{"id":16856,"date":"2020-10-27T14:31:53","date_gmt":"2020-10-27T18:31:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cpa.ca\/careerfair\/career-fair-mentors\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T16:06:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T21:06:15","slug":"career-fair-mentors","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cpa.ca\/fr\/careerfair\/career-fair-mentors\/","title":{"rendered":"Career Fair Mentors"},"content":{"rendered":"

December 2025 Mentors<\/h2>\n
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\"Lauren<\/p>\n

Lauren Brunet<\/strong>, MA Forensic Psychology.<\/p>\n

Evaluation and Data Specialist for Luna Child and Youth Advocacy Centre<\/em><\/p>\n

Lauren is the Evaluation and Data Specialist for Luna Child and Youth Advocacy Centre. In this role, she works alongside police, child protection, medical, therapy, and victim services experts to facilitate streamlined information sharing and data accuracy in cases of severe child abuse. She holds a B.A. (Hons.) from Mount Royal University, where she studied temporal perceptions of psychopathy in romantic relationships and perceptions of cases of sexual interference. She also holds an MA in experimental forensic psychology from Carleton University, where she studied psychopathy, intimate partner violence, Internet-based sexual abuse, and sexual entitlement. Her background in forensic psychology provides a strong foundation for exploring emerging trends in child abuse investigations from a multidisciplinary lens, such as offender, victim, and case characteristics, to help inform organizational decision-making and mobilize knowledge within the community.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Amy<\/p>\n

Amy Porath<\/strong>, PhD Psychology.<\/p>\n

Director, Research and Knowledge Mobilization at Knowledge Institute on Child and Youth Mental Health and Addictions<\/em><\/p>\n

Dr. Amy Porath is the Director of Research and Knowledge Mobilization at the Knowledge Institute on Child and Youth Mental Health and Addictions. In this role, she leads systems-level initiatives aimed at driving high-quality care and system transformation within the child and youth mental health and substance use health sector. Amy contributes her expertise to inform policy, practice, programs and quality standards to improve mental health and substance use health care. She is also an Adjunct Professor with the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa and an Investigator with the Children\u2019s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Marie-Elyse<\/p>\n

Marie-Elyse Lafaille-Magnan<\/strong>, PhD Neuroscience.<\/p>\n

Advisor, Research Development, Office Vice-President, Innovation and Impact at Concordia University<\/em><\/p>\n

Marie-Elyse currently supports professors at Concordia University with grant writing, submissions, career development, and identifying funding, partnership, and award opportunities. She brings over 10 years of experience in mental health, cognition, neuroscience, biochemistry, pharmacology, and advanced modeling. Her PhD research focused on olfaction in aging and dementia risk populations, and her postdoctoral work explored genetics, early maternal and environmental factors effects on ADHD in children. During her studies, she took part of knowledge translation through theatre, festivals, radio, TV, blogs, news, lectures, events, and documentaries to make research accessible and engaging for diverse audiences. Her work spans clinical trials, big data, policy consulting, and startup advising, and she has consulted across disciplines thanks to her curiosity, openness, and adaptability.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Tracy<\/p>\n

Tracy Palmquist<\/strong>, MA Counselling Psychology.<\/p>\n

Senior Operating Officer, Addiction Services at Recovery Alberta<\/em><\/p>\n

As the Senior Operating Officer for Addiction Services and Compassionate Intervention, Tracy brings over 23 years of leadership experience and organizational management. Tracy combines strategic oversight and the development and integration of evidence-based addiction treatment programs and intervention services, ensuring operational excellence and continuity of care across multidisciplinary teams. In her previous role as the Director of Children, Youth & Family Services, Tracy was committed to helping young people and families through prevention, early intervention and recovery. She led programs designed to address the complex needs of children, youth and families affected by substance use and mental health challenges.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Shannon<\/p>\n

Shannon O’Malley<\/strong>, PhD Cognitive Psychology.<\/p>\n

Director, Member Experience Design at Meridian Credit Union<\/em><\/p>\n

Shannon is Director of Member Experience Design at Meridian Credit Union, where she leads initiatives to help members achieve their best financial life through behavioral science and human-centered design. Previously, she served as Head of Client Experience and Director of BEworks Academy at BEworks, guiding organizations in sectors such as financial services, transit, and marketing to apply behavioral insights for measurable impact. Her approach combines rigorous research with practical strategies that empower organizations to move beyond intuition and embrace evidence-based solutions. Shannon holds a PhD in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Waterloo.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Matthew<\/p>\n

