PARTNERSHIP BROKER

Shauna is currently the Director of Community Supports at Skills Society. She has worked in the non-profit sector for the past 14 years in various roles including front line, supervisory, director of social innovation and Vice President. She led a full company wide implementation of Human Centered Design as a service delivery model and had the opportunity to lead and be part of a number of startups over the last 10+ years.

Shauna is currently serving as the partnership broker for Edmonton’s Pan Disability Connection (PDC), a network of businesses, service providers, academics and self advocates working together to eliminate systemic barriers to employment for people with disabilities. She also serves on the Albert Employment First Network (AEFN) interim advisory board. Shauna believes that using a collective and collaborative approach is key to creating meaningful impact and change in our communities.

Shauna is a transformational leader who is passionate about leadership, innovation and challenging the status quo. She values trust, teamwork, kindness, openness, continuous learning, risk taking and having fun.

 SELF ADVOCATE PARTNER

Heath brings personal experience mixed with my community work and education towards:
– disability/inclusive arts
– social justice
> centered on disability rights.

In the discipline of social justice, Heath is on the Alberta Premier’s Council on the Status of persons with Disabilities.  Heath also works as an Edmonton Representative for the Albertans Advocating for Change Together which enables people with disabilities from across Alberta to collaborate and strengthen their ability to voice concerns and maintain an equitable quality of life. Heath also helped found Right to Love Calgary and Alberta Advocates for Change Together.

Heath is also a Collaborative Workshop Facilitator, with experience developing and facilitating intersectionality, conflict-resolution and relationship workshops.

Heath is also involved with the Canadian Dance Association and took part in ‘Build a Better Fringe’ with the Edmonton International Fringe Festival and with CRIPSIE for a decade as a dancer, co-choreographer, community liaison and current Chairperson on their Board.

EMPLOYED PARTNER

Gail Kesslar, is an Applied Research, Business Development Officer. With over 20 years of project management and administration experience. Known for her relationship building skills and her ability to collaborate, Kesslar is also known for her ability to ideate and activate projects from the ground up.

With extensive experience in managing both projects and diverse teams, she also brings added value to projects through her communications and marketing expertise. A former Project Manager of Research and Academic Innovation’s Autism CanTech! project, and a Project Director for both the VR Soft Skills Training, and Unity Higher Ed XR Grant, she sees and values Applied Research as a powerful tool that can help both community organizations and industry to solve challenges while simultaneously elevating individuals from equity-seeking groups.

SERVICE PROVIDER PARTNER

Ashleigh Benson has been with Gateway Association for more than 10 years and currently serves as Manager of the Edmonton Employment Resource Centre, where she provides leadership for employment programs, service delivery, strategic planning, employer engagement, and community partnerships. She also oversees the MentorAbility Alberta project, helping strengthen connections between job seekers, employers, and service providers across the province to advance disability inclusive employment practices.

Ashleigh holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alberta and has dedicated her career to advancing employment inclusion and supporting individuals facing barriers to employment. Since joining Gateway’s employment team in 2016, she has held progressively senior roles in workforce development, program leadership, and employer engagement.

Her work includes leading multidisciplinary teams, overseeing government funded employment initiatives, developing strategic partnerships, writing successful funding proposals and RFP responses, and supporting innovative projects that strengthen workforce participation and workplace inclusion.

Known for her collaborative and relationship focused approach, Ashleigh is passionate about building programs and partnerships that create meaningful opportunities for individuals while helping employers develop more inclusive workplaces. What she enjoys most about her work is helping people identify their strengths, build confidence, and connect with meaningful employment opportunities that align with their goals, while witnessing the positive impact employment can have across all areas of life.

Outside of work, Ashleigh is a proud dog mom, cake artist, traveler, and lover of all things nerdy.

SERVICE PROVIDER PARTNER

Allison Leigh is a very dedicated leader who believes in putting fun into work. Her passion is finding people’s unique skills and talents and supporting them to use those abilities to achieve their goals. Allison has a BSc in Sociology and has worked with people with disabilities with a focus on employment for almost 20 years.

Allison is passionate about finding innovative ways to support people. She is a relator and stimulates those around her to achieve their best. Allison demonstrates this in her work as the Employment Specialist at Chrysalis.

When not at work, Allison enjoys relaxing with her husband, 2 adult children and her cat. She is an avid Edmonton Oilers fan and never misses a Formula 1 race.

EMPLOYED PARTNERS

Kylie Dwyer is a Talent Diversity Consultant at the City of Edmonton with over 11 years of talent acquisition experience in the public sector, including previous roles at Alberta Health Services and the Government of Alberta. She specializes in inclusive hiring, and educating organizational leaders to increase capacity to recruit and retain equity-deserving groups in the workforce, including people with disabilities.

Kylie is passionate about employment equity and showing organizations the countless benefits of inclusive hiring. She believes that a commitment to inclusion and removing barriers to employment are critically important because they are the best ways to improve business outcomes, raise intelligence quotients for teams, and futureproof organizations. Kylie’s work is driven by years of experience collaborating with nonprofit organizations, service providers, employers, and advocates to develop strategies and solutions.

Kylie graduated from MacEwan University with a degree in Sociology, and holds a certificate in Human Resources and Labour Relations, as well as her CPHR designation.