Presenter Bios

Jordana Baker is a registered psychotherapist, relational therapist, and the Founder and Clinical Director of Renewed Life Therapy. Her work focuses on connection and relational well-being, exploring how intimacy, belonging, communication, and acceptance influence mental health. With more than 15 years of experience across mental health, judicial, and educational settings, Jordana integrates a Black Caribbean lens, trauma-informed practice, and lived experience into her clinical work. In addition to her private practice, Jordana supervises psychotherapists and interns in developing relational and culturally responsive approaches to therapy.

Naiima Farah is an African/Black Canadian Clinical Social Worker, mental health advocate, and educator. She is currently a Faculty Counsellor, at George Brown Polytechnic, where she is a liaison for the Centre for the Preparatory and Liberal Studies program and the Black Student Success Network. As an educator and a mental health professional, she promotes Indigenous African Ancestral knowledge and practices as a liberatory, trauma-informed, and an asset-based approach for building healthy relationships, positive identity formation, and healing for Black students and the wider community so they can reach their full potential. Naiima has provided consultations/trainings to various organizations, such as health care facilities, school boards, and various non-profit organizations in the City of Toronto, across Ontario, and beyond. As a Do-Tank Advisory Committee member, she has/and continues to support the Black Futures Initiatives and the Office of Anti-Racism, Equity and Human Rights Services, in the development of Afrocentric and culturally affirming educational programming.

Reflective of Afrocentric and restorative healing frameworks, in her work, Naiima incorporates practices such as, narrative/storytelling, talking circles, drumming circles, and land-based grounding techniques.

Elvis Glover is the Coordinator, Orientation & Transition Programs at George Brown Polytechnic, where he designs inclusive orientation experiences that help students feel connected and supported from day one. With an undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering, a Master’s degree in Accounting and Finance, and a graduate certificate in Cloud Computing Technologies from George Brown, Elvis brings a rare blend of technical, analytical, and people centered thinking to his work, allowing him to bridge systems, strategy, and student experience. A former Black Student Success Network (BSSN) Ambassador, he is also involved with Do Tank, contributing to equity focused student success initiatives across the polytechnic.

Kelly Kwon is the Senior Manager, Health, Safety and Wellness, in the People and Culture division at George Brown Polytechnic. She has worked in the education sector for over 15 years and throughout her career, she has worked closely with academic leaders, support staff, administrators, unions, and students to promote healthy and safe working and learning environments that foster well-being. Kelly holds a B.Sc. from Queen's University, a B.A.Sc. in Occupational Health and Safety from Toronto Metropolitan University, and Master's in Industrial Relations and Human Resources from the University of Toronto. 

Zeba Luxmore is a Registered Psychotherapist with over 20 years of clinical experience. She has spent 19 years working as a Counsellor with the Counselling Services team at George Brown Polytechnic and currently maintains a private psychotherapy practice. Supporting clients and students, and bearing witness to their stories, has been deeply meaningful and has fostered an ongoing curiosity about human experience, difference, and connection. Zeba’s work is grounded in an intersectional lens, with attention to power, privilege, and context, and she is committed to cultivating spaces of inclusion, belonging, and care within post-secondary and therapeutic settings.

Naeisha Marques is a human rights advocate who is currently in rolled in the GBP program, General arts and Sciences she is pursuing a career in psychology to deepen her understanding and knowledge of human behaviour and actions. She currently serves as a lead for Get Her’D & STPG, a sex trafficking prevention group that empowers young women, where she facilitates workshops by weekly addressing the struggles and issues faced by young women in the Jane and Finch area. Naeisha is also deeply passionate about the arts and promoting self-expression.

Dr. Carla Moore has been a faculty member at George Brown Polytechnic since 2011. She is currently a professor in the Faculty of Business, Creative Industries and Culinary Arts. Carla occasionally works as a sessional lecturer at the graduate level at the University of Toronto, Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources. She has served on several boards including Arts Start, Toronto Children Aids Society and the Griffin Centre in the capacity of board member and Chair of the Human Resources and Compensation Committee. At the grassroot level, Carla volunteered at several organizations including the African Canadian Heritage Program, Jamaican Canadian Association, George Brown Polytechnic’s Anti-Racism and Equity Advisory Committee and Black Futures Initiatives. Prior to joining academia, she worked at the generalist and leadership levels of Human Resources in the financial services and Not-For-Profit sectors.

Carla received her undergraduate degree from York University, Master of Industrial Relations and Human Resources from the Centre of Industrial Relations and Human Resources, University of Toronto, and a doctoral degree from Royal Roads University. Awards include the King Charles III Coronation Medal and the Chancellor’s Award, Royal Road University.

Current scholarly interest is finding interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary answers for complex questions such as the retention of marginalized and racialized students at Canadian post-secondary institutions.

Wangechi Mwaura is the Black Student Success Support Specialist and Coordinator of the Black Student Success Network (BSSN) at George Brown Polytechnic. In her role, she leads equity-centered programming and student engagement initiatives that foster belonging, address anti-Black racism, and support the academic and personal success of Black students across campuses.

Her work sits at the intersection of student development, community building, and institutional change. She collaborates across departments to design culturally responsive programming, build meaningful partnerships, and advocate for systems that better support Black students and their intersecting identities. Her leadership is grounded in intentionality, collaboration, and a deep commitment to student success.

Olatundun Olayemi is an IT major at George Brown Polytechnic and a Student Ambassador with the Black Student Success Network (BSSN). Through her involvement with BSSN, she supports initiatives that foster community, belonging, and academic success for Black students.

Her academic journey in information technology has shaped her interest in systems, problem-solving, and people-centred work. Alongside her studies, Olatundun is exploring her interests in technology, student advocacy, and public policy, with a growing curiosity about how systems and governance impact marginalized communities.

She is driven by curiosity, learning, and a desire to contribute meaningfully to spaces that value equity, inclusion, and student empowerment.

Two Eagle Spirit Woman, an Eagle Clan member, is a Cree First Nation woman from Constance Lake First Nation who now resides in Toronto, Ontario. Her English name is Vivian Timmins, and she is a wife, mother, and grandmother whose family and teachings guide her work. Vivian holds a Bachelor and Master of Social Work and is a registered social worker with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers, as well as a member of the Ontario Association of Social Workers. She is an NIHB‑recognized Mental Health Service Provider, an international speaker, and a co‑author of three books. She believes education is important but she has not forgotten where she comes from. Her career includes extensive work supporting Indian Residential School Survivors through the IRS Health and Cultural Support Program, the Independent Assessment Process, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the National Inquiry, and coordinated IAP Groups. She has also delivered Cultural Sensitivity training for the IRS Secretariat across four provinces and served as Mental Health Support for the Assembly of First Nations delegation to the Vatican. These experiences, along with her own healing journey, shaped her path as an Indigenous Wholistic Wellness Practitioner. In her private practice, Vivian provides trauma‑informed counselling, workshops, and training that integrate Indigenous knowledge with evidence‑based therapeutic approaches. Her work is grounded in cultural integrity, community wellness, and a lifelong commitment to supporting healing for First Nations individuals, families, and communities.