Wednesday, April 17, 2024, from 1:30 PM to 7:00 PM EDT – This in-person paid leadership event is open to all who wish to register and has a limited number of participants.
Find inspiration. Leave with a new perspective. Spark impactful change.
SPARK is a transformative half-day symposium bringing together Senior Executives, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) leaders, and Talent Acquisition professionals for shared learning, networking, and innovation.
This Year’s Theme: Elevating Talent Acquisition for the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community.
We know that Two-Spirit, queer, and trans communities are a wealth of creativity, innovation, and have a dynamic impact in workplaces. Yet, employees and job seekers from these communities are often overlooked, deemed unconventional hires, or stagnate in their careers.
SPARK aims to break barriers and shine a spotlight on the untapped talent within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, both in the workplace and the job market.
DIAMOND SPONSOR
“Scotiabank has been a Proud Partner with Pride at Work Canada for many years. We are pleased to be supporting the SPARK conference for a second year. At last year’s inaugural conference, our DEI leaders in attendance benefited from the sessions focused on Indigenous solidarity, anti-black racism, and accessibility. This year, members of our Global Talent Acquisition Team are looking forward to learning insights into how the Bank can elevate our recruitment strategies to continue supporting members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.”
Denine Das (she/her), Vice President, Global Inclusion, Scotiabank
Key Highlights:
- Inspiring Insights: Dive deep into the talent acquisition process, exploring attraction, selection, and development strategies.
- Dynamic Discussions: Engage in lively keynote presentations and thought-provoking roundtable discussions led by driven Two-Spirit, trans, and non-binary leaders.
- Strategic Networking: Foster intentional connections to fuel organizational change and create workplaces where everyone, including Two-Spirit, trans, and non-binary individuals, thrives.
HOST SPONSOR & LOCATION
EY
EY Tower
100 Adelaide St W – 40th Floor
Toronto, ON M5H 0E2
Agenda:
- 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM: Welcome and Opening Keynotes
- 2:45 PM – 3:00 PM: Networking Session / Break
- 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Attraction, Selection, and Development Roundtable Discussions
- 4:00 PM – 4:15 PM: Networking Session / Break
- 4:15 PM – 5:00 PM: Key Reflections and Closing
- 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM: Networking Reception with Two-Spirit, queer, and trans leaders and talent
Learning Objectives:
- Understand how to attract and retain 2SLGBTQIA+ talent.
- Discover the experiences of Two-spirit, trans, and non-binary talent.
- Cultivate a relationship with fellow DEI leaders and 2SLGBTQIA+ talent.
SILVER SPONSOR
Audience:
- Senior Leaders
- DEI professionals
- Talent Acquisition Professionals
We invite all participants to complete our SPARK pre-event survey, which will contribute to discussions during the sessions.
Accreditation hours:
This program has been approved for 3 CPD hours under Section A of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Log of the Human Resource Professionals Association (HRPA). For more information about certification or continuing professional development, visit the HRPA website at www.hrpa.ca.
Roundtable Facilitators:
- Attraction: Jade Pichette (they/them), Director of Programs, Pride at Work Canada & Dani Gomez-Ortega (she/they), Senior Manager – Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, McCain Foods
- Selection: Colin Druhan (he/him), Executive Director, Pride at Work Canada & Delphinium Araya (she/her), Project Coordinator, 2Spirit, Trans and Non-Binary Social Health Programs, HQ
- Development: Misha Goforth (she/her), Manager of Programs, Pride at Work Canada & Karibu Ramos (they/them), Executive Director, Elevate Equity
REGISTRATION & PRICING
LIMITED SEATS – Purchase your tickets as soon as possible. Registrations will be open on Eventbrite soon, and the participation fees are:
General tickets
For senior leaders of other companies & organizations (non-partners)
$1,300.00 (+ tax) – Regular Price
$1,100.00 (+ tax) – Early Bird Price (until March 17)
Partner tickets
Senior leaders of Pride at Work Canada’s Proud Partners & Community Partners
$800.00 (+ tax) – Regular Price
$600.00 (+ tax) – Early Bird Price (until March 17)
On Eventbrite, participants will be asked to inform some personal & professional details, accessibility requests, food restrictions & allergies, and to rank the roundtable conversations: Attraction, Selection, and Development. For any additional questions, reach out to us at events@prideatwork.ca.
SPEAKERS
Chris Mossiah (they/them)
Executive Director – Consumer & Community Banking
JP Morgan Chase
Keynote Speaker
Chris, based in New York City, is a Product Director of a digital design system within the Consumer & Community Banking line of business. They are also the Co-Chair of the Firmwide GEC (Gender Expansive Council) as well as co-lead for the Transgender, Gender Nonconforming, and Non-binary subcommittee of the PRIDE Tri-State BRG. Chris has worked for JP Morgan for over 6 years while being a member of the Pride leadership team for over 5 years. Chris also serves as a member of the Out & Equal Board of Directors.
