Federal Youth Network/Career Boot Camp/CBC Speed Mentoring 2025

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Career Boot Camp 2025

Speed Mentoring

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Speed Mentoring

WHAT:

These 90-minute sessions of virtual, structured speed mentoring, will allow groups of 4-5 mentees to meet with one mentor for 20 minutes at a time (through Zoom breakout rooms). There will be three rounds of networking per session.

Resources

Sample Questions for Speed Mentoring Sessions

Mentee Speed Mentoring Instructions

Mentee Backgrounds

Mentor Speed Mentoring Instructions

WHO:

All public servants are invited to be mentees.

WHEN:

• Session 1 (English): Tuesday, January 14 from 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. EST
• Session 2 (French): Wednesday, January 15 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. EST
• Session 3 (English): Wednesday, January 15 from 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. EST

WHERE:

Online, via Zoom.

MENTEE REGISTRATION:

• Session 1  

• Session 2
• Session 3

MENTOR REGISTRATION (FULL):

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=8uh8clanLkGkxpUgStaNhCCcVNGyfzRBmNtHhSzrH_lUOTBWTzdPMzZHS1hONUc2UUlZT1RVUVVYWi4u

Mentors:

Session 1

Josée Rivest	John Medcof	Robyn Atkinson	Ross Franklin	Candice Mansour
Roger Sehra

