Client List

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Client List

Education Sector

Carleton University
Conestoga College
Conrad Grebel University College
Joint Protocol for Student Achievement (Waterloo, Wellington, Dufferin and Peel/Halton school boards)
Langs – Healthy Beginnings Program
Learning Disabilities Association of Wellington County
Queen’s University
Regis College
Ryerson University
St. Jerome’s University
Stratford Town & Gown Advisory Committee
Town and Gown Association of Ontario
Town and Gown Committee of Guelph
University of Guelph
University of St. Michael’s College
University of Toronto
Upper Grand District School Board
Waterloo Region District School Board
Western University
Wilfrid Laurier University

Health Sector

Association of Public Health Epidemiologists of Ontario
Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction
Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
Centres of Excellence for Women’s Health
East Wellington Family Health Team
Guelph Community Health Centre
Groves Hospital Foundation
Health Link Cambridge North Dumfries
Homewood Research Institute
Kitchener Downtown Community Health Centre
Mental Health Commission of Canada
Parkinson Society Southwestern Ontario
Physician Recruitment Committee of Cambridge North Dumfries
Region of Waterloo Public Health
Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging
St. Joseph’s Health Centre/Waterloo Wellington LHIN
Stonehenge Therapeutic Community
Waterloo Region Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic
Waterloo Wellington Regional Diabetes Coordination Centre
Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health
Woolwich Community Health Centre

Human Services Sector

Children’s Services
Children’s Planning Table, Region of Waterloo
County of Grey
County of Wellington
Family and Children’s Services of Guelph and Wellington County

Counselling
Counselling Collaborative of Waterloo Region
Family Counselling and Support Services of Guelph Wellington
Woolwich Counselling

Developmental Services
Beginnings Family Services
Canadian Down Syndrome Society
Community Living Guelph Wellington
Community of Hearts
KidsAbility Centre for Child Development
Shelldale – Better Beginnings, Better Futures
Sunbeam Community & Developmental Services

Employment
CASE (Canadian Association for Supported Employment)
CCRW (Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work)
CERIC (Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling)

Environment
Birds Canada
Ecojustice
Ontario Water Consortium
Water TAP

Food Security
Carleton University
Everdale Environmental Learning Centre
Food Banks Canada
The Seed Community Food Centre
Wilfrid Laurier University

Faith-based Organizations
Anglican Churches of Guelph
Defend Dignity
Guelph United Ministries
Guelph Campus Ministry
Peace Catalyst International

Housing
County of Wellington
Habitat for Humanity Halton Mississauga Dufferin
Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region
Habitat for Humanity Guelph Wellington
Kindle Communities Organization
Wyndham House

International Development
Christian Children’s Fund of Canada
ERDO
International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA)
Mission Aviation Fellowship of Canada
World Vision Canada
World Vision International

Literacy
ABC Life Literacy Canada
Action Read

Multiservice Agencies
AIDS Committee of Guelph Wellington (now called ARCH)
Carizon Family and Community Services (now Camino Wellbeing + Mental Health)
East Wellington Community Services (formerly EWAG)
Guelph Independent Living
Guelph-Wellington Women In Crisis
Greenway Chaplin Community Centre
House of Friendship
Langs
Local Immigration Partnership Guelph Wellington
Reception House Waterloo Region
Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region
YMCA of Hamilton | Burlington | Brantford
YMCA / YWCA of Guelph
Yonge Street Mission

Youth
A Way Home, Peterborough
Positive Space Network of Halton Region

Other Community Agencies
Animal Health Canada
Association of Ontario Midwives Benefits Trust (AOMBT)
Downtown Guelph Business Association
Elora Centre for the Arts
Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest
Oakville & Milton Humane Society
Ontario 4-H Council
Ontario 4-H Foundation
Ontario Good Roads Association
Open Cities Network
People and Information Network (PIN) of Guelph and Wellington
Social Planning Council of Cambridge North Dumfries
Social Planning Council of Oxford County
Volunteer Toronto

Philanthropic Sector

Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada
Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington
Environment Funders Canada
Guelph Community Foundation
Guelph Community Funders’ Network
Guelph Wish Fund for Children
Hamilton Community Foundation
Innoweave
London Community Foundation
Ontario Trillium Foundation
The Counselling Foundation of Canada
United Way Guelph Wellington
United Way Cambridge North Dumfries
United Way Waterloo Region Communities
Waterloo Region Community Foundation

Private Sector

Athena Software
Canadian Digital Media Network
Economical Insurance
Eramosa Engineering
Schlegel Villages
Skyline Group of Companies
Wallenstein Feed & Supply Ltd.

