Our Presenters

Adesuwa Ero is an organizational development, workforce capacity-building, and nonprofit growth leader with over 14 years of experience driving organizational effectiveness, leadership development, strategic learning, and revenue growth across the non-profit, higher education, and consulting sectors.

She currently leads Training and Development at End Homelessness Winnipeg, where she advances workforce development and capacity-building strategies across Winnipeg's homelessness-serving system. Her work focuses on strengthening sector-wide competencies, leading needs assessments, designing learning frameworks, and developing initiatives that enhance organizational effectiveness and improve community outcomes.

Adesuwa is also the Founder and Principal Consultant of Ohloree Inc., a management consulting firm that helps organizations build stronger leaders, healthier workplace cultures, high-performing teams, and sustainable growth strategies. Through her consulting practice, she supports nonprofits and businesses in strengthening leadership capacity, improving organizational performance, expanding revenue opportunities, and building resilient people-centered systems.

Her expertise spans organizational development, leadership and team effectiveness, employee engagement, workforce development, learning and development, performance management, change leadership, grant writing, partnership development, and resource mobilization. She has successfully led complex programs, secured grant funding, developed strategic partnerships, and designed capacity-building initiatives that strengthen organizational sustainability and impact.

A sought-after facilitator, speaker, and advisor, Adesuwa is known for her ability to bridge strategy and execution, helping leaders and organizations navigate change, build capacity, and achieve meaningful results. Her leadership experience spans local, national, and international contexts, and she is passionate about advancing equitable leadership practices and strengthening the capacity of mission-driven organizations to create lasting social change.

Andrew Kussy, CFRE is an experienced fundraising and communications professional based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Andrew has been working with organizations across Canada in the non-profit sector both as a fundraiser and consultant since 2013.

Andrew is currently working as the Executive Director of The Dream Factory, a Manitoba-based children's charity that created unforgettable experiences for children battling life-threatening illnesses and supports families throughout their medical journey. The Dream Factory has been making dreams come true for over 40 years, and in that time has made over 900 dreams come true here in our community.

As a volunteer, Andrew has served on the board of Junior Achievement Manitoba, the Association of Fundraising Professionals - Manitoba Chapter, and the University of Winnipeg's Faculty of Business and Economics Alumni Association. In addition, he regularly provides non-profit and fundraising-based training to community groups and local charities in partnership with both Volunteer Manitoba and AFP Manitoba.

Bohdanna Kinasevych is a respected evaluator that has worked with community organizations for over 20 years. She has extensive experience designing and managing qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods research and evaluation projects, with a range of stakeholders in the non-profit and public sector.

Bohdanna works with not-for-profit organizations and government to enhance capacity and integrate evaluation into program planning and design. She has completed professional training in the use of Social Return on Investment (SROI) to monetize the social and economic value of social programs.

Prior to working at Leading4impact, Bohdanna served as a Research and Evaluation Coordinator at Nine Circles Community Health Centre and a Research Coordinator at the University of Manitoba. In these roles, Bohdanna planned and implemented data management systems for internal monitoring and evaluation. She holds a Master of Science in Community Health Sciences from the University of Manitoba, and is a credentialed evaluator with the Canadian Evaluation Society.

Buffy Davey is a marketing strategy consultant who specializes in helping "little guys" clarify their message and market like the pros. She works with entrepreneurs, small businesses, and nonprofits throughout Winnipeg to transform marketing from an "off the side of someone's desk" job into a grounded and effective part of their overall strategy. With over fifteen years of experience spanning retail, agency, and non-profit sectors, Buffy focuses on teaching practical marketing skills that stick. She believes in the beauty of brevity, the power of sticky notes, and that every organization—no matter the size—deserves to connect with people who love what they do. When she's not helping clients unleash their inner marketer, you can find Buffy playing music, sipping a cider, or (on the best days) both.

Candace Synchyshyn is the founder of Launch HR Co., a consulting practice dedicated to empowering organizations to make informed people decisions through thoughtful, data-driven strategies. With a passion for uncovering the stories behind the numbers, Candace skillfully leverages HR analytics to spot opportunities, enhance HR programs, and promote tangible improvements in employee engagement, productivity, and overall organizational effectiveness.

