Theme: Looking Forward

Following the footsteps made by the 2017 "Next
Generation" TEDxConcordia team, we decided to name ou theme "Looking Forward". In
the same logic, we wish to put forth ideas that bring us closer to the future. We wish to
make technological innovation, thought innovation and new creative outlets the subject
of this event!

MB9 Conference Center
1450 Guy Street
9th floor
Montreal, Quebec, H3H 0A1
Canada

Amy Poteete

Associate professor at Concordia University

-Amy R. Poteete is Associate Professor of Political Science at Concordia University in Montreal. Her research explores socio-ecological and political economic systems in diverse contexts, ranging from Botswana and Sénégal to Montréal and southern Indiana (USA). She is the coauthor, with Marco A. Janssen and Elinor Ostrom, of Working Together: Collective Action, the Commons, and Multiple Methods in Practice (Princeton University Press). She received the Dudley Seers Memorial Prize from the Journal of Development Studies for her article, “Is Development Path Dependent or Political? A Reinterpretation of Mineral-Dependent Development in Botswana.’ She has published numerous chapters and articles on policies and politics related to renewable and non- renewable natural resources, decentralization-centralization, and development, particularly in Botswana and Senegal. Her current work explores the dynamics of commoning and social inclusion in informal urban green spaces in Montreal.

Beverly Crandell

CEO, Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides

Bev graduated from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Commerce from the School of Hotel and Food Administration, and has earned a Certificate in Leadership from the Harvard Business School, Executive Education Program. Bev has 30+ years’ experience in the not-for- profit sector with a focus on resource development, strategic planning and governance. Her work history includes local, national and international experience with not-for-profit organizations such as United Way, Oxfam Canada and Parkinson Canada. Bev has also served on a number of Boards of Directors and is currently the Chair of the North America Board of Assistance Dogs International. Bev joined the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides in December 2019 and it only took her 5 months to acquire a retired Dog Guide named Emma! She is married with two children who think she has the coolest job in the world – and they are right!

Julie Feng

Business Development manager

Julie is currently working at Fundica in business development and customer success with a team striving to make funding as accessible as it can be. She has also founded ConsultPrep - an education program dedicated to help students excel in the business world - taught 350+ international students about case analysis and successfully launched 4 cohorts. In her past time, she works on non-profit projects with UBC and McGill, helping founders in the EdTech/FinTech space scale and mentor students. She is passionate about making the world a better place.

Luc Gervais

Political Science Honors Student

Luc Gervais is an honors political science student at Concordia University in Montréal, Quebec. During the time of his studies, he has gained a particular interest in the field of philosophy and immigration; more specifically - the ancient Greek classics and refugee resettlement respectively. In the future, he hopes to begin pursuing immigration law in the United States with a possibility of engaging in local political landscapes and their role in refugee resettlement.

Saman Arfaie

Canadian-Iranian researcher

Saman Arfaie is a Canadian-Iranian researcher, classically-trained pianist, thought leader, and award-winning medical student. Before entering the Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery program at McGill, he completed his BSc in Neurobiology, BA in Persian Literature, and double minors in chemistry and music at the University of California, Berkeley. He then conducted brain tumor research at the University of California, San Francisco. Saman has been recognized by 30+ national and international awards, published 20+ peer-reviewed articles, and is in the process of co-authoring two forthcoming textbooks with Cambridge University Press and the University of Manitoba Press. He co-founded the Canadian Medical Student Interest Group in Neurosurgery (https://camsign.ca/) and the Neuro International Collaboration (https://neuro.international/), a multi-continental research endeavor. In 2022, Saman was selected as a Finalist for the Top 25 Immigrants in Canada.