Public Sector

City of Cambridge
City of Guelph
City of Hamilton
City of Mississauga
City of Richmond Hill
County of Grey
County of Wellington
Dufferin County
Durham Region
Region of Waterloo
The Regional Municipality of York
Town of Caledon
Town of Goderich

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Sandra Austin

Sandra Austin is the Director of Strategic Initiatives for The Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario Canada.

The Strategic Initiatives portfolio includesdistinct, high-priority and high-profile portfolios that are constantly changing, often addressing messy problems with uncertain outcomes. The key for Sandra is to approach this work with curiosity, but not simply curiosity for its own sake. She works hard at understanding the issues and considering possibilities without being too committed to a solution, while being anchored by a strategic plan and pursuing a “coalition of the willing.” She brings curiosity to those who resist change, recognizing their value in widening the lens on an issue. Sandra says, “We need to be comfortable with things being uncertain and moving into untried things, asking ‘What if…we did it this way?’”

Dr. Dorothy Nyambi

Dr. Dorothy Nyambi is the President and CEO at Mennonite Economic Development Associates.

From a background as a Black female medical doctor in Cameroon, Dorothy is now working on a North-South shift in a development subsector characterized by explicit and implicit racism, white ‘saviourism,’ and sexism. “People say they are curious, but they also don’t know how to give up power to do so.” Dorothy brings a sense of genuine curiosity to these challenges and to leading her team. She likens them to an Olympic team, where everyone has their strengths in service of the same goal, and her role is to help them work together to do so. “I really believe in working with people to unpack their own minds—that people have the solutions to their own problems.”

Jennifer Hutton

Jennifer Hutton is the CEO at Women's Crisis Services of Waterloo Region.

Whether in seasons where staff and leaders are exhausted from the complex needs of their work or in instances where new and exciting possibilities are envisioned and made a reality, Jennifer leads her team with imagination as a core value.  Jennifer says, “Time is well spent in conversation. Sometimes a pivotal conversation can send you down an important path forward.” This value also means letting her team know it’s okay to take risks and even make mistakes. Many of those risks have paid off, too, with innovative and effective awareness campaigns, discovering ways to eliminate job stressors for staff, and pivoting to new ways of delivering services to their clients in times of crisis.

Julia Grady

Julia Grady is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of 10C, as well as a working encaustic artist and community finance innovator. 

“People talk strategy, but they don’t realize that imagination, passion and creativity are actually the underlying ideas and principles in the top companies in the world,” says Julia whose work as a placemaker is rooted in her identity as an artist. Her organization’s imaginative vision always addresses the question: what do changemakers need? The answers to that question have been varied and are constantly evolving, and are often found in the design constraints of a problem itself. She activates conversation between partners, including funders, who work and imagine collaboratively. The result is social impact work that earns revenue and makes communities better.

The Counselling Collaborative of Waterloo Region

The Counselling Collaborative of Waterloo Region is a group of six not-for-profit community counselling agencies working in an integrated way to serve their community. 

While the agencies worked together for years, in 2018 they began working more collaboratively, developing a strategic plan and securing funding as a group. They use a “no wrong door” approach and a centralized intake to help the community connect more easily. Along the way, the leadership team addressed power differentials and built credibility so today their biweekly meetings are characterized by vulnerability and mutual support, with each member considering the group a vital resource and a place to discuss practical concerns. The agencies have found a way to be better together, with greater access to resources and influence.

Heather Froome and Dr. Sidney Kennedy

Heather Froome is the Director of Operations of the Homewood Research Institute, where Dr. Sidney Kennedy is the Executive Director.

As affordable housing has become increasingly scarce, Eden says it’s vital to be clear about her organization’s mission and values as they discover new ways of achieving them in the face of market constraints. It’s easy to drift from mission, especially when appealing opportunities come with significant revenue, but Eden is committed to strategic planning as a guide: “You need to deeply understand your organization’s mission and stay true to it. These give purpose and clarity. We also consider the return on investment and whether an opportunity is in our wheelhouse. You have to be okay in being narrow in what you do.” As a leader, she also seeks those who share the vision, saying, “You can’t be strategic alone.” 

Eden Grodzinski

Eden Grodzinski is the CEO of Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga-Dufferin.

