Creative Economy Summit - List of Speakers

Adam Baacke, AICP is Assistant City Manager and Director of the Department of Planning and Development for the City of Lowell, MA. He has worked for the DPD in Lowell since 2000, including as Chief Planner and as Deputy Director prior to his current position. During that period, the City of Lowell has seen over 2.6 million square feet of formerly vacant downtown buildings rehabilitated and reoccupied with new uses, including over 1600 new housing units and dozens of new retail businesses and restaurants. Mr. Baacke also acted as project manager and principal author for the City of Lowell's first Comprehensive Master Plan in 30 years and the comprehensive redrafting of the City's entire zoning code and map between 2001 and 2004. He also conceived of and continues to lead the implementation of the Hamilton Canal District, one of New England's most dramatic mixed-use, transit-oriented development projects. Mr. Baacke holds degrees from Cornell University and the University of Massachusetts-Boston's McCormack Institute. Before coming to Lowell, he has worked as a planner, historic preservationist, and designer of museum exhibits, theater scenery and special events in Upstate New York, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire.

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Anya Codack is an Economic Development marketing and technology veteran. She has led the growth and strategic direction of Yfactor since 1997. Yfactor is an award winning content management software firm and consultancy that helps economic developers with marketing strategies, branding and web-based marketing. Anya has over 20 years of experience delivering technology and design solutions and takes the role of lead consultant and strategist in selected projects. She is a member of a number of economic development, design and business associations including EDCO, EDAC and IEDC.

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Carolyn Kae Phillips, Director of Strategic Initiatives for World Business Chicago (WBC), is a seasoned marketing and management professional with over twenty years of consumer and business-to-business experience in both start-up and Blue Chip companies.

In her current role, she is responsible for creating and developing strategic initiatives and external partnerships to extend the city's global positioning efforts. She also functions as a catalyst and value-added marketing consultant to partner organizations and other WBC departments. Phillips created and implemented The Universities Initiative, an innovative partnership with top business schools, including development of a unique database cross-referencing faculty with country expertise and strategic sell-in efforts to faculty, alumni, and visiting international executive delegations. She is currently spearheading the Chicago-China Friendship Initiative which WBC is leading for the city.

Phillips came to WBC as a key member of the original start-up management team. In her initial role as Director of Marketing and PR, she created the overall communications capability for WBC and led all global marketing and public relations efforts for the organization.

Phillips' accomplishments also include initiating and leading strategic branding work for the city both nationally and internationally, conceiving and developing the WBC Ambassador Program which engages over 100 CEOs in extending Chicago's messaging around the world, strengthening WBC's relationships with the Chicago Consular Corps, creating an unprecedented advertising campaign at O'Hare and Midway airports, initiating and leading communications groups to generate ideas for the benefit of Chicago, and leading the United States Olympic Committee's Chicago Community Partnership effort.

In her previous position, Phillips was Vice President of Marketing and PR for One-On-One Sports. She successfully created, directed and managed all marketing and PR responsibilities for the national sports talk radio network and the owned and operated radio stations. She helped to establish the One-On-One Sports Brand, to launch the station's first ever owned & operated stations in four major U.S. cities and to lead the network's marketing efforts for World Cup '94 broadcasts, NFL Europe, University of Michigan Football, The Masters and the PGA Championship.

Phillips also spearheaded the marketing efforts on behalf of One-On-One Sports during the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, the first ever spectator-only broadcasts in the Olympic Stadium and Aquatic Center venues.

Prior to her work at One-On-One Sports, Phillips held marketing positions with Coca-Cola, U.S.A., The NutraSweet Company and Intellivoice Communications, Inc. She started her career in advertising in account management positions at Foote, Cone & Belding and The Leo Burnett Company.

Phillips holds a Masters of Management degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Center of International Rehabilitation, the Lincoln Park Zoo Women's Board, and as Vice President on for the Business Marketing Association. She is also a member of Northwestern University's Council of 100, International Women's Associates, and the Economic Club of Chicago.

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Dan is a creative problem solver, who learned about creativity and marketing at the dinner table.

Dan took his private sector sales and marketing experience and applied it in the public sector as an innovative economic development officer in Prince Edward County.

Dan still practices economic development as President and CEO of the Greater Peterborough Economic Development Corporation.

Dan is also an international speaker, facilitator and workshop leader on creative economic development solutions.

