Federal Youth Network/Career Boot Camp/Speakers

What I Wish I Knew at the Beginning of my Career (English)

Name	Biography
Kathy Lusk	Kathy is the Director, Regional and National Integrity Services at Service Canada in the Atlantic Region.  Her team supports the compliance and enforcement of Service Canada social programming and benefits.  She has been a member of the Public Service since 2002 and prior to joining Service Canada in 2018, she worked in the field of Human Resources Management.  Her career with the federal government spans about 20 years and most of those years have been spent in Nova Scotia, with some time in Ottawa.  She made her way up through the ranks to become a Human Resources Director and has worked in several federal organizations including, the Public Service Commission, Canada Border Services Agency, and the Department of National Defense.  She was two key passions in her work: she enjoys creating paths to success through mentorship programs, and facilitating change.
Sean Kibbee	Sean has spent the last 20 years working in Government of Canada IT. He’s a Free Agent based out of NRCan currently posted at Transport Canada where he’s working on centralizing and modernizing stakeholder data management. As a Free Agent Sean is often called upon when an experienced resource is required to navigate the complex government IT landscape to modernize services. He moves between departments at an average rate of 2 per year which allows him unique insight into varying processes and policies and how they differ across government.
Aretha Constant	Aretha Constant began her career with Employment and Social Development Canada (formerly known as Human Resources Development Canada) as a Programs Officer, with the Canada Student Loans Program, 22 years ago. Aretha was first introduced to the Federal Public Service as a student with the Federal Student Work Experience Program. In 2004, following an Interchange Assignment with the Conference Board of Canada, Aretha moved from Ottawa to Toronto to undertake her first local office position, as a Service Manager with in-person Citizen Services. In 2015 Aretha was appointed to her first Executive role as an Integrity Operations Director, also within Service Canada, Ontario Region. Since 2018, Aretha has led Ontario Region’s Management Services Branch, which is responsible for providing strategic leadership on internal management and transactional services to efficiently support regional business lines in a number of areas, including strategic workforce planning and strategic accommodations planning. On a more personal note, Aretha firmly believes in the value of coaching and mentoring as means of supporting managers and employees in career development.

What I Wish I Knew at the Beginning of my Career (French)

Name	Biography
Maud LaPorte-Roy	Maud is a free agent at the Treasury Board Secretariat, recognized for her skills in problem solving and being action-oriented. She is currently an internal auditor for the Public Service Commission and previously held the position of Youth Engagement Ambassador for the Emerging Leaders Network and Second Language Assessor for the same department. She started her career in the public service at Service Canada in Montreal, where she worked in different positions for Grants and Contributions and labour programs. Maud has a Master’s degree in communication science from Université de Montréal.
André Latreille	President and Principal director of Groupe Altis inc. André Latreille, recently retired, was appointed Ombudsman for Mental Health at Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) on February 6, 2017. Reporting directly to the Deputy Minister, Mr. Latreille contributes to employee well-being by guiding them toward the most appropriate well-being programs and services available, by facilitating discussions between parties through alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, as well as by making observations and recommendations for improvement at the department level. Before his appointment as Ombudsman for Mental Health, Mr. Latreille has held numerous leadership positions at PSPC. Since his arrival in 2005, he acquired extensive knowledge of the Department and experience in communications as the Director, Media Relations and Parliamentary Affairs and Chief of Staff to the Deputy Minister. He subsequently led programs aimed at promoting a healthy and safe workplace as the Director General, Labour Relations and Ethics, Occupational Health and Safety, Compensation and Wellbeing. He also served as the Director General, Strategic Policy and Planning, Director General, Communications and then Acting Assistant Deputy Minister, Human Resources Branch. In addition, Mr. Latreille has held various positions throughout his career. For example, at Canadian Heritage, he was responsible for managing the Official Languages Promotion Program. Mr. Latreille graduated from the University of Ottawa with a bachelor's degree in social science.
Aretha Constant	Aretha Constant began her career with Employment and Social Development Canada (formerly known as Human Resources Development Canada) as a Programs Officer, with the Canada Student Loans Program, 22 years ago. Aretha was first introduced to the Federal Public Service as a student with the Federal Student Work Experience Program. In 2004, following an Interchange Assignment with the Conference Board of Canada, Aretha moved from Ottawa to Toronto to undertake her first local office position, as a Service Manager with in-person Citizen Services. In 2015 Aretha was appointed to her first Executive role as an Integrity Operations Director, also within Service Canada, Ontario Region. Since 2018, Aretha has led Ontario Region’s Management Services Branch, which is responsible for providing strategic leadership on internal management and transactional services to efficiently support regional business lines in a number of areas, including strategic workforce planning and strategic accommodations planning. On a more personal note, Aretha firmly believes in the value of coaching and mentoring as means of supporting managers and employees in career development.

