Chinelo is a Senior Policy Advisor working with Canadian Foodgrains Bank on food assistance and nexus issues. She’s trained as a lawyer, has a Master’s degree in International Studies and Diplomacy, and a PhD in law. She has worked in the international development space for about 7 years.

Prior to joining the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, she worked as a Humanitarian Diplomacy Advisor with the International Committee of the Red Cross in diplomatic relations with the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States.

President
With 30 years of applied international development experience, Julie is a strategic leader of mission- and impact-driven organizations, across the not-for-profit and public sectors. She served variously as the executive director, Oxfam Canada; director, Central America Program, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada; and as a senior advisor to development policymakers. Most recently, Julie brought her expertise to diverse organizations including Oxfam International, the United Nations, and Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights. She is a subject matter expert on gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and on the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment in international development programming.

Earlier in her career, Julie held numerous posts supporting the Government of Canada’s development and human rights efforts, including as deputy director for human rights; senior advisor to the Iraq Task Force; and director for gender equality and child protection. She also held research roles with various organizations, including the North-South Institute, and has written extensively on issues of gender and employment, women’s rights, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and globalization. 

Through her career, Julie has lived and worked in Honduras, Jamaica, Pakistan and the United Kingdom. She holds undergraduate degrees in law and legal studies and a graduate degree in international affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University, Canada.

Adrian Di Giovanni is the Team Leader for Democratic and Inclusive Governance at Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), where has worked since 2011. In his prior role at IDRC, he spearheaded a stream of research on law and development, focusing on public law, human rights and legal empowerment. Past roles have included Counsel for the Department of Justice Canada’s Human Rights Law Section, and the World Bank’s Legal Vice-Presidency. Adrian holds an LLM in international law from New York University and a JD from the University of Toronto. He occasionally teaches at Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs and has worked previously in Uganda and Tanzania. A proud dad of two mischievous boys.

Temitope Ogungbamila is a filmmaker from Isale Akoka community in Lagos. Alongside dreams of becoming a lawyer to help women in her community confront gender-based violence and discrimination. Temi is a filmmaker and photographer focused on shifting the narrative of informal settlements in Lagos. She also organizes workshops in her community to teach photography and digital storytelling to young people, as a means of creating skills for economic advancement and reframing of community narratives.

Anita Vandenbeld was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Ottawa West—Nepean in 2015.

Ms. Vandenbeld is an international expert on democracy and human rights. She has worked in over 20 countries on inclusive governance and women’s leadership, including with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Democratic Governance Group in New York. There, she managed a multi-partner international network that aimed to promote women's political participation.