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David Buchbinder is an award-winning trumpeter, composer, producer and cultural inventor. He leads numerous music groups, composes for concert, theatre, film and television, presents large-scale performance projects and has toured extensively in North America & Europe. He has been involved in the creation and presentation of world music and jazz since 1987 and has earned a reputation as one of its compositional and instrumental leading lights, through his Odessa/Havana project, the Flying Bulgars, (three JUNO Award nominations), and his eponymous Jazz Ensemble. He was the founding artistic director of the Ashkenaz Festival, recognized s one of the premiere festivals of Jewish culture in the world.

He is the composer/creator/producer of Shurum Burum Jazz Circus, a unique music-centered extravaganza for 11 musicians and 7 movement artist from the worlds of circus and modern dance, and the creator of the multidisciplinary, music-centred spectacle Tumbling Into Light which saw its sold-out debut January, 2010. His new multi-disciplinary work seeks to explore the often ignored places where cultures, art-forms, and expressive mediums intersect, to serve the greater purpose of presenting one-of-a-kind performance experiences for musical, theatre, dance and multi-disciplinary audiences. In 2009/2010, David was an inaugural Resident Artist of the Young Centre for the Performing Arts.

As the CEO and Artistic Director for Diasporic Genius, David brings his extensive experience as a visionary producer to the field of civic engagement and community development to create measurable social change in the City of Toronto.

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David Oakes is the Director of Economic Development and Tourism Services for the City of St. Catharines.  Educated at the Brock University with a B.A. in Environmental Economics and the University of Waterloo with a Masters in Local Economic Development, he has been with the City of St. Catharines since 2000.  Over that period, the department has won in excess of 20 awards in economic development and tourism at the provincial, national and international levels. Oakes was a recipient of the 2009 Chamber of Commerce Young Professional of the Year Award and the Business Link 40 under Forty Business Achievement Award in 2010.

Oakes is a member of the Economic Development Association of Canada, Economic Development Council of Ontario and International Economic Development Council.  Member of several Board of Directors including Niagara Grape and Wine Festival, St. Catharines and Area Arts Council and Current Chair of Niagara Interactive Digital Media Generator (nGen).  A certified economic development professional David is a happily married father of two who enjoys golf, curling and reading.

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Don Duval is an energetic, innovative business leader known for his skills in strategic thinking, program development, collaboration, and implementation in growth-oriented organizations.  He has demonstrated success as a public speaker, a musician, an entrepreneur, an angel investor, an engineering professor, and as a leader at MaRS.

At MaRS, Don is responsible for client services including advisory services, educational programming, community engagement, and talent management.  Don is also responsible for corporate strategy, the MaRS operational performance management program, and the collaboration technology portal.  As part of his broader provincial role, Don is also the head of the Toronto Regional Innovation Centre, the largest member in the Ontario Network of Excellence.

Outside of MaRS, Don serves as an adjunct professor in the University of Toronto's Faculty of Engineering and is an Executive Board member for the Queen's Players Toronto Theatre Company, Nepali Children's Education Program and JUMP Math.  He is also the Toronto Chair for the Manning Innovation Awards, sits on the Advisory Board for the Canadian Innovation Exchange, and is a past recipient of the Governor General of Canada's Canadian NCE Young Innovators Award.  He holds a BScH in Chemistry from Queen¹s University and a MASc in Civil Engineering from the University of Toronto.

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Donna Cansfield was first elected as MPP for Etobicoke Centre in 2003 and in 2011 was re-elected for a third term. In 2005, she was appointed Minister of Energy; in 2006, Cansfield was appointed Minister of Transportation and in 2007 she was appointed Minister of Natural Resources.  Her most recent portfolios have been Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and she is presently the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Economic Development and Innovation.

Donna Cansfield is a tireless contributor to services for communities, families and, in particular, children. She was a school trustee for 15 years, a member of the Etobicoke School Board and chair of the Toronto District School Board, president of the Ontario Public School Boards' Association, and vice-chair of the Toronto Foundation for Student Success. She also has national experience through her work as a board member for Learning for a Sustainable Future, director of Prime Mentors of Canada and as a past president of the Canadian School Board Association.  Representing a riding with Canada's largest proportion of senior citizens, Cansfield has served as a director of a hospice and has been active in other health care efforts. She has continued to work with her constituents to recognize key social goals and formed partnerships to achieve them.

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Frank Miele holds an undergraduate degree in Planning and Masters degree in Local Economic Development from the University of Waterloo, and has held senior leadership positions in municipal government over the past 30 years.

Frank began his municipal career as a planner with the City of Niagara Falls in 1979. Since then, he has held progressively senior positions with the City of Niagara Falls, Scarborough, Vaughan and became the Chief Administrative Officer for the Municipality of Meaford, Ontario, 2009.

