Kerri is a Coach & Change Management Leader. She loves working with people to bring new ideas to life and navigate the chaos that emerges when designing individual, social or organizational change. The riches are in the mess of uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. So, let’s get messy…

Dr. Catherine (Cathy) Bruce, Trent University’s ninth President & Vice-Chancellor, is a distinguished educator, researcher, and administrator with a 35-year career in education, including over 20 years in higher education. Joining Trent in 2003, she has significantly contributed to its growth, serving as a professor, director of graduate programs, founder of the Centre for Teaching and Learning, dean of Trent’s School of Education, and vice-president of Research and Innovation.

As vice-president, Dr. Bruce oversaw all research activities at Trent, developed strategic research priorities, established the Early Career Researcher Awards, and created a Research Grant Incentive Program. Her efforts in expanding international research collaborations earned Trent the top spot for growth in international partnerships in the 2023 Research Infosource rankings. Dr. Bruce has received numerous accolades, including the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations Teaching Award. Her research on spatial reasoning in mathematics learning has gained national and international recognition. She has co-authored several books and has an extensive record of peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Bruce’s leadership extends beyond Trent, including roles with Peterborough’s regional Innovation Cluster, the Ontario Council on University Research, and the Association of Canadian Deans of Education. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Toronto, and a B.A. and B.Ed. from York University.

Ms. Aissatou Diajhate is an international development executive with expertise across education, health, philanthropy, and youth-centered development. Her career is grounded in purpose-driven leadership, service, and building systems that deliver lasting social impact.

She has held senior strategic roles at globally respected organizations, most notably the Mastercard Foundation, where she co-lead  the development of the Young Africa Works Strategy, shaped flagship initiatives including the Scholars Program, and spearheaded the endowment of African institutions. Most recently, she served as Chief of Staff and Advisor to the President and CEO of Mastercard Foundation, playing a critical role in enterprise-wide strategy and multi-stakeholder engagement.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Diajhate designed the grassroots grantmaking strategy for the Stephen Lewis Foundation in Canada, enabling community-based organizations to access funding directly without intermediaries—an approach that strengthened local ownership and impact. Her belief in public health as an engine for growth, drove her support

As West Africa Regional Manager at IREX, Ms. Diajhate pioneered the implementation of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) across 21 countries in West and Central Africa, advancing youth leadership, civic engagement, and socio-economic transformation.

Currently, she supports the African School of Governance, a newly established Pan African institution in public Policy and Leadership education in Rwanda dedicated to nurturing a new generation of purpose-driven, ethical leaders poised to address Africa’s governance challenges. Throughout her career, she has managed complex partnerships with governments, academic institutions, funders, and community-based organizations in the United States, Canada, and Africa. Ms. Diajhate  is a dedicated mentor and advocate for social justice, committed to empowering survivors of systemic inequities to become leaders and agents of change. In 2016, she was recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Black Women.

Carrie Harder, BA, B Ed (Hons) is Acting Deputy Chief for York Region Paramedic Services who began her career in 2004 as a Primary Care Paramedic. Becoming an Advanced Care Paramedic in 2010, she has since held progressive union and non-union leadership roles within the organization. An advocate for mentoring and building relationships through collaboration, she is working with peers to establish a workforce strategy to support attraction and retention, focusing on succession planning, while encouraging and supporting women to enter Paramedic leadership internally through Women Rising and externally with the Ontario Association of Paramedic Chiefs (OAPC). When not at work, she enjoys spending time relaxing with her family and pets.

Natalie Kedzierski is a Deputy Chief with York Region Paramedic Services in Ontario. With more than 20 years of experience spanning frontline practice and senior leadership, her work focuses on people-centered leadership, advancing models of care, and system integration. She is currently pursuing a Master of Health Leadership at McMaster University and contributes to regional committees and working groups focused on health system integration, vulnerable populations, mentorship, and advancing women in paramedicine.

Lucy Shenouda is an organizational transformation practitioner, master certifiedcoach (MCC), and systemic team coach. Thirty-five+ years across two careers, twenty+ as abranding and marketing specialist, fifteen+ as a professional coach, have brought her towhere she does her best work: the intersection of strategy and human potential. Lucy’sexperience spans corporate leadership across Canada, Middle East North Africa, parts ofAfrica and Asia–Pacific, partnering with senior leaders, senior leadership teams, cross-functional & operational teams, and global organizations. She brings both the strategicfluency of a seasoned business professional and the depth of a master practitioner–helpingleaders and organizations move through complexity with clarity, courage, and collectivepurpose.

Sue Stinson is a Director in Deloitte’s Technology & Transformation practice, where she helps clients drive business success through modern and secure cloud and platform solutions. She brings extensive experience across the banking and technology sectors, with a focus on regulatory programs spanning infrastructure, DevOps, and cloud transformation. Sue also serves as the executive sponsor of Deloitte’s Women in Engineering, AI & Data initiative and is a passionate advocate for women in technology.