PBSC 2025 Summer Learning Institute

Heather Watts is Mohawk & Anishinaabe from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. Education has been a central part of her work over the past ten years, graduating from Syracuse University with a degree in Inclusive Education, Columbia University Teachers College with a degree in Literacy Coaching, and working as an elementary school teacher in New York City and Rochester, NY. Heather has studied at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) in the Education Policy & Management Program and graduated with her Ed.M. in 2019.

Heather is currently a doctoral candidate at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education – University of Toronto, in the Social Justice Education program. Over the past two years, she has published three chapters on the topic of Reconciliation and education in Canada. Her research centers on Reconciliation and reclamation of Indigenous ways of knowing in modern-day education systems.

Heather serves as President of First Peoples Group, an all-Indigenous consulting firm. She also is currently an Action Canada Fellow with the Public Policy Forum.

Sheliza Jamal is a graduate of Harvard University and is the founder and Executive Director of Curated Leadership, a coaching firm that fosters partnerships with leadership teams, nonprofits, and corporations to develop their knowledge in the areas of equity and diversity to build inclusive communities.

Sheliza is a certified Ontario Educator and is currently completing her PhD at OISE, University of Toronto in the Department of Social Justice Education with a research focus on anti-racism in Teacher Education Programs. Sheliza currently serves as a board member of the Harvard Graduate School of Education Alumni Council and is a Founding Member of the Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Council Canada. She is also a board member for WorkInCulture and lead of their IDEA working group. For further details, please visit www.curatedleadership.com.

Asia Kotasinska is a passionate advocate for equity in education. With a background in teaching and research and a deep commitment to fostering inclusive learning environments, she has dedicated her career to supporting initiatives that promote quality education across Canada. 

Asia has facilitated numerous virtual and in-person workshops focusing on a wide range of topics, particularly those pertaining to equity in education. Her expertise extends to advocating for the right to education, and collaborating with youth and senior-level stakeholders to effect positive change within educational systems. 

Having earned a Master of Teaching from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, Asia brings both theoretical knowledge and practical experience to her work. Her academic and professional journey has equipped her with a comprehensive understanding of pedagogical practices and educational policies, which she leverages to create engaging and accessible workshops and presentations. 

In addition, Asia is deeply committed to supporting French-language projects within the education sector. She recognizes the importance of linguistic diversity and strives to ensure that French-speaking students have access to quality educational resources and opportunities.

City of Toronto Agency and Registered Charity serving 2SLGBTQ+ communities.

Éducaloi is a charity organization dedicated to improving access to justice for all Quebecers. It has played a leading role in this regard since the organization was created in 2000. Our activities focus on three areas: providing plain language legal information to the public, legal education activities in both school and community contexts, and helping other organizations communicate in plain language.

Yukimi is a former criminal defence lawyer and a practicing clinical social worker. Having worked for more than two decades in the area of mental health services as both a lawyer and social worker, Yukimi was the previous Manager of Academic/Personal Counselling & Wellness at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto. She has spent the last several years working in the post-secondary sector focused on student mental health and accessibility services, student conduct and sexual violence response.   

Nathalie Parent is a psychologist and the author of several books. She gives talks and training on a variety of topics relating to physical and psychological well-being. She has been providing psychotherapy to children, adolescents, adults, couples and families for over 25 years and lectured at Université Laval for more than 15 years. In addition to her practice, she now devotes her time to passing on her knowledge in a variety of ways: training, media appearances, writing, and individual and group supervision. Visit her website at nathalieparentpsychologue.com.

A psychiatrist and lawyer, Dr. Katia Germain has been a member of the Barreau du Québec since 2006. She practices child psychiatry at the CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS, where she helps children, adolescents and their families in often complex situations.

Along with her clinical practice, her areas of interest include medical-legal issues, transgenerational trauma and how trauma affects child development. She Is also interested in how cultural heritage affects mental health. She gives training sessions on stress and anxiety management in Quebec universities and to professional associations, addressing lawyers, students and other legal professionals.

Her unique legal and medical background gives her nuanced insight into interactions between mental health and the justice system. She is also interested in demanding work environments and how these affect the psychological well-being of professionals and the individuals they help. 

Michaël Lessard is a Faculty of Law professor at Université de Sherbrooke. He is particularly interested in the way private law conceptualizes vulnerable or marginalized people, and takes critical approaches to reflect on these issues. His current work focuses on sexual and conjugal violence, animals, multiparenting, medical assistance in dying and the theoretical foundations of private law.