Speakers

Session: Shared Voice, Shared Responsibility: Worker Participation as a Psychological Safety Strategy

Therese (she/her) is an Engagement and Wellness Coordinator with Community Social Services Health & Safety Association of BC (CSSHSA) where she engages with organizations across the sector to better understand workplace challenges impacting well-being, psychological health and safety and organizational culture. Her work includes facilitating sector conversations, developing practical resources, and supporting initiatives that strengthen healthier and more sustainable workplaces. Drawing from experience in psychology, frontline community support and project management, Therese brings person-centred, practical, and research-informed perspectives to well-being, leadership and organizational culture.

Session: Return-to-Work in Action: Balancing Programs, People and Operational Success 

For two decades, Satvinder Basran has been passionate about serving and supporting the community social services sector - organizations, employers, workers, unions, governments and partners to create healthier, progressive and safer environments for communities through collaboration. Over his tenure Satvinder has worked in community living, immigrant services and harm reduction, providing services/programs where he held various positions from frontline to management to directorships at various accredited non-profit societies throughout the Lower Mainland region of BC. Over the past decade at CSSEA, Satvinder led the creation Community Social Services Health & Safety Association of BC, where he served as its first Chief Executive Officer. Currently at CSSEA, he is leading the Early Intervention Program.

Session: Collective Bargaining in Community Social Services - Taking a Broader View

Adam Calvert is a respected executive leader with more than 30 years of experience spanning social services, organizational leadership, regulatory oversight, governance, and community development. As Chief Executive Officer of Gathering The Circle Society, he leads the organization’s strategic direction, operations, quality assurance, financial stewardship and stakeholder relations, while expanding services throughout British Columbia’s Lower Mainland. He also serves as the current Board Chair of Community Social Services Employers Association (CSSEA) and the Indigenous Child and Family Services Our Children Our Way Society, helping shape governance, labour relations, funding advocacy and policy initiatives that support Indigenous self-governance and culturally-grounded services. Known for turning vision into action, Adam is recognized for fostering ethical leadership, organizational excellence and strong partnerships across government, Indigenous Nations, and community organizations.

Prior to his current roles, Adam held senior leadership positions with Northern Health Authority and the Public Guardian and Trustee of British Columbia, overseeing large-scale regulatory, investigative and operational portfolios. His career foundation includes more than a decade in child protection, youth justice and Indigenous community partnership work with the Ministry of Children and Family Development and Ktunaxa Kinbasket Child and Family Services. He also brings entrepreneurial experience as a former CEO and senior partner of Key Life Financial Services Inc. Adam holds a Master of Social Work (Leadership and Management) from the University of Northern British Columbia, a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Victoria and an Associate of Arts degree, complemented by extensive training in leadership, labor relations, human resources and Indigenous child and family services. Throughout his career, he has built a reputation as a trusted coach, mentor and collaborator whose leadership is grounded in integrity, cultural humility and a commitment to strengthening people, organizations and communities.

Session: AI and the Law & A 2026 Legal Year in Review

Matthew Cooperwilliams has more than 30 years’ experience with difficult employment, labour and business problems, and representing employers, employees and businesses in courts, tribunals and arbitrations across Canada. He advises employers and employees about employment law problems and acts as counsel before courts, human rights tribunals and administrative adjudicators. Matthew also provides strategic advice to employers about a wide variety of issues in unionized workplaces and represents employers at the BC Labour Relations Board, the Canada Industrial Relations Board and before collective agreement arbitrators. He represents employers, employees and businesses in a wide variety of litigation matters before courts, tribunals and regulators. Matthew was called to the Bar of British Columbia in 1988. He served as Adjunct Professor in Employment Law at the University of British Columbia from 2010-2015 and continues to guest lecturer at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at UBC.

Sessions: From Peer to Leader: Building Credibility, Clarity and Confidence as a Manager 

Matt Gates is an intercultural communication and leadership development expert with over 20 of experience across healthcare, retail, telecommunications and global organizations. He designs and delivers workshops and coaching programs that help leaders build self-awareness, cultural intelligence and the adaptive capacity to perform at their best.

Outside of his full-time role as a Leadership Development Specialist at Vancouver Coastal Health, Matt is the Chief Learning Partner at Peak Potential Consulting, which specializes in organizational development, cross-cultural communication and executive leadership coaching.

Matt holds his Provincial Instructor Diploma in Adult Education from VCC, is an EQi 2.0 and EQi 360 Certified practitioner and is an ACC accredited coach through the International Coaching Federation. He is also a Level 1 Personality Dimensions® Certified Trainer and a certified Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI) Facilitator.

