PRAXIS CONSULTING - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, BC Practice
Amy serves as Praxis' Senior Director, BC Practice. She has 15 years of experience in law, communications, and higher education. With a passion for strategic leadership and effective management, Amy is known for her dual commitment to service and excellence.
Amy is committed to supporting the strategic growth and direction of mission-driven organizations, advising a wide array of clients in private and public sectors over the course of her career. As a senior leader in higher education, she cultivated a practice of collaborative and thoughtful leadership, participating in the development and implementation of strategic plans and initiatives at departmental and institutional levels. She has experience in crisis management, audience engagement, digital marketing, and internal and external communications. Having lived and worked across Canada, Amy has a deep appreciation for the distinctive needs of rural and urban communities. She has volunteered with Pro Bono Saskatchewan and on the board of JustWork Economic Initiative.
Job Titles:
- Administrator
- Consulting Associate
Ben is the recipient of several awards including Computing Canada's IT Executive of the Year and the University of Regina Crown Achievement for Professional Contributions. He is a recipient of various athletic, coaching and official awards. Recently Ben was featured in the American Educational Leadership publication for his work in Change Management. Ben was also featured by One Smart World Canada and Smart Technologies of Canada for his innovation in Systems Thinking and Instructional Technologies. He is also the recipient of a Star Blanket gifted to him by a First Nations Tribal Council and an Indigenous Award for community development.
Ben is an active learner and continues to expand his experiences. He has strong analytical skills and is exceptional in his ability to investigate and determine solutions. He is an experienced administrator and is well known for his abilities to take complex issues and turn them into simple statements of what needs to be done. Ben can execute on actions to achieve a desired outcome.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Human Resources Consultant
Job Titles:
- Marketing and Communications Manager, IntraGrain
Praxis played a key role in designing and conducting an employee engagement with our compliance team. They brought significant expertise and empathy to the engagement, with staff who could relate to and build trust with our team. This created a sincere experience for our staff and the end result was a more meaningful set of recommendations for change that we could embrace.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer
- Leader
- Consulting Associate
Chris Johnson is the Chief Operating Officer at Praxis Consulting and is a leader in environmentally and socially progressive business value creation and specializes in business planning and operations.
Chris is a leader in environmentally progressive business planning, development, and operations, and is recognized for his ability to quickly build strong relationships and meaningfully engage with community stakeholders.
Job Titles:
- Hockey Saskatchewan Vice Chair, EDI Project Lead, Hockey Saskatchewan
We were really impressed with the staff's ability to deliver on a fairly tight deadline. They were affable and fun to work with. We all feel we got a lot more data out of this project than we expected and it's information that we might not have been able to get on our own.
Hailey completed her Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Saskatchewan (2022) with great distinction and a major in marketing.
While at Praxis, Hailey will continue her education with a Master of Science in Marketing at the University of Saskatchewan in the fall of 2023. She has experience in survey and interview design and execution and has expertise in visual and written communication of research results. With a passion and familiarity with quantitative analysis methods (through SPSS), Hailey has assisted local Saskatchewan businesses and non-profits through marketing research in her academics, paid roles, and volunteer roles throughout her undergraduate degree. Hailey also recently completed her graduate internship with the Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation at the end of 2022
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Strategy
- Strategist
Haley Bolen is a strategist with a commitment to working with organizations to navigate and thrive in complex environments. Haley brings over a decade as an experienced leader, and a reputation of excellence in the intersection of business strategy and social impact through leveraging competitive advantage.
With her Masters in Business, focused in strategic communications, Haley brings leading expertise in developing stakeholder-centric strategies, business plans, and communications strategies across sectors. She brings a proven record of success in strategic and business planning, social and community innovation, communications and marketing, entrepreneurship, startups and scale ups, organizational development, corporate culture, and ESG. She has experience working with the non-profit sector, across a variety of regional and provincial organizations, and with public sector consultation to execute comprehensive municipal and community plans. Most significantly, Haley has demonstrated private sector leadership in strategic commercial growth, including leadership of product strategy and development, comprehensive brand, marketing and communications strategies, organizational design and development, ESG integration, and scaling small and medium sized enterprises.
