Conference Speakers

Shelley is a proud 4-H Leader for almost 30 years in beautiful Grey County. She has lead the Wiarton Dairy, Sheep clubs each year along with many other clubs. Shelley was honoured to receive the 4-H Ontario Arbor Award in 2010 and in 2018 named the BMO FWIO Women of Excellence in Agriculture at the RAWF. Shelley is a mother of two amazing guys, proud grandma of 7 and her greatest 4-H accomplishment is meeting her best friend, partner in 4-H, my husband Brian.

Shelley is the Manager of Membership Services at the Real Estate Institute of Canada, and in her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her COVID co-worker my Jack Russel Kody, working with show heifers and lambs.

A 4-H Volunteer and Club Leader from Chatham-Kent, Janet has been involved with the 4-H program as a whole for many years. She started her 4-H career as a 4-H member, then as an OMAFRA staff working with the 4-H program and has been with the Chatham-Kent 4-H Association as Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Coordinator, Livestock Coordinator and Resource Contact for a number of years. She has lead for 35 years completing 85 projects which

include the Blenheim 4-H Field Crop Club, Tractor Repair Club and many Kent Centre Lifeskills Clubs including stained glass, scrapbooking, clowning around, photography, maple syrup, square dancing, pizza, cake decorating, teddy bear and crafts – just to name a few. Janet appreciates the opportunity to share with you her experience of leading virtual 4-H clubs.

Growing up on a cattle ranch in southern Alberta and active in 4H from an early age, Shelby always knew agriculture was her passion. Today,

Shelby and her husband, Cole, run their own cattle operation near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan alongside Cole’s family, while Shelby continues to be involved on her family ranch in Alberta with her mom and two younger sisters.

Shelby also works as the Development Officer for 4-H Saskatchewan, runs a small beef business, and is active in her community, all while chasing around her two

amazing kids, ages 4 and 6. In her spare time, Shelby is an avid gardener and competitive barrel racer. Through her speaking engagements, Shelby enjoys connecting with producers, consumers, and government to share her passion for agriculture, and to motivate and support those involved in the industry.

Rose has been a 4-H member from the Perth 4-H Association since 2010 and has completed 24 clubs. She is grateful for the opportunities afforded to her through 4-H, including competing at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto, attending Discovery Days, Provincial Leadership Camp, and Future Leaders in Action, as well as being a 4-H Ontario Ambassador. During her time as an ambassador, Rose completed a community outreach project which involved teaching 4-H volunteers in her community about making clubs more accessible to members with disabilities. Rose has always been passionate about social issues and providing a voice for others in her community. She is a student at Carleton University currently pursing a Bachelor of Journalism with minors in political science and sociology. After graduating, she hopes to pursue a career as a reporter for underrepresented small-town communities

Co-founder and co-CEO of Openly, Tanya has close to 20 years’ experience working across sectors, where her core areas of contribution include applied research and evaluation, capacity building, design, and strategy.

A highly experienced applied researcher and evaluator, Tanya has close to 20 years’ experience working in the social service, community development and health sectors. She has worked closely with vulnerable and marginalized

populations, including youth, Indigenous and immigrant communities, individuals who live with limited means and homelessness, and those who live with mental health and addictions challenges. Her core areas of contribution include research and evaluation, capacity building, and design and strategy development.

Jennifer is the Risk Management and Accreditation Director with 4-H Canada, and with over 15 years of experience as a Guiding and Scouting leader and parent, Jennifer understands the joys and challenges of being a volunteer leader. Jennifer spent 15 years at IBM where she used her Computer Science degree and Masters of Education in her roles as a software developer and then as a senior learning consultant. Having worked with large government and business organizations, down to non-profits she brings a diverse perspective

to 4-H Canada. She looks forward to using new technologies to bring training and support to 4-H leaders across the country. Having grown up in a farming community in Wellington County, Jennifer and her family are busy discovering Ottawa and the small farming towns nearby. She loves to figure skate and trail run, and to travel, camp and ski with her husband and three kids.

Marianne has over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector serving youth, volunteers and the agriculture community. Her combined experience in youth development and her education in agriculture and public relations brings a unique perspective to the 4-H team. Marianne is dedicated to developing and delivering learning opportunities that support an individual’s growth and well-being to go beyond the impossible.

