Stéfanie von Hlatky is the Canada Research Chair on Gender, Security, and the Armed Forces, Full Professor of Political Studies at Queen’s University, and Fellow with the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. She previously held positions at Georgetown University, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Dartmouth College, ETH Zurich and was a Fulbright Visiting Research Chair at the University of Southern California. Her latest books are Deploying Feminism: The Role of Gender in NATO Military Operations(2022; 2025) and a co-edited volume, Total Defence Forces in the 21st Century (2023). In 2025, Dr. von Hlatky was inducted into the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. She is the founder of Women in International Security – Canada and the Honorary Colonel of the Princess of Wales’ Own Regiment.
Lea is a proud member of the Wəlastəkwey (Maliseet Nation) at Nekwətkok (Tobique) and brings decades of experience in international development and the human rights of Indigenous Peoples. Through LNM Indigenous Consulting Inc., she works with Indigenous Peoples, governments, organizations, and corporations to support transformative change grounded in human rights, Indigenous engagement, inclusion, and reconciliation.
Lea is an expert member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and works internationally to advance Indigenous rights within multilateral systems. She also collaborates with the Canadian Foreign Service Institute to develop and deliver training for Global Affairs Canada on the human rights of Indigenous Peoples. Her current roles include Canadian Indigenous Resident Fellow at the Mastercard Foundation; founding member and co‑chair of the Honouring Nations Canada Circle of Advisors at Fulbright Canada; member of the Coalition for the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and board member of Kinvia (formerly Canadian Feed the Children).
Previously, Lea served as Chief of Staff to the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations; Chief of Protocol and Director of Aboriginal Outreach and Participation for the Four Host First Nations during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games; Chief of Staff to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada; Special Advisor on Indigenous Issues at Canada’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York; Canadian Technical Advisor with Alinea International; and Coordinator of the International Indigenous Women’s Forum (FIMI).
She holds a BA in French Language and Linguistics from the University of New Brunswick and an MA in Leadership and Training from Royal Roads University. In 2021, she was recognized by WXN as one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women.
Michelle served as an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces from 1986 – 1989. Despite a distinguished service record, she was honorably discharged after being deemed “Not Advantageously Employable Due to Homosexuality”. Her landmark legal challenge in 1992 ended Canada’s formalized discriminatory policy against LGBT members of the military.
Michelle had a 30-year career in public service. She retired from the Canadian Department of Justice in 2019 where she held the position of Director of International Relations. Since 2019, Michelle continues to serve as the Executive Director of the LGBT Purge Fund.
In December 2023, Michelle was appointed by the Minister of National Defence as an Honorary Colonel in the Canadian Armed Forces with the Chief, Professional Conduct and Culture organization. Michelle is a member of the board of directors of the Michaëlle Jean Foundation. Michelle is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and the King Charles III Medal. Michelle is the 33rd Vimy Award Laureate (2025).
Michelle is a graduate of Carleton University and holds a Doctorate in Humane Letters (honoris causa) from Mount Saint Vincent University (2024). She resides in Burlington, Ontario.
Melanie Lake is a senior Canadian Army officer and international security practitioner with extensive experience in operations, defence policy, and multilateral engagement. She deployed on multiple combat tours in Afghanistan and later commanded Canada’s military training mission in Ukraine as Commanding Officer of 2 Combat Engineer Regiment. Her career includes operational leadership, security sector engagement, and a three‑year secondment to Global Affairs Canada supporting diplomatic and peace efforts.
Melanie currently serves as Deputy Chair of the NATO Committee on Gender Perspectives, contributing to Alliance‑wide efforts to integrate gender perspectives as an essential military capability and to advance the Women, Peace and Security agenda across deterrence and defence. Her professional focus includes protection of civilians, prevention of conflict‑related sexual violence, and institutional reform within security organizations.
She holds a Master’s degree in Defence Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada and received the Meritorious Service Medal from the Governor General in 2024. Melanie remains committed to strengthening women’s leadership and influence in international security decision‑making.
Jennifer (Jenn) Power is a proud veteran of the Royal Canadian Navy and a Dalhousie Schulich School of Law grad, class of 2018. Prior to law school, she served ten years as a Naval Warfare Officer, mainly based in Halifax achieving the rank of Lieutenant Navy, completing her Naval Officer Professional Qualification and Director Level training in Information Management. She sailed extensively on a variety of platforms and deployed on anti-terrorism missions intercepting illicit drugs in the Arabian Sea, fisheries patrols, and multi-national exercises.
While in law school, Jenn interned with the Projects Abroad Human Rights Office in
Cape Town, South Africa, completed a clinical term at Dalhousie Legal Aid, competed in the McKelvey Cup trial advocacy moot, co-founded the Refugee Advocacy Association of Dalhousie (RAAD), and led the Career Development Student Committee. Jenn won a Dalhousie Impact Award, the G.O Forsyth Prize for combining the qualities of scholarship and character, the Thomas Burchell Memorial Good Citizen Prize in Law, and the John V. O’Dea award for contribution to the life of the law school.
Jenn summered and articled at a leading national firm and later practiced commercial litigation in Toronto at Lenczner Slaght. Jenn returned to Halifax and took on the role of Senior Regulatory Counsel at Nova Scotia Power practicing administrative and regulatory law in the energy and utility space. She is called to the Bar of Alberta, Ontario, and Nova Scotia.
