Day 1- Nov. 21. 2024 1-5pm
1pm-1:20pm Welcome, Land Acknowledgement, Indigenous Teaching, and Ministry Representative.
1:20-2:00 Keynote – Blake Melnick
Title: The Skills, Experience, Knowledge & Mindset for Innovation
Description: “How do we prepare students and future employees for the challenge of working with knowledge that doesn’t exist; using practices that don’t exist; in jobs that don’t exist?”
Speaker: Blake Melnick, Chief Knowledge Officer, Knowledge Management Institute of Canada / Principal Catalyst Workplace Partnerships, Workplace Innovation Network for Canada
Blake is one of Canada’s foremost experts in the field of Knowledge Management. He is the Chief Knowledge Officer for the Knowledge Management Institute of Canada, and Co-Founder & Principal Catalyst, Workplace Partnerships for The Workplace Innovation Network for Canada (WINCan)
2:00-2:15 – TBD
2:25-2:30 – WIN WR
Title: Creating Skills-Aligned Opportunity for Newcomers
Description: WINWR strives to support immigrants and employers differently – evidence-based, business-oriented and needs-centred. Find out how we used a customized approach with global talent and employers to create better alignment and outcomes in the local labour market.
Speakers:
Jennie Di Girolamo (she/her), Talent Liaison Lead, Workplace and Immigrant Network of Waterloo Region
Jennie Di Girolamo is the Talent Liaison Lead at WINWR. With 7 years of employment expertise and a background in disability studies, Jennie excels in promoting global talent’s unique skills to the local labor market and driving community growth through strategic partnerships.
Olusola Oladele (she/her), Employer Liaison Lead, Workplace and Immigrant Network of Waterloo Region
Olusola Oladele is the Employer Liaison Lead at WINWR. With over 15 years of HR experience in Nigeria and Canada, she leverages her expertise and lived experience as an immigrant to support employers in attracting, hiring, and retaining global talent.
2:30-2:45 – Resources for rural employers
Title: Rural solutions to bridging program gaps
Description: How are we meeting the needs of newcomers in rural communities? English language training opportunities can be scarce, Set7 is meeting the needs of newcomers by offering training that is open to all adult learners in the Municipality of North Perth and neighbouring municipalities.
Speakers:
Erin Bewick (she/her), Training Coordinator – Set7 Skills and Technology, Municipality of North Perth
Erin Bewick is the Training Coordinator for Set7 Skills and Technology with the Municipality of North Perth. Erin is committed to driving positive change in her community while empowering individuals to reach their full potential through training and development opportunities.
Jessica McLean (she/her), Manager of Strategic Initiatives, Municipality of North Perth
Jessica McLean is the Manager of Strategic Initiatives for the Municipality of North Perth, focusing on economic development, strategic planning and special projects. As a long time resident and employee of North Perth, Jessica is passionate about developing innovative solutions to community issues.
2:45-3:00 – ODEN – Liz Grosse
Title: Transforming Workplaces Through Disability Inclusion
Description: Introducing, Ontario Corporate Training Centre (OCTC), a new project empowering business with the knowledge, resources, and confidence needed to embrace disability inclusive hiring, and foster diverse workplaces.
Liz Gosse (she/her/hers), Disability Awareness Trainer, Ontario Disability Employment Network
With over 15 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector, Liz Gosse excels in fostering relationships with businesses and community organizations. Liz has consistently demonstrated success in developing curriculum, facilitating, and delivering impactful programming.
3:00-3:20 – BREAK
3:20-3:40 – UW Dr. Ira Lawrence Cohen
Title: Learning Must Be Greater Than The Rate of Change
Description: Generation Y & Z understand their success in the workplace depends on their ability & quality of questions asked. This session emphasizes the importance of active listening & insightful questioning. An interactive demonstration on working with others to solve real business challenges is shared.
Dr. Ira Lawrence Cohen, Professor, University of Windsor
University of Windsor Professor of International Business, Strategy & Entrepreneuship. Awarded Global Leader in Transformational Change, Leadership Development & Action-Learning. Director, Strategic Advantage Consultants: facilitates solving business challenges & developing leadership competencies.
3:40-4:20 – Live Recording of Mean Median Moose Podcast
A live recording of the Mean Median Moose Podcast, a podcast exploring data about Canada, how to visualize it, and what it all means.
Podcasters:
Frazier Fathers
Frazier is a researcher, blogger and community advocate. He has made a name for himself as one of the go to people for information on socio/economic data and trends in Southwestern Ontario. He has 2 masters’ degrees; one in Public Policy from University of Michigan, and one in Political Science from the University of Windsor.
John Haldeman
John is an Information security analyst and software developer who spends his day building systems to ship information security data back and forth. Part of his job is developing metrics and visualizations to help understand computer security issues. Visualization of open data is a hobby of his.
Katie Renaud
Katie is an active community member with a background in research, human resource development, and marketing. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Calgary and a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Illinois. She has a passion for evidence-driven community development and helping people from all backgrounds access and understand data.
