Join Us! BIG SCHOLARS Lecture Series

Filling the Relationship Gap for Kids

It is amazing what young people can overcome when they have the relationships and access to basic resources around them. Young people that are engaged in relationships where they feel seen, heard, valued and safe are able to overcome incredible adversity and even experience healing from trauma. Yet we all know that young people are entitled to and capable of so much more than mere survival. They have skills, talents and interests waiting to be discovered, developed and contributed to the world.

Developmental relationships provide the access, confidence and courage for young people to turn these sparks into meaningful pursuits. These types of relationships are not just positive interactions. They are infused with purpose that shape how young people see themselves and their abilities to impact their world. However, not all young people have the same access to networks, resources and opportunities. Many young people face additional barriers that require intentional efforts to connect these young people to the developmental assets in their communities and beyond. We will talk about how developmental relationships can also produce social capital through access to resources that can be mobilized by young people to move from surviving toward thriving.

Ben Houltberg

Ben is a developmental scientist, former tenured faculty member and experienced licensed marriage and family therapist. He is widely published in topics such as the socialization of adolescent emotion regulation, promoting resilience through adversity, character and identity development in sports. Ben has a strong record of procuring grant funding and leading interdisciplinary research teams. His motivation to pursue his doctoral degree emerged from his clinical experience and desire to empower youth facing tremendous adversity due to socio-economic disadvantage and marginalization. As a result, he is passionate about linking research insights with practitioner wisdom to have maximum impact on the lives of youth.

Elevating our Brand Power

We pride ourselves in making decisions based on facts and science. Armed with insight from global researchers at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing, Adjunct Professor Ashley Konson will take you through an intense exploration of evidence-based laws of marketing that may challenge much of what you believe are fundamental. You’ll be armed with insights to challenge myths like, “Charities are different,” or “It doesn’t work like that in my community.” You’ll also answer questions like, “Who do we really compete with?”

This session is open to anyone who is curious about how we can grow the BBBS brand through market penetration and by building mental and physical availability. Prepare to engage in a dialogue that will help us think differently about marketing the century-old Big Brothers Big Sisters brand.

Insider tip: Prepare to immerse yourself in the topic ahead of time. Consider reading How Brands Grow, Part 2, Revised Edition by Jenni Romaniuk and Byron Sharp.

Ashley Konson

Ashley Konson (he/him) is president of Global Brand Leaders, Inc., the Associate Director of the Master of Marketing program and Adjunct Professor of Marketing at the Schulich School of Business, York University. He is a recent winner of the John Peace Teaching Award and a three-time winner of the prestigious Seymour Schulich Graduate-level Teaching Excellence Award. His academic credentials are backed by decades of brand expertise having elevated such global brands as Nestlé, Disney and IMAX. Ashley’s passion for marketing is contagious and inspirational. Outside of the lecture hall, Ashley is a black-belt in Karate and an avid cyclist.

Forming Authentic Partnerships with Indigenous Communities and CBO’s

This will be a Panel Presentation that will begin by outlining the key elements to making any partnership both authentic and effective. Specifically, it will discuss concepts of genuine allyship.

Dale Botting and Candace Wasacase will share their lifetime of experiences in bridging cultural gaps, and in overcoming some awkward histories between First Nations and other human services agencies and Settler institutions. This “how to” presentation will be followed by a real-world case study, as Kim Megyesi will then shares her ongoing “work in progress” to develop new Programs with BBBS Saskatoon and Muskeg Lake Cree Nation. Mentoring models in Indigenous communities have tremendous potential. We will discuss ways to take a unique, respectful, and innovative approach.

Dale Botting

Dale has had a diverse career working at the highest levels in business, government, and the non-profit sectors. His last job as a salaried executive was serving as Deputy Minister in the Government of Saskatchewan (2007 -10), and as the founding CEO of both Enterprise Saskatchewan and Innovation Saskatchewan. His formal academic background includes three degrees – each with Highest Distinction in Ecology/Biology, Economic Geography and Education.

Since 2010, he has returned to the private sector, and formed a thriving Leadership Coaching, Training and Strategy Consulting Business – Botting Leadership Inc. He specializes in Executive and Business Coaching, Leadership Development, Governance Reform, First Nations capacity building, Social Enterprise, and Organizational Development and Strategy. Dale is the first person in Saskatchewan to ever be certified by the Professional Business Coaching Alliance (PBCA) of North America and now he is recognized as one of their few “Master Coaches”. He is also a graduate of the ICF-recognized Newfield Network and its Certified Coach Training Program. In 2016 Dale Botting was recognized by his peers as “Business Coach of the Year” for Western North America. Dale also served as the founding President of the Canadian Chapter of this International Professional Association. In June 2022 he became the first person to be inducted in the PBCA Hall of Fame.

