Mentor Directory
Professor & Coordinator at Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology
About: Web developer and designer, with a passion for learning new technologies and love for the open web. I enjoy making attractive, user-friendly, standard-based websites with a solid backend.
Founder of The Box Of Life
About: I'm the founder of The Box Of Life and a climate advocate like many of you reading this. I was anxious, frustrated, and saddened by the lack of action of our communities towards fighting climate change, so I decided to do something about it.
I created The Box of Life because I believe that the humble composting earthworm can reshape our relationship with food and rekindle our love for nature in the urban world
Difference Maker - Community Builder - Game Changer
About: I believe that people across all lines of difference deserve to be treated with dignity and have a chance to reach their full potential. That is why I am passionate about creating sustainable change across communities by leveraging tech for community building and development purposes.
Alan Shayanpour
Retired from JDS Uniphase
About: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineer, I have worked through many levels as a manufacturing engineer, research and development, Design engineer, (Northern Telecom, Bell Northern Research, Nortel) and transitioned to the management side and took on roles as Engineering manager, director of Engineering and then VP Manufacturing at JDS Uniphase. After retirement, I had a consulting firm and helped companies in their development efforts to better understand their product design cycles. I along with some very interesting people I met through my consulting work started a company in the field of DNA analysis, Spartan Bioscience Inc. I am presently involved with a small engineering firm, Raven Telemetry Inc., as a design engineer. Raven is involved in Data mining for operational efficiency improvements in any and all manufacturing areas.
Climate Change Consultant (PMP, EIT) at WSP Canada
About: Anna is a Consultant with WSP Canada's Climate Change, Resilience, and Sustainability Team and holds a Bachelor of Applied Science, Mechanical Engineering from Queen’s University. Through her leadership of Net Zero and Carbon Portfolio Roadmapping Strategies, Anna works closely with her clients to set goals and develop plans to achieve these targets. Recent projects include the Sustainable Development and Environmental Strategy Implementation Plan for RPS (Real Property Services, Canada) as well as a National Portfolio Carbon Neutral Implementation Plan for PSPC (Public Services and Procurement Canada).
Digital Imaging Pioneer /From Startup to Scale/ Strategic Advisor / EIR, Mentor
About: Bob is recognized in the Internet world as a pioneer of digital image transformation. His creation, Cold North Wind enabled the first use of historical microfilm of newspapers to be made searchable in their original published image form. This pioneering effort helped transform and make available community histories previously locked away in geographical disparate collections. Bob was named to the “100 Influential Canadians in Baseball” as chosen by Baseball Hall of Fame sportswriter, Bob Elliot. In 2008, Google, in Mountainview, California, acquired the company.
Brad Morley
Retired from Morley Hoppner
About: 20 years CEO of Morley Hoppner which is a contractor and land developer.
VP of Engineering at Azavea
About: I'm a startup veteran with 20+ years of experience building successful engineering teams and learning with them. I believe in mission-driven technologies and I'm constantly finding ways to make a positive impact.
Executive Director @The Missing Link Project 🔴 Community Builder • Social Services • Serial Entrepreneur
About: The Missing Link Project aims to uplift and nurture the community’s youth by creating and providing after-school programs. These program categories include Fitness Literacy, Business and Financial Literacy, and Mental Health Literacy.
Chief Financial Officer at FreeBalance
About: Don has 35+ years of business/finance experience. Professional Accountant. Currently CFO of global software company.
CEO and Founder, National Children's Botanical Garden
About: Experienced Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the education management industry. Strong business development professional skilled in Executive Development, Career Development, HR Consulting, Performance Measurement and Social Enterprise Management.
Senior IM Analyst
About: 20 years in the Information Management field. Roles as IM Architect, Project Manager, Implementation Manager, Business Analyst, and Trainer
Fernanda Correa
Business Consultant and Entrepreneur
About: Passionate about innovation and business trends, Fernanda has worked as a business consultant for more than 15 years helping big companies make their strategic planning and small entrepreneurs create their business models.
Group Benefits Consultant at Mosley Group Benefits
About: After graduating with a degree in finance at the University of Western Ontario in 2005, Gavin's employee benefits career began as an Account Executive with Great-West Life, one of Canada’s leading group insurance carriers. In 2011, he joined the consulting community to develop a specialization in alternate financial arrangements. His passion is designing innovative benefits plans to help organizations attract and retain key talent, enabling them to build a better workplace. Since no one solution is a perfect fit for every organization, Gavin has trained extensively in insured and self-funded programming combined with the latest benefits technology to help his clients provide robust, yet easy-to-understand plans for staff.
Employee Benefits Specialist, Financial Security Advisor and Partner
About: While I've always loved business, it's also always been important to me to stay grounded to what's really important. Regardless of where we are in our lives, whether we're planning our estate or starting a family, purchasing a home or planning for retirement, a plan helps us get the best of what matters to us the most. That's why our clients count on us to support them in creating and acting on plans that meet them where they are in life.
