Our Speakers
Our Respected Speakers
Steve will
moderator
Steve will me our Moderator . Steve is a devoted father to Derek and James and describes himself as a truly blessed man. A passionate and dedicated Toastmaster, he has spent years honing his communication and leadership skills, inspiring others through his commitment to personal growth and excellence. Known for his warm personality, strong stage presence, and ability to engage audiences with ease, Steve brings authenticity and positive energy to every space he enters. Whether mentoring others or facilitating meaningful discussions, he is consistently “living the dream” and uplifting those around him.
Charline Côté
Clinical-Scientific Project Manager
Charline Côté is a Clinical-Scientific Project Manager at the Center of Expertise of the Institut universitaire Jeunes en difficulté (IUJD) in Montréal, Quebec. She holds a Master’s degree in Addiction Intervention and has more than twenty years of experience in psychosocial practice, with a particular focus on adolescent girls in youth rehabilitation settings.
Charline specializes in managing intersectoral prevention and intervention projects for youth aged 12 to 25, developing innovative tools and practices to strengthen services for at-risk young people and their families. Throughout her career, she has remained deeply committed to improving the quality of care offered to youth in difficulty, contributing significantly to practice coordination, professional training initiatives, and knowledge transfer across multiple sectors.
Charline will be accompanied by a staff member who provides psychosocial follow-up for individuals involved in the Sphères program.
Wing Lam (Veen) Wong
PhD candidate in Public Health Sciences
Wing Lam (Veen) Wong is a PhD candidate in Public Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo and a registered social worker with more than a decade of experience in the gender-based violence (GBV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) sectors. Her interdisciplinary work bridges public health, social work, and human–computer interaction to advance innovative, evidence-informed approaches to GBV prevention.
Veen is the lead researcher of the Bold Sky Project, where she collaborates with community and industry partners—including Next Gen Men, Invalid Symbol, and the University of Waterloo’s Games Institute—to develop an evidence-based digital game that engages young men in GBV prevention. Her research focuses on co-designing digital tools that challenge harmful gender norms, foster empathy, and promote healthy expressions of masculinity.
Tod Augusta Scott
internationally recognized leader in the fields of gender-based violence
Tod Augusta Scott is an internationally recognized leader in the fields of gender-based violence, narrative therapy, and restorative justice. Since 1993, he has served as the Executive Director and lead therapist at Bridges, a pioneering domestic-violence counseling agency where he developed the innovative Safety and Repair method—an approach focused on repairing harm and fostering accountability in both community and workplace contexts.
Tod is a sought-after educator and speaker, regularly lecturing at universities and presenting across every province and territory in Canada, as well as internationally. His work bridges clinical practice, social justice, and restorative approaches to intimate partner violence, offering transformative alternatives for survivors, families, and communities.
A widely published practitioner-scholar, Tod is the co-editor of two critically acclaimed books, and his groundbreaking therapeutic approach was featured in the award-winning National Film Board Documentary A Better Man (2017). His long-standing contributions have earned him national recognition, including honours from the Canadian Association of Social Workers and the Department of National Defence.
Hon. Mrs. Ngozi Valentina Enih
Commissioner, Ministry of Children, Gender Affairs & Social Development
Hon. Mrs. Ngozi Valentina Enih serves as the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs, and Social Development in Enugu State, Nigeria. A strong advocate for gender equality and child protection, she has led transformative reforms that empower women, safeguard children’s rights, and strengthen the state’s response to domestic violence, trafficking, and gender-based violence.
Under her leadership, the Ministry has championed public education campaigns, enhanced legal and social protections for vulnerable populations, and built strategic partnerships with local and international organizations to address violence and inequality.
Mrs. Enih was honoured at the Southeast Iconic Women Awards (2024) for her outstanding dedication to improving the welfare of women and children. With a background in social studies education and extensive public service experience, she continues to advance policies and programs that promote safety, dignity, and inclusion throughout Enugu State and beyond.
Dr. Catrina Brown
Professor in the School of Social Work
Dr. Catrina Brown is a Professor in the School of Social Work at Dalhousie University, cross-appointed to Gender and Women’s Studies. A leading feminist scholar, clinician, and educator, her work bridges critical theory, policy, and practice with a focus on mental health, trauma, post-trauma recovery, depression, substance use, and eating disorders.
In addition to her academic scholarship, Dr. Brown maintains a feminist narrative private practice that centers women’s lived experiences, systemic oppression, and social justice–based healing. She is widely recognized for advancing critiques of mainstream mental health and trauma discourse, and for developing alternative frameworks that foreground equity, intersectionality, and structural analysis.
She is the editor of the recent book Reframing Trauma Through Social Justice: Resisting the Politics of Mainstream Trauma Discourse, which challenges dominant trauma narratives and calls for transformative, justice-oriented approaches to healing.
