BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.4.3//EN TZID:America/Toronto X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/TorontoBEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.4.3//EN TZID:America/Toronto X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Toronto BEGIN:VEVENT UID:23@ame-ont.com DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260923T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260923T190000 DTSTAMP:20260911T032031Z URL:https://ame-ont.com/events/workforce-agility-forum-networking-event-20 26/ SUMMARY:Workforce Agility Forum & Networking Event DESCRIPTION:\nSessions Include:\n\n High Level Workforce requirements in A viation &\; Aerospace Sectors (2026-2030)\n Understanding Inclusivity Barriers\n Academic Collaboration &\; Common Resources/Supports\n Bes t Practices - Industry Panel - Examples of Inclusivity Successes\n\nFollow ed by a networking event with cash bar and hors d’oeuvres and entertainm ent by Mysterion the Mindreader.\n\nPop-Up VR will be present throughout t he forum (during registration\, breaks\, and the networking portion) to pr ovide immersive experiences across the Aviation and Aerospace industries.\ n\n \;\nConfirmed Panelists Include:\n\n\n\n\nAlex Tsoulis\nSenior Adv isor - Business Development &\; Advanced Technologies\nMitsubishi Heavy Industries Canada Aerospace (MHICA)\nOver 40 years of experience with McD onnell Douglas\, Boeing and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Canada Aerospace ( MHICA).\nExtensive experience in the design and development of commercial aircraft (regional jet through wide body)\, military aircraft (transport\, helicopter\, fighter) and business jet (light to heavy) platforms.\nInvol ved in initial concepts\, product implementation and product / fleet suppo rt. Covering life cycle technical\, quality\, schedule\, and cost activiti es in an Integrated Product Team (IPT) environment.\nLarge emphasis on adv anced design\, advanced manufacturing technology\, global collaboration\, and business development.\nConsiderable long-term interaction with governm ent\, university\, research\, and industry organizations.\nAlex Tsoulis gr aduated with a Diploma in Aerospace Engineering Technology in 1985\, and a Bachelor of Technology Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1986\, from Ry erson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University).\n\n\n\nDarryl Best \nDirector\nLine Maintenance YYZ\, Air Canada\n\n\n\nDave Wackerlin\nAssoc iate Dean of Electrical\, Transportation\, and Innovation at the Marshall School of Skilled Trades &\; Apprenticeship\nMohawk College\nA post-sec ondary educator and academic leader with 25 years of experience in Ontario ’s college system\, Dave has led Applied Science and Skilled Trades scho ols with a focus on academic excellence\, innovation\, and responsible ste wardship. As Associate Dean of Mohawk College’s Aviation portfolio withi n the School of Electrical and Transportation Trades\, he cultivates indus try and community partnerships to deliver hands-on learning experiences th at prepare graduates for careers as Aircraft Maintenance Engineers.\n\n\n\ nFadi El Masry\nExecutive Director\nCanadian Aviation Pride\nFadi El Masry is the Executive Director of Canadian Aviation Pride (CAP)\, leading the organization in its mission to foster inclusion\, advocacy\, and professi onal support for LGBTQ+ individuals in aviation. With nearly 15 years of e xperience in government\, business\, and the non-profit sector\, Fadi brin gs a strong background in leadership\, strategic planning\, and community engagement to his role.\nA passionate aviator\, Fadi began flying in 2017 and now works as a Medivac Pilot serving Canada's Arctic. His deep connect ion to aviation\, combined with his commitment to diversity and inclusion\ , has made him a key advocate for creating safe and welcoming spaces withi n the industry.\nSince stepping into the role of Executive Director in May 2024\, Fadi has been instrumental in expanding CAP’s impact nationwide. Under his leadership\, CAP has strengthened industry partnerships\, incre ased its presence at Pride events and aviation forums\, and grown its scho larship program from $1\,500 in 2024 to $20\,000 for the 2026 cycle.