Hi! I am a Métis woman who carries a deep commitment to relational ways of knowing, systems thinking, and transformative learning. I use she/her pronouns.
In my role as Lead for Systems Learning, I oversee two national and international initiatives: Map the System Canada, a post-secondary program supporting students in exploring complex challenges through systems mapping, and the Banff Systems Summit, a global convening of systems thinkers, practitioners, and changemakers. My work focuses on creating spaces where people can pause, question, and reimagine the systems shaping their lives and communities.
My background weaves together business and social innovation, with a strong focus on equity, inquiry, and Indigenous knowledge systems. I have explored the inner workings of the charitable sector through a documentary project that questioned why certain systems endure, even when they fail those they’re meant to serve. Throughout my work, I continually ask how we hold complexity with care and what becomes possible when we do.
Beyond my professional roles, I am grounded by long walks, creative expression, and mentoring youth through community-based leadership programs. I believe that some of the most essential systems shifts begin in relationships where people feel seen, safe, and invited to ask hard questions.
Hello! My name is Ashlyn (she/they), and I work as the Institute’s Community Program Coordinator. My grandparents immigrated from Denmark to Ksaa mais ski nii (colonially called Magrath) and my family has since lived on Treaty 7 territory. After a brief stint in Timpanogas (the original Ute name for an area of Utah Valley), I returned to Moh’kinstsis where I’ve lived and learned for the last three years. I am a daughter, sister, and partner, but most importantly a friend!
Through a series of fortuitous events, I joined the Institute in 2024 as a social lab assistant for the Literacy Lab. Having worked in libraries for years, the intersection of literacy and community is something that greatly intrigues me; I believe one of the most important qualities one can have is harbouring a love of learning, whether you are five or fifty. Now, I work both with the Literacy Lab and the Childhood Early Literacy Network to research, engage with, and support our smallest community members. As a recent MRU graduate, I am thrilled at the prospect of applying what I have learned to serve my community. In my free time I enjoy reading, volunteering with local 2SLGBTQIA+ groups, and spoiling my cat Frances.
Born and raised in Moh’kinstsis from mixed ancestry, I’ve had the privilege to live, study, work and raise a family on Treaty 7 territory. The prairies largely defined my childhood as my parents are both from a small community in northern Saskatchewan on Treaty 6 territory. My dad’s family homesteaded in the region and my mom’s family is of Metis heritage. I have much to learn about my heritage and strive to bring curiosity to exploring the rich history of Metis People in what is now known as Canada. Family is of deep importance to me. I am the proud mother of a teenage son and step-mom to three other young adults. I am also a daughter, a wife, a sister and an aunty.
As the Associate Director at the Institute for Community Prosperity, I have the privilege and honour to support our team in a variety of capacities including overseeing several of our student-oriented and community-oriented social innovation and systems leadership initiatives. I have a particular interest in exploring how economic tools can be used to bring about a more equitable and sustainable future for all. My career has spanned a variety of roles in the social economy as an entrepreneur, a network-convenor, an educator and a facilitator. In addition to my roles at MRU, I am one of the founding members and board chair of Local Investing YYC, an impact investment cooperative that mobilizes community wealth to invest in locally owned businesses making a difference for people and the planet. I also serve on the board of CCEDNet, the Canadian Community Economic Development Network.
oki, my name is Brit (she/they) and I am a daughter, sister, aunt, friend, partner, and mother. I was born and spent my childhood on the unceded traditional Wolastoqey land, along the Wolastoq river. I am a white settler, the daughter of Welsh and Scottish immigrants. For over 25 years, I have been privileged to call Moh’kinstsis home.
I have always been interested in arts, this led me to a formal education from both the Alberta University for the Arts and Emily Carr University. My art practice focuses on patriarchal structures of archiving and queer processes of grief through the lens of collage and photography. Since graduating in 2017, I have worked at non-profit or educational organizations that focus on arts, community, and 2SLGBTQ+ causes. In my free time I enjoy tabletop games, beach volleyball, and walking my rescue pup.
In my role at the Institute for Community Prosperity, I am thrilled to lead communications and have the opportunity to amplify our initiatives and the work of changemakers.
Note: Currently on leave
I am a daughter, sister, niece, cousin, auntie, friend, wife and mother. I was born on the traditional territory of the Lekwungen-speaking peoples of the Songhees, Esquimalt and the WSÁNEĆ peoples, also known by the colonial name of Victoria, BC. I have had the privilege of calling Moh’kinstsis my home for the past 13 years.
