KAWARTHA LAKES
STEAM FEST
Be curious, get messy and make something amazing while celebrating
innovation, creativity and community on August 16 at the
Kawartha Lakes Makerspace
Explore your dream of a career in STEAM.
This immersive, hands-on experience tailored to girls and non-binary high school students in Grades 10 to 12 offers the chance to explore, create, and see themselves in STEAM. This one-day event will feature guest speakers and panelists from women in STEAM, interactive technology and art stations, and learning opportunities about exciting trends and emerging industries.
Registration through a TLDSB or PVNCCDSB teacher is required.
This day of STEAM-focused connection gives students the chance to:
- Engage with women in STEAM who have paved their own path
- Explore what STEAM could look and feel like in their life
- Create lasting memories while building the platform for their future
Details
Wednesday, March 25 | 9am to 2pm
Ampere Makerspace & Skills Hub
12 Peel St., Lindsay
Lunch will be provided for students and educators that are attending.
Educators can register students through their designated contact person at their school.
For more information, contact Ampere at events@amp.ca.
Agenda and speakers
inSTEAM Agenda
March 25, 2026
8:30am to 9:00am
Arrival & Registration
9:00am to 9:35 am
Welcome, Kick Off & Keynote Speaker: Lisa Cole
9:35am to 10:45am
Women inSTEAM Panel & Discussion
10:45am to 11am
Audience Q&A
11:00am to 11:45am
Lunch & Networking
11:45am to 1:30pm
Rotating Steam Stations (hands-on-learning)
1:30pm to 1:40pm
End of day Wrap Up
1:40pm
Students Depart
Jenn Ellis
CPA, LPA
Manager
Baker Tilly KDN LLP
Born and raised in Lindsay, Ontario, Jenn obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University of Ottawa before joining Baker Tilly KDN LLP (formerly Collins Barrow Kawarthas). She obtained her Chartered Professional Accountant designation in 2020 and became a Licensed Public Accountant in 2023.
With more than 10 years of experience at Baker Tilly KDN LLP (BT KDN), Jenn Ellis has a proven track record of assisting clients with their audit and accounting needs. She is now a manager in the firm’s Lindsay office focusing on owner-managed businesses, corporate groups, and not-for-profit organizations. She is also a member of Big Brother Big Sisters Kawartha Lakes-Haliburton Board of Directors and the Kawartha Lakes Health Care Initiative Board of Directors.
Rachael Nicholls
PhD Assistant Professor, Trent University
Director of Camp Fyrefly
Rachael Nicholls, PhD OCT, is a queer Peterborough-based educator, researcher and advocate for equity. A public speaker. storyteller, and Assistant Professor at Trent University, she views her work in education as an opportunity for communal creation and a process of self-discovery and reflection.
She holds a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Community Development and a PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy. Her research has centred around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for 2SLGBTQIA+ students in rural school boards, and she also has extensive experience working with gender and sexual minority youth, racialized youth, boys’ education and Indigenous student mentorship and support.
Marlene Morrison Nicholls
CIP, CAIB, EIP
Past President, Stewart Morrison Insurance Brokers Ltd.
President EQU Consulting
Marlene Morrison Nicholls, is an award winning business leader and insurance specialist dedicated to social inclusion (DEIB), advocacy and education. Under her leadership, Stewart Morrison Insurance Brokers grew to 5 thriving full time locations with 35 employees, all provided with career paths and equitable compensation and benefits. Her brokerage was the first insurance to earn diversity training accreditation from the Registered Insurance Brokers Of Ontario (RIBO) and was recognized as a Rainbow Registered business. Marlene mentors women entrepreneurs through her family’s “Women Changemakers Fund” and those building succession and transition plans. With roots in rural Ontario and a commitment to Canada’s philanthropic sector, Marlene inspires women to grow their entrepreneurial visions and invest in community as champions of equity and inclusion.
Katie Haddlesey
Director, Indigenous Partnerships, Projects
Ontario Power Generation
Katie Haddlesey joined the Indigenous Relations and Partnership team at Ontario Power Generation (OPG) as the Director of Indigenous Partnerships for Projects in 2023. In this role, she supports the efforts to include First Nations and Indigenous Organizations as the first SMR built in Ontario.
Prior to this, Katie worked for Curve Lake First Nation as the Chief Operating Officer for three years, and held the position of Director of Economic Development for three years previous to that. During her time working for Curve Lake, she completed her bachelor’s degree with honours in Public Administration and Governance from the Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University). In 2019, Katie was named the Economic Developer of the Year for Indigenous Communities at the National CANDO conference and was a finalist for the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce Businesswomen of the Year in 2020.
