Shauna Brail (she/her) is an associate professor and director of the Institute for Management & Innovation, at the University of Toronto Mississauga, and holds a cross-appointment at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. As an economic geographer and urban planner, her research focuses on the transformation of cities as a result of economic, social and cultural change. Her research encompasses studies of broad urban economic challenges associated with 21st century cities – including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on cities; the relationship between cities and the digital platform economy, with a particular emphasis on mobility; and shifts in urban governance, policy and planning in connection to innovation and technological change.

Catherine McKenney (they/them) is the co-founder of CitySHAPES, a national nonprofit organization working to make cities better for everyone, and a consultant working with others who share these common goals. Catherine is a former Ottawa city councillor. They worked at the city in senior roles prior to being elected in 2014. Catherine cares deeply about equity, affordable housing and ending homelessness, climate action, transit and active transportation, trees and greenspace, and how we build our cities so everyone can thrive in them. 

Rachel Samson (she/her) is a policy research executive with 25 years of experience providing evidence-based policy advice. Before her current position, she was research director for clean growth at the Canadian Climate Institute. Prior to that, Rachel worked as a policy research consultant for organizations such as the OECD, Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission and the Smart Prosperity Institute. Rachel also spent 15 years as an economist and executive with the federal government, mainly at Finance Canada and Environment Canada.