\nAs C AP continues to grow\, Fadi remains focused on its mission: to be a home for Canada’s LGBTQ+ aviation community\, where members can connect\, sup port one another\, and thrive in their aviation careers.\n\n\n\nFlorent Le fevre-Schlick\nFaculty of Engineering\nMcMaster University\nDr. Florent "F lo" Lefevre-Schlick draws on a career in Defence and Aerospace that began in the French Foreign Legion\, continued through several leadership roles in industrial operations\, defence-sector advisory work\, and founding sev eral ventures including his main practice: AADF Ventures Inc. Since 2018 h e has been bringing that same execution discipline to McMaster University' s Faculty of Engineering\, as Manager of Industrial Training\, and has led multiple consortiums in collaboration with industry\, which raised over $ 9.2 million in government funding and supported the training of more than 3\,500 professionals across 175+ partner organizations. In a time of geopo litical challenges\, technological disruptions and demographics changes\, he has always advocated for more collaboration to better align training wi th in-demand skills and support meaningful employment in Canada.\n\n\n\nMa tt Bunn\nAssociate Dean - Aviation\nConfederate College\nMatt Bunn is the Associate Dean of Aviation at Confederation College and a licensed Aircraf t Maintenance Engineer (AME) and Commercial Pilot with more than 20 years of aviation experience. A graduate of both of Confederation College's avia tion programs\, his career has included roles as an aerial survey pilot\, floatplane pilot\, AME with Aircraft Certification Authority\, Director of Maintenance\, and Flight Operations Manager. Since joining Confederation College in 2020\, Matt has strengthened industry partnerships and supporte d growth in the Aviation Technician - Aircraft Maintenance program while m aintaining the small class sizes and hands-on training that define the pro gram. He is passionate about developing the next generation of aviation pr ofessionals and addressing workforce needs across the aviation and aerospa ce sectors.\n\n\n\nMajor Daniel Conway\nMajor\, Royal Canadian Air Force ( RCAF)\nMaj Conway is the current Deputy Commandant of 3 Canadian Forces Fl ight School (CFFTS). He joined the Royal Canadian Airforce (RCAF) in 2005 and attended the Royal Military College of Canada. In 2012 he earned his R CAF Pilot wings from 3 CFFTS. He flew Search and Rescue from 2012-2016 on the CC115 Buffalo on the west coast and was then posted to 3 CFFTS as a qu alified flight instructor from 2016-2021. During that time he earned quali fications as an A- Category instructor\, the highest rating of military fl ight instructor\, a Standards and Instrument Check Pilot\, as well as a Tr aining Plan Manager and Qualification Standard Manager. He was then posted to 1 Canadian Air Division as the Division Instrument Check Pilot 2\, con ducting check rides on multiple RCAF fleets including F-18\, Rotary and mu ltiple Fixed Wing aircraft. In 2022 he was posted to 413 Sqn in Greenwood flying the CC130H Hercules search and rescue as an instructor pilot on tha t fleet and as the deputy commanding officer of 413 Sqn. In 2025 he was po sted back to 3 CFFTS in his current position. He has flown more that 5000 flight hours spread across more than 10 aircraft types\, including over 20 00 hrs of instructional flight hours.\n\n\n\nNatasha Gagnon\nCEO\nOntario Aerospace Council\n\n\n\nNikki Morshedi\nExecutive Director\nWomen in Aero space Canada (WIA Canada)\nNikou Morshedi is an executive leader\, entrepr eneur\, and advocate for women in aerospace and technology. As Executive D irector of Women in Aerospace Canada\, she leads national programs\, indus try partnerships\, and initiatives focused on advancing women into leaders hip and driving systemic change across the aerospace sector. With a backgr ound spanning operations\, technology\, talent\, and business leadership\, Nikou brings both industry experience and a passion for building stronger \, more inclusive organizations. She holds a B.Sc. in Computer Science fro m Queen’s University and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).\n\n\n\nOpeOluwa Iyortim\nHead of Pilot Programming &\; Developme nt\nBlack Aviation Professional Network (BAPN)\nOpeOluwa fell in love with aviation on his very first flight as a toddler. Since then\, he lived wit h the single-minded goal of becoming an Airline pilot. He enrolled in the integrated commercial pilot course (ICPC) at the Moncton Flight College in 2015. 