Keynote Speakers and Plenary Sessions

The Plenary Speakers

The Power of Networking
Sunday, June 6 – 9:00 - 10:15 a.m.
Darcy Rezac knows how to connect. This widely published author and internationally renowned networking expert has been managing director of one of the most dynamic networking business organizations in North America for nearly 20 years. Guy Kawasaki, Apple Fellow and CEO of Garage Technologies, says: "Rezac’s outward, what-can-I-do-for-you attitude is the key to building extensive, long-lasting connections." Weaving storytelling with advice and tips, Rezac has drawn rave reviews for his lively presentations. You’ll come away with new insight about making effective connections.
http://nsb.com/speakers/view/darcy-rezac

Nothing Happens By Accident
Monday, June 7 – 9:00 - 10:15 a.m.
Lesra Martin doesn’t give up. Born in the dirt-poor Bedford Stuyvesant ghetto of New York City, he was functionally illiterate until age 15. Today he’s a lawyer. In between, he moved to Canada, learned to read and had a chance to go to school. He made the most of it. And he read about Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a boxer serving time for a murder he did not commit. Martin, convinced of Carter’s innocence, worked tirelessly to have the boxer exonerated. You may know the story, which was retold in the Denzel Washington movie The Hurricane. Today, Martin is a senior executive with a software company and speaks frequently on the power we all have within us to make a difference.
http://nsb.com/speakers/view/lesra-martin

The Keynote Conversation

Monday, June 7 – 1:45 – 3:00 p.m.
What’s the most effective way to push your agenda in government or business? How do you make sure you’re talking with deciders? How can you best position your issues in the public conversation? How do you think outside the box to solve tough problems? What should you consider to be essential information every day?

These are some of the questions we will ask two extraordinary individuals who bring with them rich experience in government and post-secondary education. Mike Harcourt, former Premier of British Columbia and former Mayor of Vancouver, will join Martha Piper, former President of the University of British Columbia, for a conversation moderated by Victoria Times-Colonist editor-in-chief Lucinda Chodan. This promises to be a lively, interactive session. Not only will the speakers discuss the issues mentioned above, but you will have a chance to raise your own questions about being a more effective networker, advocate and communicator. This is a session not to be missed!
http://nsb.com/speakers/view/martha-piper
http://nsb.com/speakers/view/mike-harcourt
http://www.bcpresscouncil.org/directors/chodan.htm

Connect. Learn. Solve. In Action

Tuesday, June 8 – 9:30 – 11:00 a.m.

Panel: Guy Mallabone, Vice President, External Relations, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology; Vaughan Dowie, Executive Head of Public Affairs, McGill University; Jay Goulart, Executive Director of Advancement, Ridley College; Shannon von Kaldenberg, Associate Vice-President, Alumni & Development, University of Victoria

In what promises to be a lively closing session, four of our presenters will take up the challenge issued at the beginning of the conference: identify the most important things you learned, the most important people you met and the most important new ideas you'll take back to the office. This will not only spark a discussion among the panelists but will engage you, the audience, as we work together to underscore the core theme of the conference: Connect. Learn. Solve.

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