After careful consideration, the EDAC Board of Directors has made the decision to offer its premiere membership networking and professional development opportunity – the annual conference – in-person only in 2023. This decision did not come lightly, but was made after much reflection and discussion.
We look forward to seeing you in beautiful Summerside, Prince Edward Island from September 30 to October 3, 2023.
Liz Stone, Niimin Mshiikehn Kwe, Mshiikehn Dodem, Aamjiwnaang nDoonjibaa miinwaa Nogojiwanong megwaa dodaa.
Indigenous Knowledge leader and Acting Academic Chair, Indigenous Perspectives at Fleming College, currently serving 4th term on the Indigenous Women Circle - Women and Gender Equality Canada.
Previous Associate Professor, Indigenous Governance at the University of Victoria. Liz is honoured to be a member of Colleges and Institutes Canada, National Planning Committee for Campus Green Buildings and Indigenous Land Management Approaches & moderator for the Global Affinity Group – Sustainability Development Goals and Intersections with Indigenous Knowledge. Her most important accomplishment & responsibility has been that as a mother to her son, Mkons Stone-Debassige.
Described as one of the most sought-after, engaging, thought-provoking, and truly transformative international speakers and scholars in her field, Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe is a multi-award-winning education and psychology instructor. She specializes in resiliency, navigating stress and change, wellness in the workplace, and optimal performance, both at home and work. Hanley-Dafoe’s keynotes offer accessible and practical strategies, grounded in global research, that help foster resiliency and wellness within ourselves and others.
Hanley-Dafoe’s work is inspired by personal experience. She learned resiliency from the ground up as someone who has experienced significant obstacles throughout her life. This, combined with more than 18 years of university teaching and research experience, makes Hanley-Dafoe’s work both accessible and relatable while providing realistic and sustainable strategies for understanding and practicing resiliency and wellness.
Hanley-Dafoe is the author of the award-winning and bestselling book, Calm Within the Storm, which outlines a powerful and achievable path to everyday resiliency. She joined a group of highly esteemed authors from around the globe when her book won a 2022 Silver Nautilus Award.
Jason Dias leads Magnet's labour market and skills information tools and applications development. Jason has over ten years of experience working in economic development and workforce development. Before joining Magnet, Jason was a Senior Consultant with MDB Insight, where he worked on several economic development strategies, workforce development strategies, and cultural plans for municipalities across North America. At Magnet, Jason has been pioneering a movement to improve access to practical labour market and skills information through the use of relatable tools and applications. Jason has been critical in working with governments, industry associations and career practitioners, in understanding what data and needs these institutions require to better understand labour markets, skill gaps and training environments. Jason believes strongly that Canada has no shortage of labour market information, but rather that the data is fragmented, often hard to access, and has many gaps in being able to mobilize the knowledge the data contains. His goal is to improve that knowledge mobilization.
As Vice President, Workforce Strategies, Kim plays a lead role in designing and implementing OTEC’s workforce development consulting solutions. Kim works closely with OTEC’s senior consulting team, network of associates, clients and partners to transition projects from concept to execution. She also leads OTEC’s research and data strategy ensuring OTEC’s workforce solutions are anchored in meaningful insights and evidence. Kim’s passion for workforce innovation and collaborative delivery models has resulted in impactful projects and partnerships that enhance workforce capacity and drive positive social and economic outcomes for people, businesses and destinations.
With over 10 years of leading pan-provincial and national workforce development strategies, Kim is driven to bridge theory to practice through OTEC’s dynamic tourism workforce development portfolio. She has led initiatives related to sector-specific employment and skills training, sectoral responses to labour market shifts and disruptions, diversity and inclusion strategies that leverage workforce technology and cutting-edge approaches to evidence generation and use within sector-based strategies.
In 2019, Kim was recognized as an Aspen Institute Economic Opportunity Fellow after completing the Toronto Sector Skills Academy. Kim holds an Honours Bachelor of Science degree from Queen’s University as well as a Master of Environmental Studies degree in Tourism Policy and Planning from the University of Waterloo.
