Michaëlle Jean is the 27th Governor General, Commander-in-Chief of Canada, sworn in 2005, for a five-year mandate. As soon as the mandate ended, in 2010, the United Nations immediately called on her to become UNESCO Special Envoy to support reconstruction efforts in Haiti. From 2011 to 2014, Michaëlle Jean also served as Chancellor of the University of Ottawa, where her offices as UNESCO Special Envoy were hosted. In 2014, Michaëlle Jean then becomes the 3rd Secretary General of La Francophonie.

Starting in her 20s and for over 10 years, Michaëlle Jean is active within the Quebec women’s movement, working tirelessly to help build a vast network with hundreds of emergency shelters for battered women and their children. The network will spread throughout Quebec into other Canadian provinces.

From 1988 to 2005, Michaëlle Jean enjoys an outstanding career as a journalist, presenter and news anchor on Canadian public television, both French and English networks. Her accomplishments in journalism earn her numerous awards, including from the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie, which highlights her outstanding merit by naming her to the Ordre des Chevaliers de La Pléiade. She also takes part in documentary films produced by her husband, filmmaker, essayist and philosopher Jean-Daniel Lafond: “A State of Blackness: Aimé Césaire’s Way,” “Tropic North,” “Haiti in All Our Dreams,” “Last Call for Cuba,” and “A Woman of Purpose.”

Jean-Daniel Lafond was born in France, where he was a professor of philosophy and a researcher in educational sciences. Visiting Professor at the Université de Montréal in 1974, he opted for exile in Canada and became a Canadian citizen in 1981. He has since devoted his life to filmmaking and writing, with occasional forays into radio broadcasting and theatre.

In 2010, Jean-Daniel Lafond became Distinguished Senior Fellow with the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, at Carleton University in Ottawa, and the founder of Le pouvoir des arts/ Power of the Arts National Forum. Mr. Lafond is also co-chair and Executive Director of the Michaëlle Jean Foundation.

Michelle is a veteran, a survivor of Canada’s “LGBT Purge” and a human rights activist.
Michelle served as an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces. Despite a distinguished service record, she was dismissed by the military as part of the LGBT Purge.
Michelle’s landmark legal challenge in 1992 ended Canada’s formalized discriminatory policy against LGBT members of the military.
Professionally, Michelle had a 30-year career in public service and retired from the Department of Justice in 2019, where she held the position of Director of International Relations.
Michelle currently serves as the Executive Director of the LGBT Purge Fund.
Michelle is a graduate of Carleton University. She is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Me Patricia Fourcand, Ad.E, practices family law in Montreal with the firm FOURCAND, after having been a partner for more than 20 years with a large national firm. She received the designation of Emeritus Lawyer of the Quebec Bar in 2021. Patricia is often called upon to speak on various aspects of family law, but also on racial justice and the contribution and economic development of Black communities. Highly involved in her community, Patricia has participated in various community and civic activities through fundraising and events to promote the vitality of the Black community in Montréal and Quebec.

Larissa Crawford proudly passes on Métis and Jamaican ancestry to her daughter, Zyra, and is a published Indigenous, anti-racism, and climate justice researcher, policy advisor, and restorative circle keeper with over 14 years of experience.

Larissa is also the Founder of Future Ancestors Services, an Indigenous and Black-owned, youth-led professional services social enterprise that advances climate justice and systemic barrier removal with lenses of anti-racism and ancestral accountability. Through an intergenerational, disabled, and queer team of professionals and advisors, they provide speaking, training, research and consulting services, and influencer and interview services to +300 diverse clients. They do this while centering decolonized and Indigenized practices, and are constantly reimagining how we can learn, relate, and work together in healthy ways.

Dave D'Oyen is a diversity and inclusion consultant providing subject matter expertise on the development and execution of diversity and inclusion strategies and projects. He has held various roles at Corus Entertainment, the City of Toronto, Shopify and EDC. Dave is actively engaged in volunteering working with community leaders, government agencies and not-for-profit organisations to advance systemic change to end anti-Black racism and other forms of discrimination.

Arni Thorsteinson est président et directeur de Shelter Canadian Properties Limited. Fort d’une expérience de plus de 35 ans dans les domaines de la promotion immobilière et des finances, M. Thorsteinson est aussi fondateur des fiducies de placements immobiliers Lanesborough, Huntingdon, Temple et White Rock.

