Team Members
Executive Director
Nicholas Salter
Nicholas Salter has been the Executive Director of the Provincial Employment Roundtable (PERT) since 2021. He brings to the role more than a decade of leadership working with health and social services agencies, community organizations, higher education institutions, foundations, and multiple levels of government. His priorities have been establishing PERT’s research capacity and developing strong partnerships and relationships with stakeholders.
Prior to joining the Provincial Employment Roundtable, Nicholas directed communications and outreach for McGill University’s Max Bell School of Public Policy, where he played a key role in helping to build and launch the School. Nicholas previously headed the policy and communications work at Powered by Data — a nonprofit focused on open data and open government. Nicholas has also been involved in federal politics, where he led the team of a Member of Parliament and later became an advisor to regional teams and multiple parliamentarians.
Nicholas holds an MSW in International and Community Development, a BA in Psychology, and a Graduate Certificate in Public Relations Management. He is also a past fellow of the McGill Institute for Health and Social Policy.
He currently sits on the board of the Queen Elizabeth Health Complex — a not-for-profit community-led health organization. He is also a member of the Quebec English-Speaking Communities Research Network (QUESCREN) Inter-Level Educational Table (ILET) and Literacy Quebec’s Community Empowerment through Literacy Initiative (CELI) Project Advisory Committee. He is the past Vice-President of the Carrefour jeunesse emploi – Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.
Director, Engagement & Communications
Chad Walcott
Chad Walcott is a community engagement expert with 10 years of experience in politics and social development. Throughout his career, he has developed and overseen several successful social impact campaigns focused on social and economic development. Prior to joining PERT’s team, Chad held a position at the City of Montreal, where he was responsible for managing citizen requests and advising local officials on policies related to economic and social development.
Interim Director of Policy & Research
Morgan Gagnon
Morgan Gagnon is a skilled researcher and policy analyst with a background in Quebec higher education policy and theories of institutional responsibility. She recently completed her master’s degree in philosophy at Concordia University, where she held a SSHRC scholarship for her research on university sexual violence policies and accessibility to education. Prior to this, she completed a Bachelor of Arts at Bishop’s University, where she gained extensive experience building relationships with community and regional partners.
Communications and Engagement Specialist
Maria De Las Salas
Maria J. De Las Salas recently earned a Bachelor of Art with a double major in communications and political science from Concordia University. She immigrated with her family from Colombia in 2015, and this experience makes employability challenges and language minorities issues close to her heart. As a communication and engagement specialist, she intends to translate policy and research developments into clear language destined to other actors of the milieu and to spread PERT’s commitment to the underrepresented communities in Québec.
Executive Director
Nicholas Salter
Nicholas Salter has been the Executive Director of the Provincial Employment Roundtable (PERT) since 2021. He brings to the role more than a decade of leadership working with health and social services agencies, community organizations, higher education institutions, foundations, and multiple levels of government. His priorities have been establishing PERT’s research capacity and developing strong partnerships and relationships with stakeholders.
Prior to joining the Provincial Employment Roundtable, Nicholas directed communications and outreach for McGill University’s Max Bell School of Public Policy, where he played a key role in helping to build and launch the School. Nicholas previously headed the policy and communications work at Powered by Data — a nonprofit focused on open data and open government. Nicholas has also been involved in federal politics, where he led the team of a Member of Parliament and later became an advisor to regional teams and multiple parliamentarians.
Nicholas holds an MSW in International and Community Development, a BA in Psychology, and a Graduate Certificate in Public Relations Management. He is also a past fellow of the McGill Institute for Health and Social Policy.
He currently sits on the board of the Queen Elizabeth Health Complex — a not-for-profit community-led health organization. He is also a member of the Quebec English-Speaking Communities Research Network (QUESCREN) Inter-Level Educational Table (ILET) and Literacy Quebec’s Community Empowerment through Literacy Initiative (CELI) Project Advisory Committee. He is the past Vice-President of the Carrefour jeunesse emploi – Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.
Director, Engagement & Communications
Chad Walcott
Chad Walcott is a community engagement expert with 10 years of experience in politics and social development. Throughout his career, he has developed and overseen several successful social impact campaigns focused on social and economic development. Prior to joining PERT’s team, Chad held a position at the City of Montreal, where he was responsible for managing citizen requests and advising local officials on policies related to economic and social development.
Interim Director of Policy & Research
Morgan Gagnon
Morgan Gagnon is a skilled researcher and policy analyst with a background in Quebec higher education policy and theories of institutional responsibility. She recently completed her master’s degree in philosophy at Concordia University, where she held a SSHRC scholarship for her research on university sexual violence policies and accessibility to education. Prior to this, she completed a Bachelor of Arts at Bishop’s University, where she gained extensive experience building relationships with community and regional partners.
Communications and Engagement Specialist
Maria De Las Salas
Maria J. De Las Salas recently earned a Bachelor of Art with a double major in communications and political science from Concordia University. She immigrated with her family from Colombia in 2015, and this experience makes employability challenges and language minorities issues close to her heart. As a communication and engagement specialist, she intends to translate policy and research developments into clear language destined to other actors of the milieu and to spread PERT’s commitment to the underrepresented communities in Québec.
Organizational Development Lead
Clea Corman
With 10 years of experience in development and a soon-to-be-completed master’s degree from McGill’s Max Bell School of Public Policy, Clea Corman brings cross-disciplinary leadership skills to the projects she is a part of. She has worked directly with hundreds of at-risk youth, improved drop-out rates, and increased access to bilingual health and employment services for English speakers in rural Quebec. With previous experience as an executive director and board member of nonprofits, she knows first-hand the importance of advocacy for community well-being. She brings expertise in organizational development, strategic planning, stakeholder management, participatory research, and capacity building. She is looking forward to leveraging these skills to further promote the needs of English-speaking Quebecers through her work at PERT.
