Up Next – October 28, 2025
Dr. Emma Allen-Vercoe
Professor, Canada Research Chair,
Topic – the Human Gut
Dr. Emma Allen-Vercoe is an internationally recognized expert in the rapidly evolving field of the human microbiome. Dr. Allen-Vercoe will be speaking to us on the Human Gut Biome. She obtained a BSc (Hons) in biochemistry in 1993 from the University of London, and her PhD in molecular microbiology through an industrial partnership with the Veterinary Laboratories Agency, conferred through the Open University in 1999.
In 2005 she chose to focus her research on the normal microbes of the human gut. As time went on, she broadened her interest to focus her research on the unculturable microbes. To assist in this, she developed a model gut system dubbed ROBOGUT. Dr. Allen-Vercoe moved her lab to the University of Guelph in 2007. She has again enlarged the scope of her research to include the gut biomes of insects such as bees. Her byline is “We are the spaceship for our microbes”
November 25, 2025
Marion Reidel
Writer, Teacher, Volunteer
Topic – Stories from the Royal City Mission
In her own words, Guelph author, Marion Reidel took up writing after centuries teaching Canada’s youth. Her stories have won awards and local acclaim. She regularly performs at Open Mic nights because she craves attention and loves to make people laugh!
When Reidel first asked a group of people experiencing homelessness if she could document their story, she thought they would tell her to mind her own business. Instead she said most were thankful someone cared and they opened up about their past and current struggles. Marion Reidel is one of the volunteers at The Royal City Mission in Guelph. She’s been so inspired by the community around it, that she wrote a book: Stories from the Mission.
January 27, 2026
Dr. Kathleen Rodenburg
Associate Dean, Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics
Topic – The Anatomy of Bad Decisions in Ethical Dilemma Space
Why do seemingly good people, find themselves in the center or as direct contributors to unethical workplace scandals? Partial explanations for pervasive work-place scandals.
Dr. Kathleen Rodenburg is the Associate Dean Academic and a University Teaching Leadership Fellow in Workplace Ethics at the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics. She holds a PhD in economics with an emphasis on decision theory and experimental economics, an MBA with emphasis on sustainability and a MA in economics with emphasis on governance. Kathleen has several years of business and industry experience holding senior management positions at a tier I organization in the areas of strategy, marketing, sales, supply chain management and finance prior to her academic career. She uses both economic modeling and strong business acumen to gain more intuition and understanding surrounding ethical issues and best business practices. Business has a tremendous influence on society and can provide significant contributions toward the achievement of the UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, business schools have tremendous impact on the future leaders who will direct this influence. Kathleen is focused on high impact teaching practices ‘that develop leaders for a sustainable future’, service commitments that help the Lang School achieve their vision, ‘Business as a Force for Good’ and research that supports these aims.
February 24, 2026
Dr. Cindy McCann
Public Educator
Topic – Working with Community Partners Dealing with Human Trafficking
“Dr. Cindy McMann (she/her) is a public educator with Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis. Her anti-violence work includes presentations and workshops across Guelph and Wellington County on topics such as intimate partner violence, consent and human trafficking.
March 24, 2026
Dr. Linda Mahood
Professor, Historian, Author
Topic – Thumbing A Ride – Baby Boomers
For almost 30 years, Dr. Mahood has taught the history of family, gender, sexuality, criminal justice, children’s rights, charity and philanthropy.
She is the author of “The Magdalenes: Policing Prostitution in the Nineteenth Century” (Routledge, 1989), “Policing Gender Class and Family,” (Taylor Frances, 1996); “Feminism and Voluntary Action,” (Palgrave, 2010), co-editor of “Social Control in Canada,” (Oxford University Press, 1999). In 2013, “The Magdalenes” was republished as part of Routledge “Classics” in the Women’s History series. She has published numerous articles in journals including the “Journal of Social History”, “Histoire sociale/Social History”, “Gender and History”, “History of Education”, and the “Journal of the History of Sexuality”.
She is a recipient of two distinguished teaching awards and of Masters in Leadership (2014) and is a past Director of the Tri-University Graduate Program. She also serves as human rights and equity office resource person and has a Teaching English as Second Language certificate. In July 2018 she became editor of the “Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth” (John Hopkins).