As affordable housing has become increasingly scarce, Eden says it’s vital to be clear about her organization’s mission and values as they discover new ways of achieving them in the face of market constraints. It’s easy to drift from mission, especially when appealing opportunities come with significant revenue, but Eden is committed to strategic planning as a guide: “You need to deeply understand your organization’s mission and stay true to it. These give purpose and clarity. We also consider the return on investment and whether an opportunity is in our wheelhouse. You have to be okay in being narrow in what you do.” As a leader, she also seeks those who share the vision, saying, “You can’t be strategic alone.” 

Devon Page

Devon Page is a lawyer and the outgoing Executive Director of Ecojustice.

Protecting the planet is a daunting task requiring those doing so to be highly strategic and mission-aligned. When Devon considers organizational effectiveness over the last few years, he asks, “Why aren’t we thinking about the ways we are better and stronger than we were before?” Thinking strategically for him is simply a question of operationalizing vision, although he acknowledges translating vision into action is not always straightforward. A big challenge within strategy is innovation, where an organization is directed by its mission and also called to respond to new challenges and pursue audacious goals. Devon also points to clear impact—rather than funder appetite—as the bottom line for strategy, and what makes an organization stand out. 

Catherine Wassmansdorf

Catherine Wassmansdorf is the Education Program Manager at The Riverwood Conservancy.

Pivoting work in experiential outdoor education during the pandemic was a lesson in adaptability for Catherine, who adjusted her personal practices, relied on the support and confidence of her organization’s leadership and colleagues, and leaned on their shared mission. She discovered new ways of delivering dynamic and effective programs digitally—including unexpectedly popular online Turtle Time—some of which allowed new participants to join in the fun. She also learned about the limits of adaptability, when constraints did not allow programs to translate well to online environments. “We now have a new capacity,” Catherine says. “We have a sense that we have forged multiple pathways that will help us if and when we have to adapt again.”

Jay Reid and Hayley Kellett

Jay Reid and Hayley Kellett are co-founders of the improv-based corporate training organization The Making-Box.

From roots in theatre, Hayley and Jay use improv principles and skills to help their clients experience change as energizing rather than depleting. The principle of letting go equips teams for uncertainty, while the skill of noticing distinguishes between faux adaptability and factors needed for real change. “’Yes-and’ helps us work together in polarized situations,” says Hayley while Jay says, “There are deeper outcomes in the notion of practicing playfulness together,” pointing to studies demonstrating the practical value of humour in creating psychological safety for teams. The Making-Box itself draws on these principles and over the last few years has itself been a case study in adaptability as it shifted its model and service delivery methods.

Terry Cooke and Annette Aquin

Terry Cooke is the President and CEO, and Annette Aquin is Executive Vice President Finance and Operations of the Hamilton Community Foundation. 

Rather than likeability being a goal, Annette says it’s an outcome of the work they do—and how they do it. Because community foundations engage in potentially divisive issues, Terry and Annette say decisions must be firmly rooted in research and their organization’s values. Relationships past, present and future drive their work as they acknowledge their debt to those before them. They work hard at building trust, inclusivity, and true collaboration with their community and look to a solid future by hiring well, mentoring, responding to emerging opportunities, and, as Terry says, “creating space for the next person to do what is best.”

John Neufeld 

John Neufeld is the Executive Director of the House of Friendship. 

Building strong rapport is important to John because of his personal story as an immigrant. “I just didn’t fit in. That’s why I’m passionate about House of Friendship—because we make sure everyone belongs.” Investing in relationships and culture, connecting at a human level and tapping into the strengths of his team are key elements of likeability. But John recognizes that rather than seeking to be liked, leaders need to harness courage and passion to make tough decisions, work hard and deliver on their promises. Likeability is a proxy for that kind of integrity. He says, “One of the best pieces of leadership advice I was ever given was to look for ways to add value to other people’s lives.”

Jim Moss and Dave Whiteside

Jim Moss and Dave Whiteside are longtime colleagues, first at Plasticity Labs and now at YMCA of Three Rivers's YMCA WorkWell where Jim is the Leader of Community Development and Dave is the Director of Insights. 

YMCA WorkWell has a mandate to build healthier, thriving organizations and their work offers relevant, evidence-based, recent Canadian data on how organizations can help their people find the right stretch. In their work, Jim and Dave engage in practical and fresh thinking on depletion, burnout, managing your own and your employees' energy. "An elastic needs to be engaged to be useful," says Jim while Dave adds that the last few years have been "a natural experiment that's allowed us to know where we could stretch and where it's not optimal." 