Matthew Kan<\/strong>, PhD Social Psychology.<\/p>\n

Senior Advisor, Behavioural Insights at the Ontario Securities Commission
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\nMatthew is a Senior Advisor, Behavioural Insights at the Ontario Securities Commission, where he leads working applying behavioural Insights to improve retail investor experience and protection. His research focuses on AI, social media and influencers, gamification, digital engagement practices, dark patterns, ESG, and other emerging trends in retail investing. He previously worked at a consulting firm solving behavioural challenges for different organizations and industries. He holds a PhD in Social and Personality Psychology from Queen’s University.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

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\"CSBBCS<\/div>\n
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December 2024 Mentors<\/h2>\n
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\"Justin
\nJustin Deonarine<\/strong>, PhD PsychologyJustin is an Organizational Psychologist, and the founder of Culture Shift Consulting. He specializes in the application of data-driven decision-making to recruitment, leadership and engagement\/retention. Essentially, he uses data to help companies improve their corporate culture, and make their workplace somewhere that employees find meaning and value. Justin has worked with organizations varying in size from local to multi-national, across 5 continents and within multiple industries and spheres (for-profit, non-profit and government). He also writes about his work, publishing articles about leadership, corporate culture, innovation and entrepreneurship.<\/div>\n
\"Alexandra
\nAlexandra Whate<\/strong>, BA Psychology, MSc Biomedical Sciences (Neuroscience)Alexandra is the Co-Founder of The Brainwell Institute, a dementia-focussed think tank dedicated to advancing brain health and dementia advocacy across Canada, sustained by its consulting arm, Brainwell Consulting. As the head of Brainwell Consulting, Alexandra leads a team of research and evaluation consultants who provide strategic guidance, research expertise, and program evaluation services to diverse organizations, empowering them to make data-driven decisions that enhance program effectiveness and achieve meaningful outcomes. With over a decade of experience in research and evaluation, Alexandra specializes in helping organizations demonstrate program impact and leverage insights for strategic improvement. Her expertise spans program evaluation, KPI development, and mixed-methods research. She brings a strong foundation in quantitative and qualitative analysis, development of measurement tools, knowledge mobilization and community engagement. Before founding Brainwell, Alexandra held research roles at the University of Waterloo and managed clinical trials at the Population Health Research Institute and in other hospital settings.<\/div>\n
\"Sarah
\nSarah Moroz<\/strong>, PhD PsychologySarah is the Director of Institutional Reporting and Analysis at York University. She leads a team of data analysts in reporting on university data, including enrolment, student demographics, research funding, faculty and staff complements, and many other facets of the university. Prior to working at York, Sarah earned a PhD in social psychology from Western University, conducting research on attitudes toward LGBTQ+ individuals while pursuing part-time work in assessment and evaluation across various fields. Sarah went on to work in assessment at the University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy, shaping the new role of Associate Director, Assessment. Toward the end of her time at the School of Pharmacy she completed a brief stint as Director, Admissions and Undergraduate Affairs. Additionally, Sarah has spent several years doing consultant work as a lead associate with Ahria Consulting, analysing candidate assessments for high-level leadership roles.<\/div>\n

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\"Simon
\nSimon Baldwin<\/strong>, PhD PsychologySimon is the manager of the Operational Research Unit of the RCMP and has worked in the areas of police use of force and evidence-based policing for the last 15 years. He is an Adjunct Research Professor at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and holds a PhD in Psychology from Carleton University\u2019s Police Research Lab.\u00a0His research focuses on the areas of police training, stress physiology and performance, crisis intervention and de-escalation, body-worn cameras, and the prevention of arrest-related deaths. He is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his work on police use of force reporting and improving oversight, accountability, and evidence-based decision-making. He was also awarded the International Association of Chief\u2019s of Police (IACP) 40 Under 40 award for exemplifying leadership, dedication, and service to the law enforcement profession.<\/div>\n
\"Jean
\nJean Mary Zarate<\/strong>, PhD NeuroscienceJean is the Chief Scientist for Communication and Engagement Strategy at The Collective for Psychiatric Neuroengineering (CPNE). A native New Yorker, Jean received her B.S. in Neural Science from New York University, obtained her M.S. in Neurological Sciences from McGill University after examining the genetic factors underlying schizophrenia-related traits and treatment responses in mice with Drs. Patricia Boksa and Ridha Joober, and earned her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from McGill after investigating the neural correlates of auditory-motor integration during singing under the supervision of Dr. Robert Zatorre. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at New York University with Dr. David Poeppel, Jean worked for 10 years as an editor at Nature Neuroscience, focusing on cognitive and social neuroscience, systems and computational neuroscience, network neuroscience, and human-centered brain mapping techniques. Jean is excited to contribute her editorial experience towards developing more effective scientific communication and engagement skills at CPNE. Outside of CPNE, Jean enjoys working on her music and acting.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