Session: AI and the Law

Joshua Ghatak is an Associate at Cooperwilliams Truman & Ito LLP, practising labour and employment law. He was called to the bar in Ontario in 2021 and in British Columbia in 2023. Joshua began his legal career at a large management-side firm in downtown Toronto, where he articled and practised as an associate. Originally born in BC, he returned to Vancouver in 2023 to join Cooperwilliams Truman & Ito LLP. Joshua advises and represents both employers and employees on a wide range of workplace matters. He has appeared before courts and administrative tribunals in both Ontario and British Columbia and maintains his licence to practise in both provinces.

Session: Return-to-Work in Action: Balancing Programs, People and Operational Success 

Rachelle Grace is a Registered Nurse and RTW Specialist with 20+ years of experience in occupational health and WorkSafeBC consultation. She specializes in empowering employers to move beyond paperwork to foster a culture of care, preventing a disability mindset and building resilience in injured workers.

Session: Collective Bargaining in Community Social Services - Taking a Broader View

Karen Hansen’s lifelong dedication to the community living sector began in high school, where she volunteered as a Special Olympics coach. That early experience inspired her education related to the field, launching a career defined by compassion, leadership, and advocacy for inclusion.

With nearly three decades of leadership experience, Karen has held diverse roles in a number of organizations before stepping into her current role as Executive Director of the Shuswap Association for Community Living (SACL) in Salmon Arm, BC.

Since assuming the Executive Director position four years ago, Karen has championed organizational growth, staff development, enhanced communication, and strong community partnerships. Guided by the belief that employees are an organization’s greatest asset, she works tirelessly to foster a culture that enriches both staff and the individuals they support.

Beyond her leadership at SACL, Karen contributes provincially as a member of the Community Social Service Employer’s Association’s Community Living Services Panel and bargaining committee, as director on the BCCEO Board of Directors and locally through her involvement with Salmon Arm and Area Community Response Network, the Social Impact Advisory Council, and the Community Living British Columbia Community Council.

Session: A Deep Dive into CSSEA's New Collective Agreements

Mike

Sessions: Working in Good Relations: Engaging with First Nations Communities 

Joyce is a proud First Nations woman and a dedicated advocate for equity and inclusion. With a deep commitment to advancing Indigenous-led approaches to care, she brings a wealth of experience in fostering culturally safe and responsive workplaces. Joyce has played a pivotal role in guiding organizations through the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, emphasizing tangible, community-rooted change. Her work reflects a strong belief in the power of collaboration, storytelling, and cultural humility to transform systems and uplift Indigenous voices.

Session: A Deep Dive into CSSEA's New Collective Agreements

Sharde Long, CPHR, is a HRLR Consultant at CSSEA.

Previously, Sharde held roles such as the Director of People + Culture at Power To Be, the HR Manager at Victoria Women’s Transition House and People + Culture Business Partner with Reimagine Work. 

As a two-time award-winning HR professional, people-forward leadership and a conscientious approach to human resource management seems to come naturally to Sharde. She is clearly rooted in her commitment to create positive social impact and continues to invest in her community by building foundational HR practices for organizations without. 

Sharde is a dedicated volunteer at CPHR BC & Yukon, where she is the host of a Community of Practice. She is also a member of the Vancouver Island Advisory Council, provides mentorship to emerging HR professionals, serves on multiple committees, has been a case competition evaluator for HRC West, a speaker at the Vancouver Island Conference and actively serves as a member of the HR Program Advisory Council Committee at Camosun College.

Session: A Deep Dive into CSSEA's New Collective Agreements

Joanna joined CSSEA in January 2023. She is an accomplished and experienced labour relations practitioner who worked for one of CSSEA's members, Community Living Victoria, for seven years as Director of Human Resources. Before that, she worked at another of CSSEA's members, Integra Support Services, in a number of roles including the Director of Human Resources. In 2020, she was awarded the HR Professional of the Year by the BC and Yukon Chartered Professional HR Association.  

Session: Collective Bargaining in Community Social Services - Taking a Broader View

Darius Maze is the Executive Director of Kiwassa Neighbourhood House and a certified director (ICD.D) and fundraising professional with over 12 years of non-profit leadership experience in the social services sector. He brings direct experience managing Settlement, Affordable Housing, Childcare, Employment and Community Development programs and supports the coordination of a MCFD Early Years network of 20 partner organizations.

Darius also brings over a decade of non-profit governance experience, serving as Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer and Secretary for over a dozen organizations including the Association of Neighbourhood Houses of BC, Vancouver Pride, the New West Public Library and the Community Living Society. He is also an active member of CSSEA's General Services Panel and recently served on its bargaining committee. 

