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Eric Agyemang:
Eric Agyemang is an award-winning international trade professional with an extensive background in leading purposeful partnerships, and social impact driven initiatives. He works for Export Development Canada (EDC) as a Strategic Alliances Manager, where he leads EDC’s strategy with Canada’s leading national innovation hubs and startup networks. He focuses primarily on scaling technology startups as well as small and medium-sized enterprises going global.
Eric is also an accomplished board director, passionate community leader, and a champion for diversity, equity, and economic empowerment initiatives. He serves as the President of Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization (OCISO), a local non-profit providing comprehensive settlement and integration services to over 11,000 immigrants and refugees every year. Eric previously served on Algonquin College’s Board of Governors. He has volunteered extensively, both locally and internationally, for variety of non-profits, including Canada World Youth, and the Caring and Sharing Association (Ireland).
Eric has a Certificate in Sustainable Finance from the University of Cambridge, an MBA with a certificate in Social Impact from Queen’s University, an Honours Bachelor of Commerce specializing in International Management from the University of Ottawa, and an Advanced Business Administration diploma from Algonquin College. He is also a Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) as designated by the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT).
Clarecia Christie:
Clarecia Christie is a Certified International Trade Professional (CITP®) and former political staffer in the Ontario Legislature, with a passion for people, photography, cultural knowledge and women empowerment, promoting international business in the Caribbean, Latin America, Asia and Africa. As a Global Business Consultant with Global Compass Consulting Services Inc., she helps start-ups and entrepreneurs in Canada and globally navigate the export process.
Previous work experiences include training Chilean Indigenous Women -Aymara women on business operations and exporting their traditional goods, conducted focus group and presented on “Allyship in Legislature” in a women in politics workshop for ABANTU for Development in Ghana a women empowerment organization. She has worked as a Trade information Services Team Lead at TFO Canada; as an International Market Access Consultant at Caribbean Export Development Agency in Barbados and as a Foreign Business Advisor with the National Commercial Bank (Jamaica) Ltd. She has also served as the President for the Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT) Toronto chapter.
Presently she is the coordinator of the International Business Management Graduate Certificate program at Algonquin College where she is a Full time Professor empowering the next generation of Global Business Experts.
Her studies include a Masters Degree in International Business Management and an Undergraduate Degree in Management Studies and Economics from the University of the West Indies, a Graduate Certificate in Marketing of Services from Maastrict School of Business, The Netherlands. In 2009 and a Certificate in Trade and Gender from UNCTAD Virtual Institute. She was awarded the Ontario Spirit Award for her volunteer work with David’s Harp Scholarship Fund.Clarecia has worked in Canada, Ghana, Barbados, London, and Jamaica.
Wanqing Zhang:
As Educational Developer for Intercultural Learning, Wanqing has successfully developed and led iterations of the Intercultural Teaching Institute and the Intercultural Teaching and Learning training for face-to-face and online deliveries. She is available to discuss concerns and ideas related to intercultural education. Combining her experience as an ESL instructor and educational background in learning theories and methodologies, she is available to provide support in the application of contemporary theories and andragogical principles to engagement and assessment for adult learners. Wanqing has also contributed to numerous course development and course revision projects and she continues to support faculty through facilitated workshops and one-on-one support. Increasingly, Wanqing can be found lending her efforts to a range of special projects that improve the educational experience for Algonquin’s learners.
Diane Watson:
Diane has several years of cross-functional experience in the hi-tech industry. She is currently a Program Manager at Nokia Canada working in the Cloud and Network Services Business Group. She is also passionate about giving back to the community and over the years she has volunteered her expertise and time to several professional community projects, programs and organizations. She thrives when collaborating with local community groups and organizations on diversity and inclusion initiatives that educates, supports and encourages women, girls and visible minorities to consider STEM careers. She currently serves as a member for Nokia’s Employee Resource (ERG) group for women – StrongHer Canada and she is the Chair for the Women in Communication and Technology network for Canada’s National Capital region (Ottawa) – WCT-NCR. In her spare time she enjoys teaching Zumba at Nokia and local community gyms.
Keshana King:
Keshana King is a graduate from Algonquin College’s Business Management and Entrepreneurship Program (2019) and an Alumni of Distinction (2022). She is passionate about entrepreneurship, leadership and diplomacy as ways to affect change. In 2021, Keshana became a Fellow at DYLOTT’s Black Diplomats Academy. She went on to attend the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development as a Canadian delegate in 2022. A saying she adores is, “Plan full out, then play full out.”
