Speakers | VILC 2024

Keynote Speakers

CEO, Island Coastal Economic Trust

Brodie Guy

Brodie has served in executive roles with funds investing in Indigenous, rural, and sustainable development across BC for 15 years. He is the CEO of Island Coastal Economic Trust working on its transformation as co-governed regional development organization, is the Vice Chair of the Blueberry River Restoration Society (new $200M fund), serves as a director on the Indigenous-led national charity The Circle on Philanthropy, serves as a Canadian Commissioner on the Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission, and serves as a director with Project Watershed, a non-profit working with K’ómoks First Nation to restore and rematriate a special place known as Kus-kus-sum. Previously, Brodie worked for a decade in the Great Bear Rainforest and Haida Gwaii as the long-serving CEO of Coast Funds, one of the world’s largest Indigenous-led conservation finance and sustainable development funds. He and his partner Jessica are grateful to be raising their children in the beautiful ancestral territory of the Pentlatch, E’ikʷsən and K’ómoks people, known today as the Comox Valley.

Director of Global Development Partnership, Business Development and Recruitment

Jatinder Dhir

Jatinder (JD) Dhir has over two decades of experience in hospitality, Big Box retail sales, education, operations and service sector. He has held leadership roles such as General Manager/Sales coach for international retail stores and Director of operations Western Canada. Committed to making a positive impact, he is involved with not-for-profit organizations, providing tools to empower professional immigrants and building leaders for tomorrow. He also serves as Director Global Development and Partnership for Fearlessness Consulting Inc. and as Director Recruitment & Business Development with P49 real estate brokerage, Board of Director BCIBN (BC India Business Network). Additionally, he mentors/coaches Management professionals/ International Students and youth with PICS Society, IECBC (Immigrant Employment Council of BC) and Building Builders.

Chief Operating Officer (COO), Foundation for Black Communities Canada

Nneka Otogbolu

Nneka Otogbolu is the Chief Operating Officer at a leading national foundation dedicated to investing in change-making initiatives and ensuring sustained resources for Black-led, Black-serving, and Black-focused organizations across Canada. Prior to her role at FFBC, Nneka served as the Director of Strategic Initiatives and Equity Advancement at the Edmonton Community Foundation (ECF), the fourth largest community foundation in Canada and the largest non-governmental funder in Edmonton. Before her tenure at ECF, Nneka held various leadership positions, including Executive Director of a community-focused science charity in Vancouver Island, BC, and over 15 years in the Nigerian banking system, specializing in small and medium-sized businesses. With a wealth of experience spanning different sectors and geographies, Nneka brings a unique blend of financial expertise and a passion for social change to her role. Nneka holds an MSc. in International Management from the University of Hertfordshire and an MBA from Vancouver Island University, both of which were awarded with distinctions. She is recognized for her contributions to community development, having received the 2017 Canadian Bureau of International Education's Elizabeth Patterson Award for Internationalization for her work on Vancouver Island. In addition to her professional achievements, Nneka is committed to serving her community and is actively involved in various boards and committees, including The Resilient Immigrant Foundation and the Edmonton Black Business Society. She is a strong advocate for equity and social justice and is dedicated to driving positive change in the communities she serves. Nneka is known for her strategic vision, leadership acumen, and commitment to excellence. She is poised to make a significant impact at FFBC, driving operational excellence and advancing equity-focused initiatives that empower Black communities across Canada.

Workshop Presenters

Principal, Ramji Consulting

Karima Ramji

Karima Ramji traces her roots to the Gujarat region of India, and is blessed have had the opportunity to live, work and raise her family on the traditional Coast Salish territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples on the Pacific North West Coast of Turtle Island (in Victoria, Canada). She has enjoyed a rewarding career in work-integrated learning (WIL) for over 25 years, with expertise in internationalizing WIL, partnership development, community engagement and cultural intelligence (CQ). As an advanced CQ facilitator, Karima has championed CQ at University of Victoria and more broadly in the Canadian post secondary education landscape. She currently serves as Associate Director, International, Indigenous and Accessibility at University of Victoria’s Co-operative Education Program and Career Services and is principal of her CQ consulting company, Ramji Consulting.

CEO and Founder of Rewarding Relationships

Robyn Ward

Robyn Ward is the CEO and Founder of Rewarding Relationships. We offer Executive Coaching, Cultivating Safe Spaces Facilitation, Business Consulting, Social Impact Metric Consulting and Allyship Workshops. Robyn Ward is a Certified Executive Coach (ICF/ACC) Certified Cultivating Safe Spaces Facilitator (CSS), volunteer counsellor (ENH), speaker, activist, and change-maker. She has mixed European heritage (Ukrainian, English, German) and is the proud mother of two Indigenous teenagers. Her life and her family's life is rooted in the Anishinaabe 7 Sacred Teachings: Respect, Courage, Wisdom, Humility, Truth, Honesty and Love. These values guide her daily and hold her personally and professionally accountable throughout her life. For 20 years she has focused her professional development on four fields: psychology, business, coaching and technology. When she’s not supporting clients or facilitating workshops, Robyn is a Board Member and consultant at Animikii. As well, she serves on the Board of the ICF Vancouver Island Coaches Association and she serves as a (non-Indigenous) Matriarch at the Sage Initiative. She is an ally and social justice disrupter to all spaces lacking inclusion and human rights, frequently Womxn, BIPOC and 2SLGBTQQIA+ intersections. Her focus is healing, connecting, nurturing and supporting healthy relationships internally and externally.