Session: Why Human Power is the Key to Workplace Innovation

Lee-Anne McAlear is one of Canada’s most energizing voices on creativity and innovation leadership. As Program Director for the Centre of Excellence in Innovation Leadership at Schulich School of Business at York University, she brings rigorous research together with a facilitation style that makes people lean forward—and then get to work. She has led sessions in 34 countries for leaders across social services, healthcare, financial services and the public sector, and she has a gift for turning complexity into clarity and theory into action.

Lee-Anne doesn’t do generic. Every session is built around where her audience actually is—the pressures they face, the people they lead and the opportunities they haven’t yet seen.

Session: Return-to-Work in Action: Balancing Programs, People and Operational Success 

Heather Miller is a Registered Nurse with over 13 years of expertise in occupational health, injury management and workplace reintegration. As part of WorkSafeBC’s Consultation and Education Services, she provides guidance to organizations on effective return-to-work strategies and fostering healthy, safe workplaces.

Session: Indigenous Learning and Sharing Circle & Reconciliation in Practice: Learning from History

Aaron is Cree Métis on his father’s side (Cree Grandmother, Cree, and French Grandfather) and (Scottish Heritage) on his mother’s side. Aaron is an adult child and nephew of Métis Residential School survivors (father, aunt and uncle). Aaron currently works at Westcoast Family Centres (WFC) as an Indigenous Family Counselor and Indigenous Education Consultant. His work includes supporting Indigenous families, changing agency forms/report writing and policies to help ensure services are offered in a culturally appropriate safe manner for everyone being served. Aaron facilitates Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) Learning and Talking Circles for WFC staff, MCFD staff (including students and new hires), Family Services of Greater Vancouver staff, and Hollyburn Family Services staff. The TRC Learning Talking Circles now includes MCFD, VACFSS and Hollyburn Foster Caregivers. Aaron has been providing one-on-one support for foster caregivers, cultural teachings and providing traditional medicines they can use with the children and youth placed in their care. Aaron has over 31 years of direct experience providing support to children, youth and families of all cultures and socio-economic backgrounds in the non-profit, community and social service sectors. This includes being one of the first males to work in as a child and youth counselor in a women’s transition home and second stage housing program. Aaron has also previously worked as a Children Who Witness Counselor, a Services Coordinator for youth in care of MCFD and North West Territories Ministries, and a Suicide Awareness Prevention Coordinator in the Richmond School District.

Session: Collective Bargaining in Community Social Services - Taking a Broader View

Mark Slobin joined CSSEA in 2015 and in 2016 was appointed as Executive Director of the Human Resources/Labour Relations team. He has been the lead spokesperson in provincial collective bargaining in the last three rounds since then.

Session: Conflict Resolution Skills and Strategies for Professionals

Trevor is an Adjunct Professor of Organizational Behaviour at UBC Sauder School of Business, where he teaches extensively on conflict resolution, negotiations, communication and leadership for Workplace Professionals, Executive Education, Master of Management and Professional MBA audiences. With 18 years and over 2,000 days of mediation experience solving conflicts/negotiations at impasse and major multi-party disputes involving organizations of all sizes in the public and private sectors, Trevor’s unique value proposition is his ability to go beyond the research and provide participants with the real-world tools and techniques that actually work in the field.

Trevor has worked with numerous Fortune 500 companies such as Samsung, Coca-Cola and Safeway, as well as major organizations like CSSEA, Seaspan, School Districts, University Faculty Collective Agreements, Municipalities, Private Schools, Pharmaceutical Companies, Fire and Police Services, ICBC, Mining-Resource Groups, every Provincial Health Authority, Major Banking Groups, Transportation Services and numerous additional large to medium organizations.

Session: Well-Being in Relationship: Rethinking What Leaders Need to Thrive

Dan Steenburgh is CEO of Interior Community Services, bringing more than 26 years of experience in Canadian community social services across frontline, operational, and executive leadership roles. Throughout his career, Dan has led organizational transformation in service delivery, workforce development, governance and leadership development, with a strong commitment to person-centred practice, empowering leadership, and creating environments where people feel valued, heard and able to grow. His leadership philosophy is grounded in the belief that people are inherently capable and that organizations are strongest when leadership creates the conditions for trust, contribution and shared growth.

Session: Collective Bargaining in Community Social Services - Taking a Broader View

Vanessa Wong joined CSSEA in 1999 and in 2024 was appointed as Manager of the Human Resources/Labour Relations team. She acted as a co-lead spokesperson in provincial collective bargaining in the past round. Vanessa has seen firsthand the evolution of labour relations in the sector for the past 25 years and is well positioned to understand how past labour relations dynamics will shape future rounds of bargaining.