Theme: Grasp Your Future

What is TedxYouth@SJAMWaterloo? It’s a one-of-a-kind night that will bring together 100 of Waterloo's brightest young minds for an evening of enrichment and education on some of today's biggest topics. Our student-run event aims to empower youth through preparation for the technological world ahead of them through the use of a variety of highly qualified guest speakers for what promises to be an unforgettable night! Waterloo is a hub of entrepreneurship and innovation, is at the forefront of the Canadian technology sector, and has high youth engagement, making it perfect for the adolescent-oriented, tech-based event we aim to host. Under our theme of Grasp your Future, we hope to unite youth from all around the region around some truly terrific speakers.

TedxYouthSJAMWaterloo
650 Laurelwood Dr
Auditorium
Waterloo, Ontario, N2V 2V1
Canada

Christopher Holt

Lecturer, Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business, University of Waterloo

Chris has spent his career building new organizations. After graduating with an MBA from Duke University in the mid-1990s and spending a few years as a management consultant, he joined one of the first Internet consulting firms as head of its business consulting team in New York and Toronto. He went on to help government and corporate clients to adopt the kinds of mobile commerce strategies we take for granted today. Chris then shifted gears in 2001 and joined one of Canada’s first “hedge funds” (highly-specialized investment firms) where he helped to raise over $200 million. In his spare time, he also consulted to the World Bank in Washington DC, the UN in Costa Rica and a Geneva-based organization where he managed onsite logistics for the US president and Canadian prime minister. Hungry to start something new again, he launched one of the world’s top-ranked hedge fund blogs in 2006, which he eventually sold to a Boston-based financial education organization.

Iain Klugman

CEO of Communitech

Iain has overall responsibility for all operations of this award winning organization including regional, provincial and national mandates. Before joining Communitech in 2004, Iain’s career spanned leadership roles in the private and public sectors, including Director of Global Branding and Advertising for Nortel, Executive Director of Communications with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), CEO of Ontario Tourism (provincial crown corporation), and roles with the Privy Council Office and Industry Canada. Over the past 30 years, Iain has been involved as Board Member or Chair of 27 different organizations including national & regional, social & business organizations. Currently he serves as a special advisor to the President of the National Research Council, the Digital Government Board of the Province of Ontario, Volta Labs, Mitacs, Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, and is a Senior Fellow with the Brookfield Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. .

Ig Kolenko

Director of Smart Manufacturing and Digital Innovation at Conestoga College

Ig manages the Electronic Systems Engineering degree program at the Cambridge campus at Conestoga College, along with directing applied research within the Centre for Smart Manufacturing (CSM). His areas of expertise are the research into advanced manufacturing, Internet of Things (IoT) and electronics, software and cybersecurity. He has 16 years of experience as software consultant and entrepreneur, specializing in custom software development, digital signage software solutions and training. He has eight years of teaching experience within the Software Engineering Technology program, four and a half years as Academic Chair for the full IT and Electronics cluster of programs, and now supports the applied research goals within the Centre for Smart Manufacturing.

John Baker

CEO of D2L

John founded D2L in 1999, at the age of twenty-two, while attending the University of Waterloo. D2L is a global software company that believes learning is the foundation upon which all progress and achievement rests. A strong believer in community involvement, John devotes both his personal and business efforts to supporting young entrepreneurs who are developing and applying technology to improve society worldwide. He was appointed to the Governing Council of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Member (Entrepreneurs’ Circle) of the Business Council of Canada, Business Higher Education Roundtable, Past Chair of the Board of Communitech, and is a board member of Canada’s National Ballet School. John was awarded the Meritorious Service Cross, the EY Entrepreneur of the Year (Ontario for Software and Technology), Young Alumni Achievement Medal from University of Waterloo, and Intrepid Entrepreneur of the Year in Waterloo Region Hall of Fame.

Joseph D'Souza

Founder and CEO of Pronavigator

Joseph D'Souza is a passionate business builder, with more than a decade of experience founding and growing companies. As the Founder and CEO of ProNavigator, he is using AI to reinvent customer service and drive growth in the insurance industry. ProNavigator's platform combines advanced AI and insurance expertise to help agencies scale customer support and augment their teams.

Meena Waseem

2019 Loran Scholar

Meena is the student council president of Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute and an avid public speaker on mental health and diversity. She is deeply invested in youth engagement work and has received multiple awards for her volunteerism and leadership. Being a prolific member of the Kitchener-Waterloo community, she has had the honour of being a guest speaker at the Kitchener City Council’s inauguration ceremony, where she spoke about the importance of including youth voice in politics. In school, Meena chaired a club that eases students’ transition into high school and has been an executive of her school’s business club. She is also a passionate debate champion with multiple awards to her name. Meena organized her school’s first-ever mental health assembly and organized a successful hurricane relief fundraiser at her school. Over the summer, Meena was also the co-director of empowerment camps for children and youth.

Sajeev Kohli

National Student Researcher

Sajeev is a grade 12 student involved with university laboratory research since he was thirteen years old and has won regional, national, and international awards for his work focusing on the implementation of a new nanoparticle-based drug carrier development pipeline for cancer treatment. He has represented Canada at two international research competitions for his work: the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) and the International BioGENEius Challenge. In 2018, he became the first Canadian in 10 years to win the Grand Prize in Global Healthcare at the International BioGENEius Challenge, the world’s most coveted biotechnology research competition for high school students. Recently, he was invited to Parliament Hill in Ottawa by NSERC to showcase his research to the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Mr. Justin Trudeau, and to the Minister of Science, the Honourable Mrs. Kirsty Duncan, in person as one of the top youth scientists in the country.

Stephen Cross

Director of Applied Research & Entrepreneurship at Conestoga College

Dr. Stephen Cross received his M.Sc. at the University of Victoria (Canada) in marine quantitative ecology/oceanography and his Ph.D. at the Aquaculture Institute, University of Stirling (Scotland). He is currently Director of Applied Research Chair at Conestoga College Institute of Technology Advanced Learning, an Associate Professor at the University of Victoria, and an Adjunct Professor in Vancouver Island University’s Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture. Having only recently moved to Southern Ontario to help build and support the Applied Research portfolio at Conestoga, Dr. Cross brings over 30 years of National and International research experience from the private and the university/college sectors. With a practical background in seafood security, production system innovation, and environmental management, Dr. Cross now facilitates industry-college research partnerships in SMART manufacturing/de-manufacturing, cybersecurity, digital supply chain issues, IT, etc.