Stephanie Chen is currently a member of HRPA Toronto's Social Media team and along with three other people she administers the HRPA Toronto's social media outlets. She is passionate about helping people be happier at work. Stephanie likes to increase efficiency and productivity at the workplace, and strives to motivate people at work to be the best they can be. Stephanie is an HR Generalist at Jardine Lloyd Thompson (JLT) Canada. If you are interested in efficiency, motivation or social media, come chat with Stephanie.

Marni Johnson President – Workplace Communication & Diversity Inc. Marni Johnson is passionate about helping people in organizations communicate effectively and work harmoniously together. For several years, she has had the pleasure of working with over 400 organizations in a number of sectors. Marni has designed and delivered training in the areas of Diversity and Inclusion, Unconscious Bias, Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention (Bill 168), and many other critical topics. As a facilitator, Marni has helped companies align their human resource practices to the goals and visions of the organization. She was asked to be a subject matter expert in the TVOntario video series, “Managing Diversity” and was involved in the revision of the book “Human Rights at Work” for the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

Marni has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western University and a Bachelor of Education degree from Toronto. In addition she has a certificate in Diversity Training from the American Institute for Managing Diversity in Chicago. Recently Marni completed a course in Cross Cultural Communication at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Over the last few years she has been a presenter at several Canadian and international conferences. Marni was a guest lecturer in the Faculty of Urban Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge Massachusetts where her topic was Gender Diversity in the North American Workplace.

From 2003 to 2014, Marni served on the Board of Directors for the Halo Foundation, an organization that provides funding to not-for-profit companies and charities who work with youth at risk.

Ellen Low is an employment lawyer who knows what it takes to “go the distance.” As a marathon runner and former varsity rugby player, Ellen knows the value of working as a team and that hard work, dedication, and preparation are the keys to success in any endeavour. She applies these principles in providing practical legal advice to employers and employees regarding workplace issues.

Ellen obtained her law degree from the University of Ottawa and spent part of her final year of law school participating in an international law project in Nairobi, Kenya.

Ellen was licensed to practice law in Ontario in 2008 after articling at a national law firm. She joined Whitten & Lublin PC to focus exclusively on employment law, human rights, and workplace issues.

Ellen has litigated on her clients’ behalf at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, the Ministry of Labour, and the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. She also frequently assists clients in navigating alternative dispute resolutions and negotiated settlements.

She was lead counsel in the controversial wrongful dismissal case Bland v. Canadian Farm Insurance Services Inc., 2012 ONSC 3021 (CanLII) as well as Jiwan v. Money Express POS Solutions Inc., 2012 O.J. No. 1616, an important case clarifying the law regarding pleading offers to settle.

Ellen’s employment-law articles and commentary have been published in the Canadian Human Rights Reporter, VIVA magazine, Canadian Employment Law Today, and Canadian Lawyer Magazine. She is a frequent guest speaker at the Canadian Payroll Association, Human Resources Professionals Association, and the Commons Institute.

Ellen provides advice to employers and employees in plain English on all aspects of employment law including: drafting and reviewing employment contracts, workplace policies, termination provisions, non-competition clauses and restrictive covenants, wrongful and constructive dismissal litigation, employment standards, workplace investigations, occupational health and safety issues as well as human rights in the workplace.

Stephen is a skilled advocate whose practice is focused on the representation of management in many areas of employment and labour law with particular emphasis on grievance arbitration, wrongful and constructive dismissal litigation, collective bargaining, applications for certification, and employment and labour issues in corporate restructuring and transactions. Stephen regularly writes for a variety of employment and labour law publications and speaks on his areas of expertise.

Stephen teaches and coaches Labour Arbitration at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law, appointed as an Adjunct Lecturer; serves as the Chair of the Human Resources Committee of the Board of Hillel Ontario and is a former Executive Committee and current Alumni Committee Member of the St. Michael's Hospital Young Leaders. He is also a member of the Canadian Bar Association, Ontario Bar Association (Labour & Employment, Civil Litigation, Constitutional, Civil Liberties, Human Rights, Pensions & Benefits, Insolvency, Young Lawyers), Advocates’ Society and Law Society of Upper Canada.

Stephen is a graduate of the Faculty of Law of University of Toronto and holds a Bachelor of Science, Honours Degree in Economics and Statistics from Dalhousie University. Stephen articled with Sherrard Kuzz LLP during which time he completed a secondment with the Ontario Labour Relations Board.

Jane is Head of People & Operations at Actionable.co, a tech start-up that helps organizations make learning sticky and measurable. Jane has worked in HR for 15 years in the private, public, and non-profit sectors, holding regional and national leadership roles. She is a long-time volunteer with the HRPA, and writes about HR, organizations, and people practices at TalentVanguard.com