Doug Sartori
Doug Sartori is a professional consultant and software architect. His work in the community has included workforce advocacy and political organizing. A supporter of free software and open data, Doug is interested in making public information available and accessible to everyone in the community.
4:20-5:00 – AI Panel
Panel Title: “AI and the Future Workforce: Navigating the New Age of Collaboration.”
Moderator: Yvonne Pilon (She/Her), President/CEO, WEtech Alliance
Yvonne Pilon is the President and CEO of WEtech Alliance. She founded AD2IT at 24 and became the youngest female to lead a Regional Innovation Centre at 29. With over 15 years in tech, Yvonne was named a 2022 Emerging Leader by The Peak and serves on several industry boards, including TECNA and CTN.
Panelists:
Jordan Goure (Picsume)
Jordan has been an entrepreneur in Windsor-Essex for his entire career having successfully launched 10+ startups in hospitality, beverage manufacturing, real estate development, marketing and tech. He also serves on the board of directors for Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island, and as a board advisor to WeTech. Cam Crowder (Redstick Ventures)
Phillip Olla
Dr. Phillip Olla is a distinguished educator, innovator, and entrepreneur with over two decades of experience at the intersection of academia, healthcare, and technology. He holds a Ph.D. in Information Systems from Brunel University in the UK and serves as an Associate Professor at the University of Detroit Mercy. Dr. Olla is also the CEO of Study AI’D, an educational platform revolutionizing AI in learning.
Dr. Olla’s academic career includes an impressive body of work with over 60 scholarly publications and seven books. His pioneering contributions to Breathomics, which integrates exhaled breath analysis with artificial intelligence for medical diagnostics, have earned global recognition.
As the Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Augmenting Intelligence, Dr. Olla leads innovative AI-driven initiatives to address healthcare disparities in underserved urban communities. His career also includes leadership roles at major corporations such as Oracle, British Telecom, and O2, where he developed technology-driven solutions in telecommunications.
Dr. Olla has delivered influential presentations at international organizations, including the United Nations and the World Health Organization, shaping the future of healthcare and AI integration.
5:00-6:30 – Evening Networking
Day 2- Nov. 21. 2024 8:00am-1pm
8:00 Breakfast is Served
9:00-9:20 Tomorrows Trades
Building Tomorrow’s Workforce
Explore the Tomorrow’s Trades program, an initiative that prepares aspiring apprentices for success in the skilled trades. This session highlights how targeted training, hands-on experience, and mentorship are shaping a new generation of skilled workers to meet the demands of an evolving industry.
John St Pierre, Program Manager, Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario
A leading expert in labour relations, dedicated to advancing the skilled trades through innovative workforce development. His work on programs like Tomorrow’s Trades reflects his commitment to empowering the next generation with the tools and training needed to succeed in an ever-changing industry.
9:20-9:40 TBD
9:40-10:00 – UW – Dr Victoria Abboud
Bridge-Building from Campus to Career
This session highlights the Improving Employability Series, an experiential learning program for international graduate students at the University of Windsor. The series supported 90 students in Engineering and Computer Science to become more employable in Canada.
Dr. Victoria Abboud (she/her), Faculty of Engineering, University of Windsor
Victoria is faculty in Engineering at the University of Windsor. She engages international graduate students to translate their technical expertise for wide audiences. Her experience includes industry-community stakeholder engagement, college administration, and STEM sector workforce development.
10:00-10:30 – SSM Panel
Service System Managers for Employment Ontario from across the province.
Employment service experts share about local labour market and can help provide effective solutions to meet today’s workforce challenges.
10:30-10:50 – WIN CAN/Tinkvation Labs
Growing a More Innovative Regional Workforce (Windsor-Essex)
Windsor-Essex is a leader in employee workplace innovation, with an Innovation Catalysts program (2018-21) and innovation for Quality of Work (2022-23). We’ll share results and describe work in-progress toward integrating employee workplace innovation into the regional innovation ecosystem.
Barry Leavitt, Principal Consultant, Tinkvation Labs
Barry Leavitt is a Principal at Tinkovation Labs and co-lead for the Growing a More Innovative Workforce project. An engineer by training, Barry was previously Director of Corporate Operations & Innovation at Windsor’s ENWIN Utilities and also has broad project management experience across sectors.
Thomas Carey, Principal Catalyst — Academic Partnerships, Workplace Innovation Network for Canada
Dr. Thomas Carey is co-founder of the Workplace Innovation Network for Canada and former Professor and Associate Vice-President at the University of Waterloo. He has won awards for innovation in teaching and for research collaborations with industry, including a 15-year partnership with IBM Canada.
10:50-11:00 – BREAK
11:10-11:50 – DisruptHR
“DISRUPT is an information exchange designed to energize, inform and empower people in the HR field.”
5 speakers, 5 minutes each, and slides rotate every 15 seconds. “Teach us something, but make it quick.”
11:50- 12:30 – EV Panel
A discussion between a panel of professionals and experts in the Electric Vehicle industry in Canada.