Setting the Stage for Your Career in the Public Service (English, with French interpretation)

Name	Biography
Nicolino Frate	Nicolino Frate joined the Treasury Board Secretariat as the Executive Director, Strategic Infrastructure and Information Management within the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer. From 2007, when he joined the Federal Public Service, Nicolino has taken on senior leadership positions within different government departments including: the Canada Revenue Agency, Public Services and Procurement Canada, Employment and Social Development Canada, Shared Services Canada, and most recently, the Treasury Board Secretariat. Nicolino has experience working in both corporate and policy program areas, as well as in regional operations. Prior to joining the Public Service, Nicolino’s professional career began in the financial sector. While working in the private sector, he began volunteering and leading a not-for-profit organization, which aimed to combat homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia. In 2016, this work earned him The Governor General’s Meritorious Service Medal for advocating for diversity and inclusion. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master’s degree in Public Administration. In September of 2019, Nicolino joined the Certificate Program of Public Sector Leadership and Governance at the University of Ottawa.
Christiane Fox	Deputy Minister, Indigenous Services Canada Christiane Fox was appointed to the position of Deputy Minister of Indigenous Services in September 2020. She is also the Deputy Minister Champion of the Federal Youth Network. Prior to her appointment, Christiane had been the Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs since November 2019, and the Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Youth from June 2017 to November 2019. She also held several positions at the Privy Council Office, including Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Communications and Consultations, Director of Operations, Policy, in the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Relations Secretariat, and Director General of Communications. Christiane started her career as a Communications Advisor at Industry Canada, now Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, where she worked in Communications, and in Science Policy. She also spent a year with the Competition Policy Review Secretariat, as the Director of Communications and Consultations. Christiane has a BA in Mass Communications and Psychology from Carleton University, and is a graduate of the University of Ottawa’s Masters Certificate Program in Public Administration.

Transferring Your Most Valuable Skills to the Public Service (bilingual)