April 28, 2026
KerriAnn McGoogan
Biological Anthropologist, Author
Topic – Sisters of the Jungle – Stories of the Female Primatologists and their Work
Since the 1970s, the science of primatology has been dominated by women—a unique reversal, with men usually outnumbering women in other science, technology, engineering and math fields. McGoogan’s book Sisters of the Jungle shines a light on a scientific discipline in which women take the lead while transporting readers to far away countries.
May 26, 2026
Judith Nasby
Founding Director and Curator of Macdonald Stewart Art Centre (now AGG)
Topic – The Making of a Museum and the 100-year history of the Art Gallery of Guelph and the Sculpture Park
Judith Nasby, founding director and curator of the Art Gallery of Guelph (formerly the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre) was named Curator Emerita on her retirement. Judith oversaw the development of an 8,000-piece collection and a sculpture park of 41 artworks. She has curated over 100 exhibitions and written 150 publications and is co-author of The Cultivated Landscape: An Exploration of Art and Agriculture.
Judith has lectured and toured exhibitions on four continents and was a visiting curator at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in Chongqing and at the University of Delaware. She received the King Charles 111 Coronation Medal for her contribution to the Arts in Canada.
Her history/memoir The Making of a Museum was nominated for a Governor General’s Award, and in 2024 she received the McMaster University Distinguished Alumni Award for the Arts.
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Previous Speakers 2024 – 2025
Naomi Smith
Indigenous Artist and Educator
Topic – Indigenous History through the Art of Beading
Naomi Smith is an award-winning Indigenous Artist, Maker and Educator from the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation, Neyaashiinigmiing, Ontario. She has for over 25 years shared traditional teachings with various communities and groups.
Her work focuses on the ways of the Indigenous people of the Great Lakes region from a historical and contemporary perspective often through the story of beads. Naomi’s artwork embraces ancestral designs using quillwork, beadwork and other indigenous methods and materials.
She has exhibited her work across Canada and internationally.
Karen Rathwell, Chair, Guelph Coalition for Social Justice
Building Community Engagement with Climate Action – Our Journey
After retiring in 2011 from a 28-year career in public education, Karen pursued her keen interest in plastic waste/recycling and local and global water issues. She brings her enthusiasm for life and her love of water to her volunteer work, both at Water Watchers and as the Chair of the Guelph Wellington Coalition for Social Justice.
Two of Karen’s primary goals, in her volunteer roles, are to encourage more people to engage in crucial local issues and to build a network of community members who support the social justice and water related challenges we are now facing. She aspires to being a “good ancestor”, leaving behind a legacy of equity, pure air, soil and abundant, potable water for generations to come. She believes this can be achieved through teamwork, commitment and a shared collective vision. Karen Rathwell lives in Guelph Ontario.
Janice Mason Steeves, Artist
Bloom – Coming to Art in Later Life
Born in Saskatchewan, Janice Mason Steeves graduated with an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Manitoba. She held School Psychology positions before leaving the field to focus on painting. Further studies were completed at the Ontario College of Art and Design. Janice is represented by galleries in Canada and has work in public, corporate, and private collections in North America and internationally. She has been awarded artist residencies in Spain, Ireland, Sweden, Iceland and the U.S.
Janice is passionate about helping artists form a deeper connection to the earth and to that end, she has developed an art teaching initiative called Workshops in Wild Places. In these unique workshops, we travel to remote locations throughout the world to experience the beauty, energy and power of the wild landscape, to deeply connect with it and then, through a contemplative and creative process, translate that response into abstract paintings
Janice’s book Bloom: On Becoming an Artist Later in Life is an inspirational look at how our older years are a time of inner soul work and continued growth through our creativity.
Author Kathy Stinson writes, [This book is ] “A wonderful mix of anecdotes about the author’s own personal journey as a visual artist, the stories of the men and women she interviewed, and her research into creativity and aging. An inspiring read for anyone thinking it’s too late to indulge their long-ignored creative impulses, as an artist in any field.”