At Launch HR Co., we partner with businesses to transform complex data into clear, actionable insights, nurturing a culture of continuous improvement and sustainable growth.

Carissa Caruk-Ganczar is a Certified Leadership Coach who brings over 20 years of experience in community economic development, entrepreneurship support, and leadership development to the work that she does with non-profit organizations across Canada.

Through her business Flourish Leadership Development, Carissa offers coaching, training, and consulting services in the areas of leadership development, community engagement, and capacity building for non-profit organizations.

Carissa's presentation style is interactive, aimed at leaving participants with insights and tools that can be applied immediately to their work. She is passionate about supporting individuals and organizations in improving workplace communications and discovering better ways to work together.

Cate Friesen is the driving force of The Story Source. She's a story practitioner, facilitator, trainer and keynote presenter who brings together 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur, award-winning CBC producer, documentary maker and performer. Cate, along with David McLeod, led the Power of Story training for The Winnipeg Foundation's highly successful professional development program, Fast Pitch 2018. Before she launched The Story Source, Cate worked at CBC and led the team that created CBC's multiple award-winning interactive Missing and Murdered: The Unsolved Cases of Indigenous Women and Girls. She also co-designed and implemented training in storytelling for radio, co-created a unique mentorship program based on collaborative learning, and was instrumental in the launch of CBC's game-changing Indigenous Digital Unit.

Chelsea Walker is a community fundraising professional with over 10 years of experience in the non-profit sector. Based in Winnipeg, she specializes in building strong relationships and empowering supporters to lead meaningful, community-driven fundraising initiatives.

As the Community Giving Manager at The Dream Factory, Chelsea leads the organization's third-party events program with a focus on collaboration, support, and long-term partnership development.

She holds a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from the University of Winnipeg and is a graduate of the AFP Leadership Institute, an international program for emerging leaders in fundraising. Chelsea is passionate about helping non-profits build sustainable, community-based fundraising strategies that inspire lasting impact.

Denise Bukowski is a leader in the field of volunteer engagement with over 35 years of experience that spans health care, tourism, recreation, education, childcare, fitness and sport administration, She is a lifelong learner with a voracious appetite to learn and try new things. Never satisfied with maintaining the status quo, you will always find her curious and committed to continuous quality improvement.

Denise holds a Bachelor of Recreation Studies from the University of Manitoba; a diploma in Health Care Services Management and certificate in Human Resource Management from Red River College. In 2020 received her international certification designation in Volunteer Administration (CVA). She is currently consulting in the Volunteer Management Field and an instructor for Volunteer Manitoba. Denise's past experience includes 11 years at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights responsible for the volunteer engagement program, and two decades working in a Volunteer and Recreation Management capacity in acute and long-term health care facilities.

Denise is currently on the advisory council for the University of Manitoba Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management and has held various board and conference committee positions on the Volunteer Management Professionals of Canada (VMPC), Manitoba Association for Volunteer Administrators ( MAVA) and other volunteer boards. She is also a past recipient of the Manitoba Association for Volunteer Administrators (MAVA) Leadership award and was recently received a national award as an Exemplary Leader in Volunteer Management by her peers.

Eric Robert, a partner with Rawluk & Robert Chartered Professional Accountants Inc., is a public practice accountant in Winnipeg, with 20 years of experience serving clients throughout Western Canada. Eric prides himself on making sure his clients fully understand their finances, leaving them more confident and informed.

Eric began his academic journey at the University of Manitoba, initially enrolling in the Faculty of Arts. During his studies, he discovered a natural talent for communicating concepts in a way that made people understand. This skill, combined with his strong affinity for mathematics and accounting, led him to a career in accounting and eventually to realize his dream to manage his own business. Today, he leverages his love of educating and expertise in accounting to help individuals and businesses achieve financial clarity and success. On a side note, this change of career made his father, an accountant himself, exceedingly happy.

Eric's specialty is working with Not-for-Profits Organizations and Charities throughout Winnipeg and Manitoba, serving as both an auditor and a volunteer on various boards. Through these roles, Eric has gained a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by Not-for-Profits and has used his expertise to help these organizations upgrade their bookkeeping and software systems, making them more streamlined and accessible for future members.