Emma Rogers 

Emma Rogers is the CEO of the Children's Foundation of Guelph and Wellington and the co-founder of the community philanthropy charity Guelph Gives. 

In a social good sector devoted to making every dollar have impact and where everyone is working harder than ever, Emma has a new appreciation of the currency of energy. "It's the most valuable thing I can give someone, and vice versa." Her own energy is admirable and is fueled by her passion for innovation and by the stories of impact from her work, but she leads her team with more than inspiring stories. Instead, Emma implements innovative practices and knows that enabling team members to show up as their best selves is an excellent investment in accomplishing their mission.

In 2019, Sage Solutions led the development of a multi-year strategic plan for the Department of Emergency Medicine at Queen’s University. The new plan supports both clinical and academic medicine at Kingston General Hospital, Kingston Health Sciences Center, and Providence Care Hospital, as well as at the university.

Sage Solutions has an ongoing working relationship with many facets of the University of Guelph, with Rebecca working both as a trusted advisor and instructor on multiple occasions. She has developed strategic plans and program designs. She instructed “Community Engagement in Public Planning” at a Master’s level and has facilitated team building and facilitation training sessions. Specific clients have included Student Life, the Central Student Association, the University Centre, the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute and the Office of Diversity and Human Rights.

The Upper Grand District School Board has contracted Sage Solutions to design and support their five-year leadership development program with managers and supervisors. The program focuses on strengthening a variety of leadership skills, with the first-year concentrating on relationship building within teams and the second on strategic thinking and planning.

Sage Solutions is proud to be a part of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer’s (CPAC) approved community engagement professionals roster and has consulted with CPAC to help improve its Patient and Family Advisor program and advance its engagement work.

Rebecca's nimble facilitation skills in key workshops helped to advance collaboration among our Patient Advisors and across teams in our organization. She enables organizations to think bigger and ask hard questions to facilitate change.
 
Anila Sunnak
Public and Patient Program Manager, Canadian Partnership Against Cancer

Health Link Cambridge and North Dumfries, during its early stages, worked with Sage Solutions to build a bold business plan. Its collaborative and innovative approaches eventually contributed to their selection as one of the first Ontario Health team sites.

Sage Solutions provided governance training and coaching services to the Board of Directors and senior leadership of Stonehenge Therapeutic Community, an organization that serves people affected by addiction and mental health challenges.

Rebecca facilitated a multi-site, multi-year strategic planning process that included extensive collaboration with Carizon’s board and staff. The process resulted in significant organizational transformation, including a renewed focus and more targeted resources.

Rebecca helped us have difficult conversations and wade through complexity to focus on what was most important. She has wonderful facilitation skills and a pleasant style that makes everyone, from front line employees to board members, feel at ease and valued.

Tracy Elop
CEO, Carizon Family and Community Services

Since the spring of 2019, Rebecca has worked with the Board of Directors and Executive Director of this national network on strategic planning, governance training and evaluating program effectiveness.

As a national network committed to increasing the employment inclusion of Canadians who experience disability, having a clear strategic plan and measurable operational goals is critically important.  Rebecca has supported CASE in strategic planning, governance training and evaluating program effectiveness.  Her professionalism, knowledge, insights and flexibility in adapting to the specific and complex needs of our organization has been exceptional.  CASE has experienced unparalleled growth and change in this past year, and Rebecca's support has been instrumental in our ongoing success.  

Joanna Goode
Executive Director, Canadian Association for Supported Employment

Sage Solutions developed and facilitated a series of synergetic sessions for the Counselling Collaborative to bring together six family counselling agencies, resulting in a coordinated strategic plan across these agencies for the first time. The new collaborative approach allowed the organizations to leverage additional resources for staffing and new technology. Centralized intake and a more cohesive brand in the community has reduced wait times and made system navigation easier.

Rebecca helped us have difficult conversations and wade through complexity to focus on what was most important for our community.  She has wonderful facilitation skills and a pleasant style that makes everyone, from front line employees to board members, feel at ease and valued.
 
Tracy Elop
CEO, Carizon Family & Community Services
(Lead agency for the Counselling Collaborative of Waterloo Region)

Sage Solutions provided governance training and strategic planning services to the Guelph Wish Fund for Children. Rebecca has recently been hired to renew and extend that plan.

