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Kendra Fry

Kendra Fry has a long career in the arts mostly as a General Manager in theatre before beginning her work creating multi sectoral community hubs for the common good.  Working with partners from across Canada Kendra unlocks the hidden value in historic building sites, creating broad cross-sectoral community centres that involve the arts, housing, food security, education and many other not for profit organizations.  Some of her better- known sites include Carlton University at Dominion Chalmers,  Metropolitan United in London Ontario and Trinity St. Paul’s Centre in Toronto.

In addition to her efforts in the arts and heritage repurposing, Kendra works with municipalities on affordable housing and transformational approaches to new density. Kendra is the Transformation Lead for the Centre for Cities (University of Windsor) and Lakeshore, ON, working on affordable housing, placemaking and infrastructure transformation for this newly dense region.

You can see some of her projects at   

Tim Kennedy

Tim Kennedy is a Co-Founder and Principal of Lowland Properties Group, a privately owned commercial real estate investment and management company located in Kitchener, ON. Along with their partners, Lowland owns and manages 17 properties of over 500,000 sq. ft. across Southwestern Ontario. Lowland is a product of its principals building long-term, positive, transparent relationships over the years, which has become the value base for its dealings with investors, customers, and service providers. At Lowland, Tim heads up capital raises, acquisitions, leasing, and property management functions. Tim’s passion for the business, and more importantly people, is what drives him every day. Prior to founding Lowland, Tim started his career as a commercial real estate broker and then later worked as an executive at Canada’s largest non-bank real estate lender.

Kyle Shantz

Kyle Shantz is a leader in social and environmental finance with more than a decade of experience designing, marketing, and raising capital for mission-driven infrastructure and real estate projects.

He has led bond financing for both the inventor of Community Bonds, the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI), and one of Canada's largest issuers, SolarShare, helping organizations mobilize tens of millions of dollars from retail investors to finance social purpose real estate and renewable energy projects. Across his career, he has worked at the intersection of sustainable finance, impact investing, investor relations, and capital raising, developing innovative financing models that reduce reliance on grants while enabling organizations to build long-term financial resilience.

Kyle currently serves as Director of Capital Campaigns at SolarShare, where he leads retail bond offerings supporting community-owned renewable energy projects across Ontario. Previously, as Managing Director of the Centre for Social Innovation, he oversaw the organization's operations while continuing to advance its pioneering Community Bond program, which has become a nationally recognized model for financing social infrastructure.

In addition to his executive leadership experience, Kyle has advised nonprofits, cooperatives, and social enterprises on capital strategy, investment readiness, and alternative financing. His work focuses on building practical capital stacks that combine grants, debt, philanthropy, and impact investment to finance projects with measurable social and environmental outcomes.

In addition to his undergraduate degree at Queen's University, Kyle holds a Master of Science in Finance from SOAS, University of London, is currently completing a Master's in Sustainability at the University of Cambridge. He is passionate about expanding access to climate finance, sustainable investment, and innovative financing tools that accelerate the transition to a more resilient economy.

Suzanne Haines

Suzanne Haines has served as Executive Director of the Aurora Cultural Centre since 2017, where she has played a pivotal leadership role in the development and launch of the $59 million Aurora Town Square. Over the past nine years, Suzanne represented the not-for-profit organization as a key collaborator with the Town of Aurora, helping guide the project from early design and planning through to operational activation. Her work helped establish an innovative cultural hub built on a shared governance and operating model, the success of which can be a model for municipal and community partnerships.

Prior to joining the Aurora Cultural Centre, Suzanne was Executive Director of the Burlington Performing Arts Centre and General Manager of Gateway Theatre in Richmond, British Columbia. Throughout her career leading municipally owned cultural facilities, she has built strong, values-based partnerships with governments, boards, artists, and community stakeholders. Combining expertise in human resources, finance, venue management, and organizational leadership, Suzanne has developed strategic plans, governance models, and operational frameworks that strengthen organizational resilience and long-term sustainability.

Suzanne began her career backstage as a theatre technician, stage manager, production manager, and event planner, giving her a practical understanding of every stage of arts operations. She holds degrees in Business and Theatre, along with certifications in Human Resources and Occupational Health and Safety.

A recognized leader in Canada's arts sector, Suzanne has received awards for her contributions to the arts, equity, and community leadership. She co-founded an arts advocacy organization and served on national, regional, and local Boards spanning the arts, tourism, business, and health and safety sectors. She also led the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres' landmark "Not in Our Space" initiative, promoting safer, more equitable workplaces across Canada's professional theatre community.

Suzanne is a passionate advocate for inclusive leadership, cultural development, and community building. She brings a unique combination of frontline experience, executive leadership, and collaborative problem-solving that offers valuable insights for professionals working across the public, non-profit, and cultural sectors.