Jan Feduck, Food Historian, Elora, ON
Dining Out with History – A Tasty Trip Back in Time
Jan will talk about her book “Dining Out with History (At Atlantic Canada Historic Sites). she will enlighten us on the process of writing her book as well as self publishing and then being picked up by a publishing house. She will do a reading of one of the short stories.
Jan often appears in period costume and provides tasty food samples of a bygone era. She will also highlight food fashion from Wellington County from earlier times.
Ian Evans, Adventurer, Elora Ontario
Lunatic – Life Begins at the end of your Comfort Zone
Ian Evans has embraced adventure all his life – from scaling the shed roof at aged 3 to skiing to the South Pole at 58. He has climbed 5 of the 7 Summits, cycled 5,000 kms unsupported across Australia (twice) around the coastline of Iceland, to the Arctic Ocean, 8,000 kms across Canada and run 10 marathons. Ian is a gifted speaker, philanthropist, founder of the Elora Adventure Film Festival and co-founder of the Elora Adventurers. Ian will share photos, stories and recount some of his “Out there” experiences and lessons learned from expeditions around the globe. Ian Lives in Elora.
Susan Glasauer, Associate Professor, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph
Protecting Canada’s Wetlands
Dr. Susan Glasauer is a faculty member in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph, and the president for the Canadian chapter of the Society for Wetland Scientists. She completed an undergraduate degree in Plant and Soil Biology and a Masters in Soil Chemistry at the University of California at Berkeley, and a doctoral degree at the Technical University of Munich in Germany. Following several years as an environmental consultant, with wetland restoration projects in Nigeria, she joined Dr. Terry Beveridge at the University of Guelph as a post-doctoral researcher. She joined the faculty of Land Resource Science (now Environmental Sciences) at U. Guelph in 2003.
Her research has two main directions: the ability of wetlands to retain elements of concern such as arsenic and uranium, and the changing capacity of wetlands to store carbon in response to the climate crisis. These biological hotspots are affectionately called “Earth’s kidneys” for their astonishing ability to clean up water. Canada holds almost one quarter of the world’s wetlands; this presents us with rights and obligations in our stewardship of a globally vital resource. She will discuss her research and the future of wetlands in a changing climate world.
Ken McGoogan, writer
Shadows of Tyranny: Defending Democracy in an Age of Dictatorship.
Ken McGoogan is the globe-trotting Canadian author of seventeen books — mostly nonfiction narratives but also novels and memoirs. His new book, Shadows of Tyranny: Defending Democracy in an Age of Tyranny, brings him full circle thematically. His first book, published in 1991, wasScreenshot Canada’s Undeclared War: Fighting Words from the Literary Trenches – a polemical work that won a nonfiction award and caused a bit of a stir. His bestselling titles include Searching for Franklin, Fatal Passage, Lady Franklin’s Revenge, and Flight of the Highlanders. His many accolades include the Pierre Berton Award for Popular History and the University of British Columbia Medal for Canadian Biography. Ken was born in Montreal, has lived in towns and cities throughout Canada, and now resides in Guelph. www.kenmcgoogan.com
Ken looks forward to talking about his latest book, Shadows of Tyranny: Defending Democracy in an Age of Dictatorship. The book’s theme comes from Mark Twain: “History doesn’t repeat itself but often it rhymes.”
Julia Grady
Social Entrepreneurship -10C
Working with long-term community benefit as her core purpose, Julia has led 10C through nearly 15 years of innovation, expanding into new project areas and providing a voice for valuable community content – and action.
Julia is passionate about connection, community building, placemaking and demonstrating the linked potential of social finance and social enterprise, as 10C continues to explore locally relevant changemaking projects. Using design thinking practices, she likes to make connections between multiple problems that might align to possible solutions, and enjoys seeing systems in complex multi-layered ways.
On the personal side, Julia strives for authenticity and prefers deep open-hearted conversations. A confidante of many, she has an ability to help others find their strengths by embracing their unknowns. With decades of experience as an entrepreneur, Julia can assist with the fortitude and self-awareness necessary on an entrepreneurial journey. #tenacity