Speaker Bios

< Conference Home Wiki Page

Ali Khan, Diversity and Inclusion Lead with the Federal Youth Network, Indigenous Services Canada	Opening Greeting / Housekeeping	Ali is the Diversity and Inclusion lead with the Federal Youth Network and currently works at Indigenous Services Canada. He is a cofounder of the Anti-Racism Ambassadors Network - a grassroots interdepartmental initiative aimed at supporting existing efforts in the public service to dismantle systemic racism with an intersectional lens. Ali maintains the Career Development in the Public Service site proving resources on mentorship and networking along with the Informal Learning Network can be used by public servants across departments and levels find project collaborators, mentors and/ or guest speakers. Ali enjoys supporting employee driven networks across the government of Canada particularly those with a focus on career development and health and wellness.
Cassie Jean Dillon	Opening Remarks / Land acknowledgement	Cassie-Jean Dillon is Kanienkeha:ka, from the Mohawk Nation, a member of the Wolf Clan, and a second-generation residential school survivor. She is a grandmother and an eternal student who recently completed a double major in Sociology and Indigenous Studies at Trent University and completed an Honors diploma from Durham College in Fitness and Health Promotion. She is drawn to education and life-long learning.   She recently joined the College @ ESDC where she is forging ties with employees and Indigenous Communities. Prior to joining ESDC, she was supporting the Learning Series at the Canada School of Public Service, providing opportunities for public servants to increase their cultural competence and awareness of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit in Canada, and to understand the Government of Canada’s roles and responsibilities towards them.
Sherri Ostridge. Chief Audit Executive / Chief Risk Officer, Internal Audit and Enterprise Risk Management Branch	Opening Remarks / ESDC Learning Champion	Sheri Ostridge is the Chief Audit Executive (CAE) and Chief Risk Officer (CRO) of Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). In this role, she is responsible for providing the Deputy Minister of ESDC with independent and objective assessment and assurance on the effectiveness and adequacy of risk management, control and governance processes within the Department. Sheri has 20 years of experience with the Government of Canada, having worked previously at Veterans Affairs, Fisheries and Oceans and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. Sheri worked in the academic and private sector before joining the Government of Canada. She is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), and has a Master degree in Education from the University of Prince Edward Island (2002) and a Bachelor degree in Public Relations from Mount Saint Vincent University (1994).
Luna Bengio, Senior Accessibility Expert and Special Advisor	Accessibility Passport	Luna Bengio is a seasoned Canadian public service executive and accessibility expert. Luna joined the Office of Public Service Accessibility when it was established in August 2018 where she was the Principal Advisor to the Deputy Minister until her retirement in June 2021.   Since then, Luna is supporting both the Office of Public Service Accessibility and Shared Services Canada’s Accessibility, Accommodation and Adaptive Computer Technology Program. Luna provides strategic advice on a range of accessibility and inclusion issues, such as workplace adjustments, information and communications technologies, and culture change. She also contributes to several key initiatives, including the review of policies from an accessibility perspective and the development of the Government of Canada Workplace Accessibility Passport. Prior to this, as Executive Director of Executive Policies, Luna was responsible for all policies and programs related to the management of executives in the Canadian public service, including compensation, terms and conditions of employment, performance management, and leadership development.   Luna joined the federal public service in 1990. Over the last few years, Luna has held several executive positions in areas such as information management and information technology, financial and human resources management, and strategic planning. Prior to joining the Treasury Board Secretariat, Luna led the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Blood Safety Surveillance and Infection Control programs. She also held the position of Executive Director of the Centre for Communicable Diseases and Infection Control.
Jacqueline Zuk, Senior Executive Director	Western Canada and Territories Region’s Employee Wellness Passport	Jackie began her public service career in 2001 as a manager of labour market and social development programs with what is now Service Canada. In 2006, she worked on extended assignment in Ottawa developing the community plan assessment framework for the National Homelessness Initiative (Phase II) as well as the planning framework for what would become the Homelessness Partnering Strategy.   In 2007, she joined the regional Executive Head Office as Chief of Staff and worked there until 2009. During this time, she also served as Management Lead for the implementation of the Service Management Structural Model. Jackie was appointed to her first Executive position on December 8, 2009, as Director, Old Age Security and International Operations. On June 30, 2011, Jackie assumed the role of Executive Director, Business Expertise, for Benefit Delivery Services in the Western Canada and Territories Region. In addition to this role, Jackie was actively involved in regional and national committees. She was the Regional Executive Champion of Employee Engagement and the National Co-Chair of the Executive Community Network. She continues to be engaged at the regional and national level and is currently the Champion for the Employees with Disability Network. In April 2017, Jackie completed 12 months of full-time language training and moved into a national role as Director General with Change Management Leadership and Organizational Readiness (CMLOR). In this role, Jackie provided leadership in building a new Directorate that will play a critical role in enhancing employee engagement and the adoption of the Service Transformation Agenda. Jackie returned to the W-T Region in November 2017, as the acting Director General for BDSB, which is now her substantive role. She is responsible for over 4,200 employees and the successful delivery of Service Canada’s statutory and apprenticeship grant programs across the W-T Region, inclusive of specialized call centres. Prior to joining the federal government, Jackie worked first as a political assistant in both Ottawa and Edmonton before assuming a role with the Alberta Tourism Education Council (ATEC) in 1994. There she became Vice President, Communications, and eventually President and Chief Executive Officer in 1997.   Jackie holds a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) from the University of Alberta.
Nisa Tummon, Assistant Deputy Minsiter for Programs Operations Branch of Service Canada	Co-Champion for Diversity and Inclusion	Nisa Tummon (she/her) is the Assistant Deputy Minister for the Program Operations Branch of Service Canada, which integrates the policy to service delivery continuum for grants and contributions programs under the mandate of the Employment and Social Development portfolio, working in collaboration with ESDC policy branches, and Service Canada Regions. The Program Operations Branch is also jointly responsible for supporting the delivery of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the Work Sharing program, along with partners in the Skills and Employment Branch, Integrity Services Branch, Benefits and Integrated Services Branch, and Service Canada Regions. Before Program Operations, Nisa previously worked in the Benefits and Integrated Services Branch, Service Canada. Prior to joining the Department, Nisa worked on a wide range of policy and program issues at Canadian Heritage, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, Health Canada, Shared Services Canada, and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, over 20 years in the federal public service.   Nisa is privileged to serve as one of ESDC’s champions for Diversity and Inclusion, grounded in her personal experiences as a first generation, racialized, queer Canadian. Nisa is originally from Halifax, and is now based in the National Capital Region, after a number of years working on community and rural development initiatives in West Africa, South India and Southeast Asia.