 Speakers. Peter's presentation will be a palette of timeless lessons and entertaining stories from his life.

Michael P. Leiter is Consultant at Michael Leiter and Associates. He has worked extensively with organizations around the world to address issues of workplace health. Michael is co-author of books on job burnout, and his new book "Work Engagement" with Arnold Bakker will be released early in 2009. Beginning in 2007, he has led an interdisciplinary research program in five healthcare authorities across Canada. The primary aim of this project was to develop and assess a method for improving workplace civility among colleagues. The outcome of this work is CREW (Civility, Respect, and Engagement at Work). The project has been an immediate success with additional work units and organizations enrolling in the CREW community.

Gillian Leithman is President and Co-Founder of Directions Third Age Consultants, Inc., a corporate training and consulting company specializing in pre-retirement educational programs and knowledge transfer. She has conducted workshops and seminars for some of Canada's premiere business organizations on retirement preparation, work-life balance, stress management, effective communication, and change management. Gillian is best known for her pre-retirement seminars, which focus on the psychological and social aspects of retirement planning to ensure a smooth and fulfilling transition. She also assists people with the emotional issues surrounding estate planning and the transfer of wealth. Gillian has conducted research in the behavioural sciences in Canada and overseas. She serves on the Faculty of the Department of Management at the John Molson School of Business. Gillian holds an honours undergraduate degree in Psychology and a Masters of Science degree from the John Molson School of Business. She is also a Certified Retirement Coach.

Charlotte Logan is Director of Disability Services at Homewood Employee Health. A disability management professional, she has focused on program design and the development of best practices for the management of disability that is due to mental illness. Her background in organizational development combined with over 20 years of experience in the health care and employee-assistance program industries provide her with practical insights into the management of mental illness in the workplace. Charlotte is a frequent speaker to organizations and at conferences, focusing on issues such as disability management interventions, prevention strategies and return-to-work practices for employees who suffer from mental illness.

Marie Mac Donald is a dynamic keynote speaker, facilitator, educator and executive coach who works nationally to support the development of healthy workplace cultures. Her expertise in Emotional Intelligence profiling, Health and Wellness, Learning Culture and Transformative Change provide direction and guidance to her clients. Marie uses her extensive professional and personal experience to inspire and challenge with humour and empathy. Her business slogan ‘Think Possible' encapsulates her passion for exploring the possibilities with an outcome-oriented focus. Her clients describe her as someone who brings heart to organizations. Marie's sessions are engaging with practical application punctuated with stories that illustrate and inspire.

Olivia McIvor is a senior consultant with the Izzo group. Her diverse background includes 21 years in the field of human resource management and leadership, along with 26 years in business management. Olivia has had progressive careers in retail and tourism prior to establishing a name in the financial industry as the "Human Touch" HR Director. She has pioneered the implementation of numerous innovative and highly successful initiatives on workplace wellness and employee engagement. Olivia has gained valuable experience working in unionized/non-unionized environments and a wide range of sectors. In 2001, she was nominated Female Entrepreneur of the Year by Working Women magazine. Olivia is the author of the groundbreaking book "The Business of Kindness; Creating Work Environments Where People Thrive." She has trained, consulted and spoken to numerous associations, organizations and conferences across North America.

Mario Messier is physician trained to take care of sick people, but he is also an occupational physician and helps organizations manage problems related to the physical and mental health of their employees. Over the years, Dr. Messier has come to realize that "health" interests him more than illness. He is passionate about the corporate environment and about organizations and is now devoting a great deal of his time in helping organizations promote productivity and organizational wellness in the workplace. Dr. Messier is active within the GP2S group and has played a leading role in the development of the new "Healthy Enterprise" standard.

Betty Mutwiri is Manager of the "Learning and Leadership in People Strategies" portfolio in the Saskatoon Health Region where she oversees several organization-development initiatives aimed at transforming the work experience. These initiatives include "The Contagious Kindness: Our Values in Action for Positive Workplaces and the Leadership," and the "Leadership, Management and Succession Program." Betty is a lifelong learner and is committed to fostering environments that maximize personal and organizational growth. She strives to live an integrated life that embraces health & wellness – body, mind and spirit.

Suzanne Paiement is a Senior Consultant in Towers Perrin's Health and Welfare in the firm's Montreal office. She specializes in the emerging practice of organizational health and well-being, and consults to a wide range of Canadian organizations. Suzanne is an Occupational Therapist, and spent a number of years practicing in the areas of psychiatry, orthopaedics and home care services. She subsequently entered the employee benefits field with a major life/health insurance carrier as a rehabilitation consultant in disability claims, and was the first O.T. in Quebec to work in this area. Suzanne then joined a large financial institution where she was responsible for the development and implementation of workplace health, wellness and prevention strategies. Suzanne is a graduate of Laval University in Occupational Therapy, and is a member of the Advisory Editorial Board of Working Well Magazine.

