Sarah Blackstock is leader in social change and public policy. She has worked with a range of organizations including Greenpeace, the Income Security Advocacy Centre, and YWCA Toronto on initiatives to advance equity and well-being. Currently, Sarah manages the Social Policy unit in the Social Development, Finance & Administration Division at the City of Toronto where she collaborates with public servants, residents and diverse stakeholders to develop and implement social policy that supports the goals of equity, inclusion and prosperity.

Richard joined ACOA in 2005 as Senior Policy Analyst, where he sought to help the Agency and the region’s stakeholders better understand the Atlantic economy and respond to its needs. Richard’s current focus is supporting Atlantic communities in becoming more inclusive, innovative, and diversified, critical to helping the region grow, with a particular focus on immigration and Indigenous economic development. Richard is also ACOA’s GBA+ Champion.

Richard believes in the importance of regional economic development, and that it can only be done by collaborating. A key element of success in his career has been in working with governments, the private sector, and NGOs in Atlantic Canada, across Canada, and internationally.

From 2013 to 2017, Richard represented Canada on the OECD’s Working Party on Rural Policy based in Paris, France. While Paris is great and all, Richard knows he is lucky enough to live and work in one of the best regions on earth.

Azra Dizdarevic is an Evaluation Analyst at Transport Canada, and is responsible for the integration of Gender Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) in Transport Canada’s Evaluation and Advisory Services, advising programs on developing GBA+ indicators, and advancing GBA+ in the full project management cycle at Transport Canada. Prior to joining the federal government, Azra worked in project management in the non-profit sector, assisting in the implementation of capacity building programs for members of parliament and civil society organizations in South-East Europe. Azra graduated from the Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, with a Master of Arts in International Development, prior to that she obtained her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Western University, London, Ontario.

In February 2018, Geoff Dubrow chaired and facilitated Infonex’s inaugural GBA+ conference. He has participated enthusiastically in every subsequent Infonex GBA+ conference.

As an experienced, high energy, results-oriented consultant and facilitator/trainer, Geoff has provided training for civil servants, parliamentarians and civil society organizations in over 40 cities on six continents as well in every province and territory in Canada.

Specializing in Public Financial Management (PFM), Geoff’s experience related to gender-responsive budgeting includes:

• Applying Gender Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) to public policy proposals
• Providing strategic advice related to the rollout of GBA+ tools across the Government of Canada; and
• Gender-sensitive performance measurement, particularly in developing performance measurement frameworks and indicators to strengthen gender equality in international programming.

Geoff has served as a consultant with the Department of Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) since March 2020.

Erin is a Senior Policy and Legislative Analyst with the Office of the Chief Information Officer, as well as a Gender Equity Advisor to the Gender Equity Secretariat, for the Government of British Columbia. In a previous life, Erin was a Gender and Immigration Historian with the University of Otago in New Zealand.

Zohra Khan is UN-Women’s Senior Policy Advisor on Governance leading the Entity’s work on gender budgeting and financing for gender equality. In this role, she has provided technical assistance to over 80 countries on planning and budgeting for national gender equality plans and strategies.

Ms. Khan has 20 years’ experience on gender equality and development in international and non-governmental organizations. Prior to joining UN-Women, she was Senior Policy Officer at One World Action where she conducted research on the impact of UK and EU aid and trade agreements on women’s livelihoods. Earlier in her career, she served as Senior Researcher in the South African Commission on Gender Equality, a body established after the first democratic elections in 1994 to promote and protect gender equality, where she advised on legal reform.

Ms. Khan is leading contributor and co-editor of the book Financing for Gender Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights through Gender Responsive Budgeting, published by Palgrave Macmillan. She holds an MA in Gender Studies from the University of Natal and is a dual national of South Africa and the United Kingdom.

Isabelle Marchand is assistant director, responsible for Diversity and Sociocultural Statistics at Statistics Canada. Her portfolio includes the Center for Gender, Diversity and Inclusion. The goal of the Center is to support evidence-based policy and program development by monitoring and reporting on gender, diversity and inclusion. One of its objectives is to build statistical capacity to increase knowledge of gender, diversity, inclusion, and Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+). Isabelle has close to 25 years of experience with Statistics Canada.  She started her career with the Agency as a methodologist and has worked on a wide range of social and economic statistics programs.  She holds a master in Statistics.

Marni Panas is the Program Manager, Diversity and Inclusion with Alberta Health Services where she is dedicated to creating safer, more welcoming and inclusive environments for over 100,000 employees and 4.5 million patients and their families. She holds a degree in Health Administration and a Canadian Certified Inclusion Professional designation. Marni has contributed to legislation and policy protecting human rights for individuals at the provincial and federal levels in Canada. She has also been invited to share her experiences and expertise on inclusive health and cultural safety for diverse health care providers, patients and their families locally, nationally and internationally.

Mr. Scott is a social scientist who has devoted his 15-year career to solving complex social issues, especially related to vulnerable and resilient populations. He uses a blend of discovery and reflective approaches to bring greater understanding and clarity to issues of gender diversity.