OUR TEAM

Beth Hudson, traditionally from Sucker Creek First Nation in Treaty 8, was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. Growing up, Beth was frequently the only Indigenous person in the room and felt isolated and alone in most areas of her life. Always an active kid, she found community and connection through sport and recreation, and pursued this passion through university and grad school, eventually finding a home in the Northwest Territories. She loves to help build capacity and opportunity for Indigenous youth by creating innovative strategies for overcoming the systemic and societal barriers that impact Indigenous communities. Beth continues to inspire change in the communities she works with. She has helped develop content for national programs and training for Aboriginal sport and has networked with national sport bodies in an effort to inspire change and use sport and recreation as a tool to help Indigenous youth overcome barriers.

Rebecca is a registered forensic social worker who  is passionate about the intersection of social work and the law, and  how to better serve Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities. She holds a B.A in Sociology and Women’s Studies, and a  Bachelor of Social work degree.  Her work is focused on dismantling the  family regulation system or child welfare legal system. She is  interested in exploring how human-centered and evidence-based approaches using an equity lens, can be used to transform the way  programs and services are developed and delivered.  She is passionate  about using her lived experience, education, and skills to find ways to  influence anti-racist and anti-oppressive organizational and policy changes. She hopes to continue to contribute to finding  solutions that will allow individuals systematically excluded to truly  thrive and have access to equitable resources and supports.  

Marco Pasqua is an award-winning Entrepreneur, Accessibility Consultant and Inspirational Speaker. After graduating from the Art Institute of Vancouver, he spent 5 years in the video game industry.

During the recession of 2010, he lost his job, which turned out to be the biggest blessing in disguise. Marco decided it was time to use his voice to make a positive impact on the world, so he built his

own brand as a professional speaker and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, he has remained focused on social impact, keeping a philanthropic approach to the work that he does. Some of his most

memorable talks include TEDxStanleyPark, The United Way as an impact speaker and The Duke of Edinburgh Awards. Throughout his life, Marco has also been involved with a number of organizations as a spokesperson, helping to spread advocacy for persons with disabilities across Canada.

As an Accessibility and Inclusion Consultant, he has worked with some of BC's biggest change-driven business leaders who are champions for more accessible, inclusive workplaces. It's through these experiences that he is helping to pave the way for all Canadians to have universal access to the programs, services and places that they live, work and play.

Ryan comes to INclusion INcorporated holding a Master’s of Kinesiology, specializing in Health Promotion, and a Graduate Certificate in Sport and Recreation Management. Before working in sport Ryan’s research focused on working with members of marginalized communities.  Passionate about lifelong learning, Ryan is currently mulling the idea of beginning a PhD that would combine their interests of Safe Sport, coaching practices, and sport culture. 

Ryan was born and raised in rural Manitoba. As a transmasculine, non-binary person they struggled to find belonging in their hometown but found solace in sport. That belonging in a sport environment has led them to a career in advocating for Safe Sporting environments for all athletes. This passion has led them to work in athlete services with Queen’s University Athletics Department, before joining Canada Artistic Swimming as the Safe Sport Manager. Ryan believes that Safe Sport and the principles of diversity, inclusion and equity are interconnected and work together to create positive experiences for athletes. 

Ryan is excited to continue to dive deep into their own learning journey with the INclusion INcorporated team and explore how small daily changes can create more inclusive and psychologically safe environments. 

Richard 'Bear' Peter (born September 10, 1972) is a Canadian First Nations wheelchair basketball player. Peter was born in Duncan, British Columbia, and currently resides in Vancouver. When Richard was four years old, he was injured in a bus accident, leaving him in a wheelchair ever since. He began playing wheelchair basketball at the age of 15 when he was inspired by a team that came to his school and introduced him to wheelchair sports. Since then, Peter has competed in the 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Paralympic Games, winning the Gold medal for wheelchair basketball for three of those years.