Social Entrepreneur, Health Care Aide & Owner of KAMBI Cleaning Solutions
About: Ifeoma Okonji is a Social entrepreneur, Health Care Aide and owner of KAMBI Cleaning Solutions. She is also a Customer experience Professional with over twelve years’ experience in both the profit and non-profit sector. She is an astute young lady who has a passion to empower young women, and a knack for smart work, dedication and teamwork. Ifeoma is the founder of Women Economic and Leadership Transformation Initiative (WELTI) a non-profit that advocates for equality for young women in leadership, technology, health and education and also co-founder of the NPO hub a community of non-profit individuals and organizations who come together to share ideas, leverage opportunities and partner for sustainable social impact. She serves as a Mozilla Open leader and mentor, an associate member of Women in Management, business and public service (WIMBIZ), an open knowledge thought leader/advocate and a member of the Open heroines Community .
Ifeoma has a propensity to travel, sustain useful acquaintances and loves music and dancing.
Owner REWILD Landscapes | Horticulturist & Landscape Designer
About: Jeff Collins, owner of REWILD Landscapes, is a horticulturist and landscape designer focused on restoring habitats and ensuring food security. With a lifetime of experience, Jeff uses his knowledge and skills to create spaces for people and the ecosystem surrounding them. Jeff's designs include native plants and non-invasive, edible species. He believes that it shouldn't just be the local wildlife and pollinators enjoying the landscape but the homeowner and community as well.
Chief Guru at Inside Track Business Coaching
About: Entrepreneur at Skyline Ottawa Inc. and Moor Island Investments Limited. Recently founded Inside Track Business Coaching to help other business owners grow and prosper.
Professor, School of Business - Algonquin College
About: Jaswinder has over 20 years of industry experience in global business development, sales and marketing, and strategic operations in both the private and public-sector organizations. She is currently Professor of Business, Management & Entrepreneurship at the School of Business, Algonquin College.
Academic Chair, Business Administration at Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology
About: I am the Chair (Department Head) of Business Administration at Algonquin College, which includes the Entrepreneurship diploma program. I frequently engage with Ottawa area entrepreneurs and organizations that support entrepreneurs, as well as other on-campus resources (e.g., the DARE Makerspace, Social Innovation Lab). I have been a judge at various bootcamps and hackathons.
Director of Sustainability and Purpose Driven Marketing, Enterprise Canada and Creative Currency,
About: Katie works at Enterprise Canada and Creative Currency, a Canadian strategic communications firm and ad agency, in a dual role as Director of Sustainability and Purpose Driven Marketing. Her new role is building a brand new sustainability practice to help companies develop sustainability strategies, create communications and storytelling campaigns, and help businesses build social impact and EDI programs in an authentic and meaningful way. Prior to Enterprise, Katie was Head of Social Entrepreneurship at Shopify. There she built a department dedicated to supporting social enterprises around the world. Prior to Shopify, Katie worked for the Prime Minister and other federal ministers in policy and communications.
Founder Lekki Lekki
About: Katie founded Lekki Lekki to make homes in cities in Senegal cooler and greener; spread the word about how trees assist with climate change; and work toward a more circular and inclusive global economy. Katie spends her days working for the best company in the world, and her evenings and weekends with her favourite people.
International Management | Entrepreneurship | Black Diplomacy
About: How it started ~ One day when I was in grade 2, I gathered some of my old toys and sold them on the playground at recess. My “business” got shut down the next day by the lunch monitor. This was my introduction to entrepreneurship!
How it's going ~ I hold a diploma in Business Management and Entrepreneurship from Algonquin College. I am currently pursing my Bachelor of Commerce in International Management at the University of Ottawa (to continue selling on a global scale this time).
What's up next ~ As an aspiring entrepreneur and a global citizen, I strive to solve real business problems in an international organization that sustainably connects people, planet and profit.
Owner Snark
About: I am the owner of Snark, a small-batch, Arnprior based coffee roaster with a caffeine-fueled passion for bringing out the very best of each coffee growing region’s flavours. Teacher, Principal 15 years, Entrepreneur 14 years (6 years incorporated, 6 years sole proprietor)
Kim Lacelle
Coordinator SEP & Elementary Student Success, OCSB
About: Kim has overall responsibility for the OCSB SEP.
Technology Consultant DSP | SerDes | Wireless | Server Architecture | CXL | Memory | Storage
About: Highly motivated executive and technologist inspired by challenges and having more than 20 years of working experience in the fields of Software Development, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Analysis, System Architecture, DSP design, ASIC/FPGA architecture and development.