18 months\, numerous overnight study sessions and 200 hours later\, he was faced with the dilemma of how to move his career forward. His love of teaching won out and he enrolled in the instructor program\, after whi ch he taught full time for two years before launching his airline career a t a regional carrier in 2019. OpeOluwa is currently a first officer on one of the two biggest airlines in Canada\, but still finds time to instruct and mentor pilots when his schedule permits. It’s a juggling act\, howev er he finds joy and fulfillment in bringing people into the family that is aviation. Wholly appreciative of the peculiarities that enabled him build an airline career in just 4 years\, he decided to leverage on his experie nces\; past and ongoing\, to create The Vectored Approach. An initiative d riven by the vision of lowering the barriers to aviation and standardizing safety and professionalism in the cockpit. A natural extension of his vis ion\; his position at the Black Aviation Professional Network allows him g ive back to the community. He stands among icons of the black community\, positioned to inspire and empower the next generation of pilots within the network. \n\n\n\nPhil Arthurs\nExecutive Director\nDownsview Aerospace I nnovation &\; Research (DAIR)\nPhil Arthurs is the Executive Director o f Downsview Aerospace Innovation &\; Research (DAIR)\, where he provide s overall strategic leadership and governance for the organization. He lea ds the DAIR team in delivering the organization's mission to strengthen Ca nada's aerospace and defence innovation ecosystem through collaboration be tween industry\, academia\, and government. Phil is responsible for settin g DAIR's long-term direction\, supporting the Board of Directors\, ensurin g financial sustainability\, and securing strategic partnerships and fundi ng.\nPrior to being appointed Executive Director\, Phil served as DAIR's D irector of Operations\, helping establish the organization\, secure fundin g\, expand its physical footprint\, and launch programs that support innov ation and competitiveness across Ontario's aerospace and defence sectors.\ nBefore joining DAIR\, Phil held positions within the Government of Ontari o's Ministry of Economic Development supporting the aerospace\, defence\, and advanced manufacturing sectors. Earlier in his career\, he worked with Dassault Systèmes in support of Boeing's commercial aircraft programs in Everett\, Washington\, and as a researcher with the Centre for European P olicy Studies in Brussels\, Belgium.\nPhil holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Aerospace) and a Master of Business Administration. He currently serves on multiple Program Advisory Committees supporting aerospace education acr oss Ontario.\n\n\n\nPhil Sims\nSenior Director Finance &\; Program Deve lopment\nCanadian Council for Aviation &\; Aerospace (CCAA)\nPhilip Sim s is the Senior Director of Finance and Program Development with the Canad ian Council for Aviation and Aerospace (CCAA). He has been involved with t he CCAA for over ten years initially as an industry consultant and subsequ ently as a permanent member of staff. He holds an MBA with a specialty in aviation.\nHis aviation experience spans more than 40 years\, starting wit h British Airways\, then moving to The International Air Transport Associa tion (IATA) in Montreal where he became their worldwide Head of Cargo. Thi s was followed by a spell of consulting for other industry groups and seve ral years working in China as part of a domestic airline start-up operatio n. \nWorking with the CCAA has further extended his experience into the ar ena of industry labour supply while building on his experience of managing Industry Association operations and Government Relations. Most recently\, he has been involved in the development and management of the CCAA online Basic Theory Training for Maintenance and Structures technicians.\n\n\n\n Trent Sluiter\nGeneral Manager\nGreat Lakes Drones\n\n\n\nValerie Vanderwy k\nExecutive Director\nIndigenous Skills\, Employment\, Apprenticeship and Development (ISEAD)\nValerie is a proud Mi’kmaq woman whose family orig inated from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.