Sarah Gallsworthy is on a journey to share the power of movement, health and quality programming. Growing up in British Colombia she learned early about the value of active, healthy living. As part of the LGBTQI2S community, Sarah also understands that barriers to programs and spaces can limit potential. She is an advocate for awareness and inclusion to help others find a sense of belonging and acceptance. Sarah left the healthcare sector with a passion for teaching others. She is currently a professor in both the Fitness Health Promotion and Recreation Programs at Seneca College, in Ontario, a learning facilitator for the Coaching Association of Ontario, a Physical Literacy master learning facilitator with Sport for Life, and a master trainer with High Five. As a sport and recreation consultant, Sarah has been a part of many Provincial, Territorial and National initiatives that support physical literacy, child development and quality engagement. When not working, you can likely find Sarah keeping active at her local park in her most important role of mom to young daughter Ayla, whilst tossing a frisbee ( that will never be returned) to Great Dane, Hamilton. 

Judy came to Canada from Taiwan in 2004 to seek better approaches to understand their athletic investment in sports. After completing a Masters in Social-Managerial Aspects of Sport at UBC and a Ph.D. in feminist sport studies at U of A, Dr. Liao has made their mark on furthering conversations about socio-cultural aspects of sport and intersections of gender in sport and physical activity at Augustana Campus of the University of Alberta at Camrose, Alberta. As a queer Asian immigrant speaking about gender, race, and sexuality, Judy encountered a lot of hostile push backs from students from the very beginning of my tenure at Augustana. Judy is an active participant in cultivating more equitable, diverse, and accessible communities that they are associated with. They have served on committees at the department, university, and professional societies to find solutions to empower and create meaningful engagements with marginalized communities in and through sport and physical activity. 

Katie Miyazaki has a Master of Public Health degree, but her real knowledge comes in the sporting realm. She has been involved in a variety of sports as an athlete, coach, and administrator on all levels and in varying capacities. Joining the Wheelchair Basketball world in 2013 really opened her eyes to Diversity and Inclusion and sparked an interest in learning more and finding ways to make a difference.  It was through sport that Katie found her voice to speak out and advocate for what she feels is needed and necessary.
Katie loves to learn and continues to reflect on her own intersectionality and how it influences her personal experiences. She also loves to hear other people’s stories and to create opportunities for people to find their passion and to gain a sense of belonging. She believes sport is an excellent vehicle for building skills like confidence and belonging but knows that there is still so much work that needs to be done in order to ensure sport is accessible and welcoming to all.

 With significant public sector and senior executive experience, Shafana is an engaging community builder and facilitator, a strategic thinker and executive leader on supporting Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in the workplace. She has had a diverse career path with a focus on corporate finance, innovative client-centric services, transformation in programs, public policy, board governance and EDI.

Shafana Mitha has her Masters in Business Administration with a greater focus on Strategic Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace. She is also one of a few individuals in Alberta with a professional designation as a Canadian Certified Inclusion Professional. 

Her consulting company Akollage Consulting Incorporated focuses on developing EDI strategies and policies, respectful workplace policies and training, stakeholder engagement, Employment Equity Policy development, and customized learning and development such as cultural competencies, and anti-racism/anti-oppression. She led the development of the first ever diversity and inclusion program, policy, and strategic action plan with the Government of Alberta for over 28,000 employees across the province and later in her career was the Executive Director for Status of Women, Multiculturalism and Inclusion.

Shafana currently resides in Treaty 6 territory – Amiskwacîwâskahikan or known to many as Edmonton, Shafana is a trusted leader where she passionately volunteers in different capacities within her community.

