Dr. John Rook is currently Chief Executive Officer of The Salvation Army's Community Services (Calgary) and has been with The Salvation Army since December 2001. Previous employment includes the Canadian Rockies School Division as an in-home support worker for students with behavioral and emotional challenges, Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of Alberta, Executive Director of the Hub and Associate Professor at McMaster University. John has degrees in Sacred Literature, Psychology, Divinity and an Oxford University doctorate from the Faculty of Theology in Biblical Studies. He is Chair of The Salvation Army's William and Catherine Booth College in Winnipeg, and holds an adjunct faculty appointment in the department of Social Work at the University of Calgary.

Rev. Richard Bragdon has served as an Associate Pastor at Sunset Church, an interdenominational church in Fredericton, New Brunswick specializing in counseling, teaching and preaching since 1996.  He is also a member of the Board of Directors for Bridges of Canada and Samaria House/God Is Able Ministries whose focus is to work with men and women who have been incarcerated and/or suffering from addictions or other life controlling problems and who wish to restore their lives and become productive members of society. 

Rev. Bragdon is also the founding pastor of First Nations Christian Outreach, a ministry with a focus on helping native people in local First Nations Communities.  He has also had the opportunity to serve on the board of directors for the local Crisis Pregnancy Center and facilitated many small groups with the aim of helping those overcoming addictions, substance abuse, and mental health issues.

Mark Chamberlain of Hamilton, Ontario, is currently President and a founding partner of Trivaris Ltd., a commercialization company focused on transforming ideas from concept to sustainable companies and social enterprises.  Mark has been recognized as Hamilton's Distinguished Citizen of the Year for 2007 for his work on reducing poverty in Hamilton.  He is Chair of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction, spear-heading the vision to make Hamilton "The Best Place to Raise a Child".  He has spent five years serving on the Board and is past Chair of the Hamilton Community Foundation.  In addition Mark is member of numerous Community and Provincial Boards and supports many local economic development projects including a nonprofit organization Options For Homes, providing quality, affordable housing in Hamilton.

Rev. Larry Gregan is ordained in the North American Baptist Conference and is the Senior Pastor of New Life Ministries in Winnipeg’s West End, where he began serving in 1994. New Life Ministries provides housing to low- and middle-income families through the renovation and sale of houses, and through the renovation and maintenance of 100 emergency and transitional rental units. New Life Ministries also operates the Ellice Café and Theatre, a sustainable community economic development initiative that promotes diversity and integration in the community. In this context, Rev. Gregan’s ministry helps people deal with situations of family violence, addiction, crime, and medical crisis.

From 2001 to 2003 Rev. Gregan served as board chair for Pregnancy and Family Support Services, the Family Community Center, and the Spence Street Thrift Shop; and he recently joined the Police Advisory Board for the City of Winnipeg. Rev. Gregan holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Divinity degree from Providence Seminary in Otterburne, Manitoba.

Ms. Brenda Hall has been playing an active role in social and community development for many years. She worked with the Hay River Métis Nation from 1997 to 2000, where she organized community consultations, addressed the needs for community wellness, and participated with the Board of Directors in long-term and strategic planning. Since 2000, Ms. Hall has been the Executive Director of the Growing Together Society, in Hay River. She works with other community-based organizations, manages partnerships with local First Nations communities, and facilitates program activities involving high-risk mothers.

Ms. Hall received extensive training from several community-based and educational organizations including the Institute of Cultural Affairs, the National Indian and Inuit Community Health Representatives Organization, the Nechi Institute, and the Canadian Hospital Association.

Calvin D. Helin is a member of the Tsimshian Nation from the northern B.C. community of Lax Kwalaams (Port Simpson).

He has an extensive background in law, business, and community service. Mr. Helin holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of British Columbia and was admitted to the Law Society of British Columbia in 1992. He has helped create several businesses and not-for-profit organizations including the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network in 2001 and the National Aboriginal Business Association in 2005. Mr. Helin has published a book and numerous papers and has written numerous columns on Aboriginal issues. He is President and Chief Executive Officer of Orca Spirit Publishing and Communications Inc.

Anita Hopfauf is currently the Executive Director of the Schizophrenia Society of Saskatchewan.  She started with the organization in 1999, where she began as Provincial Program Manager and moved into her current role in 2007.  Anita began her career in the Human Services field in 1987 after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.  She started as a Family Support Worker with the Riel Local Parent Aide Program where she worked with Aboriginal people with multi-faceted problems.  Anita has also served on a number of different committees such as the Disability Income Support Coalition, the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Advisory Council, the Provincial Interagency Network on Disabilities, the Mental Health Coalition and the Mental Health Advisory Council.  Anita’s passion for her work has been recognized with the Government of Saskatchewan Centennial Medal in 2006 and the Schizophrenia Society of Canada’s Outstanding Staff Award in 2007.

