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, Policy and Research
Sta Kuzviwanza
Sta is a policy researcher and analyst with a background in economics and technology policy. Sta previously worked as the policy lead for Québec at Airbnb Canada and as a consultant providing policy analysis to organizations in the private and public sectors. She holds a Master of Public Policy from the Max Bell School of Public Policy and a Bachelor’s in Economics and African Studies from McGill University.
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.
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, Policy and Research
Sta Kuzviwanza
Sta is a policy researcher and analyst with a background in economics and technology policy. Sta previously worked as the policy lead for Québec at Airbnb Canada and as a consultant providing policy analysis to organizations in the private and public sectors. She holds a Master of Public Policy from the Max Bell School of Public Policy and a Bachelor’s in Economics and African Studies from McGill University.
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.
Community Engagement & Events Coordinator
Carole Issekya
Carole is a dynamic Events and Community Coordinator with expertise in recruitment and business operations. She joins us from Randstad Canada, where she excelled as the Social Impact and Inclusion Manager. In that role, Carole forged strong relationships with both internal and external stakeholders, orchestrating national events focused on corporate social responsibility and diversity and inclusion. Her initiatives included seminars, workshops, and crucial facilitated conversations.
Beyond her professional achievements, Carole volunteers as a facilitator and mentor for organizations such as Black Girls Gather and The Black North Initiative. She brings a wealth of experience in community engagement and partnership building to these roles.
Executive Assistant
So Young Park
So Young Park is the Executive Assistant at the Provincial Employment Roundtable, bringing a wealth of experience in community engagement and administration. With a diverse background in student and labour rights advocacy, student leadership, and academic research, she has developed valuable skills working closely with the Anglophone workforce in Quebec’s academia. So Young recently completed her honours degree and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts from Concordia University.
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.
Community Engagement & Events Coordinator
Carole Issekya
Carole is a dynamic Events and Community Coordinator with expertise in recruitment and business operations. She joins us from Randstad Canada, where she excelled as the Social Impact and Inclusion Manager. In that role, Carole forged strong relationships with both internal and external stakeholders, orchestrating national events focused on corporate social responsibility and diversity and inclusion. Her initiatives included seminars, workshops, and crucial facilitated conversations.
Beyond her professional achievements, Carole volunteers as a facilitator and mentor for organizations such as Black Girls Gather and The Black North Initiative. She brings a wealth of experience in community engagement and partnership building to these roles.
Executive Assistant
So Young Park
So Young Park is the Executive Assistant at the Provincial Employment Roundtable, bringing a wealth of experience in community engagement and administration. With a diverse background in student and labour rights advocacy, student leadership, and academic research, she has developed valuable skills working closely with the Anglophone workforce in Quebec’s academia. So Young recently completed her honours degree and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts from Concordia University.
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.
Research assistant
Conner Mc Levy
Conner is a research assistant at the Provincial Employment Roundtable (PERT) and a student from Concordia University. Currently studying towards a Bachelor of Arts, he has recently completed his second year in Concordia’s Sociology and Anthropology (SOAN) program. With a background in Information and Library Technologies (ILT) from his time at John Abbott College, he was inspired to apply to work at PERT due to their research into the employability challenges and solutions of linguistic minorities in Québec.
Office Assistant
Jessica Habiyakare
Jessica is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Political Science and is an active participant in the Concordia University Co-op program. Her main interests are international relations, human rights law, equality rights, and public policy.
Jessica was drawn to the Provincial Employment Roundtable due to its emphasis on addressing the challenges faced by English speakers in Quebec’s employment sector. Having personally witnessed the impact of language barriers on employment access, she hopes to gain a deeper understanding of how to mitigate these challenges and enhance employment opportunities for non-French speakers while also advancing employment equity in Quebec.
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.
Research assistant
Conner Mc Levy
Conner is a research assistant at the Provincial Employment Roundtable (PERT) and a student from Concordia University. Currently studying towards a Bachelor of Arts, he has recently completed his second year in Concordia’s Sociology and Anthropology (SOAN) program. With a background in Information and Library Technologies (ILT) from his time at John Abbott College, he was inspired to apply to work at PERT due to their research into the employability challenges and solutions of linguistic minorities in Québec.
Office Assistant
Jessica Habiyakare
Jessica is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Political Science and is an active participant in the Concordia University Co-op program. Her main interests are international relations, human rights law, equality rights, and public policy.
Jessica was drawn to the Provincial Employment Roundtable due to its emphasis on addressing the challenges faced by English speakers in Quebec’s employment sector. Having personally witnessed the impact of language barriers on employment access, she hopes to gain a deeper understanding of how to mitigate these challenges and enhance employment opportunities for non-French speakers while also advancing employment equity in Quebec.
Design Associate
Marta Azreiq
Copywriter
Sarah Richman
Sarah Richman is an accomplished writer, editor, and student originally from California, now making her mark in Montreal. Currently in her fourth year at Concordia University, she is pursuing a Creative Writing degree with a minor in Professional Writing.
As an English-speaking Quebecer with dual Canadian and United States citizenship, Sarah is acutely aware of the challenges faced by Quebec’s English-speaking population, especially in the job market. She hopes her internship with the communications team at PERT will allow her to contribute to efforts promoting a more equitable job market for all Quebecers. This cause is close to her heart, and she remains dedicated to supporting it both professionally and personally.
Design Associate
Marta Azreiq
Copywriter
Sarah Richman
Sarah Richman is an accomplished writer, editor, and student originally from California, now making her mark in Montreal. Currently in her fourth year at Concordia University, she is pursuing a Creative Writing degree with a minor in Professional Writing.
As an English-speaking Quebecer with dual Canadian and United States citizenship, Sarah is acutely aware of the challenges faced by Quebec’s English-speaking population, especially in the job market. She hopes her internship with the communications team at PERT will allow her to contribute to efforts promoting a more equitable job market for all Quebecers. This cause is close to her heart, and she remains dedicated to supporting it both professionally and personally.