Fannie found her true passion for adaptive and parasports at the end of 2010 and has never looked back. Fannie is the Manager, Para Development with Athletics Canada, an experience Mission Staff with the Canadian Paralympic Committee and a member of CPC’s Performance and Games Operations committee. She also sits on the Girls and Women Advisory Board for ViaSport Fannie recently completed her Certification as a Certified Canadian Diversity and Inclusion Professional (CCIP) with the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI). Her passion lies in a continuous learning journey in developing awareness and tools to understand the systematic barriers in sport better as it relates to diversity, equity, and inclusion. She believes that creating spaces where individuals feel safe and seen and belong will lead to a more inclusive and diverse society and that this work starts with athletes with a disability, LGTBQI2S athletes and BIPOC athletes and coaches.

Fannie a trouvé sa passion pour les sports adaptés et paralympiques en 2010. Elle est présentement la gestionnaire du développement du para-athlétisme avec Athlétisme Canada. Elle a fait partie de quatre équipes de mission avec le Comité paralympique canadien (CPC) et est membre du comité CPC Performance paralympique et jeux. Elle fait aussi partie du Conseil consultatif filles et femmes avec

ViaSport. Fannie a recamment completé sa Certification de spécialiste en inclusion agréée du Centre canadien pour la diversité et l’inclusion. Elle croit en le pouvoir créer des cultures où chaque personne appartient et se passionne a une education continuelle au sujet de la diversité et de l’inclusion. Elle veut aider a créer des espaces ou chaque individue se sent secure et la bienvenue.

Fannie se joint a l’équippe Inclusion Incorporated comme collabratrice et modératrice pour nos épisodes « Favoriser l’appartenance ».

Aly is currently the Vice President of People, Equity, and Culture at a  tech start-up; he is also an Adjunct  College Professor and a University Instructor. Aly has earned his designation as a Canadian Certified Inclusion Professional (CCIP) and  teaches a variety of courses in leadership, communication, diversity,  and career development.

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As  a Consultant and Leadership Coach, Aly helps leaders champion Justice,  Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion  (JEDI) initiatives within their respective organizations and also  facilitates training on JEDI for Executives and frontline staff. Aly  facilitates a wide variety of corporate training including; Managing  Mental Health in the Workplace, Implicit Bias in Professional  Decision Making, and Inclusive Leadership.

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Aly  has over 15 years of experience as a police officer, including various  leadership roles in which he led  organization-wide Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives.  Aly was selected to be a member of the EDI Committee of the Ontario  Association of Chiefs of Police and appointed to the Toronto Police  Services Board's Anti-Racism Advisory Panel. In addition  to being a regular conference speaker, Aly teaches courses and  facilitates training related to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

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Aly  earned a master’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration and  undergraduate degrees in both Kinesiology  and Adult Education. Aly is a Harvard-trained negotiator and has  successfully completed certificate programs in Change Management,  Inclusive Leadership, Police Leadership, and Teaching Effectiveness. He  is a lifelong learner and is currently enrolled in the  Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching program at Royal Roads  University.

 Mallory Hilkewich (she/her) loves to develop and facilitate learning experiences, write educational materials – curriculum, reports – you name it, and to work collaboratively to develop strategies that will positively change the structure and practices of an organization or program. She is passionate about grounding her work in equity, inclusion and trauma-informed practice, and has worked in the non-profit sector her whole career. Mallory is always curious, and thrives in spaces of co-creation and learning with others. She has completed a Master of Social Work, studying social justice and community development approaches to creating social and organizational change, as well as a Certificate in Adult Learning & Development.

Ro Averin (she/they) is an equity and social justice educator and consultant who centres mindfulness and intersectionality as methodologies for creating sustainable social change. Through UNLRN PRJCT Ro builds remote and in-person partnerships based on transparency and mindful accountability, and provides educational resources and consultation to a wide range of leaders, workplaces, community groups, and individuals ready to incorporate equitable, just, anti-racist praxis into the fabric of their work. Supporting and amplifying the voices of marginalized folx within and outside of working environments has formed the root aspiration for Ro's work since the early shaping of their approach within postsecondary and non-profit environments. 