Graduating with distinction in the Master of Communications Management program from McMaster University, Haley had the opportunity to conduct a major qualitative research project with leading Canadian public companies focused on the contributions of strategic reputation management to triple bottom line approaches to business. Haley is a valued member of the Saskatchewan community, volunteering on boards of directors, for community events and organizations, and supporting local entrepreneurship.
Job Titles:
- Management Consultant
- Member of the Praxis Consulting Team
- Senior Director, Business & Economics
As a Management Consultant at Praxis Consulting, Jason Barnhart is able to leverage his professional experience in program development, analytics and asset management to inform data-driven process improvements and strategic initiatives.
Jason Barnhart is a management consultant for Praxis Consulting. Jason brings over 15 years of professional experience in program development, analytics and asset management in the post-secondary, public and non-profit sectors.
His unique variety of experiences include leading the implementation of an enterprise integrated work management software system, setting up an international clinical trial, and managing land and mineral assets, and construction management.
Jason enjoys working with clients on strategic planning, change management, and business planning. He has ability in data-driven process improvement and business strategy. He is recognized for his attention to detail and ability to relate those details to the big picture.
Jason has always been involved in his community through various boards and event committees. He is a former senator of the University of Saskatchewan, inaugural president of the Aurora Condominium Corporation, and often volunteers at major local sporting events.
Jill completed her Bachelors of Regional and Urban Planning from the University of Saskatchewan.
While a student, she discovered a passion for engagement and social change. She was able to work on projects based around communities, their history, and their future needs. She was published for her work on the impact of culture in a community.
Having worked internationally for the past several years, Jill has expanded upon and gained experience rooted in adaptation and innovation. Being back in Saskatchewan, she is inspired to bring her skills and work with local and Canadian businesses.
Job Titles:
- Engagement Consultant & Proposal Editor
With more 15 years' experience writing reports, proposals, website copy, email newsletters, social media posts, and educational resources and shareable lesson plans, Kathleen is highly knowledgeable in crafting content for any type of audience.
Prior to joining Praxis, Kathleen ran her own freelance copywriting and web design business, collaborating with US design studios to co-design and write for more than 85 conversion-friendly websites for small business owners and non-profit organizations worldwide. She helped clients develop and implement digital and content strategy by identifying their current and future business needs through brand messaging interviews and copywriting training.
Kathleen holds a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Toronto and has lived in 7 countries and has taught in international, public and private schools. She gained valuable international experience and knowledge in effective strategies for engaging students and achieving learning outcomes.
Job Titles:
- Consulting Projects Manager
Ken brings a passion for bringing out the potential in people working together, to build stronger organizations and richer communities.
He has over 20 years' experience in the organizational development field, working in a number of public sector organizations and with a variety of clients in diverse fields. During his career, he has served as the Executive Director of Organizational Effectiveness within the Saskatchewan public service. Ken has also taught on organizational leadership and effectiveness at the university level, and has worked internationally to build the organizational capacity of public services.
Ken brings particular expertise and experience in the areas of: process design & facilitation; organizational design; strategic planning; organizational/workplace diagnosis and intervention; leadership and work team development; organizational culture development; change management; conflict resolution and mediation; and training facilitation in various subjects in the area of personal and organizational effectiveness.
He has also qualified/certified in a number of change management, psychometric and personal effectiveness methodologies and tools.
In addition to his consulting work, Ken serves on the boards of a number of non-profit community organizations.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Deputy Minister, Resource Management and Compliance Division, Ministry of Environment
Praxis has been instrumental in helping PAS build an effective vision and evergreen strategic plan for an environment rife with opportunity, change and challenge. I feel very strongly that working with Praxis over the years has strengthened our organization in ways that we would not have achieved without them.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of TEC Canada
- Consulting Associate
Larry Hiles has long played a key role in the growth of Saskatchewan's economy through his work in economic development, manufacturing, finance, and participation on many boards and committees.
Larry has a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, supplemented by a Fellowship from the Institute of Canadian Bankers (FICB), has his Certified Director (C.Dir.) status as a graduate of the Directors College, and his CMC designation (Certified Management Consultant). Larry's career has given him executive experience in agricultural and commercial banking, manufacturing, economic development, tourism and non-profit organizations. Larry has also been very active in board governance, having Chaired organizations such as Information Services Corporation of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, Saskatchewan Economic Development Association, Regina Palliative Care Inc., and Springboard West Innovations Inc.
