As the Lead for Systems Learning, Ashley oversees two dynamic and impactful programs aimed at fostering systems thinking and problem-solving across Canada and beyond. Her role involves leading the national Map the System Canada competition, where post-secondary students showcase their research and systems-mapping skills, and organizing the Banff Systems Summit, a global event that brings together systems thinkers and practitioners.
Ashley is a BBA graduate of MRU with a Concentration in Social Innovation, and a Cree Métis woman who uses she/her pronouns. Ashley is a Map the System alumni and created a subsequent film project looking into the weird underbelly of charities and how and why the system surrounding charity in Canada exists in the way it does. The documentary entitled “Liminal: is charity designed to fail?” was produced through the Apprenticing with a Problem program. When Ashley is not working or creating video projects, she enjoys reading, travelling, and volunteering with Girl Guides of Canada.
Born and raised in Moh’kinstsis from mixed ancestry, I’ve had the privilege to live, study, work and raise a family on Treaty 7 territory. The prairies largely defined my childhood as my parents are both from a small community in northern Saskatchewan on Treaty 6 territory. My dad’s family homesteaded in the region and my mom’s family is of Metis heritage. I have much to learn about my heritage and strive to bring curiosity to exploring the rich history of Metis People in what is now known as Canada. Family is of deep importance to me. I am the proud mother of a teenage son and step-mom to three other young adults. I am also a daughter, a wife, a sister and an aunty.
As the Associate Director at the Institute for Community Prosperity, I have the privilege and honour to support our team in a variety of capacities including overseeing several of our student-oriented and community-oriented social innovation and systems leadership initiatives. I have a particular interest in exploring how economic tools can be used to bring about a more equitable and sustainable future for all. My career has spanned a variety of roles in the social economy as an entrepreneur, a network-convenor, an educator and a facilitator. In addition to my roles at MRU, I am one of the founding members and board chair of Local Investing YYC, an impact investment cooperative that mobilizes community wealth to invest in locally owned businesses making a difference for people and the planet. I also serve on the board of CCEDNet, the Canadian Community Economic Development Network.
oki, my name is Brit (she/they) and I am a daughter, sister, aunt, friend, partner, and mother. I was born and spent my childhood on the unceded traditional Wolastoqey land, along the Wolastoq river. I am a white settler, the daughter of Welsh and Scottish immigrants. For over 25 years, I have been privileged to call Moh’kinstsis home.
I have always been interested in arts, this led me to a formal education from both the Alberta University for the Arts and Emily Carr University. My art practice focuses on patriarchal structures of archiving and queer processes of grief through the lens of collage and photography. Since graduating in 2017, I have worked at non-profit or educational organizations that focus on arts, community, and 2SLGBTQ+ causes. In my free time I enjoy tabletop games, beach volleyball, and walking my rescue pup.
In my role at the Institute for Community Prosperity, I am thrilled to lead communications and have the opportunity to amplify our initiatives and the work of changemakers.
I am a daughter, sister, niece, cousin, auntie, friend, wife and mother. I was born on the traditional territory of the Lekwungen-speaking peoples of the Songhees, Esquimalt and the WSÁNEĆ peoples, also known by the colonial name of Victoria, BC. I have had the privilege of calling Moh’kinstsis my home for the past 13 years.
My passion for the arts led me to obtain my Bachelor of Art History degree at the University of British Columbia. For the past 25 years, I have actively sought out admin roles in the arts & culture, and non-profit sectors, for example, working at the Confluence Museum and the Alex Community Centre. I am thrilled to have found my home with the Institute for Community Prosperity, helping amplify the work of changemakers. It fills my heart to be part of such a dynamic, caring group of people and I look forward to the exciting challenges and learning opportunities that lie ahead.
Oki. I am a white settler born in Mohkinstsis, and my family is a mixture of English, Scottish, and Welsh. I am an able-bodied woman and I use she/her pronouns.