Katie successfully operated a strategic marketing and communications business for over 5 years, worked in Economic and Business Development in a government setting for over 20 years, starting her career with the Greater Peterborough Area Economic Development Corporation, where she worked for 13 years, gaining experience and recognition for her dedication.
Katie is married to Brian, a member of Curve Lake First Nation, and together they proudly parent three children, a chocolate lab and 2 cats. She remains dedicated to ensuring a future where her children have a voice and do not feel divided between Indigenous and Western tradition.
Lisa Cole
Faculty of Education
York University
Lisa Cole is a national leader in STEAM education and workforce development, serving as Director of Programming for the k2i (Kindergarten to Industry) Academy at York University’s Lassonde School of Engineering. She leads large-scale, equity-driven STEAM initiatives that connect young people to meaningful learning and career pathways from early education through industry.
Lisa’s work focuses on removing barriers to STEAM for girls, non-binary youth, and historically excluded communities. She collaborates with educators, school boards, and industry to create programs that build confidence, fluency, and belonging, helping young people not just see themselves in STEAM, but envision a future in it.
She also serves as a Board Member with Canada Learning Code and Ampere, and is an elected ally with the Canadian Black Scientists Network, where she continues to champion inclusion, representation, and systems-level change across the STEAM ecosystem.
Veronica Nelson
President & CEO
Ross Memorial Hospital
Veronica Nelson rejoined Ross Memorial Hospital as President and CEO in September 2025. She was previously serving in the same role at Haliburton Highlands Health Services from June 2023. Veronica started her career at RMH in 2000 as a Medical Radiation Technologist and worked her way up to being the Director of Diagnostic Imaging. She has also been a Project Manager, Interim President and CEO, helped lead the development of the local Ontario Health Team, and served as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Her strengths include leadership, community collaboration and advancing healthcare as a system. Outside of work her passions are her horses and her new grandson.
Amy Terrill
Executive Director
Boys and Girls Club
Amy Terrill, a recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal for her contributions to Canada and her community, is the Executive Director of BGC Kawarthas where her team supports and inspires over 8000 children, youth and families each year. Amy has been in this position since February 2019 and has overseen the continued development of the Club’s site on Lindsay Street South, and programs in Kawartha Lakes, growth to Peterborough and Peterborough County and fundraising. She’s a member of several national committees with BGC Canada.
Amy’s career has been focused on non-profit management, advocacy and government relations, and communications, and before BGC took her to CHEX Television, Lindsay District Chamber of Commerce, Ontario Chamber of Commerce and Music Canada.
Amy has lived in City of Kawartha Lakes since she was a child and has volunteered with many organizations over the years including Ross Memorial Hospital Board of Governors, Lindsay Chamber of Commerce, Kawartha Lakes Arts Council and Kawartha Lakes Community Futures Development Corporation.
Amy enjoys the beautiful natural settings in the Kawarthas and spends time writing, kayaking and canoeing, x-country skiing and hiking, and playing pickleball. In 2025, she published her first novel.
Jess Spagnolo
Muralist | Artist
Graphic Designer
Jess Spagnolo [pronounced: Spa-ñolo | Spah-ni-olo] is an artist, muralist, and graphic designer originally from Toronto and now proudly rooted in Lindsay. As a first-generation Canadian raised in the city by immigrant parents, her work is deeply influenced by themes of identity, resilience, and community.
With over a decade of creative experience, Jess brings a refined yet expressive approach to custom murals, fine art, illustration, and visual branding. Drawing inspiration from both the vibrancy of city life and the warmth of small-town connection, she creates bold, story-driven work that transforms walls and spaces into meaningful visual experiences.
Her practice is grounded in collaboration and cultural awareness, with each project thoughtfully designed to reflect the people, histories, and spaces it represents. Working throughout Kawartha Lakes, the Greater Toronto Area, and beyond, Jess continues to build a body of work that celebrates connection, heritage, and the transformative power of public art.
About Women Changemakers Fund of Kawartha Lakes
The Women Changemakers Fund of Kawartha Lakes grew from the successes and challenges of two generations of entrepreneurial women. Business leader Marlene Morrison Nicholls has spent a lifetime challenging the status quo, creating equitable opportunities for women in her company and advocating for diversity, equity and inclusion in the business community. Marlene knew she wanted the legacy fund to empower women, reduce barriers and grow opportunity, and her vision came into focus as she watched her daughter, Jacquelyn Nicholls, open her own business.
While Marlene was in a position to offer Jacquelyn support, many women who want to start a business face barriers, including a lack of funding and mentorship. The Women Changemakers Fund aims to change that, providing resources to empower entrepreneurial women.