Ian Percy is an organizational psychologist helping a wide variety of corporations around the world transform for higher purpose, performance and profitability. He has worked with companies like KPMG, Merck and Royal Bank Group. For almost 20 years, Ian worked entirely within Canadian health care. He is the creator of The Infinite Possibilities Initiative process for identifying and releasing the full potential of both individuals and organizations. Ian was declared "One of the top 21 speakers for the 21st century" by Successful Meetings magazine, and has been inducted into both the Canadian and US Speaker Halls of Fame. His seven books include Going Deep and The Profitable Power of Purpose. Ian is a Canadian now living in Arizona.

Edgardo Pérez is CEO and President of Homewood Corporation in Guelph, Ontario. The Corporation includes Homewood Health Centre, Homewood Employee Health and Oakwood Retirement Communities. He is also Director of the Centre for Organizational Health at Homewood, Director General of Homewood Research Institute, past CEO of Homewood Employee Health and past Medical Chief of Staff for Homewood Health Centre. He is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Ottawa and McMaster University, and Clinical Professor of both Psychiatry and Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, at the University of Ontario. His academic interests include management and organizational health, health services research and healthcare quality assessment. Edgardo holds a Bachelor's degree from Cornell University, a Medical degree from State University of New York, a Master's degree in Public Health from Harvard University, and a Diploma in Psychiatry from the University of Ottawa.

Martin Papillon is a Partner in Morneau Sobeco's Montréal Benefits Consulting practice. Martin has over 20 years of experience in the employee benefits and actuarial consulting field. Before joining Morneau Sobeco, he worked for several other employee benefits consulting firms at various levels – from Consultant to Partner to Vice President. Martin has expertise in a number of areas, including actuarial services, team leadership, and business management. He has earned a Bachelor of Actuarial Science degree from Laval University and a Master of Business Administration degree from HEC Montréal. Martin is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and the Society of Actuaries.

Fran Pilon has been CEO of Homewood Employee Health since 2004. She has a wealth of expertise in senior management in both a teaching hospital and behavioural health services fields. Fran has significant experience managing multidisciplinary professionals, leading change initiatives, as well as implementing and evaluating new products and services in both the private and public sectors. She is past member of the board of the Employee Assistance Society of North America (EASNA) and Peer Reviewer for the Council on Accreditation (COA). She has served on the Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University in a varied number of roles. Frances has received her Honours BA in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Guelph and obtained her MBA at McMaster University.

Wendy Poirier is a Managing Principal of Towers Perrin's Health & Welfare practice in Canada based in Calgary. In this capacity, she helps organizations define and implement health care strategies to maximize employee health and productivity while managing costs. The strategies she helps develop are grounded in an understanding of the key business issues facing organizations in maximizing their human capital, while focusing on humanistic approaches that underpin employee wellbeing. The Canadian Health and Welfare practice and Wendy in particular have expertise in assisting organizations understand and maximize the integration of government funded health care with private plans. Strategies range from developing wellness, disease management, and disability management programs, to helping organizations identify and manage the determinants of ill-health in their HR programs and practices. The objective is to maximize employee engagement and improve organizational health. Wendy has worked with a wide range of Canada's largest organizations, including leaders in finance, transportation, energy, consumer products, high-tech, and the hospitality industry. Her background includes over 15 years in benefits consulting, as well as leading a large Canadian disability insurance carrier's Western region disability claims department. Wendy has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Alberta and earned the C.E.B.S. designation in 1995.

Caroline Samné has over 17 years experience in the domain of human and organizational development. For ten years, she was responsible for community and organizational development in a public health care institution. Caroline is an experienced change agent, facilitator/developer, and she has worked in the not-for-profit, for-profit, government and voluntary sectors. She has extensive expertise in the design and facilitation of multi-faceted change processes, organizational learning, and culture assessment. Her experience also comprises group process intervention encompassing development, dynamics, communication and team building. Caroline has always emphasized the use of participative, collaborative strategies and tools to create long-term sustainable change. In 2001, she co-founded New Horizons, Organizational Effectiveness Consultants. She also serves on the Faculty of the Department of Applied Human Sciences at Concordia University.

Joti Samra is a clinical psychologist and serves as Adjunct Professor and Research Scientist with the Consortium for Organizational Mental Healthcare, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University. She conducts applied research and clinical work in the area of mental health and addiction, with particular interest in these issues as they pertain to the workplace context. Joti has also been involved in a range of activities on behalf of the BC Workplace Mental Health and Addiction Scientific Committee. Prior to joining the SFU, she worked as the senior clinician on an interdisciplinary assessment and treatment team serving an occupational disability population. Joti continues to be active in a range of clinical, professional and educational ventures including serving as Vice-President of the BC Psychological Association and as Co-chair of the BC Psychologically Healthy Workplace Collaborative.

