Jeremy Roberts is a community builder who has been involved in public service from a young age. Elected at 26 as the Member of Provincial Parliament for Ottawa West – Nepean, he went on to serve as Vice-Chair of the Finance Committee and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Children, Community & Social Services. A long-time advocate for individuals with developmental disabilities, Roberts successfully secured a multi-million-dollar investment in a new hospital expansion for kids with special needs and helped oversee the transformation of clinical services for these children province-wide. He holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Oxford and is the past recipient of the United Way’s Community Builder of the Year Award. Roberts currently lives in Toronto with his partner, John.

Julie Bickerstaff is Director of the Info-aidant service and knowledge transfer at l’Appui pour les proches aidants. With a Master’s degree in Social Work, Julie has excelled in a number of ways over the last twenty years in the fields of consultation and mobilization, social development and program management. Her extensive and diverse expertise stems from stints in a variety of sectors, including teaching at the university level, the health and social services network, the public health network, territorial organization and the community.

Dr. Brian Goldman is an emergency physician at Sinai Health System in Toronto. He is the host of White Coat, Black Art on CBC Radio One and the CBC Podcast The Dose.  Brian is the author of four Canadian bestsellers. His most recent, The Power of Teamwork: How we can all work better together, was published in 2022.

Jully Black is ‘Canada’s Queen of R&B/Soul’ and a true Canadian icon. She has been named as one of ‘The 25 Greatest Canadian Singers Ever’ (CBC Music) and she is a platinum-selling recording artist and performer; a Juno Award, Gemini Award, Toronto Theatre Critics Award and Dora Mavor Moore Award recipient, a celebrated morning television host, a Canada’s Walk of Fame inductee and a television and musical stage actress of resolute faith and conviction.

Olabisi is a direct support professional with over 13 years of experience delivering care for people with disabilities in Canada and abroad.

Since she began her career as a direct support professional in 2010, she has focused on assisting and encouraging the individuals she supports to achieve their personal goals through the development of life skills.

She worked as a disability support worker and advocate in Nigeria for over one and a half years before moving to the United Kingdom, where she obtained a diploma in health and social care and gained experience working in a long-term mental rehabilitation hospital.

When Olabisi moved to Canada, she maintained her commitment to serving the disability community, and now works at St. Amant’s Community Residential Program in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Olabisi is passionate about helping people foster meaningful connections in their communities.

The Honourable Kamal Khera was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Brampton West in 2015. She has previously served as Minister of Seniors, as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development, as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue, and as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health.

Minister Khera is one of the youngest women ever elected to Parliament. A registered nurse, community volunteer, and political activist, she is passionate about improving the lives of those around her. Prior to entering politics, she worked as a registered nurse in the oncology unit at St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto, where she gained a deeper understanding of the issues that impact people’s health and well-being every day.

During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, she went back to her roots as a registered nurse to volunteer at a hard-hit long-term care facility in her hometown of Brampton. Minister Khera continued to help on the front lines throughout the pandemic, including by administering vaccines in her community.

Truly believing that diversity is our strength, Minister Khera is motivated to create a better present and future for all Canadians.

Stephen is the Canadian Managing Partner, Talent for Ernst & Young LLP and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He is responsible for leading all facets of the firm’s people strategy for both partners and staff. EY employs approximately 4,500 people across Canada providing assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services.

He is a member of the firm’s Inclusiveness Steering Committee where he co-chairs with Chairman and CEO, Jad Shimaly. He is also a frequent speaker on topics related to diversity, inclusion and human-equity at EY and in the business community.

He has a Bachelor of Science (Physiology) from University of Toronto, a Masters of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business and is a CPA, CA.

Krista Carr is a long-time advocate in the inclusion movement.  She is the Executive Vice President (CEO) of Inclusion Canada, one of Canada’s 10 largest charitable organizations. Inclusion Canada is a national federation of 300 local and 13 Provincial/Territorial Associations working on behalf of approximately 1 million Canadians with a developmental disability and their families.

Krista has over 25 years of experience in the non-profit sector as a champion of inclusion. Before joining Inclusion Canada, she was the Executive Director of the New Brunswick Association for Community Living (NBACL), a leading provincial non-profit organization that works with people with an intellectual disability and their families to accomplish the mission of full inclusion across the lifespan.

In her current role, Krista is responsible for leading the Inclusion Canada National organization, the Inclusion Canada Foundation, Inclusive Education Canada (IEC).

In addition to her extensive work portfolio, Krista sits on a number of provincial and national disability-related boards and committees. This includes the COVID Disability Advisory Group (CDAG), chaired by the honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment and Disability Inclusion.  Krista offers a unique perspective on disability-related supports and services, both nationally and internationally.

Krista is a graduate of the University of New Brunswick (UNB) where she earned a Bachelor’s in Business Administration (BBA) and several diplomas in Human Resources and Management from UNB’s College of Extended Learning. She is fluently bilingual and works on behalf of Inclusion Canada’s federation in both French and English. She currently resides in New Brunswick with her husband and two daughters.

With over 20 years of leadership in health, social services, and local government, Alex is now shepherding a team of over 4,500 skilled and dedicated staff and physicians at one of Canada’s foremost pediatric healthcare centres into an exciting era of change and opportunity while simultaneously advocating government leaders holding the purse strings back on University Ave in Toronto. Inspiring these stakeholders to action takes effective, strategic, and thoughtful communication.

Jane has extensive experience working in human services, particularly in the for-purpose sector and in not-for-profit organizations.

Before moving to Australia in 2009, Jane held a series of senior leadership roles in the National Health Service in the UK in the acute hospital setting focusing on issues that affect the experience of the service user – clinical and information governance.  In Australia, Jane has worked in senior national roles in primary health care and aged care, invariably during periods of significant change.

Jane joined Carers Australia in early 2023, originally leading the suite of government funded programs focusing on the experience of carers and now leads the organization as Chief Executive Officer.  Carers Australia advocates on a wide range of issues that affect carers to influence national policies and services.  It also works collaboratively with other organizations, including the network of state and territory carer organizations, to develop policies, programs, services, and events to improve the lives of Australia’s carers – supporting them, and upholding their rights.

Jane has experience of being a carer herself and is dedicated to the work of Carers Australia to fulfil its objectives and to putting the care into carers.

When not working to support carers, Jane cares for her garden and vegetable plot, her ever-growing family and adds to already over-full bookshelves.