Operations Manager
Katherine McIntosh
Katherine is a seasoned nonprofit professional with extensive experience in leadership and team management. She has previously served as the Executive Director of a community organization focused on providing emergency housing resources in the city of Montreal. Throughout her career, Katherine has built expertise in human resources, budgeting, networking, and administration, with a strong emphasis on creating inclusive, supportive work environments.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Women’s Studies from McGill University, and a Graduate Diploma in Youth Work from Concordia University.
Program Coordinator
Michelle Dzbik
Michelle Dzbik has spent numerous years in service to different communities, focusing on building relationships founded on trust, respect, and inclusion. With experience living and volunteering abroad, she has a particular interest in cultivating understanding and forging connections between a diversity of people. Currently completing a Bachelor of Arts in Human Relations (Community Development) with a minor in Psychology at Concordia University, Michelle brings expertise in stakeholder engagement, communications, and community organizing. She looks forward to developing innovative and inspiring programs that advance PERT’s mission of improving employment outcomes for English-speaking Quebecers.
Policy Researcher
Marlena Flick
Marlena is a researcher and policy professional with an interest in “making work work for everyone” and expertise in socio-economic inclusion, immigration, and labour markets. Before joining PERT, Marlena managed research, partnerships and data on the economic inclusion of immigrants, the future of work and skills, accessibility, and entrepreneurship for social-impact organizations and think-tanks including Canada’s leading foreign credential recognition evaluator, World Education Services (WES) and the Public Policy Forum (PPF). She enjoys leveraging experience in data analysis, intersectional and accessible project design, community development, and multisectoral stakeholder engagement to ensure people are at the centre of policy research and development.
Organizational Development Lead
Clea Corman
With 10 years of experience in development and a soon-to-be-completed master’s degree from McGill’s Max Bell School of Public Policy, Clea Corman brings cross-disciplinary leadership skills to the projects she is a part of. She has worked directly with hundreds of at-risk youth, improved drop-out rates, and increased access to bilingual health and employment services for English speakers in rural Quebec. With previous experience as an executive director and board member of nonprofits, she knows first-hand the importance of advocacy for community well-being. She brings expertise in organizational development, strategic planning, stakeholder management, participatory research, and capacity building. She is looking forward to leveraging these skills to further promote the needs of English-speaking Quebecers through her work at PERT.
Operations Manager
Katherine McIntosh
Katherine is a seasoned nonprofit professional with extensive experience in leadership and team management. She has previously served as the Executive Director of a community organization focused on providing emergency housing resources in the city of Montreal. Throughout her career, Katherine has built expertise in human resources, budgeting, networking, and administration, with a strong emphasis on creating inclusive, supportive work environments.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Women’s Studies from McGill University, and a Graduate Diploma in Youth Work from Concordia University.
Program Coordinator
Michelle Dzbik
Michelle Dzbik has spent numerous years in service to different communities, focusing on building relationships founded on trust, respect, and inclusion. With experience living and volunteering abroad, she has a particular interest in cultivating understanding and forging connections between a diversity of people. Currently completing a Bachelor of Arts in Human Relations (Community Development) with a minor in Psychology at Concordia University, Michelle brings expertise in stakeholder engagement, communications, and community organizing. She looks forward to developing innovative and inspiring programs that advance PERT’s mission of improving employment outcomes for English-speaking Quebecers.
Policy Researcher
Marlena Flick
Marlena is a researcher and policy professional with an interest in “making work work for everyone” and expertise in socio-economic inclusion, immigration, and labour markets. Before joining PERT, Marlena managed research, partnerships and data on the economic inclusion of immigrants, the future of work and skills, accessibility, and entrepreneurship for social-impact organizations and think-tanks including Canada’s leading foreign credential recognition evaluator, World Education Services (WES) and the Public Policy Forum (PPF). She enjoys leveraging experience in data analysis, intersectional and accessible project design, community development, and multisectoral stakeholder engagement to ensure people are at the centre of policy research and development.
Policy Researcher
Sarahi Nava Marquina
Sarahí is an economist from Mérida, Venezuela, who recently moved to Canada to complete a master’s degree from McGill’s Max Bell School of Public Policy. She first immigrated to Mexico in 2016 to work as an International Economy Analyst in a Mexican brokerage house, where she also worked in Corporate Finance. Later on, she shifted her career focus and became an ESG Project Manager, developing initiatives on education and gender equality. With more than 7 years of work experience, Sarahí brings to PERT her positive energy and advanced skills in leadership, data analysis and critical thinking to improve the collective understanding of the challenges that English-speaking Quebecers face in accessing and thriving in the labour market.
Policy Researcher
Sarahi Nava Marquina
Sarahí is an economist from Mérida, Venezuela, who recently moved to Canada to complete a master’s degree from McGill’s Max Bell School of Public Policy. She first immigrated to Mexico in 2016 to work as an International Economy Analyst in a Mexican brokerage house, where she also worked in Corporate Finance. Later on, she shifted her career focus and became an ESG Project Manager, developing initiatives on education and gender equality. With more than 7 years of work experience, Sarahí brings to PERT her positive energy and advanced skills in leadership, data analysis and critical thinking to improve the collective understanding of the challenges that English-speaking Quebecers face in accessing and thriving in the labour market.