CredX
2026 Speakers
Meet Our 2026 Speakers
Dan McFaull
Managing Partner, North Pacific Metrics Inc.
I’ve enjoyed a long career in adult vocational education, focusing for the last 15 years in occupational qualification and certification. Our team at North Pacific uses a competency-based approach to develop occupational standards and assessment tools. Our clients are generally industry associations, certification agencies, and trades organizations. Most recently, we’ve specialized in RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) programs and systems to enable hiring and/or occupational progression in a variety of industry sectors.
Darion Ducharme
Founder & CEO, Teqare
Darion Ducharme is the Founder and CEO of Teqare, an Indigenous-owned education and technology training organization based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Teqare delivers cyber security, AI awareness, digital literacy, financial life skills, and scam-prevention training across Canada, with a strong focus on Indigenous, rural, and remote communities. Over the past year alone, Teqare has delivered programming in more than 120 schools and over 70 First Nations, reaching thousands of youth, adults, and seniors. Darion is a national speaker and award-winning entrepreneur whose work focuses on building practical, accessible pathways to digital skills, workforce readiness, and community safety.
Greg Johnson
Executive Director, Stakeholder and Community Relations at BC Infrastructure Benefits (BCIB)
Greg Johnson is the Executive Director, Stakeholder and Community Relations, at BC Infrastructure Benefits. BCIB implements an economic development policy in British Columbia. The Crown corporation has worked with over 100 contractors to provide almost 7000 skilled tradespeople to 15 major infrastructure projects, generating economic gains for workers, contractors and communities. Over 92% of BCIB’s workers have been from B.C., keeping hundreds of millions of dollars in wages and benefits in B.C. communities.
Greg Stone
President, BC Colleges
Greg has 20 years of senior leadership experience in the private and public sectors, working for and with governments, institutions and communities to develop and deliver on shared objectives. Greg holds a DPhil in Modern History from the University of Oxford, a Master of Arts from McMaster, a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Calgary, and a Diploma of Criminology from Mount Royal University.
As President of BC Colleges, Greg ensures BCC represents the collective voice, expertise and experience of BC’s public colleges and their central role in BC’s economy and communities.
Jackie Pichette
Policy Lead, Skills & Higher Education
RBC Thought Leadership
Jackie drives conversation between policy makers, educators and employers, and provides actionable insights to strengthen Canada’s workforce and human capital advantage. Prior to joining RBC Thought Leadership, Jackie was the Director of Policy, Research & Partnerships at a provincial research agency – Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario. Jackie has also worked as a consultant at an Indigenous advisory services firm, focusing on workforce development strategies, and was part of the team that launched Simon Fraser University’s Public Square initiative, building connections between the university and surrounding communities. Jackie has a Bachelor of Arts from Queen’s University and a Master’s of Public Policy from Simon Fraser University.
Jako Olivier
Adviser: Higher Education, Commonwealth of Learning
Dr Jako Olivier is an Adviser: Higher Education at the Commonwealth of Learning in Vancouver, Canada and an Adjunct Professor of Open Education at the University of Nova Gorica, Slovenia. At the Commonwealth of Learning, he leads the “Developing a Commonwealth Credit Transfer Framework for Micro-credentials” project. Here, he also supports governments and universities in the Commonwealth on micro-credentials, recognition of prior learning, open and distance learning, open educational resources, quality assurance and the promotion of graduate employability. His research and advocacy work are focused on micro-credentials, open and distance learning, self-directed learning, open educational resources, and multilingualism in education.
Jeff Griffiths
Program Director, Alberta Talent Pipeline Management Initiative
Jeff Griffiths is the Program Lead for the Alberta Talent Pipeline Management Initiative and the principal of J.L. Griffiths and Associates, a workforce and organizational development consultancy based in Calgary. He formerly served as the Director of Research for the Canada West Foundation public policy think-tank, and has been a leading Canadian practitioner in the field of competency-based training, development and recognition approaches for over 25 years. He is an advocate for recognizing skills and competencies regardless of where/how they are learned. He is a strong proponent for “learning integrated work – advocating and developing apprenticeship learning approaches across a variety of occupations.
Jeremy McQuigge
Secretary-General, Council Advancing Work-Based Learning (CAWBL)
Jeremy McQuigge is a systems architect, policy strategist, and founding Secretary-General of the Council Advancing Work-Based Learning (CAWBL). He developed ‘contributive epistemology,’ a theory that holds that knowledge emerges from individual contributions and attains value through community recognition; an idea central to his leadership. Jeremy has uniquely positioned Work-Based Learning (WBL) as a transdisciplinary field, establishing frameworks that have shaped its global discourse and practical implementation.
Jeremy’s career spans post-secondary education, governance, workforce strategy, and national recognition initiatives. He serves on the Board of the Canadian Association for Prior Learning and Assessment (CAPLA) and is a lifelong advocate for equity, youth, and community voice.
Jill Budelli
Executive Director, BC Centre of Training Excellence in Mining
Jill Budelli has 20 plus years of industry experience have centered within the natural resources industry having represented exploration, development, and mining projects in Canada, the US, and Latin America with a focus on responsibly and ethically sourced minerals. She has served on various boards including one that held 13 years of service, three of them as Chair of the board. Jill has an MBA from Arden University, England that is preceded by a degree in geography with a concentration in sociology and additional credentials in mining studies, diversity and inclusion, and leadership from various Canadian organizations.