Name	Biography
Mélanie Copeland	Mélanie Copeland joined Transport Canada in 2018 as the Manager for Strategy with Transport Canada’s Digital Services Directorate and helped launch TC’s successful Digital Strategy. Shortly after her return from maternity leave in February 2020, she began her role as acting Director for Transport Canada’s Transformation Portfolio Office where she advocates for Departmental transformation, modern ways of working and supports an Agile, Smart and Trusted Transport Canada. Mélanie has a wealth of experience and appreciation for leading change in her 12 year career as a public servant. In 2015, she assisted in the restructuring of the CORCAN organization, a Special Operating Agency reporting to the Correctional Service of Canada that provides employment skills to offenders in federal correctional institutions, to support rehabilitation and help lower rates of re-offending. In 2009, Mélanie received an Honours Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Ottawa and in 2015, while working full-time, completed a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Carleton University with a concentration in Management and Change. Mélanie has a loving husband and two young boys, aged 4 and 2.
Daniel Quan-Watson	Daniel Watson is a proud public servant who is passionate about the role that public institutions play in shaping Canada and the lives of Canadians. His appointment at Crown-Indigenous Relations and Indigenous Affairs is his fifth appointment as a Deputy Minister, having been Deputy Minister (and previously Associate Deputy Minister) of Western Economic Diversification, Chief Human Resources Officer for the Government of Canada and Chief Executive Officer, Parks Canada. Much of his career has focused on work with Indigenous peoples and issues, having been the Senior Assistant Deputy Minister for Policy and Strategic Direction at the former Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Director General of the Aboriginal Justice Directorate at the federal Department of Justice, and Director of Aboriginal and Territorial Relations at INAC’s Northwest Territories Regional Office. With the Government of British Columbia, he was Director of Treaty Implementation and Settlement Legislation where he led the development of the Nisga’a Final Agreement Act (British Columbia) among other major initiatives and, with the Government of Saskatchewan where he was responsible for first negotiations between provincial Department of Education and what was then the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations. In the context of these positions, he played key roles in the negotiation of modern treaties, specific claims and many other agreements and processes. He was also the lead for several key legislative initiatives, litigation files and alternative justice programs. He has worked with Inuit, Métis and First Nation governments, communities and entities in every jurisdiction across Canada, and has lived in British Columbia, Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec. Beyond this experience, Daniel has significant background in economic development and innovation issues, federal-provincial-territorial relations, labour relations and human resources issues, and cultural and ecological heritage matters. He has represented Canada on numerous issues at forums around the world and has represented the federal government in several national federal-provincial-territorial forums. Daniel is a pilot, sang for a time with the Regina Philharmonic Choir, has taught firearms safety and hunting courses, and has represented Canada in French, English and Spanish. His record for riding a Harley-Davidson from Ottawa to Edmonton is 46 hours and 10 minutes, one he intends never to repeat or beat.

Skills Needed for Careers of the Future (English, with French interpretation)

Name	Biography
Anna Wong	Anna is committed to helping the Canadian public service take advantage of the people, processes and technologies of the internet era to meet citizens’ expectations. Anna is currently the Director of the digital community management office at the Government of Canada, whose mission is to build and promote a robust ecosystem to attract, develop, and recognize a capable and competent IM/IT workforce.  Previously, she helped to start the Digital Academy at the Canada School of Public Service where she was focused on upskilling employees. Anna brings with her over a decade of experience in policy development, stakeholder engagement and program delivery in the Canadian public service.
Sarah Paquet	Sarah Paquet attended the University of Ottawa, earning her Civil Law degree in 1993 and her Common Law degree in 2001. Ms. Paquet started her federal public service career in the Department of Justice (DoJ) in 1997. She held various positions within DoJ including Health Canada Legal Services, before becoming Executive Director and General Counsel for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Executive Director and Senior General Counsel for Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC). In August 2011, she became Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) of PSPC’s Integrated Services Branch. She played a key role in PSPC's Service Strategy, which helped ingrain client service excellence across the department. She was also responsible for enabling major Government of Canada IT-enabled business solutions. In April 2017, Ms. Paquet became the Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategy Branch, at Shared Services Canada (SSC). She led the development of the Government of Canada renewed IT infrastructure transformation plan, resulting in new investments in SSC. In February 2018, Ms. Paquet was appointed the Executive Vice-President (EVP) at SSC. As the first EVP at SSC, Ms. Paquet was providing leadership to SSC as it modernizes the Government of Canada enterprise IT infrastructure, enabling digital services to Canadians. Ms. Paquet was appointed Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada beginning November 18, 2020. Ms. Paquet is also the Deputy Minister Champion for the University of Ottawa strengthening their relationship with the Government of Canada, focussing on student mental health and recruitment. She is a strong advocate for women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Manon Brassard

Engaging an Audience Through Storytelling (English)