Currently, Larry is a Chair for TEC Canada (The Executive Committee) in Regina, is an Associate with Praxis Consulting, and manages the Centre for Management Development in the Faculty of Business Administration - University of Regina. Before joining TEC Canada, Praxis and the University of Regina, Larry was President & CEO of Regina Regional Opportunities Commission, and prior to that Regina Regional Economic Development Authority. Larry was also a CFO for Doepker Industries, and worked for CIBC for 25 years, concluding his career there as the Bank's senior representative in Saskatchewan and with responsibility for commercial banking.
Larry's experiences have given him a deep understanding of how business and the economy works. He is known for his ability to provide strategic insight into business issues and provide leadership in strategy development, risk management, governance, communications, financial structuring and management, and organizational design, all of which have positioned him well for his current roles as a consultant and coach.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Aboriginal Friendship Centres of Saskatchewan
Cowessess First Nation continues to decolonize our governance structure and Praxis has played a key role in strategic planning and board governance mentality - both important components to growing a progressive governance structure.
Job Titles:
- Associate, Senior Social Scientist, Golder Associates Ltd, Calgary
Marj has significant experience in developing and implementing corporate and project communications strategies that include branding, events, public relations, issues management, change management, media relations, governance and board support, labour relations, and employee communications.
Marj has worked in public, private and co-operative sectors in industries as diverse as retail, telecommunications, finance, regulatory, education, and health care. Her portfolios have included strategic planning, communications, public relations, advertising, and human resources.
Comprehensive and successful communications strategies that take a view of the big picture and focus on the details are Marj's passion. She asks questions and listens to the client to understand the internal and external organizational environment; the stakeholders and customers involved and impacted; trending issues, challenges, and opportunities; and the direction or objectives for the desired outcome.
Marj's strengths include working collaboratively and cooperatively, developing teams of professionals inside and outside an organization to create and deliver successful results. Marj has also extended her skills to events, non-profit organizations and served on the board of directors of the University of Regina Alumni Association and Sherwood Co-op.
She has taught courses for the Public Relations Certificate at the University of Regina Centre for Continuing Education, as well as, she currently serves on the board of the Regina Public Library.
From the time the proposal was presented to conduct our Provincial Infrastructure Feasibility Study, Praxis was knowledgeable, compassionate and professional. Their unwavering desire to truly help the Urban Indigenous People succeed came across throughout many community meetings and during the presentation of final studies that really told our story. They captured the essence of the work we needed to show and did so with true openness, charisma and class. The Praxis team that worked with us will forever be part of our Friendship Centre Family moving forward.
Nancy is a skilled PMP-certified Project Manager with a strong background in IT project management and quality assurance, bringing a structured approach to planning, executing, and delivering projects efficiently.
Nancy has extensive project management experience in industries such as Oil & Gas, ERP, Finance, E-commerce, Automobile, Travel, Telecom, and Health. With strong leadership skills, Nancy has led cross-functional teams and facilitated Agile ceremonies such as sprint planning, backlog grooming, and retrospectives. Her ability to manage stakeholder expectations, mitigate risks, and ensure timely delivery has contributed to the success of multiple high-impact projects. Nancy has also played a key role in software quality assurance, ensuring the seamless integration and deployment of IT solutions. Her expertise in Agile, Hybrid, and Waterfall methodologies allows her to effectively manage project lifecycles, optimize team collaboration, and drive successful project outcomes.
Having worked in both international and local markets, Nancy understands the importance of cultural adaptability and effective communication. Now based in Saskatchewan, she applies her expertise to support businesses in achieving their strategic objectives and delivering value-driven solutions.
Job Titles:
- Environment Advisory Committee - Citizen Member
Salina takes care of all things financial for Praxis. She has more than 30 years experience in management accounting, financial control systems and not for profit governance.
Salina began her career in London, England but decided to return to her roots in Saskatchewan. Working for 30 years for the Sask Sport group of companies (ultimately as the Chief Financial Officer) Salina had the scope to indulge her enthusiasm for functional system design and promoting excellence in not for profit governance. During her tenure at Sask Sport Salina designed and delivered workshops on non-profit governance and implementing financial controls, supervised the provision of bookkeeping services and audit preparation for dozens of non profits, and contributed to the design and accountability of grant programs administered to thousands of organizations large and small, while also overseeing all financial aspects of Sask Sport and its five subsidiary corporations.
