EVENT
Webinar Wednesday: “No, I don’t want to move to Toronto”: What People Get Wrong about Entrepreneurship in Small Places
Webinar Wednesday: “No, I don’t want to move to Toronto”: What People Get Wrong about Entrepreneurship in Small Places
November 19 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Ivy + Dean Consulting is a company that was founded in small cities that are often overlooked: Regina and Yellowknife. As they’ve grown the business, Jacq and Risa have both regularly been asked variations of the question: ‘When will i+d open an office in Toronto?’ These questions usually come from people who have never lived outside of a metropolitan area. Join both Jacq and Risa as they share their stories as entrepreneurs and their core business ethos of staying (and nailing it!) right here at home.
Our Team
Originally from Yellowknife, Jacq has over a decade of experience leading teams as a queer and non-binary professional. They co-founded what is now known as the Northern Mosaic Network, the only 2SLGBTQ+ human service agency in the Northwest Territories, and proudly served as the agency’s first Executive Director. Since then, they have led various queer and trans agencies as either an Executive Director or Board Member, including NWT Pride, UR Pride Centre for Sexuality & Gender Diversity, Fierté Canada Pride, TransSask Support Services, and The Enchanté Network. Currently, Jacq volunteers their time as the Chair of the Saskatchewan Queer Entrepreneurs & Professionals, an organization they co-founded. In 2021, Jacq established Ivy + Dean Consulting, a bilingual jacq -of-all-trades consulting firm designed to empower non-profit leadership to solve the unique problems faced by organizations in the Prairies and Northern Canada. They are the Chief Executive Officer + Principal Consultant, which allows them to wear many “hats” to serve clients and lead the team. When Jacq isn’t busy working or volunteering, you can find them drinking too much Diet Pepsi, playing the most recent Zelda video game, and spending time with their family.
Born and raised in rural Saskatchewan, Risa is passionate about increasing capacity for oft-overlooked and misunderstood communities across Canada. Risa came to Ivy + Dean Consulting in 2023 with nearly three decades’ experience in the non-profit arts and cultural sector, 15 years of which saw her in senior leadership roles. Risa contributed to Saskatchewan’s vibrant arts scene through positions at SK Arts, the Regina Folk Festival, and the MacKenzie Art Gallery. From 2015 to 2022, she served as Executive Director of Common Weal Community Arts, a provincial organization dedicated to socially-engaged practice. In her last role before moving into the for-profit world, Risa led Planned Parenthood Regina through a period of crisis. Risa is Ivy + Dean Consulting’s Chief Operations Officer + Principal Consultant, a position that allows her to get nerdy about infrastructure development and building frameworks to ensure the business thrives. When she’s not working, Risa is a travel-loving, adventure-seeking bibliophile who finds joy in live music, bold colours, and the expansive prairie landscape. She lives in Regina’s Heritage neighbourhood with her wife and teenage daughters.