Our Associates
Paula Fortune
Paula Fortune
Paula is a multi-discipline entrepreneur and community capacity builder who is known for identifying challenges then implementing deliverable solutions.
Motivated by an interest in global initiatives, Paula’s post secondary portfolio consists of International Business and Nonprofit Management. With past CFRE designation, she has spent the last 10 years developing, managing, and delivering a large number of voluntary sector and fund development projects.
As the past Executive Director of the Edmonton Multicultural Society, Paula secured Heritage Canada’s bid to host Edmonton’s Inaugural June 27th, Multicultural Days and mobilized community feedback through a symposium to highlight “Post 911” – Racial Profiling through the media and the Edmonton City Police.
A passion for social inclusion has lead her to front line work and community mobilization contracts for a various immigrant and community service agencies to include Edmonton Immigrant Services, Alberta Network of Immigrant Woman, Multicultural health Brokers, University of Calgary, Diversity Department, Centre for Race & Culture, HIV Edmonton, the Salvation Army, the Inner City Woman’s Dream Centre, to name a few.
As the owner of PYC Research, Paula Fortune is a seasoned Researcher; Writer, Curriculum Developer, Facilitator, Trainer, Events Manager, and Public Speaker who demonstrates the ability to connect with program participants and stakeholders at their place of perception.
Currently, Paula is contracted to lead a Federally Funded, Settlement & Employment Program for an immigrant services agency. Paula is also the founder and Chair of the Cultural Implementation Group (CIIG), a working committee that delivers skills development projects and events to support foreign born professionals. CIIG is responsible for initiatives such as Toastmasters for the Advancement for Cultural Intelligence. Paula is also responsible for developing and delivering Speed Career Networking & Mentorship Events to help internationally trained professionals gain access to Alberta’s workforce.
Livleen K. Singh (M.A, B. Ed)
Livleen Singh
Livleen has been promoting intercultural awareness and ESL in multiethnic classrooms in Education and community organizations in multiple settings over the past thirty years. She initiated long term Multicultural Education Projects in Edmonton and around the province of Alberta and has worked with Ministry of Education and Edmonton Public Schools to develop heritage language curriculum at all grade levels. Livleen is a member of the Institute of Innovation in Second Language Education (ISLE). She worked with the federal government for number of years as a cultural consultant and is presently teaching a course at the University of Alberta.
Livleen and Marie are currently designing a series of web-based ELL educator strategy modules, to be available for teachers and teacher assistants October, 2010.
Karen Gingras
Karen Gingras
For over 20 years, Karen Gingras, director of The HR Diva Corp., has provided leadership, coaching and project management services. With her finance degree in hand, Karen spent 8 years as a lender with one of Canada’s largest financial institutions where she coached small and medium sized businesses and conducted risk and cash flow analysis.
Karen also spent 10 years in management and Executive Director positions in the non profit sector. During that time she continued to utilize her financial management skills and built expertise in grant, proposal and report writing. In her leadership roles, she has created human resource management policies, performance management systems and mentor programs.
While working in the non profit sector, Karen built a working relationship with food processors in Edmonton through initiatives such as establishing a “Job Bus”, that helped solve a transportation issue that prevented recruitment and retention for a local processor. Since then she has served as the Retention Manager – Food Processing, for Alberta Agriculture where she focussed on the food processing industry in Alberta. In addition to coaching HR Managers, Plant Managers and CEO’s, a sample of the projects that Karen developed and/or managed include:
- Low Cost High Impact Retention Strategies
- Shared HR
- Leadership and Cultural Competency
- Plant Manager Leadership Program
- TFW Settlement Services
- Employer Sponsored Housing Benefits
- Supervisor Training
Nelda Schulte (B. Mus., M. Mus., Life Skills Coach Certificate)
Nelda Schulte
Executive Impact: Consultant, Educational project manager
Nelda Schulte is a consultant and educational project manager with over 20 years of experience, who has worked in both for-profit and non-profit sectors to create and streamline educational programs and processes, predominantly for oil and gas related industry clients.
Educational projects include: Maintenance Asset Planning (planning and scheduling), Construction Administration, English Workplace Training, Diversity Training, Leadership Certificate Programs, Supervisor Certificate Training and Communication Training.
Additionally, she enjoys pairing supervisory/leadership training with arts related teambuilding events: Iron Chef, Playing in the Mud/speaker series for the community at large and/or niche markets such as; Women in Leadership, The Enbridge Famous Five Speaker Series, community leadership specific topic events, Business Ethics, and Leaders in Business.
Within non-profit sectors Nelda facilitated over 300 workshops and seminars for newcomers to Canada with: job search techniques, writing cover letters, resume writing, cross cultural job readiness coaching, career counselling, conducting personality inventories.
Clients include: Syncrude, Suncor, CRNL, Shell, Keyano College, The Military Family Resource Centre, CDI College, Alberta College, Grant MacEwan Community College.
