Meet the 2019 Code for Canada Fellows!
Get to know 12 new fellows, and discover how they’ll be lending their tech and design skills to government.
Join us in welcoming the next Code for Canada fellows as they begin their exciting adventure in digital government!
Rosemarie, Ayisha, Glennys, Roan, Russell, Adam, Andrea, Lequanne, Sabrina, Ivan, Mike and Maddy represent Code for Canada’s largest fellowship cohort to date.
They’re an incredible group of tech industry veterans, startup founders, community organizers and accessibility advocates united by a desire to use their technology and design skills for good.
Over the next 10 months, they’ll work with their government partners to ship software in the public interest. Be sure to follow their journey on our blog, in our newsletter, and on Twitter.
The Public Health Agency of Canada
Fellows at the Public Health Agency of Canada will help modernize the department’s granting process, creating a better experience for users and enabling PHAC’s partners to focus on improving health outcomes in their communities rather than filling out forms.
Glennys Egan — Product Manager
Glennys is a partnership manager, researcher and strategic communicator working at the intersection of digital technology and impact — both here in Canada and abroad. She believes in amplifying the voices of the marginalized, and is passionate about the possibilities of technology when it is inclusive, accessible, and built with social purpose.
As a fellow, she looks forward to bringing a product to life that reflects the diverse realities and needs of Canadians.
Rosemarie Gresham — UX Designer
Rosemarie Gresham is a UX designer with experience delivering products for local cultural organizations, start ups, and global companies. Her work stretches across a wide range of sectors, including enterprise software, museums, and a theatre festival.
She is passionate about accessibility, and excited to work with the Public Health Agency of Canada to create a more streamlined and human experience for its partners.
Follow Rosemarie on LinkedIn
Adam Simonini — Developer
Adam comes to software development via a graduate degree in philosophy, and has worked with multiple companies to build highly accessible and frictionless front-end products.
He believes technology has a significant role to play in improving healthcare for Canadians, and is honoured to be contributing to “one small piece of Canada’s giant healthcare puzzle.”
The National Energy Board of Canada
Fellows at the National Energy Board will help make data about important energy projects more accessible for Canadians, so that scientists, landowners and Indigenous communities can fully participate in our energy dialogue.
Lequanne Collins-Bacchus — Product Manager
Lequanne is the founder of digital publica, a Ryerson University-incubated tech consultancy which creates digital skills programming and experiences for communities. She is also an advisor on the Government of Ontario’s Data Strategy.
As an incoming fellow, she is ecstatic about contribute to digital government, while also demonstrating how technological innovation can be grounded in values of diversity and inclusion.
Follow Lequanne on LinkedIn
Roan Reimer — UX Designer
Roan is a firm believer that design can help build a more compassionate and inclusive world. They have worked with health initiatives, governments and participatory democracy organizations to co-create services that help people connect with communities.
They are excited to help modernize government services by making data more accessible and useful. For Roan, the fellowship is an opportunity to plant the seeds of modern, human-centred design work in the public service.
Follow Roan on LinkedIn
Ivan Duka — Developer
Ivan is a software engineer and project manager with experience in the private and public sectors, having worked for the Government of Manitoba and the U.S. Department of Justice in Ukraine.
He believes Canada can be a world leader in e-government, and is excited to make people’s lives better by making public services more accessible than ever.
Follow Ivan on LinkedIn
Toronto Shelter Support & Housing Administration
Fellows at Toronto’s Shelter Support and Housing Administration will design digital solutions that help City staff find stable, permanent housing for residents experiencing homelessness.
Ayisha Memon— Product Manager
Ayisha has spent the past six years building innovative digital products at Postmedia, one of Canada’s largest media companies. She’s also a regular contributor to Pakathon, a civic hackathon focused on building solutions to help residents in Pakistan.
She’s looking forward to using technology and design to benefit underserved communities in Toronto, and to making a positive difference in the city she calls home.
Follow Ayisha on Twitter
Sabrina Dominguez — UX Designer
Sabrina is a public servant and interdisciplinary designer who has worked with social design organization InWithForward, the THNK School of Creative Leadership and municipalities like Vancouver and Dublin to reimagine public and social services.
She is dedicated to improving outcomes for residents and is passionate about changing people’s notions of what ‘bureaucracy’ can be, look and feel like.
Follow Sabrina on Twitter
Russell Hoy — Developer
Russell is a product-minded software developer who has helped companies bring innovative products to market and adopt more agile approaches to development. He’s an advocate for accessibility and inclusive design, and believes that a small team can have outsized impact.
He’s curious to learn how services get delivered in the public sector, and is keen to help the City of Toronto leverage technology to better serve a vulnerable population.
Public Services & Procurement Canada
Fellows at Public Services and Procurement Canada will help reimagine the government travel experience, so public servants can spend less time booking and expensing travel and more time helping residents.
Maddy Ewins — Product Manager
Maddy has worked for established tech giants to small startups, and across engineering, product, and marketing teams. When building technology products, she strives to foster empathy for both users and peers, while also grounding product strategy in data and the scientific method.
She’s excited to work with government to make a lasting, positive impact, and build a product that can touch and improve the lives of Canadians.
Andrea Hill — UX Designer
Andrea has 20 years of experience in digital services, starting as a developer before shifting to product strategy and UX design. She loves digging into complex problems and pushing beyond the obvious to craft elegant and inclusive experiences.
After spending over a decade in the U.S., she is happy to be back in Canada applying her skills to improving the lives of her fellow Canadians.
Mike Jenkins — Developer
Mike is a software and web developer with a background in entertainment and broadcast production. He believes the best digital products are ones that not only meet people’s needs, but also help improve their quality of life.
For Mike, the fellowship is an opportunity to co-create solutions for the common good, demonstrate the power of a truly iterative design and development process, and ultimately put something awesome in the hands of users.
Follow Mike on LinkedIn
The Code for Canada fellowship embeds technology professionals into government, where they work alongside public servants to build great digital services.
To learn more about becoming a fellow, or hosting a team of fellows in your department, visit codefor.ca/fellowship.