Name	Biography
Yael Berger	Yael is working at the intersection of digital government policy and strategic communications for Employment and Social Development Canada, to better serve Canadians through new digital channels. She was recently a senior member of the Canadian Digital Service’s outreach team, helping create impact through stories of putting people at the heart of digital services. Prior to joining the Government of Canada, Yael enjoyed a decade-long career as a political journalist in Ottawa and Toronto, producing national podcasts, creating multimedia social media campaigns, and breaking news in print and radio. She spends most of her free time with her senior rescue dog, Bella, or with her head in a good cookbook.
Elissa Dodd	Elissa began her public service career at the CRA in 2009. She was the Ontario Region Chair for the CRA-YPN from 2016-2018 and Co-Chair of the Future Leaders of Ontario from 2018-2019. She received a CRA Award of Excellence in the category of Future Leader for 2018. In 2019 she became one of Canada’s Free Agents. She is currently on assignment implementing Character Leadership at the CRA where she and her team received a Michelle C Comeau HR Leadership award from the HR Council in 2020. Her favourite job title is mom.
Justin Mathews	Justin is currently a Senior Analyst with the Digital Communications Coordination Unit at the Privy Council Office (PCO) supporting the Government of Canada's COVID19 Response. Most recently, Justin served as the Digital Communications Lead for the Public Service Renewal Secretariat at PCO in support of the Beyond2020 renewal agenda. Prior to this, Justin worked at Immigration, Refugees, Citizenship Canada on Operation Syrian Refugees and later, leading a pilot project on student recruitment. A passionate storyteller and clear-writing evangelist, Justin is eager to connect with anyone on building a better Canada, now and into the future. A proud Indo-Canadian, failed comedian, and unapologetic Drake fan, self-authored third-person biographies make him cringe (a little). You can connect with him on all social media: @justmath19

Engaging an Audience Through Storytelling (French)

Name	Biography
John Medcof	My name is John Medcof and I work in the Transferable Skills team at the Canada School of Public Service. Our team curates, designs and delivers learning for federal public servants to help them develop portable skills and mindsets that are relevant inside, outside and across government. This includes learning related to Business Acumen, Leadership, and Enabling Skills, to help build a public service that is kinetic, connected and collaborative. Before joining the School in 2018, I worked at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Infrastructure Canada, and Transport Canada, in addition to spending twelve years in the private sector.
Paul Keller
Pascale Elvas	Pascale Elvas is currently serving as Executive Director of Strategic Policy in the Priorities and Planning Sector at the Treasury Board Secretariat. Pascale is passionate about the human aspect of public policy. She joined Priorities and Planning in January 2017, where she led government-wide efforts to make services more inclusive for people of all genders. In March, Pascale deployed to Canada’s COVID-19 Taskforce where she built and launched a new email notification service to provide people with trusted and authoritative information about COVID-19. Pascale was a founder and Senior Director at the Canadian Digital Service. She is an affiliate with Public Digital, a global consulting firm that prioritizes user needs to create better services. Before that, Pascale was the Director of the Blueprint 2020 National Secretariat at the Privy Council Office. Pascale was a founding member of Shared Services Canada, where she worked in the President’s office for three years. As a volunteer, Pascale served as Youth Co-Chair of the Government of Canada Workplace Charitable Campaign and co-founded ProjectBe which has raised over $1M to date for youth causes. Pascale is the recipient of a Public Service Award of Excellence and a leadership award from the Secretary of the Treasury Board.

Intentional Communication in a Virtual World (bilingual)