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\"CSBBCS<\/div>\n
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December 2023 Mentors<\/h2>\n

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\"Dr.
\nDr. Michael Arfken<\/strong>, PhD, Experimental Psychology
\nPresident & Chief Grievance Officer, UPEI Faculty Association
\nKeynote address – “Negotiating an Employment Contract”Dr. Michael Arfken is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) and President and Chief Grievance Officer for the UPEI Faculty Association which represents all UPEI academic staff. He is also the Chair of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee and member of the CAUT Executive Committee.<\/div>\n
\"Eric
\nEric Bulmash<\/strong>, MA, Clinical Psychology
\nDirector, People & Culture at Nicola WealthEarly in my career, I worked in mental health research labs and also completed a masters (and one year of a PhD!) in clinical psychology at Queen’s University. Since that time I’ve made the jump into the business world. I’ve worked the past 15 years or so in a variety of roles including as a leadership development consultant, non-profit leader and now as the Director of People & Culture \/ HR at Nicola Wealth, a Vancouver-based Wealth Management company. I leverage my foundation in clinical psychology each day – from my research and data-analytics orientation, to listening deeply to coach leaders towards higher levels of effectiveness, to analyzing larger-scale people and culture needs to move the business forward. Some of my favourite work now involves leading our compensation practice, having 1:1 coaching conversations with employees at all levels, building our leadership development and career growth programs across the company, and supporting leaders to build and grow their teams and our business.<\/div>\n
\"Emily
\nEmily Cote<\/strong>, MA, School Psychology
\nSchool Psychologist at Chignecto-Central Regional Centre for EducationEmily Cote is a Psychologist (Candidate Register) working for the Chignecto-Central Regional Centre for Education in Nova Scotia. Emily completed a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours in Psychology at Dalhousie University in 2019, followed by a Master of Arts in School Psychology at Mount Saint Vincent University in 2021. She believes that schools are the best place for students to receive equitable access to mental health services and she is passionate about recruiting others with shared values to the field of School Psychology. Her services include, but are not limited to, psychoeducational assessment, small-group counselling, behaviour intervention, and consultation. In addition to being a practicing School Psychologist, Emily is actively involved in advocacy and research about recruiting and retaining psychologists in schools.<\/div>\n
\"NathanielNathaniel Barr <\/strong>, PhD, Cognitive Psychology
\nScientific Advisor at BEworks and Faculty at Sheridan CollegeNathaniel Barr, PhD, is a Professor of Creativity at Sheridan College and a Senior Innovation Advisor at BEworks. Prior to these roles, he earned his PhD and held a postdoctoral research fellowship in the Psychology Department at the University of Waterloo.In the academic sphere, Nathaniel is an award-winning lecturer and researcher who\u2019s work on bridging creativity and behavioral science has been funded by multiple federal research grants. He has published popular and scientific articles on a wide variety of topics within the cognitive and behavioral sciences including creativity, innovation, the intersection of thinking and technology, how best to align human and artificial intelligence in the workforce, the psychology of belief, and how to apply behavioral science toward solving the greatest challenges of this era. His research has been covered extensively in the media, including Scientific American, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal and he frequently acts as an expert commentator for print, radio, and television. He brings his expertise in human cognition and behavior to BEworks in a variety of capacities spanning strategy, practice, and innovation. His contributions range from interfacing with clients in diverse sectors, fostering partnerships with various academics and organizations, and envisioning how behavioral science, and BEworks, can solve important challenges and drive innovation.<\/div>\n
\"Sam
\nSam Bienias<\/strong>, BScH, Psychology
\nDiagnostic Medical Sonographer and Echocardiographer at Guardian RadiologySamantha (Sam) Bienias holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Queen\u2019s University, where she was committed to several department councils and research teams. She is a published author through her undergraduate research on women\u2019s sexual and reproductive health. Sam then completed the Diagnostic Medical Sonography diploma at BCIT. For her early passion and commitment to the practice of sonography and echocardiography, Sonography Canada has awarded Sam with the 2022 Early Professional Achievement Award. She was most recently employed as an ultrasound technologist by Medical Imaging Consultants in Edmonton, Alberta, and Guardian Radiology in Wainwright, Alberta.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"CSBBCS<\/div>\n
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January 2023 Mentors<\/h2>\n