Connection Speakers

Connection to Earth

Plant Consultant & Herbalist

Sarah Dafoe

Originally from England, I have a background in Creative Design, Business Administration and horticulture. In 2008 I moved from Salt Spring Island, with my husband and three children, to the traditional territories of the Sneneymuxw and Nanaoose First Nations here in North Nanaimo, on whose land we have the good fortune to reside and raise our children on.I found plant medicine after moving to Nanaimo, when I began looking for nature connection schools for my children. It opened up a whole new world of plant allies, land stewardship, ancestral roots and nature connection to us, enriching our lives beyond expectation.

Connection to Others

Canadian National Rower

Kate Haber

Kate Haber, Ph.D. is a mom of two, founder of Island Mom, a pre- and postnatal fitness coaching business, a Student Employment Facilitator at Camosun College in the Co-op Education and Careers Department, and a retired national team athlete with Rowing Canada. Kate pursued a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Sciences from the University of Toronto with a focus on injection treatments for tendon injuries. At that time, she gained a passion for anatomy and taught numerous gross and neuroanatomy courses as a teaching assistant. During her studies she was Captain on three Varsity teams, and eventually decided to focus on racing for Canada in rowing. Following graduation of her Ph.D., Kate joined the Canadian national team as a lightweight rower. She went on to compete internationally on three different continents over almost 5 years. She won Gold at the 2015 and 2019 Pan Am Games, bronze at the 2016 World Championships, Silver at the 2016 world cup and attended the Rio Olympics as an alternative for the silver-winning lightweight double! Kate became the first mom on the Canadian National rowing team in over a decade, giving birth in 2017 and returned to compete at the 2018 World Cups and Championships. Since her retirement in 2019, Kate has been an advocate for Safe Sport, mentoring athletes who are experiencing abuse/bullying, and pushing for more athlete-centered programming, inclusivity, and diversity within rowing in Canada. In 2020 Kate had a second child and during parental leave she developed a pre and postnatal fitness coaching business. Kate is currently working with a small group of moms and moms-to-be, providing evidence-based coaching with the goals of encouraging improved quality of life and increased confidence. She is also a new employee for Camosun college where she facilitates co-op and internship opportunities, working to help students realize their career goals. Kate really enjoys challenging herself and learning new skills and is currently satisfying that craving by training to become a Volunteer firefighter at the East Sooke Volunteer Firehall.

Connection to Culture

First Nations Engagement Coordinator, Moose Hide Campaign

Seth Recalma

Hello everyone! My name is Seth Recalma and I’m the First Nations Engagement Coordinator for the Moose Hide Campaign. On my mother’s side I’m of Nuu-Chah-Nulth ancestry, from the Hesquiaht Band. On my father’s side I have roots to the Namgis/Haida and Qualicum First Nations. I am a VIU Alumni of the Bachelor of Business Administration program, with a major in marketing with aspirations of pursuing Indigenous Law. I was the previous Chairperson of the Vancouver Island Leadership Conference along with various student engagement positions through VIU’s Office of Co-Curricular Engagement and Learning. I’m so honoured to have been asked to speak at the 2022 Vancouver Island Leadership Conference and I’m looking forward to sharing my voice into this space. All my relations, gilakas'la.

Connection to Culture

Co-Founder & CEO, NorthMedia Agency

Reid Skelton-Morven

Reid Skelton-Morven is a Tsimshian & Nisga'a Entrepreneur & Prince Rupert City Councillor, born in raised in his matrilineal territory of the 9 Allied Tribes of Lax Kw'alaams & Metlakatla. Reid firmly believes that collective prosperity requires that we have one eye on tradition & one on the future as we continue to reclaim & rebuild our ways of knowing, being, and showing up in the world. Much of Reid's purpose & reason for being is empowering the entrepreneurial capacity within individuals, leadership & government, especially local, rural & indigenous governments. As indigenous peoples, Reid firmly believes in reclaiming our cultural roots as hunters, gatherers & traders, as historically, indigenous peoples have always had systems of trade & enterprise since time immemorial. In his public life, Reid firmly believes in building meaningful relationships & building bridges of coexistence where we can all embrace the world with an enterprising lens of opportunity, where leadership & government can be more entrepreneurial to help generate the resources to reinvest in what truly matters, which is the people that we serve.

Connection to Self

Founder, I AM RESILIENT.

Nikita Paddock

Nikita Paddock is a Global Resilience Advocate. She is the founder of I AM RESILIENT., a movement targeted to normalize resilience education and practices. Prior to starting I AM RESILIENT., she explored universities, communities, nations, cultures, and the world to learn about resilience practices. After working as a nurse in neurosciences, she gained an understanding of the brain’s ability to change and be resilient, which resulted in resilience in one’s life. She taught workshops, yoga, and mindfulness for universities and centers to promote resilience in students, faculty, and healthcare providers. She went on to work in public health gaining experience in small nonprofits, private businesses, community enterprises, regional health authorities, provincial and national organizations, and global corporations. These included wellness promotion, family and pre/postpartum/ infant health, school health, mental health/ suicide prevention. Eternally curious, Nikita shares her experience through the consilience of various knowledge systems.

