Precious Ile
MA, PMP

Precious is a TEDx Speaker, public speaking & storytelling coach, spoken word poet, educator, and award-winning consultant.

She is the Co-Founder and CEO of Impact Plus Consulting, an award-winning strategy development and stakeholder engagement consulting firm that serves purpose-driven CEOs and leaders in Canada and beyond.

Her consulting engagements span various sectors including education, energy, social services, health, tech, and industry/professional associations.

Precious holds a Master's degree in Community Development from the University of Victoria's School of Public Administration.

She also holds a Bachelor's of Arts in Criminology from Simon Fraser University and is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

As a Public Speaking Coach, she transforms experts into thought leaders who deliver impactful presentations with confidence, influence, and impact.

Her TEDx talk, how to network with confidence helps you discover your unique networking style, demonstrating that networking is a skill that everyone can be great.
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5bASAr8Jg0

She is an Adjunct Professor with the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) where she teaches courses on conflict resolution, communicating with agility, and leadership.

Precious has served on several Canadian nonprofit boards to invest in youth and social impact organizations. She is a Board Director with the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Canada.

Sommer Harris
MSc. Artificial Intelligence

Sommer holds a Master’s in Computer Science from Northeastern University, with a specialization in Artificial Intelligence. She received her undergraduate degree in the Liberal Arts and Sciences (with focus courses in public health, literature, and music) from Quest University Canada in Squamish BC, where she developed a passion for transformative education.

Sommer has taught mixed reality (TA at Northeastern University), and supervised student application development (Industry Sponsored Student Project mentor at British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT)). Sommer also worked as a Software Developer with a local real estate marketing firm, and is the Strategic Program and Industry Lead in the Tech Collider at BCIT. Some of her previous technical research includes using q-learning for optical network optimization, and testing the efficiency of various application architectures deployed to AWS.

Sommer is passionate about inclusive tech education, and the intersection of art and sciences. She loves to facilitate problem solving, collaboration, and transcending limiting beliefs. She teaches yoga, and is a devoted music and theatre lover. She believes that infusing technical education with artistry, opportunities for creativity, and holistic growth allow for a transformative educational experience that fosters meaningful integration of new skills and technology.

Franklin Bouguep
BBA, MBA

With over 20 years of experience in diverse sectors, including international development, oil and gas, and IT, Franklin is a seasoned professional and effectual team leader with a proven ability to exceed expectations. He has a strong background in strategy, operations, supply chain management, and project management, as well as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification and an MBA in Operations and Supply Chain Management from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Shawn Hinch
LLM, JD, B.Ed, BSc.

Shawn Hinch is a commercial lawyer who has been advising companies for 25 years on energy and technology matters, first at the global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright and later at the energy giant TotalEnergies.  He has led high-performing teams in North America, Asia and Europe, and has considerable experience negotiating commercial arrangements in China and the Middle East. He has a masters degree in technology law and is proficient in IP protection, IP commercialization, and the avoidance of IP contamination.  

Shawn has been an early adopter of generative AI in legal applications, including drafting of contracts, and is fascinated by its potential and its pitfalls.  In particular:   How can organizations use AI to accelerate their output, and do so safely, legally speaking.  That is, without misappropriation of others’ property, without inadvertent release of their own property, and without incurring liability for erroneous or damaging output.  He is also an experienced teacher with a talent for reducing complex subjects to their essence.

Dr. James Rout
PhD, MLIS, BA
LinkedIn

Dr. Patrick Pennefather
PhD, MFA, BA

Patrick works and lives on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. His current teaching, workshopping and project supervision within immersive technologies, creativity, sound, human-centered design, generative AI and improvisation can be defined as Mixed Reality and Virtual experiences.

He also facilitates diverse teams to develop applied/experimental mixed reality research prototypes and supervise immersive technology projects at the Master of Digital Media Program and the Emerging Media Lab as faculty in residence. He works within several intersecting communities of practice including education, the live, blended, hybrid and virtual performing arts, the digital media industry (games, xR, VFX, animation) in addition to the field of biomedical visualization.

He leads teams to co-construct worlds that extend physical stages to virtual arenas with a focus on the user/audience/participant/inter-actor/learner/teacher/human experience. Integrated values include persistent engagement, disruptive play, humour, prototyping and human-centered design, integrating various interdisciplinary perspectives (dance, theatre, music, installation, generative AI, virtual performance, teaching, hybrids, games) across disciplines (performing arts, business, interactive design, xR and law). The types of research he engages in fall under the category of research creation, market research, applied and experimental research as well as educational research.

Souki Mansoor
BA

Souki Mansoor is a dynamic force at the intersection of AI, creative direction, and social impact. As founder of the consultancy Bell & Whistle, she guides leaders and creatives in leveraging technology for positive change, working to reshape how we perceive AI in society and our daily lives. Coming from a rich decade-long background in nonfiction filmmaking, Souki’s work has graced Sundance, Tribeca, TED, and can be seen today on Netflix, HBO, and Showtime, with her directorial debut "Firelei Baez" garnering critical acclaim and a Best Director award. A growing voice in the AI community, she’s spoken at Cannes Lions, USC's School for Cinematic Arts, Runway’s AI Film Festival and RealScreen West. When not playing a friendly neighborhood tech sherpa or falling into generative vortexes, she finds delight in nibbling spoonfuls of cashew butter, learning to pull the perfect espresso shot, and life with her husband Axel and their 63 houseplants.

Pasima Sule
BSc. Computer Science, PMP

Pasima is a leader and results-oriented chief executive officer with decades of global experience in the USA, Europe and Africa. She has managed successfully large, complex, multimillion dollars, global, and multi- discipline projects which involved distributed and multi-cultural teams while continuing to serve as an accomplished mentor to her peers. She is also passionate about community advancement and promotion of women rights.