Name	Biography
Simon Gascon
Heather Hamilton	Heather Hamilton has over 30 years of public service experience at the municipal, provincial and federal levels.  She began her career as a clerk with the City of Edmonton, and moved to the Government of Canada as a receptionist in 1991. She worked through progressively more responsible roles across the country, and was appointed as an executive in 2004. Heather served in executive roles with Human Resources and Social Development Canada, and Environment Canada.  She left the Government of Canada in 2013 to serve as head of communications for Edmonton Regional Airports Authority, and then served as Assistant Deputy Minister of Communications for the Government of Alberta.  Heather returned to the Government of Canada in 2018 as Regional Director General of the Prairies Region with the Parole Board of Canada.   Heather holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Carleton University, and a Master of Arts in Communications and Technology from the University of Alberta.  She has a particular interest in diversity issues and communications law, and is a passionate advocate of continuous learning and public service values and ethics.
Annie Therriault	Annie is a dynamic, high-energy visionary who likes to do things differently. Her collaborative approach, with a focus on client excellence and social involvement, earned her a solid reputation as an authentic leader. She pursued a career in management so she could have a greater impact on improving well-being in the workplace, determined to make a difference and coach the people around her to become the best they can be. She transitioned to a full-time Faculty role in April 2020, and returned to her original passion for teaching and facilitation. Starting out as a high school teacher of French as a first language in her hometown of Sherbrooke, Québec, Annie became a lecturer in the Education Faculty at Université de Sherbrooke. After moving to the National Capital Region (NCR) in 1998, she took a position with the Public Service Commission as Language Assessor and then joined the Management Trainee Program (MTP) in 2002. She left the NCR for a regional assignment to hone her skills in financial management and supervision with Canadian Heritage in New Brunswick. Charmed by the beaches and the ocean, she decided to move permanently to Moncton, where she was able to work on the beginnings of the Canada School of Public Service Atlantic in 2004. She designed, created and worked in the role of Regional Learning Advisor, developing a culture of Service Excellence in the Atlantic Region. She took on the role of Regional Manager of professional development programs and was in that job for seven years. Annie has been the Regional Director of the Atlantic Region and the Centre of Excellence in Language Training from 2012 to 2017. In September 2017, she got appointed as Director of Regional Delivery and became responsible for the 12 Canada School regional offices and the delivery of courses and events across the country to a client-base of 150 000 public servants. Annie has more than 18 years of experience in supervising employees and she managed virtual teams since 2003.

Leading with Connections (English, with French interpretation)

Name	Biography
Dan Couture	On December 29, 2016, Mr. Dan Couture was appointed to the position of Assistant Commissioner, Human Resources Branch (HRB) and Chief Human Resources Officer at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). He previously held the position of Deputy Assistant Commissioner for HRB since 2013. Mr. Couture began his career in the federal public service in 1990 with the CRA. He spent the earlier part of his career in various operational positions in client services, revenue collections and field investigations. From 1997 to 2000, he was the Executive Assistant to the Commissioner. Since then, he has acquired well over 20 years of experience as an executive in Operations, Corporate and Program areas. Mr. Couture is the recipient of the Michelle C. Comeau HR Leadership Award (2019) in the Head of Human Resources category. He was also the recipient of the Association of Professional Executives of the Public Service of Canada (APEX) Award of Excellence for Leadership (2016). Mr. Couture holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Industrial Relations from McGill University and is a graduate of the University of Ottawa, Public Service Leadership and Governance Certificate Program, the Living Leadership Program and the Management Trainee Program (MTP).
Christina Cyr	Christina Cyr is the A/Manager of a Strategic Relations and Engagement team at Shared Services Canada. As co-chair for SSC’s employee-led innovation network, Christina led the Government of Canada’s first TEDx event in 2019. Over the last 10 years Christina has worked for 3 Federal departments and learned the importance of community and engagement. Christina is also a LeadersGC collaborator, supporting monthly Twitter chats that connect leaders of all levels to help shape our public service.
Nadia Theodore	"Excellence with authenticity” is Nadia Theodore’s motto. A seasoned Public Affairs leader with a reputation for forging strong partnerships wherever she goes, she manifests humility, confidence and fun. Her passion for community service leads Nadia to invest time and effort in ventures that are committed to putting more women that look like her in decision making spaces across Canada and globally, with true power and influence at the table. With a career path that took her from her native Ottawa to the World Trade Organization in Geneva, the Consulate General of Canada in Atlanta and most recently, to Toronto take up a Senior Vice President role at Maple Leaf Foods, Nadia embodies the leader of the future: hard-working, values driven and transparent.

