Dana Garner, MA
SENIOR CONSULTANT dana@emergesolutions.ca
Dana has a passion for strengthening local government and provincial agencies. For over 16 years she has advised and supported municipal and provincial organizations through strategic and corporate planning, stakeholder engagement and adaptability assessments and coaching.
Dana always finds a way to move the dial on critical initiatives through effective and meaningful assessments, dialogue, deliberation and process. Her roles in municipal and provincial government have afforded her the opportunity to work on complex relationships focused governance issues with a diverse range of stakeholders. This experience has advanced her appreciation of the importance of workplace adaptability and her AQai certification has enabled her to strengthen the ability of leaders, teams and organizations to navigate new information and changing circumstances in a time of never-ending uncertainty.
Dana’s clients appreciate her considerate, knowledgeable and professional approach. She has guided many teams and leaders in creating the best possible holistic solution for their organization in the areas of governance, policy development and sustainability.
Dana holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Management. She is a certified practitioner of the AQai Assessment, an International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) trained public and stakeholder engagement practitioner including training in Strategies for Dealing with Opposition and Outrage in Public Participation and, holds a certificate from the University of Alberta’s Advanced Program in Project Management.
Anais Lindgren, BA
PROJECT ASSISTANT anais@emergesolutions.ca
Anais keeps the Emerge Solutions world in motion with her exceptional problem solving, time management and organizational skills. She is dedicated to capacity building and examining and evaluating opportunities in order to contribute to the success of her team and clients.
Her roles in the private and public sector have included managing and implementing provincial and regional events, keeping projects on task and on budget. She has more than 20 years of expertise including planning, managing and coordinating business operations. She has more than six years of experience coordinating communications, logistics, resources and facilitating engagement events including stakeholder meetings, workshops, drop-in sessions and pop-up events.
Anais holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Calgary specializing in work and organizations. Her interest lies in the intersect of maximizing operational resources and opportunities through analysis, customer service and effective processes.
Maria deBruijn, MA
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER maria@emergesolutions.ca
Maria is an experienced engagement practitioner whose deep knowledge of the intersect of engagement and decision-making have made her a highly sought-after facilitator, coach, trainer and mentor.
For over 20 years, she has advised and supported many leaders, teams and organizations in enhancing their internal and external engagement efforts, developing and facilitating business plans and strategies, supporting team visioning and commitment work and, providing professional development and training.
Leaders and teams appreciate Maria’s ability to quickly assess issues and challenges and use her insights and knowledge to support collaborative and creative solutions through a pragmatic approach. Her approach is grounded in an appreciation of the polarities and complexities that exist in relationships and through that appreciation, she fosters connections based on respect, mutuality and trust. She finds ways to connect people through good process fostering shared understanding, creating common ground and achieving practical and relevant outcomes that move clients forward.
Maria’s development of the Public Engagement Readiness Program and Assessment, engagement essentials training programs and decision-making matrices have caught the attention of many. With her thoughtful, inclusive and caring approach she has become the go-to resource for the integration of engagement and decision-making.
Maria is an International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) trained public and stakeholder engagement practitioner. She holds a Master’s degree in Communications and Technology from the University of Alberta and has developed curriculum for and taught a graduate course as well as citation and certificate courses at the University of Alberta. She previously served as Director of Research on the Canadian International Association for Public Participation Board with the goal of enhancing and advancing the knowledge base of the engagement practice.
Our Collaborators.
Emerge Solutions, Inc. is proud to be a part of a team that has a diverse range of skills to help your organization excel: From economists, to strategic planners, to communications and public engagement specialists, to policy and governance experts. This group of highly motivated, experienced and knowledgable collaborators brings deep expertise and a range of perspectives to help public, private and not-for-profit organizations and their communities thrive.
Emerge Solutions is proud to be a part of an extended network of collaborators. Whatever your project needs, our team is always ready to dig in and get you results.
AVENS EVALUATION
Dorothy Pinto, PhD
An expert in evaluation and research in the public sector, Dorothy brings 10+ years of experience designing and conducting multi-stakeholder evaluations and research in areas of organizational communication, education, child development, health, and interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral collaboration.
Louise Bahry, MA, PhD Candidate
Louise has more than 12 years of experience in program evaluation, measurement and assessment, program management, statistics and research methods. Her experience of leading research projects in Alberta, the United States, and large-scale international projects in Africa, Central and the Middle East makes her an expert in building organization’s evaluation capacity.
STRATEGIC STEPS
Ian McCormack, CMC, BA
As President of Strategic Steps, Ian has had the opportunity to work with dozens of municipalities, associations, societies and voluntary sector organizations across Western Canada and beyond. His areas of interest include local government, libraries, housing, post-secondary education, health, non-profit organizations and community safety. He works on many projects that include governance reviews, strategy development and implementation, council orientations, municipal compensation, policy and ordinance updates, and inspections that help local governments get back on track.