SUDS 2025 SPEAKERS
MP Wade Grant (He/Him)
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Workshop: "Truth and Reconciliation: How Student Unions Can Serve Indigenous Students"
Wade Grant is a lifelong resident of Vancouver Quadra and a proud member of the Musqueam Indian Band. Born and raised in the community he now represents, Wade has dedicated his life to building bridges between people and strengthening the ties that connect us. He studied political science at the University of British Columbia and continues to live, work, and raise his two children in the same neighbourhoods that shaped his values.
Wade’s career has been defined by service, leadership, and a deep commitment to reconciliation and inclusion. He served as an elected councillor for the Musqueam Indian Band for nearly a decade and sat on the Vancouver Police Board. He has also held leadership roles with organizations such as Covenant House Vancouver, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, and the First Nations Health Council.
Now serving as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Wade is bringing his real-world experience and deep local knowledge to Parliament. He is focused on delivering practical solutions to the challenges that matter most: building more affordable housing, accelerating climate action, advancing reconciliation, and protecting the progress Canadians have made.
Stephanie Cadieux (She/Her)
Canada's Chief Accessibility Officer
Workshop: "Access for All: Supporting All Students"
In May 2022, Stephanie Cadieux was appointed to a four-year term as Canada’s first Chief Accessibility Officer (CAO). Before her appointment, she was a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for 13 years, from 2009 to 2022.
She is a member of the disability community and has used a wheelchair since the age of 18. Her lived experience gives her a deep understanding of the unnecessary barriers faced by people with disabilities and the cost of these barriers to our collective wellbeing.
Throughout her career, she has been a tireless advocate for increased accessibility. She is a firm believer that as a society, we can no longer afford to accommodate inaccessibility and must challenge outdated mindsets and unconscious bias at every opportunity
Thandi Fletcher,
Manager, Reputation and Leadership Strategy at UBC Vancouver
Workshop: "Making Headlines: Media Training"
Thandi Fletcher is a strategic communications expert, media trainer, and former journalist with nearly two decades of experience in media relations and reputation management.
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She currently serves as Manager, Reputation and Leadership Strategy at the University of British Columbia, where she specializes in issues management, media relations, speechwriting, and executive communications. In this role, she has helped raise UBC’s national and international profile, securing coverage in top-tier media outlets, including The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Globe and Mail.
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Before transitioning to communications, Thandi worked as a reporter for several of Canada’s leading major daily newspapers, including Postmedia News, the Calgary Herald, and The Province.
Alongside her professional work, Thandi is pursuing a PhD in Educational Studies at UBC. Her academic work is in the field of philosophy of education, focused on issues related to freedom of expression, academic freedom, and the ethics of public discourse in Canadian higher education.
Callista Ryan (She/Her)
Workshop: "Next Steps: Life After Student Government"
Callista Ryan is a communications professional and former student executive with a background in political campaigns, public affairs, and public service. She studied International Relations at Western University where she served as Vice President Communications and Public Affairs for the University Students’ Council (USC). In that role, she led a full-time communications team and managed crisis communications on issues affecting the student body. Her work focused on improving transparency, increasing student engagement, and building relationships with university administration and community partners.
Since graduating, Callista has worked in both the public and private sectors. She currently supports clients in real estate development, non-profits, and community organizations as a Public Relations Specialist at an award winning BC-based communications agency. She previously served in the BC Public Service, where she led communications and change management for a province-wide transformation initiative supporting young people leaving government care.
In 2024, Callista ran as the BC NDP candidate in Vancouver-Quilchena, where she achieved the party’s best result in the riding’s history. She remains actively involved in public affairs and organizing, and is passionate about expanding access to education, transit, and housing.
Hussein Samhat (He/Him)
Chief of Staff; Build a Dream. BA(H), BEd., LLM.
Workshop: "Next Steps: Life After Student Government"
Hussein is the Manager of Strategy and Community Impact at the national non-profit organization, Build a Dream. His background in administrative leadership through his tenure as the Executive Director of the BIDE Institute, and strategic project management, and policy initiatives through his work as the Institutional Research Advisor in the Office of the President at the University of Windsor have positioned him as a well-known leader and advocate in the Windsor-Essex community. In his current role, Hussein remains committed to equity, human rights, and workforce development. Working alongside his team, his goal is to reform the workforce into an accessible space where women and underrecognized communities can succeed in historically male-dominated sectors such as STEM, Leadership, and Skilled Trades. His vision echoes that of Build a Dream’s in creating a world where we all win. His commitment to change has placed him at tables with senior administrators, government officials, and fellow community leaders to continue advocating for a barrier-free community.
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During his time at UWindsor, Hussein served as a Board Member, Board Chair, Student Senator, and Vice-President Finance and Operations of the University of Windsor Student’s Alliance (UWSA)
Gavin Dew (He/Him)
MLA for Kelowna - Mission
Workshop: "Next Steps: Life After Student Government"
Gavin Dew is a business leader, entrepreneur, and executive with extensive experience in governance and public policy. As the provincial MLA for Kelowna-Mission and the Conservative Critic for Jobs, Economic Development, and Innovation (JEDI), Gavin is driven by a passion to renew and rebuild BC’s economic potential.
Gavin’s career spans two decades at the intersection of business, public policy, and technology. He has played a key role in building public understanding and support for complex policies and projects across Canada, including affordable housing, energy infrastructure, and tech clusters. Most recently, Gavin served as Chief Strategy Officer for a $5 billion agricultural innovation and food security project. He also has a strong academic background, with a BA from UBC and an MBA from the University of Oxford, where he focused on corporate social responsibility.