First Impressions in a Virtual World (English)

Name	Biography
Afreen Delvi	Afreen began her public service career two years ago as a Communications Strategist for the Office of Public Service Accessibility (OPSA) at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS). She is a student completing her Master’s in International Affairs and holds an interest in championing holistic solutions to address today’s most pressing issues, focusing on accessibility, diversity and inclusion. As a Youth Accessibility Leader with the Enabling Accessibility Fund, and through working on the implementation of the Nothing Without Us accessibility strategy, she hopes to demonstrate leadership and commitment to building a more accessible Canada, void of barriers to the full and equitable participation and success of all Canadians, including persons with disabilities.
Shanu Bhandari	Hi all! My name is Shanu and I am a second generation Indo-Canadian. I completed my undergraduate program in the sciences at the University of Ottawa and am in the last stages of completing my Masters in Environment and Management. I’ve taken advantage of the supplementary courses allowed and did a lot of sociology, economics and statistic courses which broadened my understanding of the EC-stream. Furthermore, I took project management at the Sauder School of Business so I could learn how to best plan out my projects. In my substantive role at ECCC, I worked as an Innovation Officer and was responsible for helping with Beyond2020 in our department, a government-wide initiative to make the workplace more agile, inclusive and equipped. Not only did we collect feedback from our colleagues from coast to coast to coast, but we turned them into tangible programs while building in an evaluation component. Our goal was to measure the effectiveness of novel initiatives by setting up our own metrics for success paired with the Public Service Employee Survey. In my new role as an Analyst on the COVID-19 team, I assist with the COVID-19 committee and help produce daily reports for senior executives, including the Prime Minister. In these daily reports we have an amalgamation of information which include epidemiological updates, and we coordinate with various colleagues to gather information on the impact of COVID-19 across the country, in Indigenous communities, and for Correctional Services Canada. When it comes to work, I have a philosophy. Instead of chasing the role, I chase the leadership. I do my diligent research into the team dynamics and the executives. I accept roles which are challenging, with leadership there to support it. I’ve been extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to work with and for such incredible, brilliant leaders, and with colleagues who help me grow. I’ve never felt limited by level and have always been given work according to my abilities.
Sony Perron	Sony Perron was appointed to the role of Executive Vice-President of Shared Services Canada on September 28, 2020. Prior to his new appointment, he served as Associate Deputy Minister of Indigenous Services Canada from December 2017 to September 2020. Mr. Perron also served as Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch at Health Canada from January 2014 to December 2017, and Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services Branch between 2012 and 2013. Previously, Mr. Perron occupied a number of executive functions in Health Canada including the positions of Director General, Transformation; Director General, Non-Insured Health Benefits; and Executive Director, Operational Services and Systems. Mr. Perron started his Public Service career at Canada Economic Development in 1997, and worked at the Treasury Board Secretariat and Human Resources Development Canada prior to joining Health Canada. Mr. Perron is the current Chair of the 2020 Government of Canada Workplace Charitable Campaign. Mr. Perron holds a Master’s in Public Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Planning. He is the father of three children.

First Impressions in a Virtual World (French)

Name	Biography
Jennifer Thorne	Public Service Renewal Secretariat Privy Council Office Jennifer has worked for the Public Service of Canada for over 20 years where she has developed expertise in policy, program management, communications, engagement, governance and client service.  An executive for over 10 years, she has held positions in multiple departments – her most recent role as Director of Appointments at the Privy Council Office.  In this role, she oversaw key elements of the Governor in Council and Senate Appointments processes.  She has been working virtually from Mont-Tremblant for the Public Service Renewal Secretariat at the Privy Council Office since fall 2018.
Jean Cardinal	Director, Government of Canada Corporate Skills Canada School of Public Service Jean Cardinal is currently the Director of GC Corporate Skills at the Canada School of Public Service. Prior to joining the Public Service, Jean worked in the private sector for 15 years, in a variety of sectors, including marketing, sales & high tech. Jean joined the Public Service 12 years ago, starting at the National Capital Commission. In 2012, he joined the Canada School where he has held a variety of positions leading up to the one he holds today. Jean is responsible for all Functional Communities Curriculum related to Corporate Services:  Finance, Audit, Human Resources, information Management, Information Technology, Security, Emergency Management, Privacy & ATIP. He is the proud Dad of two wonderful young ladies, ages 12 and 9.