Chief Kids Officer and Founder of Kids Now, a national charitable organization mentoring youth through free, extracurricular, in-school group programs in communities across Canada. As a teacher, I knew that grades 7 and 8 are pivotal in a child’s life, and saw the need and opportunity to empower this age group through mentoring. Since I started with one pilot program in the late 1990s, Kids Now volunteers have mentored over 35,000 kids, several of whom are now themselves Kids Now mentors. Driven by my vision and hands-on work ethic, Kids Now helps youth realize their true potential regardless of socio-economic status, ethnicity, gender, or physical, developmental or communication challenges. I received my B.A. (Psychology) and B.Ed. from the University of Western Ontario, followed by a three-year assignment in Europe, including at the International School of Brussels in Belgium and at the American International School in Vienna. Over the years, I have been invited to speak at conferences and universities across Canada, and have been nominated for numerous honours, including YWCA Women of Distinction Award, Caldwell Partners Top 40 Under 40, Women of Influence Award, the Ashoka Fellowship, and the Conference Board of Canada and Royal Bank Partnership Award, and was a finalist for the Canada Post Literacy Award.Kids Now was a top finalist for the 2003 Peter F. Drucker Award for Canadian Non-profit Innovation.