Arts & Contemporary Studies

Lauren Friese is the founder of www.TalentEgg.ca, Canada’s online career hub for students and new graduates looking for meaningful entry-level careers. Lauren launched TalentEgg based on her own experiences, graduating from Queen’s University in 2005 with a B.A. in Economics and having no idea how to make a successful transition into the workforce. She decided to pursue a graduate degree at the London School of Economics, in London, England, where she got the idea for TalentEgg. After a year working as a consultant in London, Lauren returned to Canada to launch TalentEgg. The site now boasts over 100 employers and over 4,000 student and new-grad career seekers.

Jane Gill is the founder and President of Jane Gill & Associates, a national public relations agency representing clients in the fashion, lifestyle, design and hospitality industries. Before starting up her own PR agency in 1991, Jane managed public relations and special events while a publicist for Alfred Sung, and before that was the sales promotion and special events manager for Flare, Canada's national fashion magazine. Jane is a graduate of Ryerson's Fashion Merchandising Visual Communications program.

Robert Johnstone joined the Bank of Canada Research Department in 1957 and served in various capacities with the Bank and on secondment with the Porter Commission and the IMF until 1975 when he was appointed Executive Director of the Anti-Inflation Board. In 1977 he joined the Department of External Affairs as Assistant Undersecretary Economic, and was subsequently Deputy Minister in the Department of Industry Trade and Commerce and Deputy Minister Economic in the combined Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. He retired from government in 1989 after his appointment as Consul General in New York and has had a variety of interests since then.  He is currently Senior Advisor at the Canadian International Council.

Robert D. Johnston  has had 33 years of experience as an arts administrator. He served as the Executive Director of Cultural Careers Council Ontario ( www.workinculture.ca ) from 1999 to 2009. The Council supports access to employment and career development in Ontario’s cultural sector. He was General Manager of the National Ballet of Canada from 1979 to 1996. Prior to that he served as Deputy Minister of the Ontario Ministry of Culture & Recreation from 1976 to 1979. Before entering the cultural sector he held positions for 25 year in personnel and labour relations management in government and industry serving as Ontario Deputy Minister of Labour, Chairman of the Ontario Labour Relations Board, and Director of Industrial Relations for John Inglis Co. Ltd.

Hugo Leal-Neri is a lawyer practicing labour law in Toronto. He is an associate at the union-side labour firm of Sack Goldblatt Mitchell in Toronto, and a member of the Ontario Bar. He holds a J.D. and a Master of Laws from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, and a law degree from Mexico. Hugo has done international human rights and international criminal law work in Costa Rica, Chile and Canada. He has also been part of delegations of Canadian labour lawyers to Argentina and Mexico.

Alannah O’Neill is an associate editor at ELLE Canada in Toronto. She writes about fashion and entertainment while overseeing production on the magazine every month. She helps to coordinate ELLE’s internship program, which mentors and guides young people seeking a career in the publishing industry. Alannah is a recent graduate of the Arts and Contemporary Studies program at Ryerson.

Tim Owen  is the Director of WES-Canada, an international nonprofit organization which acts as the province of Ontario's international credential evaluation service. Prior to joining WES in 2000, Tim was the Associate Executive Director of COSTI, one of Canada's leading multi-service agencies serving immigrants. He serves on a several advisory groups and committees related to immigrant integration, including the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration's Roundtable on Fair Access to Regulated Professions and the Colleges Integrating Immigrants to Employment project. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy from Trent University, and Master's degree in Comparative Education from the University of Toronto.

Albert Schultz is a Canadian actor, director and the founding artistic director of Toronto's celebrated Soulpepper Theatre Company, and the general director of the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. He studied drama at Toronto's York University and at the London (UK) Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. His theatre career as an actor includes several roles at the Stratford Festival, and at Soulpepper. Schultz's television career includes the CBC Television hit drama Street Legal, the medical drama Side Effects, and the role of Conrad Black in CTV's Shades of Black. Schultz is the recipient of several awards including a Gemini Award, the Joan Chalmers National Award for Artistic Direction, the Salute to the City Award, the Toronto Life Award, the Barbara Hamilton Award and the William Kilbourn Award.

Angela Wallace has a degree in Arts and Contemporary Studies, with a focus in History and a minor in Non-Profit Sector Management, Ryerson University. In 2009, she was recognized as one of Ryerson University’s Top 30 Under 30 Alumni, because of her work as a motivational speaker on the Darfur Now Tour, sponsored by MetoWe and Participant Media. She inspired over 30,000 high school and university students across North America to raise awareness about global issues and human rights. She is completing graduate studies towards her MSc Environmental Management at the University of London, England. Her passion for the environment grew out of her family's rural property, now a designated Natural Heritage System area in the Ontario Greenbelt. Currently, she is the Ontario Coordinator for the High School Climate Challenge, a program of Clean Air Champions. She lives in downtown Toronto and enjoys urban gardening, the HotDocs festival, writing and yoga.