Angie Perkins is an Inuk from Nunatsiavut, and a 60’s Scoop survivor. With over fifteen years’ experience in the non-profit sector, Angie is an experienced facilitator with Indigenous engagement for various projects and programs in Northern communities and urban centers in Canada, including at United Way East Ontario (UWEO) as a Senior Manager for the Indigenous Employment Initiative in the National Capital Region, the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) as a Senior Policy Advisor, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) as a Stakeholder Engagement Officer for the National Indigenous Research Strategy. Angie is currently studying a Master’s Diploma program at Carleton University in Indigenous Policy and Administration. She was also the second cohort and class valedictorian for the Indigenous Women in Community Leadership Program at Coady International Institute.

Asha V Croggon has built large-scale programs that support personal and community resilience for over 25 years including a national peer support program, provincial mental health, suicide prevention and crisis line services, and is now Director of the Friendly Calls program with the Canadian Red Cross. Asha is privileged to have built programs that have supported over 2 million people and she believes strongly in the power of courageously compassionate communities as both prevention and inspiration.

Beth Mansell (she/her) has been working in the community-based seniors serving sector for over 5 years. Prior to joining Healthy Aging Alberta, she worked at Sage Seniors Association in Edmonton as the Strategic Initiatives Manager. Her work included various project management roles, including the development of the Seniors Equity Collective, the introduction of an NP-led primary care clinic, and the implementation of a frailty identification and assessment pathway. During this time she also completed her Masters in Public Health from the U of A with a specialization in Health Policy and Management.

Bobbi Symes, MA, CPG, is the Assistant Director, Healthy Aging at United Way of British Columbia. Bobbi’s portfolio includes overseeing the implementation and evaluation of Healthy Aging programs. Bobbi has extensive experience in research and program management specializing in the areas of population health, injury prevention and older adults.

Chris Baert-Wilson has worked in health care for over 35 years. Her career in health began in the early 80’s as a Licensed Practical Nurse in the long term care sector. Since then her career path has stayed in the health care sector, moving from hospital to home based care in 1995. She spent 18 years with the Victorian Order of Nurses, before she came to her current role with the Canadian Red Cross in 2013. She has lived all of her life in Nova Scotia and has a Diploma as a Certified Nursing Assistant (LPN), Nova Scotia Community College and a Master of Arts (Health Leadership) from Royal Roads University.

Connie believes in active aging and community development. She believes that giving back and giving to others is important; we can all give in some form, it makes our city, province and country a much better place. She is also member of Manitoba’s Age Friendly Resource Team which provides her with opportunities to connect with local Age Friendly committees all around Manitoba and Canada.

Constance is currently leading a Seniors Outreach Project in Quebec aimed at identifying vulnerable individuals and assisting them with accessing local community and clinical services. Constance has extensive experience as an executive and senior director. She held various positions in the healthcare, social services, rehabilitation, education, and humanitarian fields. She worked with different client groups, including older adults and individuals with mental illness

Heather Beaton (she/her) is a licensed Occupational Therapist and has 12 years experience as a healthcare navigator at Nova Scotia Health and IWK Health Centre (children’s hospital). She was the first Wellness Navigator and designed the framework of navigation with a lens of social prescribing, community connection and capacity building and addressing the social determinants of health. She will be showcasing all the unique roles of navigators across the province and how the role has evolved to be a link between the healthcare system and the broader community.

Holly has lived and worked in Saskatchewan all her life, working with non-profit groups as an educator, volunteer trainer, facilitator, administrator and animator. Currently she is the Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism, a position she has been in since 2009. Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism (SSM) is a provincial umbrella organization that brings older adult organizations together to work on advocacy and projects. SSM is responsible for Age-Friendly Communities in Saskatchewan, and is keenly interested in promoting ways to help older adults have quality lives in their own homes and communities as long as possible.

Natasha Beaudin has worked in the Community Health Centre sector for almost 20 years, most recently as a health promoter at Centretown Community Health Centre in Ottawa. She has worked in food security, smoking cessation, stress reduction and physical activity, as well as leading the social prescribing project for her centre. She chaired the Health Promotion Network of Eastern Ontario (HPNEO) for the past few years. She is currently the lead on social prescribing at the Alliance for Healthier Communities.

As the co-chair of Health Accord NL, Patrick (Pat) Parfrey’s new role as Deputy Minister is to work across government departments to engage in the implementation of the Health Accord to improve health outcomes in the province. Pat is a clinical epidemiologist and John Lewis Paton Distinguished University Professor at Memorial University and has an international reputation for patient related research in kidney disease and in genetic disease. He is an officer of the Order of Canada, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.