William Awad is a Managing Director at Deloitte, where he leads the national Human Capital leadership team and helps to develop innovative HR strategies for a range of sectors including education. He is also a board member at SPCA Montreal. William holds a Graduate Diploma in Human Resources Management from McGill University, an MBA from Lebanese American University, and a BS in Finance.

Alicia Cameron is Anishinaabe from Saugeen First Nation, but currently resides in Sturgeon Falls, ON with her husband and four daughters.

She has a background focused strongly in Indigenous education and holds a BA/BEd from Lakehead University, and a Master of Education from OISE/University of Toronto. Professionally, she has considerable experience in public education, First Nations education, elementary, secondary and post-secondary teaching and learning, student success, curriculum writing, and education policy.

At the current time, she is employed as the Executive Director of the Ontario Native Education Counselling Association (ONECA).  She also works with the Indigenous Trustees’ Council (ITC) of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA), on a consultant basis.

She truly believes that every student is unique with their own set of strengths and gifts. She has always admired the work that People for Education has engaged in, that contributes to making it possible for all students to be successful in an ever-changing society. She is committed to contributing her skills and experience to an endeavor that advocates for the well-being and success of all students in public education.

Diavin is a people leader with over 20 years of experience in the networking, telecom and financial services industries. He is passionate about finding inclusive ways to deliver profitable growth. He is currently the Chief Operating Officer for BPTN, where his focus is on creating opportunities for their 60,000+ Black tech and professional members across North America via networking, skill building and barrier elimination. His consulting teams also work with BPTN’s corporate partners to embed inclusive practices into their organizations and help them deliver on their DEI commitments.  

Diavin is most proud of the work he does volunteering and advocating for his communities. He is the coordinating chair and OHTN primary investigator for the Black Gay Men’s Network of Ontario. He is also a board member of HQ, Canada’s first community health centre focussed on the holistic health needs of queer men and trans people. Diavin is also the board vice-chair and a volunteer mentor with Stepstones for Youth, a non-profit focussed on improving success rates for young people exiting foster care in Ontario. He has also previously served as the co-chair of the Rogers LGBTQ+ employee resource group.

Fiona is a seasoned specialist with over 25 years of experience in education and higher education policy, research and initiatives.  She is the Principal at Fiona Deller and Associates, working primarily with cause driven organizations focusing on education research, strategic planning, program design and operational infrastructure.  Fiona has held senior management positions with the Future Skills Centre, the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, and has worked for the Ontario and Federal governments. Additionally, Fiona teaches program evaluation and research design at Toronto Metropolitan University. Fiona is passionate about practical solutions that meet students’ needs, and creating an accessible, user-friendly educational eco-system. Fiona has bachelor’s and master’s Degrees from McGill in History, and a PhD from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at University of Toronto in the field of higher education theory and policy.  

Jared Forman is a communications and public policy professional with a wide breadth of experience in the climate space and in federal politics. He currently serves as the Speechwriter for the Prime Minister of Canada, working to translate government policy and actions into clear language that resonates with the broader public in Canada and around the globe. He has previously worked as a Policy Advisor and Speechwriter with Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, and at various think tanks including the Canadian Climate Institute and the Canadian International Council.

Raised by a proud public school teacher, Jared has always been passionate about public education and has fought for the interests of students during his time in campus politics at his alma mater, Western University, the institution where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations. Jared additionally holds a Master of Public Policy from the Paris Institute of Political Affairs, better known as Sciences Po, and a Master of Global Affairs from the Munk School at the University of Toronto.

Michelle Mak is currently Director, Western Communities Foundation, for Western Financial Group, leading the company’s community investments and employee engagement efforts. Prior to this role, she managed the operations and employee giving campaigns for BMO. Michelle also has experience working for national charities such as Community Food Centres Canada, where she served as their corporate fundraising lead, and Canada’s Children’s Hospital Foundations as their Director of Stakeholder Experience.

Michelle is an educator and an experienced social impact professional with 18 years of global experience working across the public, private, and social sectors. Her work experience features roles in corporate philanthropy and partnerships, nonprofit management, community outreach, donor stewardship, and impact reporting.

She has a Master of Education in Comparative and International Education and Development, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Corporate Communications and Public Relations from the University of Hong Kong. Additionally, she holds a Bachelor of Arts and a TESOL Certificate from York University. Currently, she is pursuing her Certified Professional Impact Analysis (CPIA-I) designation from Queen’s University.

Michelle was born in Hong Kong, China, and grew up in Toronto, Canada. She spent over a decade in Asia from 2006 to 2017 before returning to Canada where she now resides with her fiancé and three cats. Michelle is a regular volunteer and currently dedicates her time to Abbey Cat Adoptions as a volunteer Adoption Screener.

Steve is a policy advisor with the Government of Canada. He has over twenty years experience working in federal departments and central agencies on a range of social and economic issues, including education and cultural policy. Steve is the Director of Competition and Strategic Issues with the Department of Finance Canada and holds a Masters in Public Policy from Carleton University.