In her lifelong learning approach, Marianne has completed her Life Skills Coach, SafeTALK and Mental Health First Aid trainings. Marianne enjoys spending time with her husband Jason and son Cooper, reading a good book and trying her hand at creative activities.

Elizabeth is the Coordinator of Programming & Resources with 4-H Ontario. She is also a 4-H volunteer and past 4-H member. Within her role with 4-H, Elizabeth creates new 4-H projects and updates older projects and administers the Locally Submitted 4-H Project process. Elizabeth grew up and still lives on a beef farm and is a graduate of the University of Guelph, Honours Bachelor of Science in Agriculture program. She is a director with the local Perth County Beef Farmers organization and has been a director with the Listowel Agricultural Society for the past 18 years where she now serves as their President.

Crystal is a proven leader in connecting consumers, farmers and food system partners. She is a pioneer in this field with 25 years of experience in earning trust in food and farming with award-winning results.

Crystal served as the founding CEO of Farm & Food Care, the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity, and most

recently her own company, Loft32. She is a dynamic presenter who has delivered over 1000 presentations about food and farming to audiences around the world, always with memorable messages and a few smiles!

Sonia McDonald is an experienced, qualified Child & Youth Worker; she is a Cambrian College graduate with experience working with youth of all ages and is a professional, certified member of the Ontario Association of Child & Youth Counsellors. With over twenty years experience in the Mental Health field, Sonia contributes a wide range of skills and experiences to her facilitation. She has an exceptional ability to engage children, youth, students and community members in a positive way to offer them a different perspective during presentations.

Sonia’s passion and commitment is to reach & train students, professionals and community members how to end the stigma of talking about Mental Health and Suicide to create safer communities where help can be found for those who are struggling during the most difficult times.

In addition to her enthusiasm as a Child and Youth Worker and Trainer, Sonia is a parent of two, entrepreneur, College level professor, an active board member, sits on various committees and is very dedicated to her goals

Heather is a 3rd generation 4-H leader leading for over 10 years in Perth county, previously leading in Alberta for a couple of years. Heather lives on a dairy farm with my husband, Dennis and their two children (4-H’er Hailey and almost 4-H’er Elliott). Heather has led both lifeskills and dairy clubs. Heather works full time for Trouw Nutrition Canada and also help coordinate the Western Ontario 4-H Dairy Show at Stratford Fair.

Dr. Rebecca Sutherns is an insightful and high energy collaborative strategist. She is a world class facilitator who has served as a trusted advisor to hundreds of mission-driven organizations in Canada and internationally for more than 20 years. Rebecca is a skilled communicator, with a particular gift for helping leaders make wiser decisions faster. She specializes in facilitating strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, strong governance and effective teamwork, and is the author of Nimble: Off Script But Still On Track – a coaching guide for responsive facilitation and Sightline: Strategic plans that gather momentum not dust.

Jordan is an accessibility advocate and enjoys educating others on accessibility. Jordan went to school at Wilfrid Laurier University and worked all 4 years at the university’s Accessible Learning Centre. She assisted with piloting new accessibility software and technology and assisted first-year students with disabilities in being successful with their first-year courses. Upon graduation, Jordan worked in an alternative classroom with troubled youth, then moving into her current role as an employment specialist. Jordan’s current position assists individuals with disabilities and/or barriers with obtaining and maintaining employment.

A passionate and highly experienced educator, Leslie has over 15 years of experience in the formal and non-formal education sectors. As a classroom teacher and OCT, she has taught grades 4 through 12 in Ontario, Alberta, and England in the public and private sectors. Highly experienced in curriculum development and design, Leslie has developed curriculum and programming for youth and adults in the non-profit sector for over a decade. Leslie holds an MScEd and certificate in Adult Education and is a former 4-H member from the Waterloo Region. Leslie is an active and passionate volunteer. She is continually active in various projects and initiatives to improve the lives of others, engage with youth, and support several sectors of the community. Leslie enjoys spending time with family and friends, photography, travel, reading, walking, crocheting and goats.