Featured Speakers
CANDACE WHITE
CEO, Skilled Trades Ontario
SAM
DEMMA
Catalyst for change through action
Sam Demma is a bestselling author, keynote speaker, and creator whose videos have been viewed over 350 million times. He has delivered 750+ performances across three continents, spoken twice on the TEDx stage, collaborated with brands like Taco Bell, and toured his message throughout Canada, the U.S., and Kenya. His books, Empty Your Backpack and Be Someone’s Taco, help people build resilience, empathy, and leadership skills. Sam’s high-energy, comedic presentations focus on mental health, kindness, and making a difference.
With over a decade of executive public-sector experience and leadership roles outside government, Candice is a collaborative, people-focused leader who builds accountable teams and drives performance through clear communication and purpose. Since joining Skilled Trades Ontario in November 2024, Candice has successfully led the transfer of three core apprenticeship responsibilities, working closely with partners to maintain a strong client focus while realigning organizational priorities to enhance efficiency, improve service delivery, and achieve measurable results—demonstrating her capacity to drive impactful change. Outside of work, Candice enjoys hiking, golfing, and spending time on the water with her husband, children, and grandchildren in rural Ontario.
COLONEL
LAMIE
Commander, 32 Canadian Brigade Group, Canadian Army
Colonel Frank Lamie leads a distinguished dual career as the Commander of the 32 Canadian Brigade Group and a high-level legal executive. His military service includes strategic international deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, where he held senior operational roles alongside U.S. Airborne and Infantry divisions, as well as serving as an Aide-de-Camp to the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. In his civilian capacity, Frank is a seasoned lawyer and Assistant General Counsel for Global Operations at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, having previously spent over a decade as a Partner at the international law firm Gowling WLG. His extensive academic background includes a Bachelor of Laws, an MBA from Kellogg-Schulich, and current strategic studies at the prestigious United States Army War College. Beyond his professional accolades, Colonel Lamie is deeply committed to community service, having served for over 15 years on the Board of Directors for the Toronto Children’s Breakfast Clubs.
EDITH
DUMONT
Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
The Honourable Edith Dumont is the 30th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and the first Francophone to hold the office. She was appointed following a distinguished career in education, during which she lived and worked in provinces and territories across the country, as well as in Africa and Europe.
Madame Dumont was the first woman to serve as director of education of the largest French-language public school board in Ontario, and she helped create the province’s first standalone francophone university, l’Université de l’Ontario français in Toronto.
She has always been a passionate advocate for youth, women’s leadership, la Francophonie, and the development of resilient and caring communities.
Madame Dumont holds a Master of Education and a Bachelor of Psychology from the University of Ottawa, as well as a Bachelor of Orthopedagogy from the Université du Québec en Outaouais.
She has been appointed Officier de la Légion d’honneur and Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes académiques by the government of France, and she is the chancellor and a member of the Order of Ontario and a Dame of Justice in the Order of St. John. Among the many awards she has received are the King Charles III Coronation Medal, the
Médaille de l’Ordre de la Pléiade de l’Ontario, and the Médaille de l’Ordre de la ville d’Ottawa.
COLONEL MULLALLY
Commander, 33 Canadian Brigade Group, Canadian Army
Colonel Finley L. Mullally currently serves as the Commander of 33 Canadian Brigade Group, a role he assumed in 2025 following a distinguished military career that began in 1990. A veteran of several international missions, he has deployed to Afghanistan on Operation ATHENA—earning a Commander’s Commendation—and to the Middle East on Operation IMPACT, in addition to leading training missions as far as Peru. Alongside his military service, Finn dedicated 29 years to the field of education, serving as a teacher, coach, and administrator before retiring as the Principal of St. Paul's High School in Ottawa. A graduate of the Royal Military College with a Master’s in War Studies, he now serves the Canadian Armed Forces in a full-time capacity. He resides in Perth, Ontario, with his wife, Leydin, and they are the proud parents of three grown children.