Mother of two | CEO & Founder at Ways Education
About: I am a founder and CEO from an Edtech since 2019. I developed a passion for the entrepreneurship environment during my tenure at my first start-up in 2018. I am an enthusiastic and motivated entrepreneur with an innovative mindset for agile and efficient decision making.
President/Président, P-Y Public Safety Management Inc.
About: Experienced President with a demonstrated history of working in the public safety industry. Skilled in Law Enforcement, Public Speaking, Government, Strategic Planning, and Public Policy. Strong business development professional with a Master's Degree focused in Master of Arts in Leadership from Royal Roads University.
Founder Matansar, Mentor Champion OCSB & TheBigReset - Social Entrepreneurs Program
About: Richard is a serial CEO & entrepreneur with more than fourty years of experience in semiconductors & software (Mitel, NovAtel, Extreme Packet Devices, Kivuto, etc) within telephony, security & education verticals.
VP of Marketing and Customer Engagement at Hapara
About: I love the impact of learning.
I’m a K12 Educational Technology entrepreneur who has been leveraging technology in learning since 1985 during my first year teaching. I lead organizations in the development and delivery of innovative, engaging, sustainable products and solutions for learning. I am known for deep management and commercialization experience in the K12 edtech industry.
Combining my experience and knowledge in education, technology, business acumen, executive strategy, and management skills, I’ve been honored to assist local, national, and international organizations with their transition to being mission centered, impactful, and sustainable.
Co-Founder at Proxi.id
About: I develop new and transformational business ideas and turn them into amazing products. Cloud-first, privacy-focused and mission-driven, I have a passion for technology with fifteen years of executive leadership experience in education and SaaS.
Recently Co-founder & CEO at Incuvers
About: Scientist turned entrepreneur, I’m driven by building the next generation of tech that will move the dial forward for humanity. I thrive in the fast paced chaos of early stage companies and am enthralled by solving insurmountably complex challenges. Never tell me the odds.
Achievements Incuvers:
Raised $1.5M in capital for our pre-seed round
Ideation, design, prototyping, manufacturing, marketing and sales of Incuvers’ flagship product IRIS.
Recruited and managed a team of 8 (6 engineers, 1 VP operations, 1 marketer)
Achieved full product commercialization of scientific grade hardware and software in under 30 months
Founder Stellar Eats
About: Stella is a Holistic Nutritionist (CNP), Recipe Developer and Writer behind the popular wellness blog Stellar Health and founder of Stellar Eats. Prior to entering the wellness world, she struggled with disordered eating for many years. Now, the driving force between all of her entrepreneurial endeavours is to help people cultivate a healthy relationship with food and their bodies.
Business/Community Leader
About: Known as a mentor and ambassador for many organizations, I have a proven track record of success in hospitality, fundraising ,volunteer work and in attaining personal goals.
Director of Sales & Business Development & Partner, Lightenco
About: Highly motivated, entrepreneurial, international professional with demonstrated success in sales, new business development, strategic partnerships and program design & management.
Business Finance, Digital Strategy and Operations Consultant | Social Entrepreneur
About: My professional focus is on technological solutions for community development and social entrepreneurship enablement. With 10+ years of experience in finance, operations and more recent 4+ years of startup consulting, I support organizations with business analysis, strategic planning, financial modeling and creating a fluent tech environment. I love it when data is easily integrated into a comprehensive picture of performance every month.
Retired from IBM
About: I am a semi-retired Chartered Professional Accountant with a combination of Public Sector and Private Sector experience. I worked 13 years at the City of Ottawa and held various positions including management over the years in Internal Audit, Customer Service, Finance, Human Resources and Administration. For 19 years I worked with IBM Canada as a sales executive selling technology solutions into the Public Sector. I retired from IBM in 2016 and now work part time for H&R Block preparing tax returns for individuals and corporations.
Chief Technical Officer - Blockchain on Supply Chain
About: Experienced Board Director, CEO and Senior Executive with a successful track record of leadership and accomplishment within the technology and training industries.
William (Bill) Olders co-founded DataKinetics in 1977. The company became a leader in business information systems optimization, with many world-class Fortune 500 customers, whose complex, mission-critical applications are the most valuable assets of their day-to-day business.
Bill is veteran of more than 30 years of experience in business management, technology introduction, software product design and computer language instruction. He has been a catalyst for business transformation in both turnaround and growth situations, and has driven focused and creative solutions for customers most fundamental business challenges.
Today Bill sits on the boards of DataKinetics, OmNovos and Xalgorithms Foundation, and divides the rest of his time between publishing papers and articles, speaking in the field of taxation automation and his hobby, auto racing. He graduated from The University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science in Physics.
Specialties: Business and technology solutions, enterprise-level IT problem solving, open systems, blockchain business implementation, rules-based applications development, systems performance improvement, omni-channel customer engagement techniques.