Along his career path, Frank has been an active contributor to broader municipal initiatives, at the regional, provincial, and national levels, in order to stay current and to ensure that his municipality is exposed to new and better practices. Frank is a credentialed municipal manager through the Ontario Municipal Management Institute.

Among his many accomplishments in municipal planning and administration, Frank has been an active voice on several inter-municipal boards and associations. In 1998, he was recognized by the Economic Developers' Association of Ontario with the prestigious Economic Development Achievement Award, and in 2001 he was the President of the Ontario Municipal Management Institute.

For numerous years, Frank was a driving force behind the innovative city branding campaign to position Vaughan as the "City Above Toronto". As the Chair of the marketing board, consisting of community leaders from all sectors, Frank mobilized their support to implement one of Canada's best image marketing program, this group was successful in achieving recognition for Vaughan as one of the Top 10 best Communities in which to do business. Most recently, Frank created Meaford's new brand called Meaford –"the other big apple".

His work in P3s has been highly acclaimed with some major successful projects in municipal waste/energy technologies, and recreation development.

Frank also teaches Economic Development at York University's School of Public Policy and Administration and at Ryerson University's School of Urban and Regional Planning.

Frank has a strong employment track record, improving long range fiscal planning, and is committed to continuous improvement and service excellence. He has been key to the success of several initiatives including a municipal-wide organization review, developed a new corporate vision/strategic plan, and building Meaford's leadership and organizational capacity. As well, Frank has led the administrative project team in the development of several Citizen Task Forces that has driven Meaford's successful process of eliminating its deficit.

Frank has a proven track record in creative partnerships and innovative problem solving. What has impressed communities is his unique public engagement approach, strategic thinking process, partnerships and capacity building. He brings tested skills and a fresh perspective to a community.

In addition to his professional pursuits, Frank enjoys an active role in community life as an avid soccer coach, volunteer in numerous organizations and spending time with his wife and four children.

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Gary Goodyear was first elected to the House of Commons in 2004 and was re-elected in 2006, 2008 and 2011. On October 30, 2008, he was appointed Minister of State for Science and Technology, and on August 13, 2009, he was named Minister of State responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He was re-appointed to both positions on May 18, 2011.

Prior to entering federal politics, he practised chiropractic medicine and worked as an advisor to investment firms in the biomedical industry.

A former Public Relations Director and Past President of the College of Chiropractic Sports Sciences in Toronto, Dr. Goodyear taught at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College and the University of Waterloo. He was co-designer of a three-year post-graduate sports fellowship program and co-author of “Practice Guidelines.” He has worked with many athletes, both amateur and professional, and served as medical services chair of the Ontario Special Olympics.

Dr. Goodyear attended the University of Waterloo, specializing in kinesiology and psychology, before graduating from Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College. He worked his way through university as a meat packer and labourer.

A native of Cambridge, Ontario, he is married to Valerie and they have two children.

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Jacqueline is Senior Training Programs Manager of CFC Media Lab, the world-renowned and award-winning institute for interactive storytelling created in 1997 at the Canadian Film Centre.

As an interactive producer, Jacqueline supervises project and prototype development while working closely with industry partners on strategic relationships on projects and national training activities. She is currently working with OCADU on the recently jointly launched Digital Futures MA program. In addition to this has fostered curatorial relationships with the 2010 Cultural Olympiad and is currently working on program design for incubating the next generation of entertainment properties.

With her company Eventide Media she has worked as a consultant with several Canadian production companies and convergent projects such as Direct Current's 4Real.com and Kensington's Diamond Road Online websites. In the past, she was the Director of Communications at DECODE Entertainment Inc. in Toronto. She has an award-winning cross media portfolio, and has a wide range of experience in content strategy, online/broadcast convergence, branding & marketing, and communications strategy.

She frequently speaks at digital media festivals and is an active board member on the Davenport Perth Neighborhood Community Health Centre.

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Janet Lees has over 17 years experience in small business and economic development.  She has worked with hundreds of companies who design and manufacture artisanal products.  Janet has particular expertise in the Apparel Sector and pioneered the first industry specific programs in San Francisco to help fashion designers grow in place and connect with sub-contract manufacturers.  As Program Director at the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, a position she held for over 10 years, Janet led the design and delivery of all of the educational and technical assistance programs which won numerous local and national awards for program excellence.

Janet runs a small consultancy practice providing communications and public relations services to select  product design companies.  She oversees marketing and communications operations for her husband's modern furniture company, Jason Lees Design. Janet was a founding member of the San Francisco Economic Development Alliance, a former steering committee member for the San Francisco Small Business Development Center, and nominated in 2009 for the Small Business Administration's Women's Business Advocate of the Year Award.  A native of the UK, Janet studied English Literature, History and Politics at the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.