Zulfikarali R. Kassamali began his career in East Africa, where he worked primarily in business. He came to Canada in 1972 as a refugee. Upon his arrival, he joined the Welcome House, Manpower and Immigration Center, committed to helping Ugandan refugees integrate into society. That same year, he created the first multicultural program for the Don Mills Foundation for Seniors.

Throughout his career, Mr. Kassamali has acquired considerable expertise, particularly with respect to the elderly and cultural diversity, and has served on several related boards. He also founded a number of organizations and programs for seniors including the Federation of Jambo Seniors and the Ismaili Seniors Action Team. Since 1991, Mr. Kassamali has chaired the North York Seniors' Health Centre Family Advisory Committee, which serves caregivers by providing advice and raising awareness of ethno-cultural differences and how to deal with them. His community involvement has garnered him a number of awards such as the Toronto Police Services Community Services Award in 1998 and the Premier's Award for Community Service in 1996.

Dr. Bob Mullan was appointed to the National Council of Welfare in July of 2008. Dr. Bob has practiced Family and Addiction medicine for 27 years in Kentville, Nova Scotia.

He began his career in addiction medicine in 1983 at Crosby House, which offered both acute care and rehabilitative services to individuals suffering from addiction to drugs, alcohol and gambling. Dr. Mullan is a certificant of the American College of Addiction Medicine and served as the Medical Director of Addiction Services for the Annapolis Valley District Health Authority from 1993 to 2004. He continues to provide consultation service to the Crosby House Program.

Bob assumed the roll of Medical Advisor for the Kings Regional Rehabilitation Centre in Waterville in 1993 and continues to serve in this capacity. The Centre cares for 250 disabled adults and children who receive benefits from the Department of Community Services in Nova Scotia.

Dr. Mullan was the Chairperson of the Health Care Advisory Committee for Corrections Canada from 1990 to 1994. He has served on the Board of the Family and Children's Services Society of Kings County. He is a fellow of the College of Family Physicians of Canada, and former President of the Medical Society of Nova Scotia.

Bob's wife Linda is a graphic designer and they have three adult children.

David S. Pankratz of Winnipeg, Manitoba is the current and founding Director of the Institute for Community Peacebuilding, a program of Canadian Mennonite University (CMU). David is a qualified accountant (CGA) and after working for twenty years primarily in an accounting role has taken that training into broader contexts, including consulting on accounting practices in cross-cultural settings, refugee resettlement issues, peacebuilding, delivering humanitarian aid in conflict zones, public speaking, and directing a University Institute. Previous employment includes numerous assignments with Mennonite Central Committee in Winnipeg, Zambia, Iraq and elsewhere. He earned his CGA accounting designation in 1991 and his MBA from Laurentian University in 2007. In 2004 David received the Certified General Accountant Association’s life membership award for his humanitarian work in Winnipeg and overseas.

Trained as an economist, John Richards is a member of the faculty in the Graduate Public Policy Program at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. For many years, he has been active in promotion of community health centres.

He has written extensively on social policy in Canada, primarily via the C.D. Howe Institute, where he holds the Roger Phillips chair in social policy. His recent publications include a book on Aboriginal policy and a monograph on poverty and welfare utilization. He co-edits Inroads, a Canadian public policy journal.  In addition, he has undertaken teaching and research in Bangladesh over the last decade. He heads the Centre for Policy Research, an institute linked to the International University of Business Agriculture and Technology.

Glen Shepherd is the Senior Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of a medical aid organization, Health Partners International of Canada, in Pointe Claire, Quebec. He came to this position after 30 years with The Salvation Army where he worked in Canada and in France as the pastor of a community church in Lethbridge, Alberta, in youth work, business administration and in senior executive leadership of The Salvation Army in France and in Canada. Prior to working with The Salvation Army he worked in management positions with Canadian Pacific and Manitoba Telephone.

Glen Shepherd holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Economics and Sociology and a Master of Arts in Economics from McGill University.  In 2004 the Government of France admitted him as a Knight of the Order of the Legion of Honour in recognition of his work with The Salvation Army in that country.  In October 2007 he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humanities by Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia.

Dr. Joseph Tietz, of Vancouver, British Columbia, is the executive director of Jewish Family Service Agency, a diverse multi-service organization, which addresses a multitude of psychological, social, economic, and advocacy needs for the local Jewish and general community of Vancouver. The agency creates numerous partnerships with other social service organizations particularly in the areas of poverty reduction, vocational services, immigration & resettlement, seniors support, counseling and housing issues. Joseph has a diverse background in the management of non-profit organizations in the United States and in Israel, in addition to the past five years of work in Canada. He has a Ph.D. in clinical/community psychology, is married and has three children.