Prior to being elected, Gavin served on the boards of the Business Council of British Columbia and Resource Works, an organization promoting responsible resource development. He has also served in governance roles with organizations like UBC, Kwantlen Polytechnic University and Community Futures, a rural small business lender. Gavin continues to volunteer as chair of the Veterans Transition Network, a national mental health charity that played a crucial role in evacuating Afghan interpreters at risk from the Taliban.
Gavin’s leadership journey was kickstarted by his time in student leadership at UBC. As VP Finance of the Arts Undergraduate Society, he had the opportunity to turn around Arts County Fair, a 15,000 person student-run charity rock concert. Then, as Vice President Academic and University Affairs of the AMS, he cultivated policy knowledge and advocacy skills that helped launch him into a career in public affairs and ultimately politics.
Saad Shoaib (He/Him)
Workshop: "Next Steps: Life After Student Government"
Saad Shoaib served as Vice-President External Affairs of the Alma Mater Society (AMS) of UBC from 2021 to 2022, and as Vice-Chair of the Undergraduates of Canadian Research-Intensive Universities (UCRU). In these roles, he led federal and provincial advocacy efforts focused on student affordability, housing, employment, mental health, and public safety.
During his term, Saad played a central role in the successful campaign to permanently eliminate interest on federal student loans - coordinating national advocacy through UCRU to help secure one of the most significant student finance reforms in recent memory. In British Columbia, he pushed for expanded co-op and student employment funding, a cap on tuition increases, and more accessible, equity-based grants.
At UBC, Saad emphasized the importance of unified undergraduate and graduate student advocacy. He helped formalize a collaborative partnership between the AMS and the Graduate Student Society, leading to a coordinated lobbying week that strengthened the student voice on issues such as housing, renter protections, and mental health. His advocacy also advanced harm-reduction initiatives like campus-based fentanyl testing and the promotion of 24/7 counselling services.
Known for his coalition-building and commitment to transparency, Saad published public-facing advocacy reports, engaged cross-sector stakeholders, and helped host one of Canada’s largest Student Union Development Summits during the tail-end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He currently serves as a political staffer with the Government of British Columbia in the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, where he contributes to advancing public policy in areas of provincial safety, justice, and community well-being.
Sean Monteiro (He/Him)
Welcoming Keynote - Bounce
Growing up across three vastly different countries in Saudi Arabia, India, and Canada, Sean learned the value of communities early on. Focusing on helping society live happier and healthier lives, he’s built and scaled companies in the prosthetic and autonomous car verticals that span across seven countries and three continents. Aiming to help society more meaningfully connect, he founded Bounce: An all-in-one community management and social payments platform used by hundreds of thousands of students across North America and 1 in 3 students in Canada. Looking to support student unions with a purpose built platform to increase student-to-student engagement, Bounce's aim is to change the way a generation creates memories.
Alex Golovko (He/Him)
Vice President Partnerships & Development
Student Engagement Keynote - Alumo
Alex Golovko is the Vice President Partnerships & Development for the Ontario region at Alumo.
Following two terms as President of the Carleton University Students’ Association, Alex transitioned into municipal politics where he contributed to a successful mayoral campaign in Ottawa and led efforts to mobilize the youth vote in the nation’s capital.
Prior to his arrival in Canada as an international student, Alex lived in several countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa, which gave him unique, diverse experiences and fluency in multiple languages. He holds an MBA from a leading European institution and recently completed an EMBA equivalent from the Harvard Business School.
In his spare time, Alex is an avid endurance athlete. He ran both the Chicago and New York Marathons last year and is now actively training to run an Ironman triathlon. His proudest accomplishment yet is his 3 year old daughter Mira, whom he raises with his wife here in Vancouver, BC.
Marc‑André Ross (He/Him)
Working with Governments and Universities - Alumo
Marc‑André Ross is Vice President, Government and Public Affairs. His career spans student leadership, public service, and private enterprise. He served as Chief of Staff to Quebec’s Minister of Justice, Minister of Canadian Relations, Minister for Democratic Institutions, and Minister for the Status of Women, and as Press Secretary to a former Premier of Quebec. During his time in politics, he also contributed to several election campaigns as a national advisor on public relations strategy.
Earlier in his career, he was president of the student federation representing all students at the Université de Montréal, where he successfully led campus-wide political campaigns. He later led government relations at one of Canada’s largest venture capital funds. With this unique blend of experiences, Marc‑André brings strategic insight into government, policy, and stakeholder engagement.
On a more personal note, Marc-André is the proud father of three young children—Maxence, Clovis, and Agathe. He’s recently discovered a passion for high-intensity interval training, never misses a good quiz night at his neighborhood pub, and cheers (loudly but in good spirit) for his beloved Montreal Canadiens and Seattle Seahawks.
Robyn Paches (He/Him)
Working with Governments and Universities - Alumo
Robyn is thrilled to return to SUDS as a speaker to share his knowledge of advocacy and networking developed through his unique blend of experience. In 2016, he graduated with his B.Comm. in Operations Management at the University of Alberta. He completed two consecutive terms as Vice-President of Operations & Finance of the University of Alberta Students’ Union, where he focused on capital projects, business management, and advocacy to all levels of government. Afterwards, he spent a year as an independent management consultant and dabbled in the startup world. Robyn is a proud SUDS veteran. He attended the conference twice as a delegate and has only missed one iteration since 2019 in his role at Studentcare, which began in the same year. Based in Edmonton, he was named a member of the city’s Top 40 under 40 in 2021 for his work in reconciliation. In his free time, he is a member of the Canadian Ski Patrol and served as President of his Community Association for 4 years. For fun, he loves spending time with friends & family, finding excellent restaurants, and lifting heavy things.