M. Thorsteinson est président du conseil consultatif de Canadian Aspen Properties, président du conseil consultatif du Fonds Vision Capital et président du conseil d’administration du Musée canadien des droits de la personne.

En outre, il est directeur de Ben Moss Jewellers et d’Onex Corporation, de même que fiduciaire du fonds de revenu Bird Construction. C’est en 1974 que M. Thorsteinson a obtenu le titre d’analyste financier agréé; il est également titulaire d’un grade de premier cycle (avec spécialisation) en commerce de l’Université du Manitoba.

Robert has recently retired after 35 years with Global Affairs Canada, holding several sensitive and demanding positions including Press Secretary and Departmental Spokesperson to two Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Chief of Protocol of Canada. He was Canada’s Ambassador to the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria from 2004 to 2007, and Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic and High Commissioner to the Republic of Cyprus from 2011 to 2015.

Robert is actively involved in the community, having served as President of the Board of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, a member of the Canadian Institute in Greece, and an Honorary Director of The Hellenic Initiative.

Zainab Muse is an award-winning entrepreneur, design strategist, author, educator and filmmaker. She is the founder & CEO of Creatorland Inc. Some of her core mandates include advocating for youth leadership, entrepreneurship in underrepresented communities, anti-disciplinary intersectionalities between art, science, technology and society, as well as pluralism through diversity and inclusion.

John M. Beck is founder and Chairman of Aecon Group Inc. A graduate in Civil Engineering from McGill University, Mr. Beck has more than 50 years of experience in the construction industry in Canada and internationally. His background includes corporate leadership in numerous construction activities including heavy civil projects and public-private partnerships for the development of infrastructure, such as airports, toll roads and transit systems.

Mr. Beck is currently a member of the Business Council of Canada and he is a Council member of the Chartered Public Accountants of Ontario. He was previously Chairman of the Board of the Ontario Power Authority, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Financing Authority. His previous board memberships were the Royal Conservatory of Music and the Advisory Council for the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary. He has also been Co-Chair of the Infrastructure & Urban Development Industries at the World Economic Forum.


He was awarded the 2019 E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year, Construction. In recognition of his distinguished achievements and career-long service, Mr. Beck was inducted as a Fellow into the Canadian Academy of Engineering.

Tara is Executive Director of the Michaëlle Jean Foundation where she leads all aspects of strategic planning, communications, stakeholder relations, fundraising and governance.

She has held executive and leadership roles in Canada’s most important cultural organizations including the Canada Council for the Arts, the National Arts Centre, Alliance Atlantis and Harbourfront Centre.

As Program Director of the Michaëlle Jean Foundation, Ed coordinates all aspects of programming, overseeing initiatives, special projects, community relationships and strategic partnerships.

Ed is a community economic developer at heart and has held various leadership roles in several non-profit organizations and boards in Nova Scotia and in Ottawa, such as the Black United Front of Nova Scotia, Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development, Black Business Initiative and World Skills Centre.

Malika has worked in various state departments with a good sense of pursuit of excellence and quality of service. She ensures that the Michaelle Jean Foundation receives a high level of administrative and financial support to accomplish its mission effectively and efficiently.

Kadé is leading the Communications at the Foundation. A visual web designer and strategic communications expert, Kadé has extensive experience in community engagement and public service.

In the past, Kadé has worked as an executive with the French Canadian Cultural Federation and created an artistic collective dedicated to women from cultural communities, Sensibilités. For over 20 years, she has worked in the public service in community programs. In addition, she has served on the boards of arts and cultural organizations, as well as being a producer and host of a Caribbean music radio show in Ottawa.

Her main passion: be a candlemaker.

Nick is the Programs Officer for the Michaëlle Jean Foundation where he helps with all aspects of the Foundation’s programming. His past work ranges from artistic creation and performance to community building and arts advocacy. Nick also leads the music program at Dominion-Chalmers United Church and founded a youth arts program in collaboration with Hot Shoe Productions (Youth Ottawa). Nick founded several community arts programs as well as Aureas Voces Indie Early Music, a youth-led company whose productions build bridges between classical music, settler folk music, the contemporary stage, and digital media.

Thomas is the digital content creator at the Michaëlle Jean Foundation where he designs, executes and analyzes media campaigns and tracks community engagement. He enjoys utilizing media to get the public excited about initiatives and inform them on how they can get involved.

In his free time, Thomas enjoys working on his novel and on audio-visual experiences about identity, queerness and mental health. He’s volunteered extensively in the arts and enjoys performing on stage as an improviser.