Janelle Joseph is an internationally recognized and award-winning storyteller and scholar committed to disseminating knowledge about wellbeing, recreation, and equity. Dr. Joseph is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Racial Justice, Health, and Sport and is the Founder and Director of the IDEAS Research Lab, which has produced over $4.5 million in research grant funding. As an Associate Professor at Brock University situated at the intersection of Black Studies, Health Sciences, and Sport Management, Dr. Joseph’s research enables storytelling about uninhibited joy, abiding colonialism, and steadfast resistance of racialized peoples.

Hossam Khedr is a dedicated community leader in the sport for development sector, widely recognized for using soccer to drive social inclusion and empower marginalized populations. As the Founder and CEO of the Canadian Street Soccer Association (CSSA), he successfully reintegrated Canada into the Homeless World Cup network, leading the national team at the 2025 tournament in Oslo after a decade-long absence. His extensive grassroots experience includes serving as Board Chairman of the Muslim Youth Soccer League (MYSL), founding AccessKix for individuals with disabilities, and initiating a soccer program with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) to address addiction and homelessness. Hossam holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Windsor, bringing strong management expertise and a profound commitment to community impact.

Marika Anthony-Shaw is a musician and strategist working at the intersection of culture, philanthropy, and public engagement. She is the Founder and CEO of PLUS1, a nonprofit she launched in 2014 to help artists engage meaningfully with the causes they care about. Under her leadership, PLUS1 has partnered with more than 400 artists — including Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Tyler, The Creator, and Noah Kahan — directing over $35 million to community-based organizations worldwide.

Before founding PLUS1, Marika spent nine years as a violist with the Grammy Award–winning band Arcade Fire, where she also helped shape the band’s approach to advocacy and community engagement. She studied music at McGill University, is a trustee of Partners In Health and a former fellow of the Aspen Institute.
Marika is a frequent speaker on culture, philanthropy, and social impact, with appearances at SXSW, the Sundance Film Festival, Pollstar, Canadian Music Week and the Forbes Under 30 Summit. Through her work, she is redefining what it means to lead with purpose in entertainment, showing that even one dollar at a time can create meaningful change.

Shireen Ahmed is an award-winning multiplatform journalist, broadcaster, Senior Contributor with CBC Sports, a public speaker, and a Sports Activist focusing on the intersections of race and gender in sports. She is a global expert on Muslim women in Sports.

She is a 2019 TEDxToronto Speaker and is the national ambassador to Sakeenah Canada, an organization that offers essential services to women and families who have survived violence.

She has lectured and presented her work and research at a number of post-secondary institutions and organizations in Canada, Australia, the United States and Europe.

Shireen’s passion for sports, politics and women’s issues has been recognized by Sports Media for its candid discussions. Her work has been featured and discussed in The Guardian, TIME magazine, Sports Illustrated, The Walrus, Football Weekly, Racialicious, Chatelaine, The National Post, espnW, Globe and Mail, MSNBC, Democracy Now! and TRT World. Shireen’s work was published in Best Canadian Sports Writing 2017. Her expertise is sought after by a host of international news outlets. In 2021, her academic work was published in Sports Media Vectors: Gender and Diversity, Reconstructing the Field.

She is part of the team of women who create the Burn It All Down podcast. The first feminist sports podcast that analyzes sports and sports culture from an intersectional feminist lens.

Shireen holds a Master of Arts degree with a specialty in Media Production. She currently teaches Journalism and Sport Media at Toronto Metropolitan University.