Featured Speakers

Meet the 2023 Park People Conference presenters generating hopeful solutions in city parks across Canada.

Adri Stark
Senior Project Manager @Park People
Akiima Price
Family & Community Engagement Specialist @Akiima Price Consulting
Keynote
Alexandre Beaudoin
Project Manager @Darlington Ecological Corridor
Amanda O'Rourke
Executive Director @8 80 Cities
Ana Traverso-Krejcarek
Senior Manager @The High Line Network
Anne Desautels
Interim Director @Parks and Natural Habitats Management, City of Montreal
Bryan Bowan
Program Manager – Capital Projects @Parks, Forestry & Recreation, City of Toronto
Keynote
Carolynne Crawley
Founder @Msit No’kmaq
Christina Iacovino
Director @City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation
Colin Sedgwick-Pinn
Museum Program Officer @City of Toronto
Cynthia Wilkey
Co-Chair @West Don Lands Committee
Daniel Fusca
Manager of Public Consultation @City of Toronto
Dave Hutch
Deputy Director, Parks & Public Spaces @City of North Vancouver
Keynote
Dave Meslin
Author, Activist, and Creative Director @Unlock Democracy
David O’Hara
Manager of Park Design @City of Toronto
David Touchette
Mediator-coordinator @idAction Mobile
Demeisha Dennis
Founder and Director @Brown Girl Outdoor World
Donovan Harvey
Research Analyst @Urban Institute
Doug Bennet
Senior Project Manager (A), Partnerships, @City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation
Dr. Shaklo Sharipova
Founder and Executive Director, Thorncliffe Park Autism Support Network
Duke Redbird
Indigenous Elder
Farid Jalil
Hub Manager @Artscape (Daniels Spectrum)
Fatima Saya
Senior Manager Social Impact @Daniels Corporation
Frances Foster
Co-founder @Friends of Gorilla Park
Howie Dayton
Director of Community Recreation @City of Toronto
Ilana Altman
Co-Executive Director @The Bentway
Ima Esin
Cultural Planner @STEPS Public Art
Janie Romoff
General Manager @City of Toronto, Parks, Forestry and Recreation
Keynote
Jc Elijah (Eli) M. Bawuah
Co-Founder @Mentorship Initiative for Indigenous & Planners of Colour (MIIPOC)
Jen Angel
Chief Executive Officer @Evergreen
Jia Lu
Manager the Research and Analytics @City of Toronto's Parks, Forestry, and Recreation Division
John Wilson
Co-Chair @West Don Lands Committee
Katie Turnbull
Senior Project Manager @Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)
Ken Greenberg
Principal @Greenberg Consultants
Kim Statham
Director, Urban Forestry @City of Toronto
Kristine Archibald
Executive Director @River Valley Alliance
Leah Houston
Founder & Executive Director @MABELLEarts
Lexi Kinman
Development Manager @Park People
Lois Lindsay
Chief Program Officer @Evergreen
Lori Ellis
Project Officer, Strategic Projects @City of Toronto
Mandip Kharod
Regional Manager @TD Friends of the Environment
Marc Kramer
Project Coordinator, Landscape Architect @City of Toronto Parks Forestry and Recreation
Mary Rowe
President & CEO @Canadian Urban Institute
Mash Salehomoum
Vancouver Project Manager @Park People
Maureen Squibb
Interim Director - Community Programs @Fred Victor
Michelle Cutts
Director of Development @Park People
MJ Paterson- Watt
Lead Horticulturist @City of Toronto
Nadha Hassen
PhD Candidate @York University
Netami Stuart
Senior Project Manager @Parks for the Port Lands Flood Protection Project at Waterfront Toronto
Niklas Agarwal
Hub Manager @Artscape Gibraltar Point
Orlando Martin López Gómez
Community Food Growing Senior Manager, Foodshare
Pascale Salah
National Urban Park Project Manager, Parks Canada @Parks Canada
Paul Szabo
Policy & Project Advisor @City of Toronto
Philip Cote
Young Spiritual Elder, Artist, Activist, Historian and Traditional Wisdom Keeper
Sabina Ali
Executive Director @Thorncliffe Park Women's Committee
Sara Street
Executive Director @High Park Nature Centre
Sara Udow
Interim Managing Director @plazaPOPS
Sean Brathwaite
Group Lead @Friends of Regent Park
Simon Van Vliet
Multimedia journalist and social artist
Tina Soldovieri
Nature Interpreter @High Park Nature Centre
Val T Vint
Knowledge Keeper @Kapabamayak Achaak Healing Forest
Wes Reibeling
Toronto Program Manager @Park People
Keynote
Zahra Ebrahim
CEO @Monumental

Read blog posts about the Park People Conference

April 27, 2023
Darlington Ecological Corridor: A Socio-Ecological Approach that’s Transforming Landscapes and Mindsets
March 10, 2023
Park and Civics: A Conversation with 2023 Conference Keynote Dave Meslin
March 1, 2023
People for the Park. Park for the People: Akiima Price and Friends of Anacostia Park

Presenting Sponsor

Sponsor logo TD The Ready Commitment

Host City Partner

City of Toronto

Event Sponsor

Parks Canada

Sponsor

The Bentway
Metcalf Foundation
Government of Canada
ViaRAIL
WestJet
Municipal World
Mohari Hospitality