The Canadian Autism Leadership Summit (CALS) is a yearly gathering for thought leaders, including Autistic people, support providers, and policymakers, to share ideas, experiences, and discuss gaps in policy that impact Autistic people living in Canada, and their families, across the country. CALS is organized primarily by volunteers who are dedicated to creating a memorable and engaging event.
Furthermore, CALS is lead by:
- The Lived Experience Committee—a fully Autistic Committee, guided by Autistic board members of CASDA. This Lived Experience Committee has reviewed and selected all submitted proposals to #CALS2022, so that this event is Autistic-friendly!
- The Summit Planning Committee (pictured below), responsible for the broader organization of the event.
If you are interested in getting involved and making your mark on CALS, consider joining the CALS2023 Planning Committee. Simply e-mail us at summit@casda.ca with a paragraph (200 words max) about why you are interested and what skills you bring to the group. We look forward to working with you to make CALS2023 the best yet!
2022 Summit Planning Committee
Auva Zarandi (she/her)
BHSc Honours (c) in
Child Health Sciences at
McMaster University
Corey Walker (he/him)
Autistic self-advocate,
Public Speaker and
EmploymentWorks Facilitator at
Pacific Autism Family Network
Cyndi Gerlach (she/her)
Mom, Wife, Advocate, Self Advocate
Dana Bernick (she/her)
Special Projects Coordinator at
CASDA
Elizabeth Plouffe (she/her)
Founder and Chief Minion of
Spero Careers Canada
Emily Smith van Beek (she/her) Communications Specialist at
CASDA
Franziska Morin (she/her)
Executive Coordinator at
CASDA
Jonathan Lai (he/him)
Executive Director at
CASDA
Kathi Cosgrove (she/her)
Program Director at
Autism Speaks Canada
Kim Ward (she/her)
Executive Director at
Society for Treatment of Autism (STA)
Maddy Dever (they/them)
President of
Autistic Bridge Inc.
Orly Fruchter
Manager of Neurodiverse Initiatives at
The Azrieli Foundation
Pascale Castonguay (she/her)
Coordinator of the
Réseau national d’expertise en trouble du spectre de l’autisme (RNETSA)
Rakhee Chowdhury (she/her)
Communications Manager at
CASDA
Rebekah Kintzinger (she/her)
Autistic advocate,
Board Member at
CASDA