Session 2

Atsu Komlan

Session 3

Robyn Atkinson	Rhea King

Mentor Biographies

Name	Position	Department	Biography
Josée Rivest	Inspection Manager	Canadian Food Inspection Agency	Josée Rivest has been a federal public servant for approximately 21 years. She has held several management positions at the EX minus 01 level with the Correctional service of Canada in  Human resources managing staffing, labor relations and recruitment portfolios. Since 2020, she has been working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as an Inspection Manager in operations in New-Brunswick and leads a team of 60 employees. Josée holds a master`s degree in Business Administration from l’Université de Moncton, Moncton, NB. She enjoys collaborating and working with others to solve issues and contribute to key government initiatives.
Christine Lau	Director of Service Policy and Performance in the Digital Policy Division	Treasury Board	Christine Lau is the director of Service Policy and Performance in the Digital Policy Division in the Office of the Chief Information Officer of Canada at the Treasury Board Secretariat. She leads the oversight and performance measurement for the Policy on Service and Digital ( https://www.tbs-sct.canada.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=32603 ). Christine and her team work towards leveraging data to support service delivery improvement by providing a clearer view of program and service health and identifying the areas requiring investment. Christine is an experienced public servant who worked in multiple departments in areas of program evaluation, performance measurement, compliance management, projects, and IT/IM portfolio management.
Robyn Atkinson	Director, Ministers’ Regional Offices	Privy Council Office	I am the Director of the Ministers’ Regional Offices at the Privy Council Office, leading a team geographically dispersed from coast to coast to coast.  I started my public service career as a co-op student at Environment Canada, where I worked on national and international policy.  I later joined Public Services and Procurement Canada, as the Manager of the Montreal Ministers Regional Office. I am a lifelong learner, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Environment and Development from McGill, a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Public Administration and an advanced Professional and Personal Coaching Certificate from Concordia University.   I am passionate about people and creating a high functioning work environment.  I am always looking for opportunities that allow me to expand my knowledge and competency as a leader.  Through coaching and mentoring, I hope to help employees, like you, get clarity about what they want and inspire them achieve their goals.
John Medcof	Lead Faculty	CSPS	John Medcof is Lead Faculty at the Canada School of Public Service. In this role he facilitates executive leadership programs and provides strategic advice and direction on executive learning and faculty recruitment. Prior to this role, John was Director General of Transferable Skills at the School. In addition to his experience in learning design and delivery, John has extensive experience developing policies and programs, and working in a central agency. Before joining the School, John was the Executive Director of Strategic Policy at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. He joined the Government of Canada in 2004 after a career in business in the private sector. John is passionate about promoting human-centered leadership at all levels, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion in the public service. He works from Ottawa but is an advocate for distributed teams and regional perspectives.
Rhea King	Director General, Science Programs	Ecosystems and Oceans Science, Fisheries and Oceans Canada	Rhea’s focus is finding and redefining balance as she seeks to balance work, family, volunteer activities, her daughters’ many sports and artistic performances, MS Teams meetings, travel, hiking, lunches on the run, along with the many other requests and unexpected moments that come her way. She has worked for Fisheries and Oceans Canada for the last 20 years, where she has fulfilled a number of executive roles at the regional- and national-level across all sectors. Rhea is currently serving as the Director General of Science Programs in the National Capital Region. For Rhea, the people that she works to support, serve, and inspire every day are her priority. Over the years, she has been a workplace advocate for many people-focused initiatives, including: Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility, mental health and wellness, psychological health and safety, professional development, as well as change management and transition. She currently serves as a Champion for Indigenous Reconciliation. Rhea was honoured to serve as the Volunteer Services Planning Chair for the North American Indigenous Games 2023, hosted in Kjipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia). Rhea’s passion has always been her family and community. Her work as a public servant is an extension of that passion. It exemplifies her belief that what happens now will pave the way for future public servants and people all across Canada.
Ross Franklin	Acting Senior Environmental Advisor within the Materiel Group of the Department of National Defence.	Department of National Defence	He retired from the Canadian Armed Forces in 2021, having served over 13 years as an Engineer Officer. He worked as a policy analyst at Environment and Climate Change Canada for just over two years before joining National Defence as a public servant in May 2023. Fortunate to have received top-notch mentoring early in his career, he has mentored Afghan National Army soldiers on basic combat engineering and Canadian public servants on leadership and career skills.  He is grateful to join the mentoring cadre of the Federal Youth Network.
Candice Mansour	Manager Community Development & Branch Engagement Team	Public Health Agency of Canada	Candice Mansour is a dedicated and compassionate professional with 15 years of experience at the Public Health Agency of Canada. Throughout her tenure, she has excelled in various roles within a business operations environment, and is currently the Acting Manager of the Community Development and Branch Engagement team. For Candice, leadership is defined by kindness. She believes in creating an environment where colleagues feel supported, inspired, and valued. She lives by the principle that recognition begins with a simple "Hello" and makes it her mission to foster a culture of appreciation and connection. Having started her career as an AS-02, Candice brings a well-rounded perspective to her work, enriched by her diverse experiences. Her journey has not only deepened her ability to see situations from multiple viewpoints but has also equipped her to mentor others in their own professional growth. Candice is passionate about leading people-focused initiatives, with a special focus on Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility, mental health and wellness, psychological health and safety, professional development, and change management. Her passion extends beyond her professional life, as she cherishes her family, cats, and her work family, cultivating meaningful connections wherever she goes.
Roger Sehra	Assistant Warden Operations	CSC	Roger Sehra is employed with the Correctional Service of Canada within a medium Security Facility for male offenders. Roger has worked with CSC for the past 24 years starting as an entry level Correctional Officer and currently occupying the position of Assistant Warden Operations. Roger has 24 years of operational experience in a correctional environment. Roger has worked at medium, minimum, and a maximum security institutions and has been involved in front line operations, supervision, management, and special teams such as the Emergency Response Team. Roger has expressed much interest in ensuring work life balance is maintained for him and his staff as the work environment can be all consuming if left unchecked. Finding balance to engage with family and foster a positive and rewarding work environment can be a challenge.
Lisa Smylie (she/her)	Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy and Partnerships	Indigenous Services Canada and Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada	In 2022, Lisa Smylie joined Indigenous Services Canada and Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada as Assistant Deputy Minister of Communications and Public Affairs and in November 2024, took on the role of Assistant Deputy Minister of Strategic Policy and Partnerships. Between 2017 and 2022, she contributed to the work of the federal government in advancing gender equality in Canada in several roles held at Women and Gender Equality Canada, including Director of Research and Evaluation; Director General of Communications and Public Affairs; Director General of Research, Results and Delivery; and acting Assistant Deputy Minister of Departmental Programs and Operations. Lisa spent over 10 years at the Public Health Agency of Canada in Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, where she held various roles providing strategic leadership in the areas of governance, performance measurement, strategic planning, corporate reporting, knowledge mobilization, public awareness, grants and contributions programs, strategic policy and program policy. During that time, Lisa also supported Canada’s domestic and international public health response to various outbreaks, including H1N1 and Ebola. Lisa joined the public service following a six-year career as Research Associate and Professor at the University of Windsor. She earned a PhD in Sociology and Social Justice, with specialization in various gender equality issues, including sexual and reproductive health and 2SLGBTQI+ issues.