In 2018, in her usual enthusiastic and energetic style, Rebecca seamlessly assisted our Board in developing its first 3-year strategic plan. Armed with a list of practical goals and targets from that day-long session, we easily completed that plan. We’re now looking forward to another Board retreat under her guidance as we continue to grow and plan for the future.

Joanne Grodzinski
Director of Operations, Guelph Wish Fund for Children

Sage Solutions worked with Habitat Wellington Dufferin Guelph to design and facilitate two community symposia focused on affordable housing. The events showcased national best practices and worked to mobilize local community leaders across sectors to address housing accessibility.

Rebecca is skillful in helping groups establish direction and paths forward. As our facilitator, she was invested in the matters important to the group. Her contribution to planning sessions was valuable. She made sure all were heard – giving voice to those in the room. She pulled content together into a timely, concise summary of outcomes that was available to all attendees. We would certainly work with her again.
 
Steve Howard
CEO, Habitat for Humanity Wellington Dufferin Guelph

Sage Solutions has worked with House of Friendship on multiple projects, including an collaborative strategic plan, a robust process for region-wide resource allocation to support vulnerable families, program evaluation planning, an addictions services review and senior leadership training and coaching

Rebecca’s sessions are productive and engaging. She is both conscientious and adaptable. She can be counted on to build strong rapport with participants and to maintain high positive energy in the room. She models collaborative leadership even as she teaches it to others.

Personally I have found Rebecca to be dynamic, authentic, and passionate. She knows how to connect with people in a genuine manner that allows for trust and difficult conversations to happen. She creates dynamic environments that make innovation possible. She is also someone who consistently goes the extra mile and I deeply respect.

John Neufeld
Executive Director, House of Friendship

MEDA worked closely with Sage Solutions to develop and implement a comprehensive strategic plan. Over the 15-month process, an organizational Theory of Change was also developed to assist in the refocusing of the organization under new leadership. Rebecca continues to provide leadership coaching and implementation consultation on this project.

MEDA has appreciated Rebecca’s attentiveness, energy, enthusiasm and big picture thinking throughout this process. We have been impressed by and appreciative of the team’s facilitation of the many working groups, planning meetings and workshops that have underpinned our strategic planning efforts. Rebecca and the Sage Solutions team have skillfully and efficiently supported the planning process, working with the board and the executive leadership team from the proposal stage through to its completion, serving as valued partners in building MEDA’s strategic direction for the next 5 years.

Dr. Dorothy Nyambi
President & CEO, MEDA 

Sage Solutions facilitated the Town and Gown Association of Ontario's strategic planning process, working with their Board of Directors following their annual conference to develop the organization's multi-yar sightline. Sage Solutions has also worked with the local Town and Gown chapters in Guelph and Stratford to develop strategic plans aligned with the provincial strategy.

Rebecca has been involved with WVC for over two decades, mostly recently providing strategy advice and research support to the President to inform the aligned expression of organizational identity and diversity.

Sage Solutions has worked with the City on numerous strategic projects. Examples include facilitation of a multi-day retreat with the senior leadership team; data analysis and writing related to Guelph’s Community Plan; design and facilitation of the community engagement for an open space network secondary plan, a transportation master plan, the solid waste management master plan and an economic development strategy; and facilitation of public meetings related to a revised animal control bylaw and vehicle for hire bylaw. Rebecca has worked with leaders at multiple levels, including directly with Council.

The City of Hamilton is working with Sage Solutions on a city-wide hate mitigation strategy. Sage Solutions has developed a comprehensive and responsive community engagement plan, utilizing both online and in-person methods to surface the priorities and advice of numerous stakeholder groups in helping Hamilton align more closely with its aspirations of being an inclusive and safe community.

Sage Solutions designed and facilitated an effective stakeholder engagement process for the City of Mississauga as part of a bylaw review related to transportation network companies, such as Uber, Lyft and taxi companies. Input informed an updated policy that supported both transportation and economic development in Mississauga.

Sage Solutions continues to work closely with Wellington County on various projects for its social services department. Examples of recent assignments include an extensive year-long community engagement process related to child care and EarlyON Family and Child Care Centres across multiple towns and townships; the development of a customer service charter and facilitation community-wide planning initiatives related to Growing Great Generations and a system of care for families with children with special needs.

Sage Solution supported York Region in developing a multi-year corporate strategic plan. Leveraging existing data within the corporation and multiple interactive workshops with its senior leaders, Sage Solutions helped the municipality to develop a concrete, measurable framework to guide activities in York Region.