My professional experience is grounded in my education as a social worker and in policy studies and as an advocate for access, focusing primarily on advocacy for accommodations in learning environments. I seek to enact system-level structural change in my personal and professional roles by examining how to make policies work more efficiently for the people they serve and advocating for improving the accessibility of resources, services, and spaces.
My work at the Institute spans multiple projects including strategic program design and delivery, leading changemaking-focused learning programs, and applied community-partnered research projects. I value the opportunity to be a mentor for students and to support our shared learning journey as changemakers. I support Catamount, the Systems Leadership Sandbox, and Economics of Social Change, and I work with Mount Royal's University's Change Team to foster changemaking activities across campus.
She:Kon (hello), my name is Kelaena (she/her), and I come from a white settler background with Swiss-German ancestry and have had the privilege of being a guest on Treaty 7 land and Moh’kinstsis for the past 12 years. My greatest joy is my family—I’m a mother to two wild and wonderful kiddos, a wife, a sister, a daughter, an auntie, and a friend. Learning excites me, phone screens exhaust me, and language connects me—I’m currently learning Kanien'kehá:ka with my little ones.
For the past decade, I’ve worked in the non-profit sector, primarily alongside grassroots organizations as they organize and grow. This has meant moving across many roles—administration, program planning, fund development, capacity building, and community engagement—all interconnected pieces of larger systems in flux. I’m especially interested in how theories of systems change translate into practice, how ideas take root in lived experience and collective action. At ICP, I lead Art for Social Change Projects, collaborating with artist changemakers through the Art for Social Change Network: Calgary Hub and the Artist as Changemaker Residency Program.
Born in Amiskwacîwâskahikan (Cree word meaning Edmonton) to Calabrese Italian immigrants, my greatest joy comes from bringing people together and filling my home with my community of friends and family.
My work in Moh’kinsstis’ non-profit sector began 20 years ago as a youth worker at Ghost River Rediscovery after graduating from University of Calgary’s Development Studies program. Since then, my roles have spanned program evaluation, volunteer engagement, capacity building, and leadership, always guided by a commitment to listening to those at the center of a system to inform change. For the past five years, I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with organizations as a consultant, supporting projects that strengthen equitable volunteer engagement and organizational development.
As Lab Manager at the Institute for Community Prosperity, I help social labs run smoothly by keeping people and information organized, creating the conditions for meaningful collaboration and impact.
I am an educator, process designer and facilitator with over 20 years experience working within academic institutions to build meaningful, impactful relationships with community and design collaborative programs to address complex social and environmental challenges. As Executive Director of the Institute, my work focuses on social innovation and systems change with an emphasis on designing processes and programs that foster deep collaboration, transformative learning and that build the capacity of changemakers. I came to Moh’kinsstis 8 years ago from the unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples where I was on the founding leadership team at CityStudio Vancouver, a Faculty member with the Centre for Sustainable Community Development and the Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University, and a member of the City of Vancouver’s Greenest City Steering Committee.
Hi! I am a wife, daughter, and the eldest sister in my family. I was born and raised in Hong Kong, one of the world’s busiest cities, and my personal experiences and the values passed down through my family have shaped who I am today. Coming from a background where stability and financial success were emphasized, I initially pursued a career in the real estate industry. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Surveying from the University of Hong Kong, believing that this path would offer a secure future.
However, as I worked in the industry, I realized that my true passion lies in social enterprise and innovation—using my skills to support others and create social impact. This led me to transition into the social enterprise and non-profit sectors, where I found my passion for helping individuals overcome barriers to employment and connect with the community. My journey led me to pursue a Master’s in Social Work, and I became a Registered Social Worker.
Now, settled in Canada, I am thrilled to serve as the Coordinator for StartWork at the Institute for Community Prosperity at MRU. In this role, I support refugees facing multiple challenges to find employment in a new country, helping them navigate the complexities of a new life and thrive in their communities. I am also deeply committed to fostering social enterprise and innovation projects in Canada, particularly in Calgary, as a means to address social challenges and contribute to the collective well-being.
Tracy has dedicated over 21 years to Mount Royal University. She provides critical support to both the Institute for Community Prosperity and the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Tracy plays a critical role of being the interface between the Institute's team(s) and the university's many policies and procedures. She is our office administration specialist.
When we work to truly connect with and understand one another’s stories, we can better facilitate change! My time as a psychology student, as well as my experiences over the last three years working in libraries, have taught me that. I believe one of the most important qualities one can have is harbouring a love of learning, whether you are five or fifty. Working in the literacy lab as a student lab assistant has expanded my views on this, and in my position I hope to play even just a small part in making learning more accessible for everyone
hello, my name is Linh, and I come from Vietnam, a pretty country in South East Asia. I have been working with the Institute in various casual marketing and communications projects since 2023 during my pursuit of a BBA in Marketing at MRU. Since then, I have developed my experiences in co-developing and co-executing marketing and communication strategies by taking a collaborative approach to gathering valuable insights on the Institute’s connections with the target audiences, clarifying communication priorities and populating message and content ideas closely with team members.
My student journey at MRU also inspired me to explore systems thinking, changemaking, and social innovation experiences, particularly, as an MRU campus finalist of Map the System 2024, a fellow of the connectFirst Social Entrepreneurs program and many other campus extracurricular opportunities. I have grown a keen interest in opportunities to continue my growth journey at the intersection of marketing and social innovation. This led me to realize the fascinating application of systems thinking to identify marketing and branding problems, opportunities, and solutions.
Continuing my career journey at the Institute for Community Prosperity for another year, I am working as a Communication and Marketing Strategist while also taking on the role of Marketing Specialist for Map The System Canada.
Mizuki's role as Map the System Canada Admin Assistant is from her love and passion for the competition coming from her own experience participating in Map the System twice while studying Social Work as an international student. Her team's submission on Indigenous Children in Canadian Child Welfare was chosen among the top 8 in Canada. The exposure to Systems-Thinking widened Mizuki's perspectives in just about every aspect of her life. Mizuki strongly hopes to reach out to as many MRU students as possible to bring the benefits of Map the System experience for their educational journey. Mizuki recently started her new pursuit as in Computer Information Systems after having worked in homelessness and addictions, for a few years. In addition to that, she is also an avid ballroom dancer, searching for the betterment of body movement.
Nicole is the primary coordinator for MRU’s participation in this innovative challenge focused on systems thinking - MRU Map the System. Nicole will facilitate a vibrant campus environment that encourages students from diverse disciplines to engage with complex societal issues through systems thinking. Through this role, she aims to cultivate a community of system thinkers and problem-solvers who are equipped to address the complex challenges facing our world today.
As a previous participant who loved the opportunity that Map the System has provided her, she hopes to spark the same passion in other students. Along with her group, Nicole honed a top 5 spot for the campus final where her group discussed Mental Health Perceptions in Southeast Asia. As a psychology student, Nicole has really appreciated systems thinking as it provides her with a new perspective both in her studies, and in her everyday life.
As a mature psychology student at MRU, I’m passionate about facilitating human connection, and reducing barriers to help all people thrive. I hope to one day start a decolonized psychology practice where I can help people, particularly underserved populations to flourish from a lens of positionality, embodiment, and reciprocity. Currently I run a regional United Church Young Adult community, and I’m a research intern at the Calgary Family Therapy Center, helping them to explore ways to engage in reconciliation. In addition, I’m a research assistant for Dr. Inés Sametband, am a student member of the MRU Psychology Department’s EDI Committee, and a co-facilitator for KAIROS Blanket Exercises. I had the privilege of participating in the Trico Changemaker Studio’s Anitopisi Indigenous Leadership Program in 2022 and fell in love with the work that happens here. I am honoured to be able to now work here as the Anitopisi student intern, carrying forward what I learned and helping others to engage in the profound processes of reconciliation.