The Annual Louis L. Odette Family Lecture

Co-founder of Clutch Consulting Group and former Special Assistant to the Mayor for Homelessness Initiatives, Houston TX
Mandy Chapman Semple is an internationally recognized designer of homelessness response systems. Her work in Houston brought together the city and partner agencies to operate in coordination and at scale; she has since worked with more than a dozen other cities across the US to implement this model. Mandy’s expertise in social systems transformation transcends traditional organizational boundaries to build partnerships across siloed sectors and services in the pursuit of collective impact goals.

Councillor, City of Toronto​
Alejandra Bravo was elected as the City Councillor for Ward 9 Davenport in 2022 and is currently Chair of the City’s Economic and Community Development Committee. She is also a member of the Executive Committee and the Toronto Board of Health. Alejandra has a 25-year history of leadership with civil society organizations, including the Broadbent Institute and Maytree. An adult educator and facilitator by profession, Alejandra helps communities understand and influence government decisions that impact them.

General Manager, Toronto Shelter and Support Services, City of Toronto
Gordon Tanner leads Toronto Shelter and Support Services. In this role, he oversees the delivery of Toronto’s emergency shelter, 24 hour respite, wrap-around support and street outreach services. He started his career coordinating the Health Bus, a mobile health program in downtown Toronto to connect people experiencing homelessness with harm reduction and primary care services. Since 2005, he has held different roles in housing and homelessness with the City of Toronto.

Director, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael’s Hospital
Dr. Stephen Hwang is one of the world's most renowned researchers in homelessness, housing and health. His groundbreaking research changed the conversation about homelessness and precarious housing in Canada—and raised awareness that these critical health crises are preventable. In addition to serving as director of MAP, Dr. Hwang is an internal medicine physician at St. Michael’s Hospital, a scientist with the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, and a professor at the University of Toronto.