NOTRE DAME
BUSINESS LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
22ND ANNUAL
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
MAX KERMAN
Max Kerman, frontman for 9X JUNO Award-winning band Arkells, is celebrated for his storytelling and collaborative spirit, reflected in the band's success, millions of global streams, and sold-out shows. His politically and socially conscious lyrics resonate deeply with audiences. Beyond music, he moderates discussions, co-hosts podcasts, produces The Dessert, and serves on The Nick Nurse Foundation board, all while advocating for mental health and youth empowerment.
RISE
ORNELLA PRICE
Ornella shares the story of her son, Dayton Price. On March 15, 2022, a horrific crash took the lives of 9 people, including 7 members of the University of the Southwest's golf team and their coach. Dayton Price, a USW golfer, and Hayden Underhill were the only survivors. Dayton suffered severe burns to over 44% of his body and spent 86 days in the hospital. He continues to recover, undergoing therapy and surgeries, with the goal of becoming a professional golfer to honour his lost teammates. The families of the victims are healing from this tragic loss. Dayton is committed to ensuring the legacy of his teammates and coach is never forgotten.
JOEL HILCHEY
Joel is an ideas guy. His gift seems to stem from a strange combination of observation, insight, and blatant disregard for conventional thinking. He's also a juggler (literally and figuratively). In addition to leading the Beanstalk Creative team as Executive Producer & CEO, he maintains a busy schedule as a speaker, creating unforgettable spectacles on stage. Joel has authored 3 books, (2 of them with Brandon Love), and he taught engineering for over a decade at McMaster University, where he was named one of the Top 150+ Alumni. He’s a seasoned barbershop quartet singer, he formerly chaired the board of the world-renowned Hamilton Children’s Choir, and he's a semi-competitive joggler (that's right... juggling whilst jogging).
SHINE
DAWN HILL
Dawn is a former residential school student of Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School in Brantford, Ontario from 1957 – 1961. Born on Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, she is proud to be a Mohawk, Turtle clan. Dawn became an elementary school teacher and taught for 28 years. She is now the Secretary/Treasurer of the Mohawk Village Memorial Park, a not-for-profit, charity organization. The Park will be dedicated to the memory of all the children who attended the Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School in Brantford. Dawn is also on the Board for Survivors’ Secretariat, looking into missing and/or buried children from the Mohawk Institute Residential School.
SPIDER JONES
Spider Jones is a three-time Golden Glove Champion and Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame inductee. He now uses his life story to motivate youth. After dropping out of school in grade five and being influenced heavily by gangs at a young age, he has become both an athlete and a radio host. Spider has been a sparring partner to boxing legend George Chuvalo and also trained with Muhammed Ali. In his experience as a radio host, Spider has interviewed many notable names such as Mark Wahlberg, Doug Gilmour, and James Brown.
THRIVE
JOSH GERSTEIN
Josh shares the history of his Aunt, Myrna Sandler, who was born on December 17, 1927, in Lutsk, Poland. When the Nazis invaded Eastern Poland in 1941, Jews, including the Gerstein family and many relatives, were forced out of their homes and into the city ghetto. During the Holocaust, Myrna and her family were sheltered by Polish and Czech farmers. Because of these extraordinary people, Myrna and her family survived the Holocaust. Following their liberation, the Sandler family immigrated to Toronto in 1948 and worked hard to rebuild their lives. Recently, Myrna’s daughter, Francine, connected with the granddaughter of one of the rescuers who shared insights from her grandmother’s memoir about their experiences during the war.
JAKOB MIHAILOVICH
Jakob Mihailovich is an acclaimed Canadian content creator renowned for his expertise in filmmaking, with over 140,000 subscribers on YouTube. He actively seeks partnerships with brands that share his passion for exploration, embracing challenges, and pushing our limits. Central to Jakob's filmmaking philosophy is the profound impact of evoking emotions in his audience. Jakob’s goal when producing films is to resonate with his audience on a deeper level through powerful imagery and a compelling story.
INSPIRE
BRETT D'SOUZA
Coach Brett has been part of the swimming community for over 20 years, starting his swimming career at the Etobicoke Swim Club before moving on to compete for York University. Athletes that Brett coached have gone on to be named to Junior National, Senior National and Olympic teams. Coach Brett’s professional achievements include developing 2 Olympians, 4 Senior National Team Members and 7 Junior National Team Members. Brett has also coached athletes to 10 National Age Group Records and 8 Ontario Provincial Records. He has had a swimmer nominated to the World Junior Open water team and numerous athletes who have medaled and won on the Provincial and National Stages. Brett is a strong believer in well-rounded student-athletes and strives to help each athlete achieve success in and out of the pool. Brett is excited to be back at York University to help the next generation of York Lions.
JOSH GERSTEIN
Josh shares the history of his Aunt, Myrna Sandler, who was born on December 17, 1927, in Lutsk, Poland. When the Nazis invaded Eastern Poland in 1941, Jews, including the Gerstein family and many relatives, were forced out of their homes and into the city ghetto. During the Holocaust, Myrna and her family were sheltered by Polish and Czech farmers. Because of these extraordinary people, Myrna and her family survived the Holocaust. Following their liberation, the Sandler family immigrated to Toronto in 1948 and worked hard to rebuild their lives. Recently, Myrna’s daughter, Francine, connected with the granddaughter of one of the rescuers who shared insights from her grandmother’s memoir about their experiences during the war.