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FHL TeamBoard of Mentors

Everyone on the lab team is at the top of their game, with decades of experience at the intersection of sport, innovation, equity, and system change. United by a passion for social and system change, working across the country, they bring a rich diversity of perspectives developed across industries, cultures, and geography.

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Amy Walsh

CEO & Co-founder

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Amy Walsh

CEO, Future of Hockey Lab

In 2020 Amy co-founded the Future of Hockey Lab (“FHL”). The FHL partners with diverse groups and leading organizations to create, test and scale innovative ideas that transform the sport’s culture. Initially hosted by Hockey Nova Scotia and powered by Bauer, Scotiabank, Hockey Canada and Jumpstart, it is understood to be the first of its kind in the world.

The lab was inspired by three core bodies of work that Amy spearheaded when she was executive director of Hockey Nova Scotia from 2018 - 2022, including the Hockey Nova Scotia Diversity & Inclusion Task Force. This was a key part of a comprehensive response to past and present incidents of racism, discrimination and inequities in hockey and resulted in hundreds of recommendations, mostly from first voice experiences on how to make the game safer and more welcoming for all.

A strong believer in sport for social change, Amy also assembled a pan-provincial team to create the Players Journey, a human-centered design process that mapped the full experience of a hockey player, including identifying the reasons players leave the game, barriers to access, as well as opportunities to increase participation and improve the overall player experience.

Amy also chaired the Women’s Worlds Legacy Development Committee, initially in preparation for Nova Scotia to host the 2021 IIHF Women's World Championships and ultimately a comprehensive plan to grow the female game.

She is the past chair of the Hockey Canada Diversity & Inclusion Task Team and served on the Canadian Junior Hockey League Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Currently she is a member of the NHL & NHLPA Female Hockey Advisory Committee.

Amy was previously the director of sport development with Sport Nova Scotia where she led a team of 16 staff charged with the growth and sustainability of quality sport experiences for all Nova Scotians. This required strong collaboration with over 55 provincial sport organizations, thousands of community sport groups, and a host of aligned industry partners.

Amy is the mother of three boys, a former minor hockey coach and a longtime volunteer. As a decorated amateur multi-sport athlete, she was a member of provincial teams for speed skating, field hockey and ice hockey, and excelled as a university hockey player.

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Carolyn Townsend

Co-founder

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Carolyn Townsend

Co-founder, Future of Hockey Lab

Carolyn is a facilitator, coach and change-maker, principal owner of Alongside Strategy & Innovation, and co-founder of the Future of Hockey Lab.

Carolyn spent most of her career as an agency consultant providing strategic counsel and thought leadership to senior executives across diverse organizations including: IWK Health Centre, QE11 Health Sciences Centre, ExxonMobil Canada, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia Community College, Home Depot Canada, Stanfield's, Coca Cola, Michelin North America, Business Development Bank of Canada, the United Way of Canada, and all levels of government.

Prior to starting her own company, Carolyn served on the leadership team of Nova Scotia’s sport federation serving 55 provincial sport organizations, where she oversaw brand and strategic relations. She developed a series of award-winning campaigns designed to educate and shift behaviour, creating unprecedented engagement and collaboration with community and paving the way for her leadership of a movement designed to explore more equitable systems for sport & rec delivery.

Carolyn has lived and worked in London, England and Auckland, New Zealand. She holds a Bachelor of Public Relations, is a community coach and active volunteer, and a member of the Federation of Foster Families of Nova Scotia.

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Alex Ryan

Innovation Lead

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Alex Ryan

Innovation Lead

Alex Ryan is the CEO of Synthetikos, a boutique global consultancy based in Toronto that helps transformational leaders to shift systems. He previously led partner solutions at MaRS, helping government and corporate partners accelerate the adoption of innovation in their organizations, markets and cities with a focus on youth employment, energy transition and tech stewardship. 

Alex is an Executive in Residence with the Business Design Initiative at Rotman and teaches strategy, foresight and design at the Canadian Forces College. Alex is co-founder of Alberta CoLab, the first provincial government innovation lab in Canada. As a consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton, Alex previously helped introduce operational and strategic design into the U.S. Army. 

Alex holds a PhD from the University of Adelaide in applied mathematics. His dissertation advanced a multidisciplinary approach to complex systems design.

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Denise Withers

Communications Lead

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Denise Withers

Communications Lead

Denise Withers has been using stories to make change for 35 years, as a storyteller, strategist and coach.

After launching her career as a whitewater filmmaker, she worked as a stringer for TSN, before joining the TV crew at the Calgary Olympics to produce 39 hockey games in 13 days. Recognizing the power of the mass media to influence behaviour and culture, she spent the next 20 years writing and directing over 200 documentaries for Discovery, CBC and other networks. Her award-winning work inspired millions to take action on issues from human rights to acid rain.

When reality TV wiped out the documentary market, Denise shifted her focus to social innovation, combining storytelling with systems change tools to help leaders discover new ways to research, test and scale ideas for change.