My passion for the arts led me to obtain my Bachelor of Art History degree at the University of British Columbia. For the past 25 years, I have actively sought out admin roles in the arts & culture, and non-profit sectors, for example, working at the Confluence Museum and the Alex Community Centre. I am thrilled to have found my home with the Institute for Community Prosperity, helping amplify the work of changemakers. It fills my heart to be part of such a dynamic, caring group of people and I look forward to the exciting challenges and learning opportunities that lie ahead.
Oki. I am a white settler born in Mohkinstsis, and my family is a mixture of English, Scottish, and Welsh. I am an able-bodied woman and I use she/her pronouns.
My professional experience is grounded in my education as a social worker and in policy studies and as an advocate for access, focusing primarily on advocacy for accommodations in learning environments. I seek to enact system-level structural change in my personal and professional roles by examining how to make policies work more efficiently for the people they serve and advocating for improving the accessibility of resources, services, and spaces.
My work at the Institute spans multiple projects including strategic program design and delivery, leading changemaking-focused learning programs, and applied community-partnered research projects. I value the opportunity to be a mentor for students and to support our shared learning journey as changemakers. I support Catamount, the Systems Leadership Sandbox, and Economics of Social Change, and I work with Mount Royal's University's Change Team to foster changemaking activities across campus.
Dānít’ádā (How are you? In the Tsuut’ina orthography of the Dene language). With mixed ancestry from Ireland and Scotland on my mom's side and Metis ancestry on my dad’s side, I am Naatsippo niikopoto (23 in Blackfoot) and a daughter, sister, niece, cousin, partner, and friend born and raised in the smallest big city, Moh’kinstsis.
I am a recent graduate of the Policy Studies program at MRU, where I minored in Social Innovation. My experience with political science, economics, and systems thinking has boded well in my participation with Map the System, where my teams have made it to campus finals two years in a row. I was also the President of the Policy Studies Student Society from 2023-2025. I was interviewed as a Changemaker on Campus as well as an institute-published blog writer for my panel contributions in the first-ever Banff Systems Summit in 2024.
I am the StartWork Research Assistant at the institute, where I am once again supporting the StartWork team in labour market research, policy analysis, and social entrepreneurship data. With a vested interest in policymaking for economic, social, political, and ecological good, I hope to one day be a partner and leader in social innovation policymaking. I am happiest when I am teaching dance to the young ones, camping and being outside with friends, or eating Nerd Gummy Clusters.
She:Kon (hello), my name is Kelaena (she/her), and I come from a white settler background with Swiss-German ancestry and have had the privilege of being a guest on Treaty 7 land and Moh’kinstsis for the past 12 years. My greatest joy is my family—I’m a mother to two wild and wonderful kiddos, a wife, a sister, a daughter, an auntie, and a friend. Learning excites me, phone screens exhaust me, and language connects me—I’m currently learning Kanien'kehá:ka with my little ones.
For the past decade, I’ve worked in the non-profit sector, primarily alongside grassroots organizations as they organize and grow. This has meant moving across many roles—administration, program planning, fund development, capacity building, and community engagement—all interconnected pieces of larger systems in flux. I’m especially interested in how theories of systems change translate into practice, how ideas take root in lived experience and collective action. At ICP, I lead Art for Social Change Projects, collaborating with artist changemakers through the Art for Social Change Network: Calgary Hub and the Artist as Changemaker Residency Program.
Born in Amiskwacîwâskahikan (Cree word meaning Edmonton) to Calabrese Italian immigrants, my greatest joy comes from bringing people together and filling my home with my community of friends and family.
My work in Moh’kinsstis’ non-profit sector began 20 years ago as a youth worker at Ghost River Rediscovery after graduating from University of Calgary’s Development Studies program. Since then, my roles have spanned program evaluation, volunteer engagement, capacity building, and leadership, always guided by a commitment to listening to those at the center of a system to inform change. For the past five years, I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with organizations as a consultant, supporting projects that strengthen equitable volunteer engagement and organizational development.
As Lab Manager at the Institute for Community Prosperity, I help social labs run smoothly by keeping people and information organized, creating the conditions for meaningful collaboration and impact.
Oki, Hello. I am a mother, wife, daughter, sister and auntie of white settler origin and Estonian ancestry. I live with my husband, two children and rescue dog at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers, in Moh’kinstsis, colonially known as Calgary. It is my privilege and honour to work as the Executive Director of the Institute for Community Prosperity, leading an incredible team of inspiring changemakers, and weaving meaningful connections between campus and community.
I have spent the past 25 years working at the intersection of post-secondary education and community engagement, leading the design and delivery of innovative experiential learning programs, large-scale social impact projects, and inter-institutional collaborations. Prior to joining MRU, I was a Research Associate and Faculty with the Centre for Sustainable Community Development at Simon Fraser University (SFU), an Instructor with SFU’s Centre for Dialogue, and Program Manager for the award-winning civic innovation hub, CityStudio. I am happiest floating on, swimming in or paddling through water.
Hi! I am a wife, daughter, and the eldest sister in my family. I was born and raised in Hong Kong, one of the world’s busiest cities, and my personal experiences and the values passed down through my family have shaped who I am today. Coming from a background where stability and financial success were emphasized, I initially pursued a career in the real estate industry. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Surveying from the University of Hong Kong, believing that this path would offer a secure future.
However, as I worked in the industry, I realized that my true passion lies in social enterprise and innovation—using my skills to support others and create social impact. This led me to transition into the social enterprise and non-profit sectors, where I found my passion for helping individuals overcome barriers to employment and connect with the community. My journey led me to pursue a Master’s in Social Work, and I became a Registered Social Worker.
Now, settled in Canada, I am thrilled to serve as the Coordinator for StartWork at the Institute for Community Prosperity at MRU. In this role, I support refugees facing multiple challenges to find employment in a new country, helping them navigate the complexities of a new life and thrive in their communities. I am also deeply committed to fostering social enterprise and innovation projects in Canada, particularly in Calgary, as a means to address social challenges and contribute to the collective well-being.
hello, I am a daughter, a sister, an immigrant, and a friend. I was born and raised in Vietnam, a pretty S-shaped country bordering the South China Sea in Southeast Asia. My life experiences and values have passed down to me from my family who believe in personal growth and the endless possibilities to live better by exploring the world outside beyond what's possible in the social and family norms. With the encouragement, I came to Canada in 2019, first time travelling abroad, to start my journey.
I have been working with the Institute in various casual marketing and communications projects since 2023, during my pursuit of a BBA in Marketing at MRU. Since then, I have developed my experiences in co-developing and co-executing marketing and communication strategies by taking a collaborative approach to gathering valuable insights on the Institute’s connections with the target audiences, clarifying communication priorities and populating message and content ideas closely with team members.
My student journey at MRU also inspired me to explore systems thinking, changemaking, and social innovation experiences, particularly, as an MRU campus finalist of Map the System 2024 with the topic "Underemployment of Immigrants in Canada", a fellow of the connectFirst Social Entrepreneurs program and many other campus extracurricular opportunities. I have grown a keen interest in opportunities to continue my growth journey at the intersection of marketing and social innovation. This led me to realize the fascinating application of systems thinking to identify marketing and branding problems, opportunities, and solutions. I am very grateful to be able to continue my career journey at the Institute for another year upon graduation, while also taking on the role of Marketing Specialist for Map The System Canada.
Mizuki's role as Map the System Canada Admin Assistant is from her love and passion for the competition coming from her own experience participating in Map the System twice while studying Social Work as an international student. Her team's submission on Indigenous Children in Canadian Child Welfare was chosen among the top 8 in Canada. The exposure to Systems-Thinking widened Mizuki's perspectives in just about every aspect of her life. Mizuki strongly hopes to reach out to as many MRU students as possible to bring the benefits of Map the System experience for their educational journey. Mizuki recently started her new pursuit as in Computer Information Systems after having worked in homelessness and addictions, for a few years. In addition to that, she is also an avid ballroom dancer, searching for the betterment of body movement.
Nicole is the primary coordinator for MRU’s participation in this innovative challenge focused on systems thinking - MRU Map the System. Nicole will facilitate a vibrant campus environment that encourages students from diverse disciplines to engage with complex societal issues through systems thinking. Through this role, she aims to cultivate a community of system thinkers and problem-solvers who are equipped to address the complex challenges facing our world today.
As a previous participant who loved the opportunity that Map the System has provided her, she hopes to spark the same passion in other students. Along with her group, Nicole honed a top 5 spot for the campus final where her group discussed Mental Health Perceptions in Southeast Asia. As a psychology student, Nicole has really appreciated systems thinking as it provides her with a new perspective both in her studies, and in her everyday life.
I am a daughter, sister, godmother, auntie and friend of European and Mennonite ancestry. I am from Winnipeg - Treaty 1 territory and the national homeland of the Red River Metis and the traditional land of the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe), Ininew (Cree) and Dakota peoples. I have lived in Moh’kinstsis for the past 24 years.
As the Executive Assistant to the Executive Directors of the Institute for Community Prosperity and the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, I support all programs and operations within the Institutes. I appreciate the diversity of work, connections with students, and the strong community of colleagues and friends at MRU. I love spending time with family, and you can find me on the curling rink in the winter and the golf green in the summer.