Theresa Scannell is the Career and Work-Life Consultant at the Organizational Development and Learning Centre at the University of Toronto. She has 18 years of experience at U of T. Teresa coordinates and facilitates a wide range of work/life programs offered to employees. She consults with divisions to assess work/life programming needs and develops specialized programs. She assists employees with developing proposals for flexible work arrangements and coaches them on their options. Teresa provides consultation to managers on all aspects of creating flexibility at work. Teresa has recently been a member of a University-wide working group that made recommendations to management on workload and work-life balance. She is currently involved in creating guidelines for flexible work arrangements at the University. Teresa is a graduate of the Master's program in Counselling Psychology from OISE and has a postgraduate diploma in Workplace Wellness and Health Promotion, and is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist. Teresa has most recently presented at the 4th Work-Life Conference organized by the Federated Press. She has presented to audiences as large as 250 and has been evaluated as a "warm and engaging speaker". She is a Competent Toastmaster and was formerly the President of the York University Toastmasters Club.

Karen Seward is Senior Vice President of Business Development and Marketing at Shepell•fgi where she leads the development of innovative health management products and prevention tools that promote workplace health and support employees' well-being and their employers' business productivity needs. Karen was named a Who's Who In Workplace Health by Working Well Magazine and Rogers Media in 2008. She is also a member of the American Marketing Association, the International Association of Business Communicators and the Conference Board of Canada. Featured as a speaker at numerous conferences and seminars, Karen publishes articles in periodicals including Benefits Canada and Benefits & Pensions Monitor, and often appears in national media to speak on workplace health and productivity issues. Karen holds a BA from the University of Toronto and is noted for her unique approach in treating health in the workplace as a business issue, bringing quantitative figures to show how an investment in a healthy workplace drives productivity and offsets disability costs to a company's bottom line.

Lisa Speigel is a Principal Consultant with Michael Leiter and Associates. Lisa has consulting experience with both private and public sector organizations, most recently specializing in health care organizations. Lisa manages the Civility, Respect and Engagement at Work (CREW) program, along with numerous other research projects. She has worked extensively in the health human resource sector, focusing on recruitment, retention and engagement issues. Lisa holds a Master of Arts (Sociology).

Sharon Storoschuk is Manager, Health Promotion at the Canadian Cancer Society, BC & Yukon Division. She has worked in research and the public health field for over 20 years and has extensive experience in health promotion, evaluation and research. For the past 10 years, Sharon has worked with non-profit organizations, and in her current role, her focus is the division-wide implementation of the Prevention Strategy for cancer. She is functional manager to six regional Health Promotion Coordinators and participates in provincial and national working groups. In her present role and previous roles, Sharon has facilitated many workshops, trainings and meetings with 15 to 50 people. These have included bi-annual prevention team meetings, division and national meetings. She has also presented at national conferences. Sharon is the media spokesperson for CCSBCY for issues around sun awareness.

Sholem Prasow is a LEED® Accredited Professional and a National Charrette Institute Certified Charrette Planner. He is a member of the LEED for Healthcare Core Committee of the US Green Building Council, and a past member of the Canada Green Building Council Technical Advisory Group. Since 2004, Sholem's presentations on LEED, green building practices, and integrated design have been given to more than 5,000 industry professionals in North America. He delivers CEU courses in sustainable design and LEED accreditation coaching courses to the A&D community and client community around the world. These include presentations at various conferences including IIDEX/NEOCON; IDC AGM; ARIDO, IFMA, IDNS and IDAS; the Intelligent Buildings Summit; and SIDM. His presentations, LEED and Acoustics in a Healthcare Environment, were delivered at Greenbuild in Chicago, at the 2008 AIA National Convention in Boston, and at Acoustics '08 in Paris.

Danielle Vidal is a senior consultant in the health strategies team of Aon Consulting Montreal office. She oversees the development of integrated health-management strategies, as well as the design and implementation of healthy workplace initiative programs. Prior to joining Aon, she has held various positions in the health care field, including working as head nurse in the hematology unit of the Hôpital Sainte-Justine and as nurse in the surgery and medicine units of the Hôpital Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal. Danielle has also served as a medical clinic coordinator and administrative personnel supervisor. Having spent 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry, she acquired vast experience in the areas of marketing, government business, as well as in the development and implementation of healthy workplace initiative programs. Danielle holds a Bachelor's degree in Science from HEC Montréal.

Jennifer Walinga is a Commonwealth, World and Olympic Champion rower who draws heavily upon her experience as an elite athlete when facilitating personal and organizational innovation. Her areas of teaching and research include organizational communication, strategic planning, and decision-making grounded in theories of performance management, creative insight, and leadership. She blends educational, cognitive, sport, and organizational psychology in the development of interventions designed to penetrate barriers, confront the challenges of change, and unlock innovative solutions. She is currently facilitating projects in both the public and private sectors with a special emphasis on health and education. Along with her partner Tanis Farish, Jennifer is a principal of Integrated Focus Consulting, a performance consulting firm that prepares individuals and organizations for peak performance.