In 2021 Dale Botting started another business and network, called the Global Alliance of Professionals in Leadership Development (GAPLD). GAPLD trains and certifies professionals who see Organizational Leadership as a vocation, with its own unique skills and competencies. This rapidly growing network now has trained and certified University Deans, Corporate CEO’s, First Nation leaders, Non-Profit Executive Directors, and other Consultants, Coaches and Trainers in both Canada and the USA.

Dale and his wife Rose continue to be based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with a blended family of five adult children, and now up to seven grandchildren.

Candace Wasacase-Lafferty

Candace Wasacase-Lafferty is the Senior Director of the Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Centre at the University of Saskatchewan and Director of Honouring Nations Canada for Fulbright Canada.

Candace is a Saulteaux and Cree citizen of the Kahkewistahaw First Nation, and a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan. Prior to her 20-year career with University of Saskatchewan, Candace worked within her own communities and held positions with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, The Saskatoon Tribal Council, and the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies.

Candace began working at University of Saskatchewan in 2001 and has held various roles in human resources, community relations, student services, fundraising, partnership development and led in the realization of the Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Centre. Most recently she co-chair of the post-pandemic shift commission for the Office of the President at the University of Saskatchewan.

In 2019, she began working with the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy in partnership with Harvard University to bring the Honouring Nations program to Canada. Candace is committed to promoting and living Indigenous values and culture within the university and beyond. Candace serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Wanuskewin Heritage Park and the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority.

Kim Megyesi

Kim Megyesi is an accomplished, not for profit leader with 30 years’ experience in the sector. In her current role as CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Saskatoon and Area. Her history serving various marginalized populations in the areas of domestic violence, sexual assault, crisis line, homelessness, and seniors in home care is a testament to her passion for social justice and advocacy.

Kim takes a systems change approach to all her work and prioritizes seeing the communities she serves thrive. Building on the agency’s strong foundation in mentoring, Kim has continued with fresh ideas to better prepare our community’s children for future success by innovating and adapting to their needs.

Technology for Social Services

We’re living in a data economy and a digital era. This year, 65% of the world’s GDP is set to be digitalized, with companies and governments investing trillions in their own digital transformations. By 2030, 90% of jobs will require digital skills, and 50% will be changed by automation.

What does this mean for social service delivery? What digital leadership skills are required of nonprofit leaders? How can non-profits meet this labour market transformation? What are the risks and opportunities that need to be on our radar? And how do we navigate this period of disruption to ensure that digital technologies are impact multipliers, not barriers to mission? We will explore these questions and more in this participatory session.

Kate Gibson

Katie is a lawyer by training and an activist at heart. She’s passionate about using entrepreneurial tools for social impact. Currently, Katie leads strategy and partnerships at the CIO Strategy Council, a nonprofit focused on Canada’s digital transformation. In this role, she cofounded the  Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience. She also leads work on sustainable IT and responsible AI. You may also have crossed paths with Katie in her previous roles as general counsel in a national youth charity, as director of Social Enterprise for the Ontario government, or in her work at the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing.

Growth Minded Organizations

Through this initiative, leaders across the Big Brother Big Sisters federation will engage and grapple with the realities of their current organizational culture through an introspective journey that can often require a sensitive personal exploration. Establishing a safe learning space is foundational to continued development. This keynote will help participants embrace their role as leaders with a bias for action through a nuanced understanding of what contributes to an inclusive culture and a regular inquiry-based practice key to keeping this at the core of Big Brother Big Sister’s culture.

Learning Experiences and Objectives:

1. What is an inclusive and equitable organization and what are our individual roles and contributions?
2. How do we adopt a bias for action toward enabling a more inclusive and equitable culture?
3. How can we better understand and embrace our own journey and current and future contributions to an inclusive and equitable workplace and community?

Nouman Ashraf

Nouman Ashraf is an Associate (tenured) Professor within the Organizational Behaviour area at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

He possesses a broad range of professional, academic and research interests, with a specialized focus on enabling inclusive and innovative practices within teams, organizations and boards.

For the last decade and a half, he has held progressively senior roles at the University of Toronto, including most recently as the Director of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion the Rotman School of Management.

He is a recognized thought leader in governance and has taught thousands of directors in the national Rotman program on Not-for-Profit Governance in partnership with the Institute for Corporate Directors since its inception in 2007.

Nouman serves as Teaching Fellow at the Institute for Gender and the Economy. He is also an Associate at Trinity College within the University of Toronto and an Affiliated Faculty Member at the University of Toronto School of Cities.

In his free time, Nouman mentors exceptional post-graduate students in his capacity as Senior Fellow Emeritus at Massey College within the University of Toronto. Most recently, he developed an online course on inclusive leadership development in partnership with GetSmarter.