Kirsten is dedicated to creating spaces of flourishing through vulnerability and reflexivity within sport and recreation in order to create affirming and meaningful environments to move in. Kirsten comes to this work as a passionately reflexive practitioner and researcher within inclusive/para-sport and recreation. Her professional background involves working with many local and provincial organizations to develop sport, recreation, and leisure experiences for those across various intersections. After completing a Bachelor's degree in Health and Physical Education, majoring in physical literacy, she furthered her education and is currently completing her Master of Kinesiology degree at the University of Alberta. There she completed an autoethnographic study surrounding her experiences as a non-disabled adapted physical activity practitioner and the role she played in perpetuating ableist harm. Kirsten's research highlights the importance of confronting and disrupting ableist understandings and practices in order to mitigate micro and macroaggressions and create spaces to thrive in. Kirsten is excited to join INclusion INcorporated in finding ways to critically examine the many intersectional roles we hold within EDI work and the ways we can contribute to meaningful collaboration and create increasingly affirming experiences.

Samantha (she/her/hers) is a connector, facilitator and advocate in the sport community. She views sport as a space to experience belonging and believes sport is a medium for people to express their values, skills and ambition. 

After exploring her own rowing pathway in Canada and the United States, Samantha began coaching in the development space with Rowing Canada and the University of Victoria in 2018. Samantha has had the opportunity to work with an incredibly diverse set of athletes, coaches and community members within the Canadian and international sport network. Currently, Samantha works as a Para NextGen Coach and Recruiter for Rowing Canada. Her work is centred on improving diversity, equity and inclusion within the rowing community to enhance all rowing pathways. 

Samantha is passionate about being a lifelong learner. She completed her BA in Psychology from the University of Victoria in 2019, and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Conflict Analysis and Management through Royal Road’s University (RRU). Through both her master’s thesis project, and in her role as a research assistant for RRU and Own the Podium, Samantha examines positive and negative leadership attributes, conflict competencies, agency, diversity, equity, and the impact of holistic leadership development.  

In the Victoria sport community,  Samantha is the coordinator for PowerPlay, a project that enables multi-sport experiences and sport skill development for girls ages 6-9 in a female led space. Samantha is excited to collaborate with the incredible personnel at Inclusion Incorporated to contribute to inclusive and diverse spaces. 

Rebecca prides herself on her relationship-building skills. She is a flexible, organized and enthusiastic individual. Growing up Rebecca was a multi-sport athlete and as an adult, she plays field hockey. Rebecca loves sharing her excitement about sports through coaching and always hopes to inspire children to have a similar love for athletics. 

Rebecca graduated from the University of Victoria with a Bachelor of Education. She currently works as an Elementary School teacher in the Saanich School District. Her love of physical literacy, outdoor education and social-emotional learning are three areas of teaching that she brings to PowerPlay. Rebecca follows a holistic approach within the classroom, inspiring students to be life-long learners, critical thinkers, and kind individuals. 

Rebecca is part of the PowerPlay team and will be bringing her love of sports and strong relationship building skills to help facilitate an inclusive, caring and enthusiastic group of young athletes.  

Tim O'Loan, an indigenous person from northern Canada (NWT) and a proud veteran having served 10 years  (1983-1993) in the military before starting his undergraduate degree in Political Science and his professional career. From 1998-2006,  Tim was a Land Claims and Self Government Negotiator for the Government  of the NWT. He then moved to Ottawa for his MA in Canadian Studies at  Carleton. Tim was asked to join the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) in 2010 as the Advisor  to the TRC Chair, Senator Murray Sinclair. While Tim was with the TRC  and since, he made a number of presentations on Reconciliation to a  range of institutions and number of stakeholders. Tim continues to share this unique perspective to all levels of government,  educational institutions and the private sector across Canada. 

