Windsor-Essex Innovate Council Members
Adam Castle
WEtech Alliance
Community Organization representative
Alan Deleary
Walpole Island First Nations
Indigenous Community representative
Angela Yakonich
Family Homes & Community Partnerships
Public Sector representative
Beth Ann Prince
Citizen
Community representative
Charlie Simpkins
BDC
Private Sector representative
Corey Shenken
Ontario Centre of Innovation
Public Sector representative
Jason Weinberg
The Windsor Residence for Young Men
Community Organization representative
Kevin Girard
Town of Essex
Public Sector representative
Leigh Vachon
Assisted Living SW Ontario
Community Organization representative
Leslie Frattaroli
United Way of Windsor-Essex
Community Organization representative
Meighen Nehme
Job Shoppe Group
Private Sector representative
Nicole Anderson
Municipality of Lakeshore
Public Sector representative
Radwan Tamr
WSP Canada
Private Sector representative
Shyan Shaygani
Uspeak AI
Private Sector representative
Sonja Popovski
St. Clair College Research & Innovation
Public Sector representative
Wen Teoh
Good Point Consulting
Private Sector representative
Local Innovate Challenge Award Recipients
Role of the Charter Members
Member Composition
The Windsor-Essex Innovate Council shall be comprised of 25 Charter Members, with representation from within the Municipality of Windsor, Essex County, surrounding communities, local companies, and community organizations.
Quarterly Council Meetings
The Windsor-Innovate Innovate Council shall meet quarterly over lunch in 2026 and 2027 for Roundtable Discussions, networking, and formal recognition of community innovators!
Two year commitment
We ask that Charter members commit for two years to ensure consistency in leadership, sustained collaboration, and stable participation that builds trust, captures multi-year learning, and supports long-term initiatives that advance the public-sector innovation agenda and deliver measurable impact for the Windsor-Essex Innovation Council.
Innovate Challenge Chip
Each Charter Member of the Windsor-Essex Innovate Council will receive an Innovate Challenge Chip that will be used to formally recognize a person, company, community organization, or a government department that has employed innovation for the betterment of the community.
Following the standards established at the charter meeting, each member will seek out worthy recipients of the Innovate Challenge Award for recognition. Over the next two years, collectively our Charter Members will have recognized and rewarded as many as 25 individuals or organizations in Windsor, Essex County, Ontario, and Canada.
Innovate Council Canada
Charter member of the Windsor-Windsor Innovate Council will also become at-large members of the Innovate Council Canada, with access to national activities.