Conference Speakers

General Rick Hillier is a Canadian army officer who served as the Chief of the Defence Staff, the top-ranking officer in the Canadian military, from 2005 to 2008. Throughout his career, General Hillier has had the privilege and pleasure of commanding troops from the platoon to multi-national formation level within Canada, Europe, Asia and the United States. He has worked as a staff officer in several headquarters, first at the Army level in Montreal and later at the strategic level in Ottawa.

Hillier was recently appointed as Chair of the Strategic Advisory Council by the Ukrainian World Congress where he offers support and advocacy for the Ukraine’s defence militia and is an advisor the military side where the council can be of support or assistance. As part of this role, General Hillier is championing the #UniteWithUkraine campaign, which has been helping procure non-lethal protective equipment for Ukrainians since shortly after the war began. Hillier’s skills and experience in international diplomacy, defence, procurement, intelligence, logistics, communications, law and fundraising will support the civilian defenders in Ukraine’s Territorial Defence Force.

In 2024, Hillier is championing a new initiative – Heroes Among Us.

“We want to tell the stories of those heroes who line every road we take. We will do so with stories in the National Post, online distribution with Historica Canada, and every other avenue available to tell their stories. Inspire Canadians, new and old, young and mature, Indigenous and the newest immigrants. Let them be inspired by the incredible examples of service to our nation, to our ideals and for causes that are worthy of risking — and sometimes losing — your life. By doing so, we not only pay tribute to their sacrifices but also reinforce the values that define us as a nation.”

In late November 2021, Premier Doug Ford announced that General Hillier would chair the province’s task force coordinating the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines from their arrival through delivery to health units to distribution to Ontario residents. Hillier implemented the COVID-19 immunization program using his logistical expertise and insight to help develop a vaccine distribution plan and navigate the many challenges getting infrastructure in place to ensure the success of Ontario’s vaccination program. 

Born in Newfoundland and Labrador, General Rick Hillier joined the Canadian Forces as soon as he could. Having enrolled in the Canadian Forces in 1973 through the Regular Officer Training Plan program, he graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science Degree. After completing his armour officer classification training, he joined his first regiment, the 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise’s) in Petawawa, Ontario. Subsequently, he served with, and later commanded, the Royal Canadian Dragoons in Canada and Germany.

In 1998 General Hillier was appointed as the first Canadian Deputy Commanding General of III Corps, US Army in Fort Hood, Texas. In 2000 he took command of NATO’s Stabilization Force’s (SFOR) Multinational Division (Southwest) in Bosnia-Herzegovina. In May 2003 General Hillier was appointed as Commander of the Army and subsequently, in October 2003, he was selected as the Commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul, Afghanistan. General Hillier was promoted to his present rank and assumed duties as the Chief of the Defence Staff on 4 February 2005.  

He retired from the Canadian Forces in July 2008, and was subsequently appointed as chancellor of Memorial University of Newfoundland. In 2009, Hillier co-founded Project Hero, a scholarship program for the children of Canadian Forces personnel killed while on active military duty.

Dan Comiskey played in the Canadian Football League for 13 seasons retiring in 2010 as a perennial all-star, but more importantly to him, as part of two Grey Cup Championships with the Edmonton Eskimos.

Throughout the last half of his career, Dan Comiskey became passionate about workers’ safety and started developing leadership and behavioural programs that were used by major oil and gas, construction, and manufacturing companies. These programs included classroom leadership training as a field-level leadership coaching program designed to improve leadership and safety culture.

Dan Comiskey has co-authored several books including The Truth About Success, Enduring Principles of Leadership, and Thirty-Eight Stories in Coaching. He is currently working on his next book, The Alignment Paradigm.

There is no audience that Dan Comiskey is unable to reach, from frontline workers or leadership groups at safety meetings to mixed audience conferences. With a combination of twenty years of experience in football and a decade of experience in industrial safety, Dan has become sought after by numerous organizations to deliver his message and improve the safety culture through his leadership coaching.

Award-winning journalist Linda Olsen is a proud, born-and-raised Calgarian who has been a prominent figure in the broadcast news landscape for decades. A familiar face and trusted voice, she has shared the stories of her hometown and beyond since graduating from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in 1988.

Linda recently retired from Global News Calgary after a remarkable 36-year career as a journalist and host. She brings extensive experience as a senior news anchor, reporter, and community advocate, dedicating her career to highlighting the important and inspiring work being done in Calgary.

Throughout her career, Linda has served as a host, emcee, and keynote speaker for numerous charitable events.  She also hosted and produced Global Calgary’s Woman of Vision series, which for 15 years celebrated inspirational women in the community through monthly television features and Calgary Herald columns—culminating in an annual gala luncheon on International Women’s Day.

A passionate ambassador and advocate for the community, Linda serves on the board of the Calgary Children’s Foundation. She has also served on Parks Foundation Calgary’s Building Communities Advisory Committee, and as an honorary board member of Believe in the Gold, a local children’s cancer charity.

Linda is honoured to have been selected as Co-Chair for United Way of Calgary and Area’s 2025 campaign. She is proud to have received an Honorary Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from SAIT in 2015, SAIT’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2022, and the Honorary Fellow Award from St. Mary’s University in Calgary in 2020.