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As Associate Director of The Monieson Centre, Jeff Dixon works to connect leading research with real-world business and community needs. He supports the strategic oversight and provides day-to-day management of the Centre's leading research on knowledge and the knowledge economy around themes including healthcare and economic revitalization. He has provided leadership and project management to numerous research initiatives, for partners including the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Government of Canada's Rural Secretariat, OMAFRA, and EDCO, as well as numerous corporate clients.

Jeff has spoken internationally on rural economic development issues, including the emergence of the creative economy as a rural development strategy. An honours graduate of Queen's University's Bachelor of Commerce program, he has previously worked in communications for Bombardier and in marketing and strategy development for non-profit organizations.

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Julian Brass launched Notable.ca in 2008 to offer young professionals an online destination for them to call their own. “Young. Professional. Connected.” is not only Notable's tagline, but also the pulse that drives its mission of bringing relevant and engaging content to young, driven and trendy professionals. Today Notable.ca is looked at as the definitive source for young Canadian professionals and tastemakers.

Prior to founding Notable.ca, Julian Brass lived in San Francisco, where he joined Silicon Valley start-up Engage.com, a hybrid social networking and online dating website.

Notable was named a finalist for nextMEDIA’s Digital Hot List contest which recognizes the hottest Canadian digital properties, and was named Runner-Up in the “Canada’s Next Great Start-up” competition sponsored by KPMG at IMPACT National Conference.

Julian and Notable.ca have been featured by various media outlets, discussing trends and current-events related to young Canadian professionals. He was named Entrepreneur of the Year Under 30 by IMPACT National Conference and was recently named one of "Toronto's Hottest Young Entrepreneurs" by The Globe and Mail. Julian has been recognized as one of the “Five Geeks and Gurus Every Marketer Should Meet” by Marketing Magazine and has appeared on the popular business show The Close on BNN. Other notable media appearances include the Financial Post, a video series on The Globe And Mail, the Canadian Jewish News, and Media In Canada. Julian has also appeared on CP24, CBC’s The National, Metro Morning, Much On Demand, and LeDrew Live. You can also check out his “Notable Now” column each Friday in Metro Newspaper.

Julian Brass is a graduate from the University of Guelph’s Bachelor of Commerce program with a major in Hospitality Management.

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Ken Greenberg is an architect, urban designer, teacher, writer, former Director of Urban Design and Architecture for the City of Toronto and Principal of Greenberg Consultants. For over three decades he has played a pivotal role on public and private assignments in urban settings throughout North America and Europe, focusing on the rejuvenation of downtowns, waterfronts, neighborhoods and on campus master planning, regional growth management, and new community planning. Cities as diverse as Toronto, Hartford, Amsterdam, New York, Boston, Montréal, Washington DC, Paris, Detroit, Saint Paul and San Juan Puerto Rico have benefited from his advocacy and passion for restoring the vitality, relevance and sustainability of the public realm in urban life. In each city, with each project, his strategic, consensus-building approach has led to coordinated planning and a renewed focus on urban design. He is the recipient of the 2010 American Institute of Architects Thomas Jefferson Award for public design excellence and the author of Walking Home: the Life and Lessons of a City Builder published by Random House.

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Kevin Stolarick, PhD, is the Research Director at The Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. He has held faculty positions at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and for over a decade worked with technology in the insurance industry as a manager of strategic projects. His research interests include the relationship between firm performance and information technology and the impacts of technology, tolerance, talent, and quality of place on regional growth and prosperity.

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Liz Hanson is the city of Boulder's Economic Vitality Coordinator in the Department of Community Planning and Sustainability.  Liz focuses on carrying out the city's economic vitality work plan, which includes business retention and expansion, general assistance to new and existing Boulder businesses, and improving the city's services to businesses. Liz coordinates Boulder's business outreach efforts and oversees implementation of business incentive programs.

Prior to her current role, Liz was a senior planner for the city's planning department since 2000 and an employee of the department since 1986.  She served as the city's case manager for the project reviews of many commercial developments including Twenty Ninth Street, the redevelopment of a 62 acre mall site, and the St. Julien Hotel and Spa, Boulder's newest downtown hotel. Liz came to Boulder, Colorado in 1982 to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder and graduated with a degree in Environmental Design. She lives in Boulder with her husband Keith and their two kids Anna (19) and John (14).