Radhika  is a newcomer to Canada from India.  She holds a Masters degree in  Human Development, a science of how  individuals develop emotionally, cognitively and psychosocially  throughout their lifespan.  Completing her degree in Human Development reaffirmed her passion for  supporting people through offering creative and  sustainable solutions  that promote positive development as well as drive the importance of diversity, inclusion and social justice. Radhika  has brought this to life through working in Human Resources with the  goal to maximize the potential of any organization's most important  asset- it's people. She is  passionate about working in areas like Organizational Behavior,  Workplace Culture and Employee  Engagement.

Andrea  is a settler on the lands of the Quw'utsun people of Vancouver Island,  goes by the pronouns she/her, comes from a background in human resources and joins INclusion INcorporated as a Project  Coordinator.
 

Passionate about sports, Andrea is a multiple Ironman finisher, triathlon coach and former ski coach. 

Understanding  the importance of belonging, and using compassion and her passion for  people, Andrea is focusing her work on diversity, equity, and inclusion  and looks forward to supporting projects through these lenses. Certified in both 'Foundations' and ‘Antiracism'  through the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion, Andrea recently  received her certification in 'Aboriginal World Views and Education'  through the University of Toronto. 

Lisa is a settler living in ᐊᒥᐢᑿᒌᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ(Amiskwacîwâskahikan) on Treaty 6 territory, the territory of the  Papaschase and the homeland of the Métis Nation. Currently a  Postdoctoral Associate in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and  Recreation at the University of Alberta, Lisa’s research exposes what is inherently  problematic, difficult, and dangerous in the inclusion discourses,  practices, and policies used to govern Canada’s recreation and sport  systems. Prior to returning to academics, Lisa worked as a Director in the Government  of Alberta’s Recreation and Physical Activity Division and a Manager at  the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association. Lisa is also the  Co-Director of In Situ Change Strategies – a participatory consulting firm that provides strategic learning, research, and  evaluation services to inform meaningful action.

Zoe  Robinson has worked in the not-for-profit industry for nearly 30 years,  serving in a variety of management positions, including 6 years as a  CEO, and currently works as the Director, Corporate Services for the College of Physiotherapists of  Ontario.

Zoe  is a Chartered Professional Accountant with a Certified Management  Accountant legacy designation, a graduate of Queen’s University  (Bachelor of Arts – Music History), and attended the Bachelor of Physical and Health Education program at the  University of Toronto. She is trained to use design thinking as a model  to solve problems, to develop programs and strategies, and is focusing  her training on equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Zoe  specializes in working with boards of directors and executives to  improve board performance, board and CEO relationships, strategy  development, and financial management and is a member of the Governance Professionals of Canada and the  Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario.

She  currently serves on the Board of Directors for The 519, a City of  Toronto community centre that supports the 2SLGBTQ+ community in  downtown Toronto, and is the Vice-Chair with Parachute Canada.

Zoe came out in November 2018 as a transgender woman and is living now as her genuine self on a full-time basis.

Eva is a settler living and working on Treaty 13 territory whose passion for sport inclusion stems from their experiences as a trans non-binary person and former competitive athlete. As an equity, diversity, and inclusion practitioner working in sporting and post-secondary environments, Eva designs and facilitates trainings and workshops focused on educating leaders to build safer spaces for LGBTQI2S+ persons.

Eva holds a MSc in Sociocultural Aspects of Sport and Physical Activity and a BSc in Exercise and Health Physiology from the University of Calgary. Eva’s research highlights transgender and gender non-conforming persons’ lived experiences within recreational sport and physical activity environments. Eva strives to change the dominant narrative that seeks to silence and pathologize trans persons by amplifying the voices of those experiencing marginalization. 

Douglas Arienti (he/him) immigrated to Turtle Island from Brazil in 2014. He is a trained teacher with Masters in Cultural History and post-secondary education in Sport Business Management and Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Management. 

Douglas is deeply interested in the intersection between youth development, sport coaching, and education through the Sport For Development lens. Focusing on integrating outcomes into sport programming, he has experience designing training engagements for adults and sport programming for youth and children.