Shalini Sinha (they/she) brings more than 25-years of experience consulting for large organizations on integrating equity principles, developing equity strategies, and creating organizational structures and practices to achieve increasing equitable outcomes. They are from Bihar, in India, are born in Canada, and lived half of their life in Ireland where they consulted for universities and national governmental departments on antiracism in education and justice. In Canada, Shalini has founded Inclusiv, and for the last three years, has been the equity lead supporting large universities and health campuses to centre equity and climate justice in climate change action planning. They have a strong academic foundation in Gender Studies, specializing in the intersections of gender, racism, and colonization, and continue to teach at MacEwan University. They have been part of grassroots social and climate justice movements since they were a young teen. As the inaugural Chair of the City of Edmonton’s Anti-Racism Advisory Committee, they led on collaborative decision-making and centring the most marginalized and impacted community voices in creating the strategy. As Chair of the Pride Centre of Edmonton, they introduced and helped integrated an Indigenous and de-colonizing structure to strategic planning. Shalini had the honour of interviewing Angela Davis in Edmonton, was the keynote speaker for the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services Lead with Respect series, the International IAP2 Conference, and was featured in End Poverty Edmonton’s LiftEd podcast. Their proudest moments are speaking on being a Change-Maker at the event hosting His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Ireland, and delivering the TEDx Talk, ‘Are you Consciously Creating a Culture of Respect?’.

Jake Kimble is a multidisciplinary Chipewyan (Dënesųłıné) artist and curator from Treaty 8 territory and belongs to the Deninu K’ue First Nation in the Northwest Territories. Kimble’s photographic practice revolves around acts of self-care, self-repair, and gender-based ideological refusal. Holding both a degree in Acting from Vancouver Film School as well as a BFA in Photography from Emily Carr University of Art + Design Kimble imbues his work with a sense of theatricality and levity, which are core principles in their practice. Through a clever subversion of the everyday aesthetics Kimble also plays with language and ambiguity – something that comes natural with them being a two-spirited artist. Using a funny bone as a tool, Kimble excavates themes of existentialism, narcissism, and the strange, offering an invitation to the audience to examine the absurdities that exist within the everyday so that they too may exhale, unclench, and even chuckle in the spaces where laughter is often lost.

Chris Cochrane is a Black Trans activist, public speaker, and educator based in Kjipuktuk (colonially known as Halifax), Nova Scotia, on the unceded, traditional territory of the Mi'kmaq people. Originally from Unama'ki (Cape Breton), Chris speaks about her lived experience through her intersectional identity and works to create spaces for QTBIPOC communities. With several years of experience as a Support Service Educator, Chris has worked closely with 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, educating youth-centric organizations on how to create affirming spaces for queer youth. She has also provided one-on-one peer support to Trans youth and their families, helping them navigate medical and counseling resources, ensuring they feel seen and supported. As a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) educator, Chris collaborates with corporate, governmental, non-profit, and small business sectors to promote 2SLGBTQI+ inclusion and affirming spaces. She continues her work in education and public speaking, with a focus on the QTBIPOC community. In her partnership with Halifax Pride, where she served as Vice Chair from 2020 to 2022, Chris worked to raise awareness of marginalized communities through a WAGE grant, ensuring that the values of inclusivity and equity remain a long-term commitment in all spaces she educates. Chris is the recipient of the YMCA Peace Medal for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion and is widely known as a local legend and a member of the Drag Dynasty of the East Coast. Celebrating 20 years of drag as Elle Noir, she has built a reputation that resonates from coast to coast. Through her intersectional platform, Chris advocates for equity while focusing on the needs of marginalized and racialized communities.