Steve Clark
UAS & CBRNe Specialist / Emergency Management Professional / Fire Captain and RPAS Program Lead - Hamilton Fire Department

Steve Clark is a fire department captain and emergency management specialist with extensive experience in hazardous materials response, drone operations, and international disaster relief. He has led major fire service and special operations initiatives, including developing one of Canada’s first 24/7 fire department drone programs and supporting overseas disaster deployments with Global Medic.

An active facilitator with GHD and internationally published speaker, he brings advanced fire service training and certifications in incident safety, hazardous material response, and drone piloting.

Michael Fears, BA, MA, ABD PhD | CRSP
Safety Guy, Root Cause Investigator, Speaker, Instructor

Michael Fears is a recovering academic – though he still occasionally uses words like “ontology” in casual conversation. With over 30 years in post-secondary education, he has taught and researched in Calgary, Ottawa, and Moscow, before trading lecture halls for hard hats and hazard assessments. For the past 20+ years, Michael has been deeply embedded in the world of occupational health and safety, meddling in multiple sectors including education, health care, industrial production, oil and gas servicing, and construction. A TapRooT® lead investigator and COR auditor, Michael is known for his methodical approach to incident analysis and his ability to ask the one question nobody else thought of (or were hesitant to ask).

He currently volunteers on an examination committee for the Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals (BCRSP), helping ensure that Canada’s future safety leaders experience the same certification test anxiety as other professionals. Despite his many volunteer roles and speaking engagements, Michael still works full-time as a senior health and safety manager with a national engineering firm, where he continues to develop a “safety culture” and kicks out the occasional last-minute, coffee-fueled program updates.

Speaker: TBC
Emergency Response Advisor
CANUTEC

Dr. Danielle "Dani"  Murphy
Principal Mechanical and Forensic Engineer
WHA International

Dr. Danielle “Dani” Murphy leads WHA International’s hydrogen service group and is a member of the US Department of Energy Hydrogen Safety Panel. Dani specializes in hazardous fluids safety and combustion science. She received her PhD in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Chemical Engineering from Colorado School of Mines.

Prior to working for WHA, Dani performed research on hydrogen infrastructure and production technologies and also worked as a forensic engineer investigating the cause and origin of fires and explosions. She is a Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI).

At WHA, Dani conducts failure analysis investigations, provides technical training, and performs and participates in hazards analysis and design reviews. She also provides consulting and custom testing services for hydrogen and hydrogen blended gas systems in a variety of applications including chemical processes, transportation, electrolyzers, fuel cells, and novel hydrogen systems and applications. Dani also pursues and leads research projects to understand and fill gaps in the current hydrogen technology safe handling practices.

Nicole Segstro
Director of Business Development, STARS 

Over her 17-year career with STARS, Nicole has focused on developing and delivering products that help organizations navigate complex and evolving safety requirements. She leads STARS Vigilant, the social enterprise division of STARS Air Ambulance, which provides proactive health and safety solutions to organizations across Canada. Since 2012, Nicole has worked closely with Emergency Response Assistance Canada (ERAC) and its stakeholders to ensure plan participants receive world‑class emergency response, using advanced Geospatial Information Systems to facilitate hazardous materials responses. Through collaboration and innovation, she has helped strengthen the partnership between STARS Vigilant and ERAC, advancing safe and efficient transportation of dangerous goods.  

Jeff Sych 
Registered Psychologist
Alberta Critical Incident Peer Network

 Jeff Sych is a registered psychologist who has dedicated his private practice to the wellbeing and recovery of those whose professions have an increase likelihood of exposure to traumatic events through their line of work.  

Jeff is trained in the assessment and delivery of evidence-based treatment of mental health conditions that arise out of service-related exposures. He is a sought-after speaker on the topic of building psychological resistant and resiliency to psychological injuries.  

Jeff is engaged in conducting research, funded through government grants, in collaboration with the University of Regina, University of Alberta, and Brandon University. The focus of the research is on different aspects of delivering mental wellness programs and their effectiveness with public safety personnel.  

Jeff is an ICISF Approved Instructor for both Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) peer support courses “Assisting Individuals in Crisis” and “Group Crisis Intervention.” He is the clinical director of seven CISM teams: first responder, hospital and corporate-based. He provides expert consultation on mental wellness initiatives, CISM team development and functioning and participates directly in CISM interventions.

Over the past eight (8) years Jeff has trained 3,300 front-line public safety personnel, 150 leaders in emergency services, and 500 healthcare-based staff in CISM Peer Support. He has been instrumental in establishing the Alberta Critical Incident Provincial Network (ACIPN): a 24/7 peer led/peer driven network of trained peers who can provide evidence-informed peer support to those members impacted by the traumatic experiences they are exposed to during the routine course of their operational duties. Membership in the ACIPN has grown to over 160 organizations, including healthcare, search and rescue, emergency medical staff, fire services, and protective services.  

Jeff was the Clinical Director of the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) – Canada from May 2019 to 2025 and was the recipient of “The International Critical Incident Stress Foundation’s Co-Founder Award of Excellence in Crisis Intervention and Disaster Management.” Jeff currently sits on committees with the Canadian Institute of Public Safety Treatment & Research.