Data for Impact Series/How to Improve Data Literacy and Competencies

April 9, 2024 | 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm (ET)

Speakers

Kimberley Kargus

Executive Director, Chief Data Officer Branch, Employment and Social Development Canada

Kimberley Kargus has been a Director in Employment and Social Development Canada's Chief Data Office since 2018. She currently leads the Department's Enterprise Data Strategy and Business Alignment team. She is responsible for both developing and providing enterprise strategy and policy direction. Her advice has helped to enable and drive the innovative, ethical and responsible use of data across ESDC. Her current responsibilities cover management of the evolution and implementation of ESDC's Enterprise Data Strategy and associated Engagement and Awareness Plan, including the delivery of ESDC's enterprise Data Literacy Program and Data Week; the application of the strategic data lens to business planning and initiatives; the establishment and maintenance of Joint Departmental Data Strategies; and the establishment of a new Business Relationship Management function for the Chief Data Officer Branch. She was the file lead for the recruitment of ESDC's first Chief Data Officer in 2016 and continues to play an advisory role on the structure of the Chief Data Office.

Kimberley holds a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Modern Literature from Queen's University.

Outside of work, Kim is a mom to two teenagers and supporter of local community initiatives, including as a member of a municipal Community, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and chair of a community-led health care committee on physician recruitment. She also produces mosaic glassworks for charitable fundraisers and is an avid reader, diving into reading piles that are roughly equal parts data & analytics, fiction, and music and film biographies.

Kishawna Peck

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Womxn in Data Science

Kishawna Peck is an emerging voice in artificial intelligence. Driven by a mission to empower a million women to become data-literate and reshape the AI landscape with inclusive products and services, Kishawna's influence resonates through a community she founded, Womxn in Data Science. With deep roots in Canada and an expanding presence in the United States, the community currently boasts over 4000 members. Notably, Kishawna brought the first Women in Data Science Conference to Canada, further emphasizing her dedication to promoting inclusivity in the field.

With a foundational academic background in Economics, Kishawna took a deliberate leap into data science. Throughout her illustrious career, Kishawna's roles have often been groundbreaking. She frequently stepped in as the first data hire, shaping nascent data teams and sculpting pivotal data strategies from scratch. This unique perspective, coupled with her leadership in guiding teams through uncharted territories, showcases her agility and vision in the world of data. Her dedication to continuous learning led her to pursue a Master's of Management in Artificial Intelligence from the esteemed Queen's University Smith School of Business, further solidifying her credentials in the domain.

Today, Kishawna continues to build the Womxn in Data Science Community and consults organizations, empowering them to tap into the power of data and AI while ensuring ethical, inclusive practices. Specializing in data and AI literacy programs, she equips teams with essential skills, embedding a data-driven culture. Beyond literacy, she steers companies through the intricate AI product development process, championing inclusive design practices to foster products that serve more than default populations.

Her voice, enriched with experience and insights, echoes in her keynotes as she illuminates the future of work, the societal dynamics of emerging tech, and the vital shift from mere consumers to informed creators in AI.

Collaborations with industry giants like CIFAR, RBC, the Ontario Government, and renowned Canadian AI Institutes testify to her unwavering commitment. Her work, perspectives, and mission have garnered media attention, with features in platforms like The Globe and Mail, Breakfast Television, and CP24.

Elizabeth Richards

Director, Strategic Analysis, Publications and Training, Statistics Canada

Elizabeth is the new Director for Strategic Analysis, Publication and Training in the research arm of Statistics Canada. She gets to lead incredibly talented educators, economists, and communicators. Her teams provide insights on the economy for Canadians, coaching the next generation of data leaders at the agency and building bridges with the policy community through greater data literacy and knowledge mobilization.

Over the course of the pandemic, Elizabeth supported the Prime Minister and Cabinet at the Privy Council Office in achieving progress on top priorities, building a more inclusive Canada. Her evidence-based policy advice contributed to renewed strategic visions to address long-standing equity issues, the creation of policy initiatives and advancing our understanding of the economic benefits of COVID-19 supports.

Following a master’s in economics at the Vancouver School of Economics, Elizabeth’s decade-long public service career has been anchored in data and evidence. At Statistics Canada, she advised the Chief Statistician on current economic and labour market conditions and was selected as an official spokesperson for the economy, briefing Canada’s diplomatic community and private sector stakeholders on emerging issues. Elizabeth also published over 15 research papers on topics ranging from economic wellbeing to diversity in leadership. Dedicated to building analytical skills across communities, Elizabeth ran flagship analytical training at the agency, while also leading international missions to strengthen data skills and promote gender-based analysis in the Caribbean.

Moderator

Christopher Valiquet

Director, GC Data Community, Canada School of Public Service

Christopher Valiquet is the founding Director of the Government of Canada Data Community at the Canada School of Public Service. He is dedicated to building connections and solutions that help the federal public service to harness data for better decisions and operations.

Prior to this, he served as Senior Advisor at the Privy Council Office, where he supported the Prime Minister, Cabinet and the Clerk in navigating transition, setting priorities, defining policy and tracking implementation. Christopher began his public service career at the Office of the Auditor General over eighteen years ago. He then held progressively senior positions at Treasury Board Secretariat and Natural Resources Canada. His work has focused on improving economic competitiveness, environmental performance, social outcomes and the efficiency of government.

Christopher earned his BA (Honours) in International Development from the University of Guelph, and his MA in Public Policy and Administration from Concordia University.

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