With a passion for Business Strategy, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Technology. Sal has broad experience within the private sector and public sector, and specializes in business planning and tech-integration.
Through these positions, Sal has gained knowledge in government and corporate processes, Regional Development, Tech Ecosystem building, Wealth management and Capital Markets.
This combination of experience led Salmaan to founding the first personal finance Fintech start up in Regina. Which focuses on providing Financial Literacy and Financial Empowerment to the Next Generation of Canadian consumers. Salmaan's diverse experiences provides a strong understanding of the challenges and issues facing small businesses specifically regarding Tech and Entrepreneurship.
Salmaan was awarded the CBC Future 40 under 40 award at the young age of 17, for his work in promoting Youth Entrepreneurship.
Siham is currently pursuing her PhD in Experimental and Applied Psychology at the University of Regina.
With a particular interest in developmental economics as well as economic theory, Spencer completed a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of Regina.
Spencer was brought on as a research analyst while at university which allowed him to gain experience in the economic processes of both Saskatchewan and Canada as a whole.
During his time as a Research Assistant for SJ research services, Spencer assisted with the completion of dozens of projects, primarily through the creation of reports utilizing relevant data. His experience ranges from short- and long-form report writing as well as data aggregation and distillation. As a student, Spencer acted as the Executive Vice President of the Economic Student Association, a role which required significant communication skills to allow for items to be passed from faculty to the student body. Spencer also volunteers as a little league coach for the Kiwanis Little League.
Stephen Johnson holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Masters of Economics from the University of Saskatchewan and has had over 20 years of experience with development and use of economic impact models for the Federal and Provincial Governments and for private sector clients.
He has been the principal of SJ Research Services Inc. for the past 15 years. Stephen authored the province's Strategic Sector and Industrial Cluster studies in the 1990's and has developed provincial and territorial models for five provinces, two territories and several sub-provincial economic impact models.
Stephen has successfully completed over 100 economic impact and demographic projection projects including environmental impact assessments for fifteen oil sand developments, six potash mines, two nuclear reactors, and three arctic mines. He has also developed numerous models for most major provincial events over the past several years.
His work experience includes the provincial and national statistics agencies, economic development, housing, health, and gaming.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer, Regina Hotel Association
A big thank you to the Stephen Johnson and the Praxis team for delivering on-time, within budget, and even throwing in some extra development under their fixed-price model. Stephen was professional, efficient and a pleasure to work with. The attention to detail in the complex intricacies of the economic and input-output accounts is second to none.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Leader
- Founder and CEO of Saskatchewan
Valerie is the founder and CEO of Saskatchewan-based Praxis Consulting. As an entrepreneur, Val has successfully built Saskatchewan's largest management consulting firm by bringing together a high performing and multi-generational team of intelligent consultants and analysts.
Val is a leader in the consulting profession, currently serving as an evaluator of management consultant institutes around the globe. In the past, Val has displayed a commitment to the advancement of her profession by serving as President of the Saskatchewan Institute of Certified Management Consultants, a board member of CMC-Canada, and a lead Canadian Trustee to CMC International.
Job Titles:
- Communications Coach
- Consulting Associate
Virginia has nearly 30 years experience in leading corporate communications, stakeholder relations, and public relations initiatives for a range of public and private sector organizations.
She is a strategic thinker and leader who has a solid background in the development of communications, public relations and stakeholder relations initiatives focused on achieving targeted outcomes.
Virginia is a communications coach, who has worked with senior executives, senior leadership teams and front-line managers for nearly 15 years.
She is also a former journalist who began her career in print and television, working in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and free-lancing stories to national news television programs. Her journalistic background enables her to brings a focus on audiences, messaging and story-telling to all of her roles.
As a communications executive, Virginia has worked in both the public and private sectors, in areas such as health care, social programming, innovation, education, and many others.
She has extensive experience in corporate communications, issues management, public relations, event management, government relations, internal communications, media relations, and corporate writing, and she is passionate about enabling organizations to achieve their targeted outcomes through strategy and an understanding of audiences and messaging.
Virginia volunteers her time with a number of non-profit arts organizations and currently sits on the boards of Do It With Class Young People's Theatre, and the Cecilian Chamber Series.