Meet the People Who Make It Happen

Dr. Jody-Lynn Rebek is a management scholar with training in leadership, organizational development, transformational education, strategy, and contemplative pedagogies. Her work bridges research and practice by approaching strategy, leadership, and inclusion not as separate levers but as relational and holistic (interbeing). Interbeing, a term that describes the well-being of individuals, teams, enterprises, communities, and the land as one interconnected fabric. An entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience across corporate, non-profit, and government sectors, she leads Vive Strategy Consulting and other ventures. In her consulting practice, she guides strategy, management, cultural architecture, and impactful leadership programs. Simultaneously, her research focuses on well-being through inner-outer transformation of regenerative approaches, enacting hope in higher education transformation, intercultural service learning, and designing rural, Indigenous-informed entrepreneurial ecosystems and research methods. She is interested in using action research to examine the facilitators and barriers of inner-outer transformation and livelihood development, focusing on regenerative, responsible business innovation and enhancement. Additionally, she designs training and retreats that respond to community needs. With compassion, imagination, and integrity, she ensures training transfer to expand the capacity and flourishing of local entrepreneurial ecosystems and organizational well-being.

Dr. Bruni is a Paediatric Psychologist with training in the delivery of integrated mental health care, school psychology, and applied behaviour analysis.  Her research focuses on mental health screening, early intervention, and the implementation of multi-tiered models of service delivery that incorporate universal supports and prevention.  She is interested in the use of implementation science methodology to evaluate the facilitators and barriers to access and delivery of mental healthcare among youth and families.  Additionally, she is invested in the development of mental health training programs that respond to community need and expand the capacity of the local mental health workforce.

Courtney has over 20 years of practice in experiential and land-based education. She is a Métis woman from just outside of Sault Ste. Marie with a lifetime worth of land and cultural knowledge. She has worked for various research and consulting firms, federal public agencies, Indigenous governments, academic institutions, and non-for profits pertaining to Indigenous rights, arts and culture, recreation, stewardship and conservation; equity, diversity and inclusion; and experiential and community-based education. She has explored this field across Canada, Latin America, and East Africa. Currently, Courtney is a PhD candidate, and her research focuses on bringing Indigenous and Western knowledge systems together to support the health of the Upper Great Lakes.

Enid graduated from Algoma University in 2023 with a BA in psychology, and is currently enrolled in a Masters of Psychotherapy. Her main research interests surround gender based and sexual violence, and she’s presented her findings on an international scale. Other research she’s contributed to include topics such as women’s roles in food systems through the ethics of care, feminist experiential learning, and fostering communities of care for both people and the planet. She’s also studied creative writing at the Humber School for Writers, and is currently working on her debut collection of short stories. Her work has been featured in Women and Environments International Magazine, The Algomian, Co-Ex Collaborative, The Girlhood Project, and other publications. In 2024/2025 Enid worked for Algoma BRIDGE Lab as their Marketing and Communications Director, and she is now a Research Assistant for the lab.

Kamran Abbasov is a Research Assistant originally from Azerbaijan. He holds a Master’s in Sustainability from Brock University, and his research interests focus on inequalities, especially income, wealth, and distributive justice. He enjoys working with data, both qualitative and quantitative, and is always learning new ways and methods of looking at issues.
Kamran is also interested in coding and web development. This is his third year in Canada and first in Northern Ontario. Outside work, he likes kayaking and camping, follows chess and soccer closely, and enjoys reading.

Alejandra is a Sociologist and research assistant, currently pursuing a Master’s in Environment and Geography at the University of Manitoba. 
Born and raised in Bacatá, Colombia, her work and interests center on freshwater, relationality, environmental justice, community-based approaches and creative methodologies. Her collaboration with Algoma University started in 2022, when she joined Dr. Rebek’s team as a MITACS intern, since then, they have been working together to support the Great Lakes health and community wellbeing around the Algoma Region.
She also has a deep interest in visual arts and culture, leading her to hold skills in digital design, editing, hand-carving and printmaking.

Dolly has over 25 years of leadership experience in client services, with a strong background in people management, employee engagement, and communications. Dolly’s work with the team included implementing optimized internal workflows, processing improvements, and strategic planning towards building a thriving entrepreneurial community while being cognizant of our intercultural relationships with Indigenous communities. She is passionate about giving back, and throughout her career has remained committed to many philanthropic endeavors through volunteer work with Arch Hospice, WE Day, Kids Help Phone, the Brampton Women’s Shelter and more.

Dr. Cooper is a researcher exploring the nexus of inner and outer sustainability transformations. She is especially interested in the cultivation of affective, cognitive, and relational skills needed to navigate the metacrisis, and curious about how actors can move beyond unconscious normalcy and embrace VUCA, chaos, and paradox as precursors for transformative change. Kira has extensive research expertise in the fields of inner transformations, sustainability, and systems change. Her work focuses on catalysing conditions for social and ecological wellbeing in times of crisis. Her main work with the Bridge Lab involved the IO Initiative; an international research project with the hopes of achieving change towards regenerative sustainability.

Amber graduated from the Business of Administration Bachelor’s Degree program at Algoma University with honors and a specialization in Human Resources. She was hired at Algoma University to work on two different projects that she is deeply passionate and fully committed to. In her position as an Indigenous Liaison & Special Projects Analyst, she worked alongside Algoma BRIDGE Lab on the freshwater project at Algoma University to strengthen intersectoral relationships between First Nations, educators, scientists, climate action groups, etc. Her role required a deep understanding of Indigenous cultures and an ability to foster meaningful dialogue and collaboration across various departments and communities.

Victoria is a 2024 graduate of the BBA program at Algoma University and a founding member of the BRIDGE lab. After graduating, she returned to the university as a Project Coordinator for Innovative Learning with the Faculty of Business and Economics. In this role, she focused on the service and entrepreneurship sector of BRIDGE and was excited to expand the lab’s activities to include internships and community service projects. Although business was her area of study, she is deeply passionate about the connection between business and ecology, and is committed to promoting sustainability in business practices.

Taylor is a 2024 graduate of the psychology program at Algoma University. He then worked for the BRIDGE Lab as their Operations Coordinator. While conducting research in his undergraduate degree, his main areas of interest surrounded social psychology constructs such as social conformity, congruence, and interdependence. Taylor’s role in the lab required him to manage and oversee daily operations including facilitating members and meetings, leading various service projects, teaching project management and statistics software, as well as contributing to the GLocal research project. Taylor is now pursuing a Master of Arts in Child and Youth Studies at Brock University.

Tim graduated at Algoma University in June 2024 with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a specialization in HR as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. He then pursued his MBA at Carleton University. His goals in life are to make meaningful change within the community and to help optimize workforces.