LeRon L. Barton
writer, author, and international speaker
LeRon L. Barton is a writer, author, and international speaker whose work explores race, masculinity, mass incarceration, technology, and the lived experiences of Black communities. His essays and commentary have appeared in Harvard Business Review, Newsweek, Salon, Black Enterprise, Slate, and The Good Men Project. He is also the author of two books—Straight Dope: A 360-Degree Look into American Drug Culture and All We Really Need Is Love.
A four-time TEDx speaker, LeRon has presented at Oxford University, SXSW, the United Way, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Speakers Who Dare, Al Jazeera, and numerous corporate and community platforms across the United States and internationally. Through his writing and public speaking, he brings forward nuanced conversations about identity, trauma, and the intersection of race and gender.
At the International Summit on Ending Gender-Based Violence 2025, LeRon will speak on the minimization of sexual assault against Black boys, examining how stereotypes surrounding Black masculinity erase victimhood, normalize abuse, and shape harmful understandings of sexuality, relationships, and self-worth. His work challenges audiences to reimagine protection, justice, and healing for Black male survivors.
Amy Moore
Registered Social Worker
Amy Moore, MSW, RSW, is a Registered Social Worker with over eight years of experience in the mental health sector, supporting individuals navigating trauma, life transitions, and systemic barriers. Grounded in person-centered and trauma-informed practice, she is committed to fostering safe, inclusive environments that promote healing and dignity.
Amy currently serves as Project Coordinator for the Public Health Agency of Canada–funded initiative Building Awareness and Service Provider Capacity for IPV-BI in Canada. In this national role, she leads efforts to strengthen service providers’ ability to recognize, understand, and respond to intimate partner violence–related brain injury (IPV-BI). Her work integrates research, stakeholder engagement, and knowledge mobilization to advance survivor-centered, evidence-informed practice across Canada.
Her academic research reflects her broader commitment to addressing structural inequities. Her Master’s thesis examined the employment challenges faced by individuals post-incarceration, illustrating how stigma, policy gaps, and support systems shape labour market outcomes. Amy continues to advocate for systemic change through community research and cross-sector collaboration in the IPV-BI field.
Emma Chiera
Project Manager of Strategic Initiatives
Emma Chiera is the Project Manager of Strategic Initiatives at Brain Injury Canada and a non-profit professional specializing in human rights, cognitive disability, and gender-based violence. She has held research roles with international development and women’s rights organizations, contributing to evidence-based strategies that address structural inequities and improve protections for marginalized communities.
Emma holds a master’s degree from the Global Campus of Human Rights, where her research examined systemic failures within the European legal system to protect persons with disabilities in psychiatric confinement. Her work continues to advance inclusive policy, survivor-centered approaches, and cross-sector collaboration to strengthen supports for individuals living at the intersection of disability and gender-based violence.
Athena Hantzaridis, M.A
Global development practitioner
Athena Hantzaridis, M.A., is a global development practitioner with six years of national and international NGO experience, specializing in data-driven social change and gender-based violence prevention. She currently serves as Senior Specialist for Donor Data and Research at WhyHunger in New York City, where she integrates research, social justice principles, and program management to support community-led solutions to hunger and structural inequity.
Athena holds a B.A. in International Relations from Boston University and an M.A. in Politics and Economics from the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki, Greece. During her time in Thessaloniki, she taught English at the Irida Women’s Center, working directly to reduce economic and social isolation among diverse groups of GBV survivors aged 16 and above.
Her primary research interest explores how gender-binary systems intensify humanitarian crises, with a specific focus on strengthening gender-based violence prevention frameworks globally. Athena brings a strong intersectional and evidence-based approach to her work, contributing to innovative strategies that center survivor dignity, equity, and transformative justice.
Esther S. Davis Yango
Executive Director, Women NGOs Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL)
Esther S. Davis Yango is an award-winning Human Rights Defender and the Executive Director of the Women NGOs Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL), where she leads and coordinates more than 250 women-led civil society organizations advancing gender equality, justice, and peacebuilding across Liberia.
With over a decade of experience in gender advocacy, GBV prevention, psychosocial support, and women’s leadership development, Ms. Yango has played a transformative role in strengthening survivor-centered responses and amplifying women’s voices in national and regional decision-making spaces. She has been instrumental in landmark gender-sensitive reforms—including the Domestic Violence Act and the Gender Policy of the Judiciary—and she continues to champion women’s participation in governance, transitional justice, and peace processes.
Internationally, she collaborates with the United Nations and regional bodies across Africa, advocating for the inclusion of women’s perspectives in peacebuilding and justice systems. Her leadership has positioned her as a key voice for advancing gender equality, protecting women’s rights, and fostering sustainable solutions to end gender-based violence. MS. Yango brings deep expertise, grounded activism, and a powerful commitment to survivor-centered justice to the International Summit on Ending Gender-Based Violence 2025.
