Dubbed the “Official Statistician of the Creative Class”, Kevin Stolarick, PhD, combines a depth of knowledge with an appreciation of the importance of finding and sharing the knowledge or “pearls of wisdom” gained from his comprehensive understanding of the Creative Class and the Creative Economy.  He is the Research Director at The Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto.  He has held faculty positions at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and for over a decade worked with technology in the insurance industry as a manager of strategic projects.  He holds a PhD in Business Administration and an MBA from the Tepper School of Management, Carnegie Mellon University and a BS in Honors in Applied Computer Science from Illinois State University.  He has taught numerous courses in statistical analysis, Information Systems and Regional Economic Development.  His research interests include the relationship between firm performance and information technology and the impacts of technology, tolerance, talent, and quality of place on regional growth and prosperity.  Kevin provided quantitative research and analytical support for Richard Florida during the development of his books The Rise of the Creative Class, The Flight of the Creative Class, Who’s Your City and The Great Reset.  He continues in collaboration with Richard and others researchers.  This research includes primary development of measures, indicators, and benchmarking approaches with significant impact on the growth and development of the Creative Class theory.   He developed all updated indicators and measures for the paperback version of The Rise of the Creative Class, and continues to work on theoretical and measurement-based advances associated with the Creative Economy.  One of the few statistical analysts who has the complete works of Edward Tufte and Donald Norman on his shelves, Kevin presents informative, accessible and entertaining insights into the Creative Economy and the role of the Creative Class in increasing regional growth and prosperity.  Kevin is also the recipient of the Creative City Builder award, by Mayor David Miller, City of Toronto.

Dawn Hennessey

Senior Account Manager

Business Development Bank of Canada

Dawn Hennessey has been a Senior Account Manager for eight years at Business Development Bank of Canada with the responsibility to assist business clients seeking financing and consulting services within Peterborough and the greater Kawarthas region.  Prior to joining BDC, Dawn worked for Royal Bank of Canada for eight years and is an Honours graduate of McMaster University in Hamilton.  She enjoys working in the community  & has served on various boards including the Festival of Trees, committee member for 2010’s Bear’s Lair Business Competition and an active Chamber of Commerce member. Dawn and her family reside in the area and enjoy travelling and have an active lifestyle enjoying the amenities of this beautiful part of Ontario.

Rhonda Barnet 

Rhonda Barnet is a graduate of Trent University with a B.Sc. in Mathematics.  Since graduation Rhonda has spent the last 22 years working in the professional engineering sector of Ontario and Alberta. Rhonda began her career working with in the Finance department at Spectrum Engineering in Peterborough where she spent several years developing and running customized database applications to monitor profitability and time and material billings for the company.   The engineering department had their sights on her and paved the road for her promotion as a mathematical analyst working on contract in the nuclear industry.  Rhonda was one of the elite N12 team brought together from all over Ontario to work on site at Darlington and Bruce Generating Facilities to solve bundle cracking and pressure tube fretting.  Rhonda played a significant role in determining the factors and the solution.

Rhonda has spent the past 8 years as General Manager for Steelworks Design Inc where she manages the day to day operations as well as finance and business development portfolios. Here she manages a staff of 18 engineers, skilled trades and office administrators.  Rhonda has taken Steelworks Design from its original concept of servicing the automotive industry with custom automation, to a full-service R&D firm which is now sought after by researchers and inventors around North America.  Rhonda is actively expanding the company to include highly innovative projects from the energy, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, waste treatment and general manufacturing industries. At Steelworks Design, Rhonda has cultivated a dedicated team with a small-town work ethic, supported by a global vision. 

Rhonda has been a spokesperson for the “Made in Peterborough” campaign, as well as the Peterborough CFDC.  Rhonda has a strong affection for community collaboration and philanthropy.  In spring of 2008 Rhonda led a contingent of Peterborough business out to Alberta in to form a local collaboration on larger oil sands project.  Recently Rhonda has been working with the finance committee of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters and has been invited to Parliament in Ottawa with 9 major corporations for pre-budget discussions on the Federal SR&ED program.

Rhonda is married to Don Barnet, President and Founder of Steelworks Design Inc.  Rhonda and her husband have a blended family of 5 children.  When not caring for teenagers or tending to the tasks of running a corporation, Rhonda loves to sing with the Peterborough Singers or spend time in nature with her husband.  Rhonda has been a board member of the Peterborough Singers, Founding Board Member of the Old Millbrook School Family Centre, Trent University Math Society and is an active member of the Canadian Manufacturers Association.

Micheal Skinner

General Manager

OpenText Learning Solutions

On September 6th, 2011 Michael Skinner sold Operitel Corporation to OpenText.  OpenText™ is the world's largest independent provider of Enterprise Content Management software. The Company's solutions manage information for all types of business, compliance and industry requirements in the world's largest companies, government agencies and professional service firms. OpenText supports approximately 46,000 customers and millions of users in 114 countries and 12 languages.  Michael Skinner accepted the position of General Manager of the Learning Solutions Portfolio. Prior to the acquisition, Mr. Skinner was the president and CEO of Operitel and had guided Operitel through the many stages of corporate growth including seed investment, management team assembly, resource training, competitive research, product development, client adoption, product marketing, client support and retention. Mr. Skinner has also played an integral role in building the consulting services division by establishing Operitel as an Independent Software Vendor for Microsoft, as well as a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner.

In addition, Mr. Skinner coauthored the Chapter “Changing your LMS from hype to happiness” which has been published in the “Plan to Learn: Case studies in eLearning Project Management” and “eLearning Project Management: Canadian Perspective”. Mr. Skinner also coauthored two whitepapers on eLearning:  Effective Management of Distributed Educational Content and e-Commerce and e-Learning