Joanna Jagger
Executive Director and Founder, WORTH Association for women of recreation, tourism and hospitality
Joanna Jagger is the Executive Director and founder of WORTH Association, a society for women of recreation, tourism and hospitality. WORTH Association was incorporated in 2018 to provide opportunities for mentorship, education and leadership development. Formerly, Joanna was a Convenor and Instructor at Capilano University. She has held leadership roles in sales, catering and human resources at top hospitality brands including Marriott International, Shangri-La Hotels and Sequoia Company of Restaurants. She serves on the Board of BCPavco, supporting the Vancouver Convention Centre and BC Place Stadium. Joanna has a Provincial Instructor’s Diploma from VCC and a Masters in Leadership from Royal Roads University.
Katie Fitzmaurice
Executive Vice President, Invest Vancouver
Katie Fitzmaurice is a strategic and collaborative leader driving economic transformation across Metro Vancouver. As Executive Vice President at Invest Vancouver, she leads initiatives that advance inclusive prosperity, regional wellbeing, and long-term competitiveness. With experience across the private sector and all levels of government, Katie brings a systems-level perspective to unlocking economic opportunities. She is known for convening diverse stakeholders and shaping bold strategies that build resilience and innovation. Katie holds a Bachelor of Commerce from UBC’s Sauder School of Business and remains committed to community impact—most notably through a 4,500-kilometer fundraising ride from Amsterdam to Istanbul.
Lynn White
President & CEO ACCESS (Aboriginal Community Career Employment Services Society)
Lynn White (Laanii Ym Yath Gaax) is a member of Gitxaala Nation – Raven Clan.
Lynn currently serves as CEO for Aboriginal Community Career Community Employment Society (ACCESS) since 2006. ACCESS is a proud Indigenous led non-profit, dedicated to empowering Urban Indigenous Peoples in Metro Vancouver, through education, skills training, employment opportunities, and professional development. Lynn also serves as Executive Director of the Urban Spirit Foundation, a charitable organization founded by ACCESS. The Foundation seeks to expand philanthropic resources to further the success of Urban Indigenous People through Scholarships and supports that help break the cycle of poverty and foster self-sufficiency.
Margo Griffith
Principal Skills Consultant, Edalex and SkillsAware
As the Principal Skills Consultant at Edalex, Margo is at the forefront of the global shift toward a skills-first learning and earning ecosystem. Her expertise centers on the application and architecture of digital credentials technology and digital recognition. A recognized thought leader, Margo regularly contributes to journals, book chapters and blog posts, and presents internationally on how to effect change and build the interoperable technology frameworks necessary to unlock human potential. She is the co-convenor of the Australian Microcredentials Network, a member of the Skills Validation Network and a member of the Competency XChange EdTech Workgroup.
Mark Patterson
Executive Director, Magnet
Mark Patterson is a leading voice in workforce innovation, focused on building partnerships that advance skills development and inclusive economic growth. As Founder & Executive Director of Magnet, he has shaped a national platform that connects talent with opportunity across Canada and globally. Mark is widely recognized for his expertise at the intersection of workforce development and emerging technologies, with a particular focus on how artificial intelligence, including generative AI, is reshaping organizational strategy, roles, and competencies. His work translates the current state of AI into practical, actionable approaches that help businesses and organizations build AI-ready capabilities, adapt their workforce strategies, and thrive in a rapidly evolving labour market.
Dr. Nan Travers
Co-Lead, Credential As You Go
Dr. Nan Travers, Co-Lead of Credential As You Go, retired Director of the Center for Leadership in Credentialing Learning at SUNY Empire State University, continues to focus on research, policy, and practice related to the recognition, validation, and credentialing of learning globally. Credential As You Go is an initiative advancing incremental credentialing, previously supported by Lumina Foundation, U.S. Department of Education’s Institute for Education Sciences, and Walmart. Dr. Travers has served as principal investigator for numerous grants centered on innovative approaches to prior learning assessment and credentialing. She is founding co-editor of PLA Inside Out, co-founder of the Prior Learning Assessment Network, and founder of the Learning Recognition Toolkit, Intrascope, and Insight Recognition. Dr. Travers was the 2025 Morris T. Keeton Award recipient from the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning. She holds a doctorate in Adult Learning from the University of Connecticut.
Robert Luke
CEO, eCampusOntario
Robert Luke, PhD, is Chief Executive Officer of eCampusOntario, which supports innovation, collaboration and digital by design education in Ontario’s 56 colleges, Indigenous institutes, and universities. eCampusOntario builds bridges between education and employment by supporting Ontario’s learners to find the programs they need for the careers they want; enabling member institutions to embrace the future of teaching and learning with virtual, hybrid, & experiential learning that empowers people with options; and connecting Ontario’s campuses to employers for collaborative innovation.
Susan Forseille
Director for Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) and Strategic Partnerships, Thompson Rivers University
Susan Forseille is an experienced educator with over two decades of work in prior learning assessment, micro-credentials, and career development across multiple sectors. Her research focuses on decolonizing and Indigenizing prior learning assessment methodologies, evaluating micro-credentials through PLAR approaches, and examining PLAR’s impact on career development. She holds a BA from Simon Fraser University, an MEd from Thompson Rivers University, and is currently completing her Doctorate at the University of Leicester.
Dr. Tricia Williams
Director, Research, Evaluation and Knowledge Mobilization at the Future Skills Centre
Tricia Williams, PhD, is Director of Research, Evaluation & Knowledge Mobilization at the Future Skills Centre, where she leads a portfolio of applied research and innovation projects focused on building a more inclusive and adaptable workforce in Canada. With over two decades of experience spanning academia, government, and the non-profit sector, she has developed deep expertise in skills development, labour market policy, and the future of work.
Her work bridges research and practice, shaping policy and program design to better align education and training with the evolving needs of workers and employers. She has published widely on workforce innovation, equity in employment, and the role of technology in reshaping work.