CCR Speakers

Connection to Earth

Biology Alumni, Vancouver Island University

Samuelle Simard-Provençal

My name is Samuelle and I am a graduate from VIU’s biology and math departments. I am a passionate ecologist and naturalist. My main focus areas are ornithology and entomology, but it is really the birds that have the strongest hold on my heart. I’ve worked as a bird bander in BC and Alberta, and my most recent field work was this past summer in Metchosin, southern Vancouver Island, where I was working as a fall migration bander. This is where every day during the fall migration period, myself and my team aim to catch birds and band them for scientific data collection. I love bird banding as it allows me to better understand birds at the individual level. I can examine their feather replacement, plumage colouration, and biometrics more carefully. My passion for bird banding began at VIU, through the VIU Bird Banding Project, and soon I will be using the skills I learnt through the mentorship at VIU towards completing my master’s in Ontario. I will be studying an arctic songbird’s migration, and I will be heading to Nunavut in the summer to conduct the summer portion of my field work. I hope to learn more about the weather influenced movement patterns of my study species, the Snow Bunting, by tracking them using radio tags. Studying birds is a great privilege and I feel honoured to complete the work that I do. Aside from researching birds, I am also an avid bird watcher, photographer, and traveller. My work and passions often collide, allowing me to do follow my passions while simultaneously working. After my master’s degree, I hope to do some travelling before continuing on towards obtaining my PhD. I hope to be a professor, and who knows, I might even have the privilege of teaching at VIU one day!

Connection to Culture

First Nations Engagement Coordinator, Moose Hide Campaign

Seth Recalma

Hello everyone! My name is Seth Recalma and I’m the First Nations Engagement Coordinator for the Moose Hide Campaign. On my mother’s side I’m of Nuu-Chah-Nulth ancestry, from the Hesquiaht Band. On my father’s side I have roots to the Namgis/Haida and Qualicum First Nations. I am a VIU Alumni of the Bachelor of Business Administration program, with a major in marketing with aspirations of pursuing Indigenous Law. I was the previous Chairperson of the Vancouver Island Leadership Conference along with various student engagement positions through VIU’s Office of Co-Curricular Engagement and Learning. I’m so honoured to have been asked to speak at the 2022 Vancouver Island Leadership Conference and I’m looking forward to sharing my voice into this space. All my relations, gilakas'la.

Connection to OTHERS

Men's Basketball Captain, Camosun College

Jake Wilmott

I am a 24 year old student-athlete at Camosun College. I am currently completing a grad program learning how to teach children with special needs and I completed my BA with an English major in 2020 from UVic. I have been playing basketball for Camosun for 5 seasons and am in my last year of eligibility. Over the years my role has progressed from the youngest member of my team to our teams leader and captain. I have learned about leadership in a highly competitive environment and found I am most comfortable as a vocal and demonstrative leader.

Connection to SELF

Wellness Peer, Vancouver Island University

Kennedy Ordano

Kennedy Ordano is a member of the Hwlitsum First Nation, and currently lives and learns on the traditional lands of the Snuneymuxw First Nation in Nanaimo, BC. Kennedy is a 3rd year Bachelor of Science student at Vancouver Island University who previously completed a diploma in Forest Resource Technology, and has since moved on to major in Biology. Outside of class she spends her spare time volunteering in VIU’s new Wellness Lounge, where her and other likeminded students have been trained as empathic listeners and guides to accessing student services on campus. Kennedy has been a part of the Wellness Peer program since its launch in Fall of 2021 and has loved being able to provide a safe place for students to talk about their concerns, as well as helping them to access further assistance they may be interested in such as academic advising, counselling, and other campus health and wellness services. She feels that the addition of the Wellness Lounge to the campus has filled a major space in accessibility for students, as it bridges the gap between realizing one may need help, and actually feeling comfortable enough to visit a counsellor. This also aligns with one of Kennedy’s strongest philosophies in both mental wellness and leadership, which is self determination. She believes that all individuals should feel free and encouraged to make their own choices for their life, and that real personal growth happens most effectively when one’s decisions to make a change are supported by their peers and leaders.

Alumni Speaker

Project Manager - Strategic Initiatives, Simon Fraser University

Mohit Payre

As a Project Manager with over 8 years of experience, I have a strong background in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA. I have successfully managed teams of over 20 members and implemented high-budget projects collectively worth over $5 million within strict timelines. My experience spans across various industries, including Packaging, Oil and Gas, Heavy Engineering, and EdTech. I am a detail-oriented planner, skilled in coordinating with external and internal stakeholders, and I am highly analytical and result-oriented. My passion for project management, combined with my diverse work experience, makes me a valuable asset in handling projects across different business verticals. My goal is to leverage my skills and knowledge to create positive social impact through meaningful and sustainable projects.