Centre for Leadership Event

Dr. Marlene Janzen Le Ber is the Distinguished Chair of the Centre for Leadership, a Full Professor of Leadership Studies and former Chair of the School of Leadership & Social Change at Brescia University College. With more than 20 years of senior leadership experience, Marlene has a deep passion for the mobilization and inclusion of women in leadership in every industry and public sphere. Prior to her doctoral studies, Marlene was a health care executive within academic health sciences centres, known as a strategic leader who spearheaded numerous health system innovations. As an accomplished and well-respected scholar in the field of leadership studies, Marlene has presented over 85 peer-reviewed conference papers and keynote addresses; published numerous peer-reviewed papers, books, book chapters, and reports; and granted over one million in research funding in the past 10 years. Marlene has a PhD in Strategy from Ivey Business School, MScN (Admin) and BScN from Western University.

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Karen Fryday-Field is the Senior Partner of Meridian Edge Leadership and Governance Consulting in London, Ontario. Karen’s leadership consulting practice is focused on assisting for-profit and not-for-profit organizations and companies with building governance excellence and positive impact, developing successful business and market position strategies, building measurement/metrics systems to assess organizational effectiveness, engaging organization careholders, and building people, character, capacity, commitment, and energy.

Karen is also an international speaker and in October 2021, Karen was inducted into the London and District Business Hall of Fame, recognizing her outstanding contributions and ethics in business.

Karen is also dedicated to serving in her local community in order to build community capacity and success. She has served as the Chair and Past Chair, of the Board for the United Way of London and Middlesex and has served on several other Boards and committees, including the Brescia University College $10M LEAD WITH US Campaign Cabinet and is a past Chair of Brescia’s Board of Trustees.  Karen also serves at the part-time CEO of GOVERN for IMPACT, an international advocacy, research, and education for-impact organization based out of the United States.

Kyle MacDonald is a respected and successful business executive and was awarded Canada’s RBC Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award on two occasions as well as being named a YMCA Woman of Excellence honouree in 2021 in the entrepreneur category. She is the visionary and dynamic founder of Phoenix Interactive Design Inc., and managed Phoenix as its CEO until the company was successfully sold to Diebold-Nixdorf Inc., a large, US public company, in March 2015. True to her entrepreneurial roots, Kyle founded Harbour Grace Group Inc., in 2015 and continues to be involved in multiple international business ventures. Through local, provincial and national charitable support, Kyle remains passionate towards giving back to the community around her.

With a degree in Food and Nutritional Sciences from Brescia University College, a Culinary Management Diploma from Fanshawe College, an online certification in International Food Laws and Regulations from Michigan State University and Accountability Training from Harvard's Online Business School, Melissa Vandermeer worked in the food industry for over 15 years. Following roles in regulatory affairs at a multinational food manufacturing company and teaching positions at Fanshawe College, she found her passion for entrepreneurism. Having launched and eventually sold a successful event planning business, Party Girls Company, Melissa is now the Chief Executive Officer of Fleurs Fraiche, a modern online flower shop and subscription business with two store front locations opening in 2022.

Maria Daniella Quinones Rodriguez is an Employer Advisor with Immploy at WIL Employment Connections & the Co-founder of Culturx. Daniella strives to lead equitably, create inclusive spaces, find creative ways to invite people to embrace change and to create vibrant, whole communities. Her biggest accomplishment to date, is co-founding Culturx, a platform dedicated to creating inclusive spaces for the Latinxs in London Ontario, while bridging cultural gaps within the greater Forest City. Other highlighted achievements are guest lecturing for the Brescia Bold Course in 2019 on Intersectionality & Identity; contributing to King’s/Brescia’s Joint Presidents' Anti-Racism Working Group (KB-ARWG); and helping to create an Equity & Inclusion Community of Practice with Pillar Nonprofit Network through the Francolini Leadership Experience. These accomplishments are the culmination of many people inspiring, supporting and encouraging Daniella in her passions and pursuits. Daniella’s heroes are her community; time and time again she has seen how people living and working around her are pushing every day to co-create inclusive spaces, where we can all find belonging.