\nIn 2014\, Valerie was nominate d for a Woman of Distinction Award with the YWCA in Hamilton\, ON for her work creating Ontario’s first pre-apprenticeship training program in Wel ding and Plumbing for Women.\nWorking with the Aboriginal Apprenticeship B oard\, Valerie was brought on to the team as a Community Engagement Coordi nator to assist with the organization’s national expansion to the provin ces of British Columbia\, Alberta\, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick in 2019 .  Engaged in ensuring that Indigenous youth and their communities receiv ed equitable consideration for education and employment opportunities in a pprenticeship\, Valerie coordinates with stakeholders for the inclusion of Indigenous people with partners and was recently appointed as Executive D irector.  Valerie is leading the transition of the Aboriginal Apprentices hip Board of Ontario to the Indigenous Skills\, Employment\, Apprenticeshi p and Development as a federally registered national not-for-profit\, expa nding the organization’s reach and presence.\nWith a deep passion for Oc cupational Health and Safety\, Valerie partners with the province of Ontar io’s designated training centre – Workers Health and Safety Centre.  Making occupational health and safety a primary focus of their work at ISE AD\, their efforts are fundamental in ensuring safety for workers through meaningful training and compliance with legislation and regulations across all sectors for Indigenous workers.  Valerie has been a certified occupa tional health and safety instructor across all sectors since 2014.\nValeri e is a Director with the Aboriginal Skilled Workers Association (ASWA)\, t he Treasurer of the Grand Valley Education Society (GVES)\, a Director wit h Roots to Roofs\, and a Director with the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum ( CAF).\nRecently\, Valerie received the Award of Merit from CSA for her lea dership role as Chair of the technical committee that developed the CSA Z3 01 Equity\, Diversity\, Inclusion and Accessibility in Apprenticeship Prog rams national standard.\n\n\n\nYasna Taieb\nNLAF Junior Board\nNorthern Li ghts Aero Foundation (NLAF)\nYasna Taieb is currently an Inflight Operatio ns Manager with Jazz Aviation. She co-leads Jazz's Diversity and Inclusion Council and supports both the Fatigue Safety Committee and the Occupation al Health and Safety Committee. She first joined the aviation community th rough the Royal Canadian Air Cadet Program\, where she earned her glider a nd private pilot licenses. Yasna went on to join the Cadet Instructor Cadr e of the Canadian Forces Reserves and currently holds the rank of Lieutena nt. She has taught glider and private pilot ground schools to hundreds of youth in five different squadrons within South-Western Ontario. Yasna is a ctively involved with the Northern Lights Aero Foundation (NLAF) where she previously served on the Junior Board through co-leading the Mentorship C ommittee and the Social Media Committee. She remains involved with NLAF as a Mentor in the NLAF Mentorship Program\, a volunteer for outreach events and assisting with grant applications. Yasna also volunteers with the Dre ams Take Flight Toronto Chapter and Women in Aviation International. Yasna works with Afghan-Canadian youth in her community to reach their full pot ential through leading grant-funded community initiatives and empowers Afg hans abroad with mentorship and educational opportunities. She holds her C ommercial Pilot License and will be working on her multi-IFR ratings with the intention of continuing her studies in aviation safety\, education and human factors. \n\n\n\n \; CATEGORIES:Course/Workshop LOCATION:Pearson Conference Centre\, 2638 Steeles Ave E\, Brampton\, Ontari o\, L6T 4L7\, Canada GEO:43.721901;-79.672312 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=2638 Steeles Ave E\, Brampt on\, Ontario\, L6T 4L7\, Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Pearson Confere nce Centre:geo:43.721901,-79.672312 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Toronto X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Toronto BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20260308T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR