Shift Lab Bios

Terms: Lab Stewards

This term describes a group of five people (Jodi, Ashley, Ben, Sam, Aleeya) who were responsible for the development of lab design and the processes used, the coordinating activities, adapting and responding to feedback, and organizing the logistics of the lab.

Terms: ‘Core Teams’

This term describes the Core Lab teams at the heart of the Shift Lab. These teams were the driving force behind developing the prototypes that emerged. Striving to be a diverse representation of the system being explored, the Core Lab teams did sense-making of the key challenge. They also did scrappy and rapid research, made sense of insights, came up with possibilities, as well as prototyped and tested solutions. In Shift Lab 2.0 there were four teams of around six to nine people each. The Core Team came from a variety of academic, nonprofit, and public sector backgrounds. Core Team members living directly in or near poverty also participated and contributed greatly to this work. While greater participation from all of these communities was possible, we were confident that the Core Team represented a true crosssection of Edmontonians affected by racism.

Shift Lab Stewards

Jodi Calahoo-Stonehouse Jodi Calahoo-Stonehouse is the Executive Director of the Yellowhead Indigenous Education Foundation. She spent many years at the University of Alberta, serving in faculty development, advancement, recruitment, community relations, and as reconciliation advisor. During her time at the U of A she helped found the Wahkohtowin Law & Governance Lodge with the Faculty of Law. In 2021, Jodi was appointed to serve on Edmonton’s Police Commission. Jodi also worked with former Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner Chief Wilton Littlechild in bringing the 2nd World Indigenous Nations Games to Edmonton in 2017. Jodi’s graduate research focused on Indigenous women’s experience of waterways downstream from the Alberta oil sands. Aside from academics, Jodi’s passion is media and community building. She has won multiple awards for her film productions and radio show production.

Ashley Dryburgh is an anti-racist feminist who has committed her personal and professional development to learning and talking about racism, with a particular focus on engaging her fellow white folks. In previous work, Ashley pursued graduate research with a focus on whiteness in Canadian queer communities and was the Executive Director of the Facilitating Inclusion Cooperative, which provided community-based research training and services for immigrant and Indigenous women. In her role at ECF, she explored the development of targeted granting opportunities that will support the broader Edmonton community.

Ben Weinlick is the Executive Director of Skills Society, a nonprofit that is one of the largest disability rights and service organizations in Edmonton. Ben helped create and launch the Skills Society Action Lab which stewards social innovation alongside community to tackle complex challenges and make systems change where it matters most.

Aleeya Velji brings systems change to the policy space by designing labs and infusing new thinking into public sector organizations. She developed her understanding of complex systems by working as an educator, taking on a fellowship with ABSI connect, and by supporting systems change through various intrapreneurship roles within the municipal, provincial and federal levels of government. She is stellar to collaborate with as she brings a spirit of play and kindness to all the work she does.

Sameer Singh melds journalism and design thinking with public engagement in Edmonton. He holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Business and an MJ from Carleton University. He is passionate about community development, stitching great ideas together, and getting projects off the ground.

Core Team Members

Nicole Jones-Abad (she/her) is a community organizer doing work with Shades of Colour, a grassroots LGBTQ advocacy group in Edmonton. During the pre-lab research phase of Shift Lab 2.0, Nicole coordinated Shift Lab 2.0 and filmed the speaker’s series.

Tamreen Arif, MPA, is a public-policy expert who worked on a range of issues from mining in South America to economic development in rural Alberta. Above all, she is passionate about creating meaningfully inclusive spaces and centring the voices of marginalised communities.

Jaime Calayo is a graduate of the Strategic Foresight and Innovation Master’s program at the Ontario College of Art and Design. His exploratory approach to strategic communications and public engagement pushes him to communicate socially complex issues in innovative and emotionally impactful ways.

Rebecca Craver is a pastor who works with the Edmonton Moravian Church. She is active in interfaith work, has been an advocate for hotel and airport workers, and has a strong desire to engage in deep and transformative work in herself and in relationships with others.

Darryl de Dios is a first-generation immigrant settler from the Philippines and works as a Youth Engagement Coordinator at Volunteer Alberta, where he co-designs the Youth @ the Table program, which matches youth to nonprofit boards across the province.

Kevin Drinkwater believes in bringing curiosity, creativity, and courage to the teams and projects he is privileged to be a part of. He is an entrepreneur and partner in J5, a design and innovation consultancy, and co-founder of The Social Impact Lab, a partnership between J5 and United Way.

Eileen Edwards is driven by a love of learning and a vision of community where everyone has a place and value. These have led her to a PhD in Clinical and School Psychology, an MDiv, and a career that has encompassed psychology, teaching, ordination in the Moravian Church, starting a community cafe, and her current work serving in the Anglican Church. Iwona Faferek is an interdisciplinary designer who is passionate about engaging local communities in collaborative problem solving. She loves the challenge of turning complex ideas into a compelling story and strategy, adapting her approach to engage diverse audiences and stakeholder groups.

Toni Fastlightning is the Director of Education of the Alexis Board of Education. She is currently on maternity leave raising her son, Sitoza Wapta, on Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation. Toni has a Bachelor of Native Studies and a Graduate Degree in Phys Ed and Recreation from the University of Alberta.

Ilene Fleming is Director of Strategic Initiatives at United Way of the Alberta Capital Region. Her work focuses on breaking the cycle of poverty through early child development and making sure children and youth have the community support they need to succeed in school.

Dr. Carla Hilario is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta. Her area of research addresses youth mental health, including access to and experiences of care, protective factors for mental health, and youth-engaged research methods.

Alex Keays is a freelance graphic designer and design educator based in Edmonton. Her work focuses on research and participatory processes.

Johnny Lee has been a social and environmental justice advocate for seven years and an off-the-wall social media presence. His work has evolved from reconciliation to decolonization to try and shift the conversation from symptoms, and management, to societal woes, to root causes and just, sustainable solutions.

Avery Letendre is an administrator for the Indigenous Governance and Partnership Program and Wahkohtowin Law and Governance Lodge at the University of Alberta. She is committed to working toward decolonization in Canada and is keen to join projects that build bridges, interconnections, stronger relationships, and knowledge toward those ends.

Derek Jagodzinsky is a designer/artist with Indigenous heritage whose works have been featured in the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and Canada’s Juno Awards. He obtained his Master’s degree in Industrial Design from the University of Alberta, researching how perceptions about Aboriginal culture can be positively impacted and redefined through design in a modern way.

Naureen Mumtaz is an academic researcher and a design educator, whose work involves teaching and learning through participatory design thinking. Mumtaz’s interdisciplinary PhD at the University of Alberta explored participatory design-based research methods to inform intercultural understanding amongst marginalized youth.

Rabia Naseer is currently working in public-sector research. She has contributed to discussions and initiatives in women leadership, anti-racism and human rights through working with various community organizations.

Annand Ollivierre is a Strategic Foresight Analyst with the City of Edmonton. His experiences have shaped his capacity to be a bridge-builder and through his work, he uses a holistic perspective that encourages collaboration and empowers organizations to apply new frameworks, methods, and tools for greater impact.

Paz Orellana-Fitzgerald is a design and user researcher who understands that a human-centred approach is the key to innovation and meaningful change. Paz’s research has informed and inspired projects in a wide range of industries and sectors — from the experience of buying eyewear to how nurses relate to technology in the workplace. Helen Rusich is curious, passionate about community, and believes asking important questions is crucial to community development. Helen is a Project Manager with REACH Edmonton, working with newcomer communities in collaboration with organizations and systems to prevent family violence in a cultural context.

Rosanne Tollenar has supported the capacity needs of organizations and the community throughout her career in the nonprofit/voluntary sector, working primarily with social service, health, education, and cultural organizations. She is with the Community Engagement Branch of the Ministry of Culture, Multiculturalism and Status of Women at the Government of Alberta .

Essi Salokangas is a clinical pharmacist with a passion for improving health outcomes in vulnerable populations using evidence-based practice, empathy, and humor. Essi is a passionate advocate who believes in social equity, being trauma informed, and challenging systems to ensure they work for those who need them.

Lisa Zhu supports newcomers at an immigration and settlement agency. She holds a degree from the University of Alberta in Education and a diploma in Digital Media and IT from NAIT. She is a strong believer in social equity and taking an active role in social issues.

Jodi CalahooStonehouse

Ashley Dryburgh

Ben Weinlick Aleeya Velji

Sameer Singh Nicole JonesAbad Tamreen Arif Jaime Calayo

Rebecca Craver Darryl de Dios

Kevin Drinkwater

Eileen Edwards

Iwona Faferek

Toni Fastlightning

Ilene Fleming Dr. Carla Hilario

Alex Keays Johnny Lee

Avery Letendre

Derek Jagodzinsky

Naureen Mumtaz Rabia Naseer Annand Ollivierre Paz OrellanaFitzgerald

Helen Rusich Rosanne Tollenar

Essi Salokangas Lisa Zhu

Keeping Power and Privilege In Check

In creating teams for both Shift Lab 1.0 and 2.0, we aimed for diversity, lived experience, and expertise. With enthusiastic support from the Edmonton Community Foundation, our funder, we equitably compensated people for their time and expertise. Core Teams created their own charters of how to respect each other and keep power in check. Developmental evaluation helped Stewards ensure they were listening and adapting the process to the real-time feedback provided by individuals, teams, and the community. The power was really in the honest feedback community stakeholders offered. If there was positive feedback to keep moving forward with a prototype, then Core Teams would move towards piloting the intervention at a broader scale. No process can ever fully account for all the ways power and privilege manifest themselves in a collective effort. Still, we are confident that our processes respected and understood the privileges, perspectives, biases and limitations that we each bring to this work.

“A social innovation can be a product, process, or technology, but it can also be a principle, an idea, a piece of legislation, a social movement, an intervention, or some combination of them.” — Stanford Social Innovation Review