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Michael Donahue is Vice-President of the Toronto Business Development Centre (TBDC), a business incubator serving the needs of new and emerging ventures in Toronto. During the past twenty-one years the Centre's programs and services have grown to where TBDC now serves clients from two locations in Toronto, manages the Toronto Food Incubator and is the largest provider of entrepreneurial training programs in the province of Ontario.

The Toronto Business Development Centre has been recognized both nationally and internationally as a best practice model of business incubation helping local entrepreneurs build job-creating businesses. In 2003 TBDC was selected as the National Business Incubation Association's Incubator-of-the-Year award winner over nominations from 34 other countries and in 2009, TBDC was selected winner of the Canadian Association of Business Incubation's Incubator-of-the-Year Award.

Prior to joining TBDC, Michael established and managed a successful medical instrumentation business. Michael is a graduate of the University of Toronto where he studied Economics and currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Canadian Association of Business Incubation (CABI).

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Norm Bolen is currently the President and CEO of the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) formerly the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA), based in Ottawa.  The CMPA represents Canada's independent film, television and interactive producers.

Norm is the former Executive Vice President, Content, for Alliance Atlantis Communications. At Alliance Atlantis he had overall programming responsibility for thirteen Canadian specialty networks: Showcase, History Television, Slice, HGTV, Food Network Canada, BBC Canada, BBC Kids, Discovery Health Channel, National Geographic Channel, Independent Film Channel, Showcase Action, Showcase Diva and Fine Living Television. Norm was also responsible for Alliance Atlantis' web based and emerging new media content and all Broadcast Operations.

Prior to joining Alliance Atlantis in 1997, Norm spent 21 years at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as a journalist and executive.  In his last position at the CBC he was the head of Network Television Current Affairs.  In that role, he had overall responsibility for CBC Television's Documentary Department.

Norm is a current Board member and past Chair of the Banff World Television Festival and the Hot Docs International Documentary Festival, and a Director of the National Screen Institute, the ACTRA Fraternal Benefit Society and the Canadian Retransmission Collective.  Until recently, he was also a Director of mDialog, a web-based high-resolution video distribution platform that's optimized for the iPad and the iPhone.

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Pru has over 25 years' experience as a consultant, researcher, manager, promoter and funder in the arts, culture and creative industries in Canada and the United Kingdom. Throughout this time, the development of and engagement with effective cross-sector partnerships has been a welcome necessity born of the often complex, multi-sector approaches needed to support cultural sector development, creative economy activation and sustainable urban regeneration.

As Director of Knowledge Exchange at Artscape Pru takes the lead in new project research and development and major research initiatives and is responsible for developing and directing a suite of programs and services designed to build the capacity of communities across Canada to undertake creative placemaking projects. Prior to joining Artscape, Pru worked for 10 years as an independent consultant and research director of numerous influential studies in the UK. In this capacity Pru advised all tiers of government; higher education, economic and urban regeneration and community development agencies and national arts, cultural and heritage agencies on policy and strategic development. She brings to her work practical experience as a policy maker in the UK's arts funding system and as a performing arts manager, programmer and promoter.

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Rod Regier, Executive Director of Economic Development for h the City of Kitchener, received an Honours Bachelor degree in Geography at the University of Winnipeg, a Masters in Regional Planning at the University of Waterloo and currently lives and works in Downtown Kitchener. After graduating from Waterloo, Rod worked briefly with the Region of Hamilton-Wentworth in planning policy and then for 16 years with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador in various capacities including municipal planning, regional economic development and provincial economic policy with a special focus on dialogue between business, labour and government on provincial competitiveness in global markets. In his current position as Executive Director of Economic Development for the City of Kitchener, Rod provides leadership to a staff team and community of stakeholders implementing the City's economic development strategy, including the $110 million Economic Development Investment Fund, the City's Cluster Strategy, Downtown Strategic Plan, Small Business Centre, Kitchener Market as well as business attraction and retention, and brownfield redevelopment programs.

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Shelley Carroll has been councillor for Ward 33 Don Valley East since 2003. She has served 4 years as Toronto's Budget Chief, managing the City's $9.2 billion budget.

Shelley is currently Vice Chair of the Economic Development Committee.  She is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Toronto Fashion Incubator, Design Exchange, Foodshare, Toronto Arts Council. Toronto Centre for the Arts, Toronto Atmospheric Fund and Toronto Hydro.

Shelley is committed to creating THE sustainable City.  Her's is a more inclusive and equitable city - - economically and fiscally sound, environmentally viable and able to provide good health and wealth to Torontonians of every generation in every corner of the city.

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