Prior to coming to JP Morgan, Chris was enlisted in the US Navy as an electronic technician and has been in the technology field for over 20 years. Chris holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in computer science from The City College of New York and Syracuse University, respectively. They reside in New York City with their 20-year-old son, Carmello and French bulldog, Creed.
Elder Laureen Blu Waters (they/them)
Istchii Nikamoon: Earth Song, Wolf clan.
Cree/Metis/Micmac
RemarksBlu is a member of the Metis Nation of Ontario. Blu’s family is from Big River Saskatchewan, Star Blanket Reserve and Bra’dor Lake, Eskasoni First Nations, Cape Breton Nova Scotia,and the Red River. Blu grew up with her grandmother and learned about traditional medicines learning healing methods and care of the sick. Her grandmother also shared her knowledge of the great teachings. She is currently working at Seneca College as an Elder on campus providing traditional teachings and one-to-one counselling. Blu spent 2.5 years working for the Nation Inquiry for murdered and missing women as a grand mother to commissioner Brian Eyelfson. and sits on the grandmother circle. Blu sits on the Thunder women healing lodge as a director of the board. Blu also sits as the Ontario representive for Metis people with 2 spirts in motion board. Blu also provides ceremony and teaching and counselling for 2 spirit people of the first nations, in Toronto. Blu was also the national caucus representative for the Toronto Urban Aboriginal strategies for five years working with the community of Toronto and the government. She is also a graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology receiving her business software micro-computer architecture and A+ certification. Blu’s gifts include: Traditional teachings, giving traditional spirit names, hand drumming, song writer, creative writings, and full moon conductor. Pipe ceremonies and sweat lodge ceremonies.and Traditional counciling. Blu is a Two-Spirit person, a mother of 3, a grandmother of 3, a sun dancer, pipe carrier.
Dr. Andrew B. Campbell (DR.ABC) (he/him)
Assistant Professor and Teaching & Learning Coordinator
University of Toronto
EmceeDr. Andrew B. Campbell (DR.ABC) is an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream in Leadership for Racial Justice in Education, and the Teaching and Learning Coordinator for the Master of Teaching program at the University of Toronto. DR.ABC is well known to the OISE community for his leadership on advancing anti-discrimination work in teacher education and received OISE’s 2022 award for Excellence in Initial Teacher Education. He presently teaches courses in anti-discrimination education, leadership and diversity, educational change, urban education, and Black Educators’ pedagogy and practice. He has presented at numerous conferences and has delivered many presentations as a keynote speaker, motivational speaker, and workshop facilitator. He loves people, food, fashion, travelling and bringing his community together for a good meal.
Roundtable Facilitators
Jade Pichette (they/them)
Director of Programs
Pride at Work Canada
AttractionJade Pichette is an inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA!) professional based in Tkarón:to/Toronto. Currently, Jade serves as the Director of Programs at Pride at Work Canada, where they work with over 250 large employers across Canada around gender expression, gender identity, and sexual orientation inclusion. Previously, Jade served as the Volunteer and Community Outreach Coordinator at the ArQuives, the Education Programs Coordinator at Kind Space, and an independent inclusion consultant. They are an Ásatrú Gythia (priestess) and interfaith advocate who was the first trans-feminine person to present at the Parliament of World Religions in 2018. Jade was one of the authors of Transitioning Employers: A survey of policies and practices for trans inclusive workplaces and is the cohost of the Uncovering Belonging Podcast. Jade has been named one of Future of Good’s 2022 Young Impact Leaders, Toronto Metropolitan University’s 2021 Pride Champions, and is a judge for the Canadian HR Awards. In their spare time they can be found geeking out over queer, trans, and Norse histories, firekeeping, and spending time with their chosen family.
Colin Druhan (he/him)
Executive Director
Pride at Work Canada
SelectionColin Druhan has been at the helm of Pride at Work Canada since 2014, steering the organization through significant growth. A champion for community-led initiatives, he currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, which funds grassroots efforts to fight HIV and AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. A former Chair of Volunteer Toronto, Canada’s largest volunteer centre, Colin is committed to public service. In 2020 he was named a DiverseCity Fellow by CivicAction, a recognition that underscores his dedication to inclusive civic engagement. Originally from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, Colin earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from NSCAD University in Halifax. He supplemented his skills through executive education programs at the Rotman School of Management and Cornell University. In 2020 he completed the Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management program at Harvard Business School.
Misha Goforth (she/her)
Manager of Programs
Pride at Work Canada
DevelopmentMisha Goforth is a project manager and gender equity specialist with several years of experience in the international development and policy field. She holds a Master of International Public Policy from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo. In her professional and academic careers, Misha is devoted to integrating gender justice and intersectionality into public policy in the international development and environmental fields and has a keen interest in advancing 2SLGBTQIA+ rights in these spaces. In 2019, she presented on “Gender and the Environment” at the International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology where she led a discussion on the integration of gender-equitable approaches to environmental research. For the past several years, she has worked as a gender advisor with the Government of Mongolia where she helped pass the first Gender-Responsive Policy for the extractive sector in Mongolia. With her passion for practical research, Misha has also advocated for the rights of refugees with Global Affairs Canada and is currently supporting a project on empowering racialized and newcomer youth with Empowerment Squared in Hamilton.
Dani Gomez-Ortega (she/her, they/them)
Senior Manager – Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
McCain Foods
AttractionDani Gomez-Ortega is a global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion leader with a passion for empowering others to create more inclusive spaces. Dani has championed inclusion across various sectors for 10 years. She is also an MBA candidate at the Ted Rogers School of Management. Currently Dani works as a global DEI leader at McCain Foods, where she collaborates with teams across the world to drive inclusion. Most recently, Dani was featured in the book “Global Changemakers for a Feminist Future” by Dr. Gayle Kimball and has won multiple awards for her work including a Bill 7 Award. Dani’s work and commitment to inclusion are shaped by her lived experience as a Venezuelan Latinx, immigrant, transgender woman with an invisible disability.
Delphinium Araya (she/her)
Project Coordinator, 2Spirit, Trans and Non-Binary Social Health Programs
HQ
SelectionDelphinium (Delphi) Araya, identifies as Trans, 2Spirit, Chilean-Canadian woman. Delphi has over 15 years experience in advocating for trans inclusion and equity. Her work in culture is founded in belief of decolonizing and indigenizing systems so we can treat the roots causes of social injustice. Delphi has also worked with organizations like 2 Spirited People of the 1st Nations and Ontario, PODER- a decolonial feminist Latinx organization and Elevate Equity, the first trans led organization in Toronto., Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Strategy; as a member of their board of Directors, as a social justice storyteller, and as a peer outreach worker to help better support and serve the two spirit communities in and outside Toronto. In whatever community she works with and is a part of Delphi is carrying on the legacy of a teacher like her Two Spirit ancestors before her.
Karibu Ramos (they/them)
Executive Director
Elevate Equity
DevelopmentKaribu Ramos is a trans nonbinary person from Kūskatan (otherwise known as) El Salvador. They are a firm believer that the marrying of the DEI and the Nonprofit Industrial Complex can only be dismantled by interweaving the voices of the communities advocating for justice. Karibu’s work is deeply rooted in a self-reflexive practice of compassion, trust, and the inner root work that is required from someone living with intersecting identities, privileges, and varying levels of access and inaccess. In their career they have implemented transformative approaches to Trans Solidarity in the workplace. Karibu’s commitment and tenacity to influencing sustainability within traditional and non-traditional employment avenues with and for Trans and Nonbinary communities has been a catalyst in influencing cultural and systemic shifts in Canada and the US. Karibu is unrelenting and deliberate in their pursuit of creating autonomy through an intersectional approach towards justice. Karibu Ramos is a writer, Equity Consultant, and the Founder and Executive Director at Elevate Equity.
Cecilia Gentili (she/her)
Author, actress, activist, and Principal Consultant & Founder
TransEquity
Cecilia Gentili is the award-winning author of Faltas, actress on FX’s hit series POSE, and renowned activist for transgender and sex worker rights. Most recently, her one-woman show Red Ink had its off-Broadway debut to sold out crowds. She owns and leads TransEquity, a nationally recognized consulting firm that provides cultural programming, advocacy, policy building and strategic advising for organizations, government agencies, brand partners, and community. Her ongoing legacy of community advocacy, storytelling and activism has been monumental in protecting federal rights from the U.S. Supreme Court, raising millions in funding for trans rights, and building foundational programs for trans and sex work communities to thrive in.
In Cecilia’s Loving Memory
Legacy is the best word to apply for Cecilia Gentili. Her inspiring dedication to community advocacy, trans rights, immigrant rights, and sex work activism has transformed the scene and the lives of thousands of people to thrive in. Sadly,
Cecilia passed away on February 6, 2024, and she will be missed but never forgotten. She will continue living in the memory of our 2SLGBTQIA+ communities to honour her commitment to fighting institutional discrimination and her passion for changing lives through art. Cecilia’s journey was one of resilience and triumph, as she navigated the complexities of identity with grace and courage. Find more about
Cecilia’s legacy on
TransEquity.
“But sometimes, when I tell my children I love them, I see you all over me, too. When I think of you, I think of a woman who, in her greatest pain, was full of joy, and who understood that that joy was not to be kept.”
From Faltas: Letters to Everyone in My Hometown Who Isn’t My Rapist (2022)
This in-person paid leadership event is open to all who wish to register and has a limited number of participants.
Do you have any questions about SPARK? Please send an email to events@prideatwork.ca.