Carly Connor

Carly Connor, P.Eng., CAHP is the Founder and CEO of Green Salvaged Materials (GSM), a Canadian circular-construction company working to make the reuse of buildings and construction materials practical at scale. A professional engineer with a background in building science, restoration and existing buildings, Carly has spent her career helping owners navigate the intersection of building performance, climate action and practical project delivery. Through GSM, she leads cross-industry initiatives bringing together building owners, designers, contractors, manufacturers and governments to advance circular construction, material reuse and lower-carbon approaches to the built environment. Carly brings a practical, whole-building perspective to helping organizations make smarter decisions about existing assets—what to maintain, adapt, retrofit and reuse—and how those decisions can support both climate resilience and long-term organizational value.

Terri-Lynn Brennan & Rachel Marks

As a Cultural Equity Consultant, Dr. Terri-Lynn Brennan combines a 30+-year professional career advancing equity-based system changes across national to global arts and heritage sector organizations. Terri proudly identifies as mixed Ohnkwehon:we/ Kanien’kehá:ka/Skaru:reÊ” (Original Peoples/Mohawk/Tuscarora) and British descent where her people come from Six Nations of the Grand River, Lewiston NY, Ireland and England. You can find out more about Terri and her work as the Executive Director for LodgePole Arts Alliance, . 

Franco Boni

Franco cherishes his role as a facilitator, producer, director, dramaturg, programmer, and cheerleader for artists making new work. He has served as the artistic director of several theatres and festivals and has been part of the professional arts community for more than 25 years.

For over ten years, Franco served as General & Artistic Director of The Theatre Centre in Toronto’s Queen West neighbourhood, where he transformed a former Carnegie Library into a vibrant live arts hub. During his tenure, he developed programs that championed new ideas and brought together cultural innovators across disciplines—including theatre and dance makers, composers, journalists, and scientists.

Franco is currently Head of Arts at the Schroeder Foundation, where he supports the creation of new concerts and musical theatre inspired by Canadian icons Gordon Lightfoot, Paul Anka, and Leonard Cohen. He is also overseeing the development of a new 600-seat theatre in midtown Toronto at The Regent Theatre.

His awards include the inaugural Ken McDougall Award for Emerging Directors, the George Luscombe Mentorship Award in Theatre, multiple Dora Awards and nominations, and the Rita Davies Cultural Leadership Award, recognizing his outstanding leadership in the development of arts and culture in the City of Toronto.

Margie Zeidler

Margie is the Founder and President of Urbanspace Property Group – a mission-driven developer whose first project: 401 Richmond contains a vibrant and diverse urban community of artists and cultural entrepreneurs, located in the old garment district of downtown Toronto. Her Robertson Building project (215 Spadina) gave birth to the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) in 2004. She is also the Co-founder of, Jane’s Walk, Centre for City Ecology, and the Urbanspace Gallery. Margie was awarded the Jane Jacobs Prize in 2003, established to honour Toronto residents who are actively contributing to Toronto’s vibrancy, the Order of Ontario, and the Best Friend of the Arts, from Toronto Untitled Arts Awards. She has also received Lifetime Achievement awards from Sustainable Buildings Canada and the Canadian Urban Institute.

Claire Hopkinson

As Co-Director of Canada’s Theatre Museum, Claire Hopkinson is helping to launch Canada’s first museum to recognize, collect and preserve the contributions of the performing arts. Public exhibitions begin in November 2026 at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres.

Prior to CTM Claire served as CEO of the Toronto Arts Council and Toronto Arts Foundation for 17 years, overseeing Canada’s largest municipal arts funder and tripling its funding base. She created space for artists and expanded public arts access by launching city-wide initiatives such as Creative City, Block by Block, and led strategic partnerships with City Museums, TDSB, Toronto Public Library and community organizations. She launched major programs including the Mayor’s Arts Lunch, Neighbourhood Arts Network, Arts in the Parks, and new funding for Indigenous, Black, and newcomer artists.

Earlier in her career, Claire worked as an actor, producer, entrepreneur and as an arts leader with pioneering organizations such as COMUS Music Theatre and Tapestry Opera. She served as founding Chair of Canada’s national opera service organization, Vice Chair of Opera America, co-founder and Chair of Creative Trust, and as a board member for Artscape and Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts. She currently serves on the board of TO Live, as Chair of Tapestry Opera and on the Patron’s Council for Jamii.

Claire has received a number of awards as an arts producer and community leader and is the recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) for her contributions to the arts.

Erika Hennebury

Erika Hennebury is a Senior Cultural Affairs Officer with the City of Toronto’s Economic Development and Culture division. Erika is co-lead for the City of Toronto’s Office for Cultural Space where she works on policy, planning, program development, and capital projects related to cultural infrastructure. Her work at the City has included capital partnerships, such as Blackhurst Cultural Centre, cultural hubs, such as 32 Lisgar Creative & Cultural Hub, and the development of a Cultural Districts Program.