Opening Plenary
Friday, November 7 - 9:00 AM

John Ralston Saul
Internationally recognized author and thinker
John Ralston Saul is a Companion in the Order of Canada and a Chevalier in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France. He is the Co-Chair of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, Founder and Honourary Chair of French for the Future, Chair of the LaFontaine-Baldwin Symposium, Patron of PLAN (Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network) and Former President and now honorary patron of Canadian PEN. More

Friday, November 7 - 12:30 PM

Due to personal matters that called her back to South Africa, Sibongile (Bongi) Mkhabela, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund is unfortunately unable to join us at CFC Conference 2008. However, we are very pleased to introduce another leader in community philanthropy: Akawsi Aidoo, Executive Director of Trust Africa.

Akwasi Aidoo
Executive Director of Trust Africa
Dr. Aidoo has extensive experience in philanthropy in Africa. His positions have included IDRC Program Officer for Health and Development in West and Central Africa and head of the Ford Foundation’s offices in Senegal and Nigeria from 1993 to 2001. More

Saturday, November 8 - 9:00 AM

“Community Foundation Leadership in the 21rst Century”

Sandra R. Hernández, MD
CEO, The San Francisco Foundation
A community foundation leader who is also a leader in her community, Sandra R. Hernández heads of one of the largest community foundations in the United States. She is also a well-known public health authority, who maintains an active clinical practice at San Francisco General Hospital's AIDS clinic. More

Sunday, November 9 - 9:00 AM

“The Right to be Cold”

Sheila Watt-Cloutier
World leader on global climate change and human rights
In 2007, Sheila Watt-Cloutier was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for using her advocacy work to show the impact of global climate change on human rights, especially in the Arctic, where it is felt more immediately and dramatically than anywhere else. More

Closing Plenary
Sunday, November 9 - 11:45AM

“Generation Next: Perspectives on the Global Village”

Patrick Johnston
Moderator:
Patrick is the President & CEO of the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation. He was President and CEO of the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy from 1995 – 2002 and is also well-known for his work as Executive Director of the Canadian Council on Social Development and the National Anti-Poverty Organization. Patrick has served as a volunteer on numerous Boards of Directors including Philanthropic Foundations of Canada, the United Way of Canada, and Canada World Youth/Jeunesse Canada Monde.

Participants:

Khalil Shariff
President & CEO, Aga Khan Foundation Canada
Khalil joined Aga Khan Foundation Canada three years ago after working with McKinsey & Company, an international management consultancy, where he advised governments, financial institutions, and health care providers. His interest in international development and conflict resolution has been honed through activities including: Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Harvard Negotiation Law Review; Policy Co-ordinator and Research Associate, Harvard Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research; and internships with International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

Huda Shashaa
International Relations, Jordan River Foundation, Jordan
Huda is no stranger to Montreal, having graduated from McGill in 2002. She currently the International Relations Manager of the Jordan River Foundation in Amman, Jordan where she coordinates the foundation’s international activities in the U.K., France and the United States. Previously, Huda was the Market Research and Development Coordinator for Jordan’s Microfund for Women and worked in government as a research analyst and coordinator for the Ministry of Planning and International Affairs.

Michael Wodzicki
Rights & Democracy, 2007 Global Youth Fellow, Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation
Michael is currently the Coordinator of the Democratic Development Programme at Rights & Democracy, an organization created by an act of Canada's parliament with the mandate to promote human rights and democratic development in developing countries such as Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. Previously, Michael worked in the democratization unit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Mission to Serbia & Montenegro, where he managed a programme that sought to open Serbia's parliament to the public and as a Policy Advisor for Canada's Secretary of State.

Featured Speakers & Panellists

Changing Demographics: Implications for School, Community
and Youth Funders
Friday, November 7 - 10:45 AM – 12:15 PM

Veronica Lacey President & CEO, The Learning Partnership Veronica leads The Learning Partnership, an innovative non-profit organization established to create linkages among schools, businesses and communities. It creates and implements programs in the public education system that truly make a difference in the lives of students. More »

Paul Cappon President and Chief Executive Officer, The Canadian Council on Learning. A lifelong education advocate, Dr. Cappon is a prominent educator, doctor and administrator. He is the author of numerous publications on learning and community medicine.

Saturday, November 8 - 10:30AM – Noon

Donna Wilson Executive Vice President, Workforce and Sustainability, Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Vice President of Workforce and Sustainability, she is playing a key role in helping VANOC define and develop its culture. She will guide the organization through its dynamic stages of growth, operation and wind-down and help the organization to live its vision of sustainability. More »

The Environics Institute’s Urban Aboriginal People’s Study
Saturday, November 8 - 2:45 PM – 4:15 PM

Michael Adams Founding president, Environics group of research and communications consulting companies, Toronto Michael Adams is a noted commentator an entertaining speaker on social values and social change in North America. His groundbreaking work in social values analysis has been featured in five books, including the bestselling Fire and Ice: The United States, Canada, and the Myth of Converging Values. More »