Rebecca Franklin
Rebecca is the Agtech and SCALE program lead at Cultivator powered by Conexus. Her profound passion for technology and innovation started on her family farm in Radville, SK, where she witnessed firsthand the transformative impact of agricultural innovation on efficiency and productivity.
After spending five years in the SK Agriculture sector, she ventured into the tech sector in Halifax, NS, where she immersed myself in the world of startups, venture capital, and the critical factors investors seek in companies through her roles at QRA Corp and Creative Destruction Lab. Now back in Saskatchewan, she is eager to share her experiences with local entrepreneurs to encourage a growing tech ecosystem.
Alex Shimla
Alex is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Co.Labs, Saskatchewan's 1st technology incubator. Co.Labs works with exceptional founders to navigate the path from idea to $1M in annual revenue.
Kari Harvey
Kari Harvey is CEO of Innovation Saskatchewan where her responsibilities include working with community partners to nurture an environment that supports the success of start-up tech companies in the province, and with the research community to ensure Saskatchewan research and commercialization interests are maximized.
Her 29-year public service career includes senior leadership positions in the Ministry of Agriculture such as Director of the Agri-business Development Branch, Executive Director, Capital and Regional Services with the Saskatchewan Ministry Health, and Executive Council and Office of the Premier as Assistant Deputy Minister, International Relations and Protocol. Kari is currently a board member with the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), the Canadian Light Source (CLS) and Saskatchewan’s first tech incubator, Co.Labs. In the fall of 2020, she was also appointed to the NRC-IRAP Advisory Council.
Kari holds a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Business Administration, both from the University of Regina, as well as the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Leanne Bellegarde
Akawe Technologies aims to bridge the digital divide for Indigenous People’s with thoughtful and meaningful digital solutions founded on Indigenous values to exercise the full potential of sovereign and inherent rights among ourselves and with others on-line. Our Akawe E-ID and digital wallet founded on control of our own operating system, provide the basis for all of our services and applications and our approach to data sovereignty will ensure “Indigenous data is part of our new buffalo”
Max Skudra
Max Skudra brings extensive experience working with Indigenous people, communities, and businesses to Mokwateh. He formerly led the research department for the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB), where he was a key leader securing the Federal government’s commitment to procure 5% of all goods and services from Indigenous businesses. His work was applied to justify the province of Ontario’s $100 million Indigenous Economic Development Fund (IEDF) and utilized to set corporate strategy for companies such as VIA Rail, Canada Post, Enbridge, and OPG.
Max has worked directly with hundreds of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit communities, devoting his time to building relationships with a hands-on understanding of what it truly takes to create economic reconciliation.
Max has a distinct background in human rights, business development, and finance. Following his passion, he began his career working for Human Rights Watch in both Toronto and New York, and later moved into the financial services industry by performing derivatives administration and valuations analysis in Toronto. Excelling in this, Max went on to organize micro-finance and community savings programs in marginalized areas of Bogota, Colombia, and while living in Colombia, upstarted a digital asset transfer company.
Since 2011, and before becoming a Mokwateh partner, Max worked for the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business conducting research on Aboriginal businesses. The department Max cultivated within this organization has now grown to become a center for data and thought leadership on Indigenous economics. In addition to his time at CCAB, Max sat on the consulting committee for the OECDs project Linking Indigenous Communities with Regional Development, The Federal Government’s working group on Indigenous Trade, and also served on the Board of Directors for the National Aboriginal Trust Officers Association (NATOA).
More recently, Max has led national survey work to understand Indigenous perspectives on energy and conducted interviews with thought leaders to gain perspectives on the future of ESG & I and has reviewed the procurement processes for major mining firms. His most current endeavor involves working with the Treaty Six First Nations to support their economic development initiatives.
Ryan Thomas
Ryan is a proud member of the Beardys and Okemasis Cree Nation, has dedicated over two decades to the field of Information Technology.
Over the years, he has held roles in organizations such as Sasktel and SIGA and at the Saskatoon Tribal Council—nine as director of the IT department.
Ryan achieved the ITIL Version 3 Expert designation, solidifying his expertise in IT Service Management.
Motivated by a vision that First Nations communities deserve top-notch IT services.
Indigenize Tech is in the final stages of a groundbreaking project to bring fixed WiFi internet access to every home in the Beardys and Okemasis Cree Nation.
Sharon Angus
Sharon Angus is a Cisco Certified IT Instructor for the IT Support Specialist (ITSS) Program at the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT) for the past three years. Sharon has worked in the IT industry for almost 20 years with 10 years of training experience, using her experience to train the next generation of IT specialists.
The ITSS Program is a 9-month program with classes such as Hardware, Software, Networking 1 & 2 (CCNA levels 1 and 2), Virtualization, Security, Windows Server, Support and Service Management, Professional Competencies, and Office Applications. Sharon loves spending time with her husband, two cats, and her dog watching science fiction movies
Shelley Pinacie
Shelley Pinacie is a highly skilled professional, a Mother and a Grandmother. She brings with her with over 30 years of experience in corporations, senior management and executive boards. Her career began in the financial industry working in the banking and investment sectors. She is currently the Director of Culture and Community at Community Social Impact Regina Inc. Her passion is to help Indigenous people become a thread in the economy at all levels. She uses her voice to raise the voice of women, in nontraditional areas such as politics, academia, and innovation.
Her background is in Indigenous governance, education and training, social, health and economic development and gaming in Saskatchewan. Her identity is a critical part of her being. Elders, healers, and mentors guide her through life, career and healing. She is a proud member of the Muskowekwan Saulteaux Nation which is located in Treaty 4 territory.
Suz Galloway
With 25+ years in the tech industry, She has held roles from helpdesk to IT management, consultancy, and director.
Her focus on small to medium businesses drove her passion for making technology a business asset.
Through her leadership roles and mentorship, she also paved the way for the next generation, helping them build meaningful careers in technology.
Her primary focus remains bridging tech and business using creativity and knowledge of each unique business and individual she works with.