Since then, she's worked with foundations, governments, universities and non-profits to co-found four innovation labs, including one at UBC's business school. Together, she and her clients have done things like reduce chronic disease among South Asians, improve human rights in Peru, re-imagine higher education in Ontario and inspire climate action across municipalities. In 2018, Denise moved to Vancouver Island to help two National Geographic photographers launch an ocean conservation non-profit, doubling their revenue, reach and impact in less than a year.

These days, she works as a narrative strategist and certified coach for global innovators. After enjoying a 20-year amateur hockey career that culminated in a bronze medal at the Americas Masters Games, she now spends her spare time curling, kayaking and hiking the wet coast with her dogs. She also serves as a Board Trustee for CPAWS, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.

Like many of her peers, Denise has spent much of her life fighting for equity at work and in sports – and is thrilled to be able to share her expertise and experience to support the FHL in its mission.

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Pawrnaa Perinpanayagam

Social Media Consultant

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Pawrnaa Perinpanayagam

Social Media Consultant

With a background in marketing across healthcare, non-profits, and small businesses, Pawrnaa specializes in leading campaigns that boost brand visibility and engagement. She's particularly proud of her recent equity work with ODEN—the Ontario Disability Employment Network. 

As a lifelong hockey fan and equity advocate, Pawrnaa's excited to bring her social media expertise to the Future of Hockey Lab, to shape the conversation around equity in hockey and drive innovation to get more women and girls into the game. 

Outside of work, she's either sipping tea while binge-watching true crime, getting in some Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, or hitting the dance floor. Oh, and she loves being an MC for events—making people laugh is kind of her thing!

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Braelin Rowe

Technology Lead - Open Ice Project

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Braelin Rowe

Technology Lead - Open Ice project

Braelin has built her career at the crossroads of sport and technology, driving the adoption of cutting-edge software and hardware solutions in sport environments worldwide. She has worked with prestigious organizations, including the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committees, Gatorade, Sport Singapore, and Hockey Canada, helping them enhance performance and efficiency using various data sources.

Currently, Braelin plays a key role in Business Development at the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub, where she collaborates with private and public sector partners to foster and define innovative projects that transform healthcare in the province. Previously, Braelin spent six years with Kinduct and one year at VALD, human performance technology companies, where she managed enterprise initiatives and innovation projects from ideation through to delivery.

In her spare time, Braelin can be found on the volleyball court or seeking new adventures in nature—whether it’s cycling through scenic trails, paddling along tranquil waters, or exploring hidden gems on foot.

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Lindsey MacIntosh

Research and Community Lead - Open Ice Project

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Lindsey

Lindsey MacIntosh

Research and Community Lead - Open Ice Project

Lindsey has a Bachelor of Arts Communities Studies (BACS) degree as well as an MBA in Community Economic Development (concentration in Strategic Leadership) from Cape Breton University (CBU). She also holds a certificate in Project Management from Dalhousie University.

Lindsey's previous roles include oversight of the design, build and management of a four-season resort in Nova Scotia, General Manager, Business Operations in the Canadian Hockey League and teaching in the Sport and Physical Activity Leadership program at CBU.

Heavily involved in community sport research, Lindsey is a member of the Community Active Sport Training and Learning (CoASTaL) Lab, a volunteer board director with the Port of Sydney as well as Cromarty Tennis Club, and sits on the advisory committee for Destination Cape Breton.

Lindsey is a former varsity basketball player who has found new love with golf and tennis. She also coaches girls' hockey and boys' basketball.

Originally from Barrie, Ontario, Lindsey and her family have chosen to make Cape Breton home.

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Fabian Bong

Data Scientist - Open Ice Project

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Fabian Bong

Data Scientist - Open Ice Project

Fabian recently completed his Master’s in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, where he focused on analyzing complex biological systems. During his education, he got to thinking: What if I applied the same principles of bioinformatics to hockey? So, during his degree, Fabian found the time to develop a real-time model to predict NHL game outcomes. 

In his current role, Fabian's bringing his data A-game to our Open Ice Project to help us find new ways to optimize ice access and create equity in hockey. As an avid hockey player and die-hard Halifax Mooseheads fan, Fabian brings not only his technical expertise but also first-hand experience of the challenges we’re addressing at Future of Hockey Lab to his work.

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Kathy Powell

Operations Support

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Kathy Powell

Operations Support

Kathy Powell is an integral member of the Future of Hockey Lab team, bringing a rich background in education and youth hockey management. A graduate of the University of Delaware with a Bachelor’s in Education, Kathy began her career teaching junior high math in Maryland before getting married and moving to Halifax, NS.

From 2002 to 2005, she worked as an event planner but shifted focus to raise her two boys. Both played hockey from U7 to U18, and Kathy managed their Chebucto minor hockey teams from 2010 on, serving as VP of Administration for three years. She helped launch the Junior Coaching Hockey Program and also managed the Nova Scotia U15 Major Gulls team for the 2021-22 season. Currently, she co-manages the Citadel High School Hockey Team.

Outside of hockey, Kathy enjoys walking her dog, practicing yoga, and hitting the gym. She is deeply committed to her family and the hockey community and excited to see what the future brings for both.

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