FYN Learning Hub - Carrefour d'apprentissage du RJFF/EEDIAR

Welcome to the Federal Youth Network's Virtual Learning Series for Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and Anti-Racism

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Career for Employment Equity Deserving Public Servants - February 22, 2022 - 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm EST

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Speaker Bios:

	Name	Title	Bio	Social Media
	Tabassum Khan (Her/She)	Outreach and Events Director for the Muslim Federal Employees Network and a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisor at the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions.	Tabassum is a Canadian Muslim woman of Southeast Asian heritage, she has experience leading, planning and implementing various DEI grassroots initiative in her organization as the co-chair of the Multiculturalism Stream and a member of the Inclusion Network. In her work at MFEN she has moderated GC-wide events and publicly spoke on topics related to Muslim Canadians (i.e. allyship, impacts of Islamophobia, intersectionality, and more). Her layers include woman, mother, partner, daughter, sister, and immigrant. She was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh and immigrated to Canada at the age of 5. Throughout her childhood and education she has always been vocal, loves to partake in planning committees and is involved in various extracurricular initiatives. She is passionate and dedicated to bringing sustainable positive changes. Tabassum lives in Ottawa in the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.
	Michèle Elliott (Her/She)	Senior Advisor and Subject Matter Expert, Talent Management, Knowledge Circle for Indigenous Inclusion & Manager of the Indigenous Career Navigators Program (ICNP)	Prior to joining the Public Service, Michèle was a schoolteacher for over 10 years. She then made the move to the Federal Government as an HR assistant. Within her first year in government, Michèle successfully landed a supervisory role at First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) at Health Canada. There she worked on Indigenous files, where she could follow her passion of contributing to the career development, personal growth and better living environment of First Nations, Métis and Inuit people and communities. Michèle then became the Lead of the Indigenous Development Programs. In 2019, following 11 years of service as the Lead for Indigenous Development Programs, Michèle assumed the role of Indigenous Navigator for FNIHB. In this new role, Michèle supported Indigenous employee recruitment, retention, and advancement within the department. She offered career advice and guidance to Indigenous employees. She helped managers who were looking to staff positions with Indigenous candidates. She assisted Indigenous employees, located across the country, with mapping out career paths, creating learning plans, providing advice on how to be successful in staffing processes, and helping them find staffing opportunities. Michèle is now at the Knowledge Circle for Indigenous Inclusion where she has developed and is currently implementing the Indigenous Career Navigators Program enterprise- wide across Canada. Her passion remains supporting Indigenous peoples and making a difference where she can. Michèle a Mi’kmaq woman who also has ties with the Algonquin culture. She is happily married and a proud mother of three. She has a Degree in Psychology, a Degree in Education, and an Additional Qualification Course: Teaching French as a Second Language from the University of Ottawa.
	Samantha Moonsammy (Her/She)	Section Head, Lead Advisor for Diversity and Inclusion, Materiel Group, National Defence	Samantha has spent over 15 years in the public service working in numerous communications, outreach and engagement initiatives that focuses on the people side of business. But Samantha is much more than that. Her layers include being a woman, mother, partner, daughter, sister, community builder and immigrant. As an Indo-Caribbean Canadian she was born in Guyana, South America and immigrated to Canada as a toddler. From a young age, dating back to elementary school to the present, Samantha has been a leader in diversity, inclusion and equity always helping to amplify the voice of others and create sustainable change in organizations to build deeper respect and understanding for all humans. Samantha lives in the Ottawa area and spent some time in Toronto and Barbados during her Master’s degree in Communications and Culture. She is a passionate world traveler who has worked and studied in India, China, France and the Caribbean. Her daily mantra: Be the change you wish to see in the world.
	Alexis Ford-Ellis (Her/She)	Director, Workplace Well-being & Mental Health, Knowledge Circle for Indigenous Inclusion	Alexis is a Gwich’in woman from the Fort MacPherson Band located around Aklavik / Inuvik in the North West Territories. She grew up in a chronic abusive and substance-using environment, and has lived through many traumatizing experiences. Through the teachings of many wonderful Elders and healers, she learned to change her anger and hatefulness into love and forgiveness along her journey of healing. Alexis is currently on secondment with the Knowledge Circle for Indigenous Inclusion (KCII) as the Director of Well-being and Mental Health. Previously she was a faculty member of the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) for the Indigenous Learning Program (2019); Director, Wellness with Justice Canada (2015-2019); and Regional Director of Human Resources, Prairie Region with Justice Canada (2010 - 2015). In 2010, Alexis completed her Master Degree in Psychology Counselling through City University in Seattle Washington at the Edmonton satellite campus. As a student psychologist, Alexis interned at an Aboriginal Youth Treatment Center, and did research on How is the Medicine Wheel Considered in Therapeutic Practice (2010), which was recently published in the Journal of Concurrent Disorders, Special Edition, Indigneous Mental Health, September 2019. She has 4 beautiful daughters, 3 grand-daughters, and many adopted sons, daughters and grandchildren. Alexis loves running, hot yoga, writing and sewing. With her personal experience as a Gwich’in woman, 25+ years of human resources experience in the federal public service, and her education in psychology, she is able to bring a wealth of expertise and lived experience in delivering mental health messages.
	Jeremy Tait (He/Him)	Director and Departmental Liaison, Engagement, Communications, Digital Enablement and Information Management Knowledge Circle for Indigenous Inclusion	Jeremy Tait is a member of Nisga’a Nation in British Columbia, and lives in Moncton NB. Jeremy graduated from St. Mary’s University in Halifax with a concentration in Management and Human Resource Management. Jeremy started his career in Employment Skills Development Canada (ESDC, formally HRDC) as a student through FSWEP. Now for more than 20 years he has served with various departments/organizations including: ESDC, Social Development Canada, Service Canada, Public Service Alliance of Canada, and Indigenous Services Canada. Working in a regional office Jeremy’s expertise is through corporate services and Indigenous programming in the following: Employment Equity, Training, Indigenous Recruitment, Development, Retention, Finance, Human Resources, Issues Management, Education, Social, and Indigenous Liaison Services. Jeremy is a natural leader and naturally takes on the lead of Indigenous Employee networks. He is naturally and intricately connected to the federal family through Federal Council, Indigenous Employee Networks, and Interdepartmental working groups to advance reconciliation. Jeremy works to make the workplace a better place for all employees from all walks of life. His daily goal is: “to leave the workplace in a better way than when I found it”.