A Montreal native studying law and a registered social worker in Quebec, Kadene Massop is the founder and President of the Viola Desmond Justice Institute. Kadene is the first person to be trained as an IRCA Assessor in Quebec through the ANSJI’s second cohort and one of the IRCA trainers for the first French IRCA Assessor cohort. Kadene has a Master of Social Work and a B.A. (Hons.) in Criminology and Criminal Justice concentration in Law and minor in Psychology with High Distinction and a Senate Medal for Outstanding Academic Achievement. She has worked in the private and public sectors and is a lifelong volunteer. Kadene is the recipient of many community service and academic recognitions, including a Montreal Community Cares Award for exceptional community involvement and contribution. She is a transformation-focused advocate passionate about anti-oppressive practice, community development, and using the law for social justice and affirming human rights.

Michael Tshimanga is a dedicated community leader and strategic advisor with a strong background in governance, policy analysis, and public administration. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of BGC Ottawa, where he co-chairs the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee and is an active member of the Governance Committee. In this role, he provides strategic oversight on the organization’s programs, financial management, and governance structure to ensure effective resource allocation and operational excellence.

Michael holds a Master of Arts in Public Administration from the University of Ottawa and a dual Bachelor of Civil Law (B.C.L.) and Juris Doctor (J.D.) at McGill University’s Faculty of Law. His research interests include affordable housing and the impact of Race & Culture Assessments (IRCAs). Fluent in both French and English, he is deeply committed to advancing policies and programs that promote equity, inclusion, and community well-being

Audrey Luguterah is a Registered Social Worker (MSW, RSW), Mental Health First Aid Facilitator, and community development professional. She holds a Master of Social Work from Wilfrid Laurier University and an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Media, Philosophy, and Sociology from the University of Toronto. Audrey is equity-driven, trauma-informed care and adopts innovative approaches to mental health and community development.

With experience in the legal clinic system, probation and providing therapy services, Audrey works to improve mental health outcomes for marginalized communities. Audrey also has experience supporting offender reintegration and providing case management services in the criminal legal system.

Audrey is passionate about restorative practices and challenging systemic inequities while promoting inclusion, justice, and equity in her work.

David is deeply committed to improving access to justice for Black Canadians. His advocacy efforts encompass various avenues including civil rights organizations, human rights legal scholarship, criminal defense, and international engagement at the Permanent Forum for People of African Descent. His previous work experience includes involvement in youth protection, youth criminal justice, criminal law policy, project management, and tech policy.

David Nyarko is a law graduate holding a Bachelor of Civil Law (B.C.L.) and Juris Doctor (J.D.) at McGill University’s Faculty of Law. Prior to studying law, David obtained a diploma of college studies in Criminology Intervention, formerly known as Youth and Adult Correctional Intervention Technology. He then received a Criminology certificate from the Université de Montréal and finally graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Ottawa with an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences in Criminology specializing in research, policy, and program development.

Natalie Hodgson has connections to the historical Black communities in Nova Scotia of Digby and Yarmouth, and is from North End Dartmouth. Natalie is an Impact of Race and Culture Assessor and the Senior Training Lead for the National IRCA Training Project at the African Nova Scotian Justice Institute. She has been completing IRCAs for the past five years, and has conducted several, notable assessments including the IRCA for R v Anderson, 2020 NSPC 10; 2021 NSCA 62. In addition, Ms. Hodgson completed the first IRCA for a matter before the Criminal Code Review Board, and co-authored Manitoba’s first IRCA through her national IRCA work. She is noted as a leader in IRCAs in Canada, and provides continuous consultation, mentorship and/or supervision to new assessors in various jurisdictions. Ms. Hodgson developed a national IRCA training manual for new assessors, and co-taught the course entitled ANSJI Impact of Race and Culture Assessment Training as a microcredential through Dalhousie University.

Natalie is a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC), and has an extensive background in forensic cultural assessments, counselling and teaching. Ms. Hodgson is also a published author of several curriculum books as well as a children’s picture book. Additionally, Natalie has various publications in the works, including research projects on IRCAs.

Valérie Black St-Laurent is a member of the Barreau du Québec and Law Society of Ontario, committed to the defense of fundamental rights and access to justice, with a particular expertise in fairness in the judicial process.

Her commitment to more equitable justice has a particular focus on the recognition and application of Impact of Race and Cultural Assessments (IRCAs) in Canada. As co-coordinator of the first two French-speaking cohorts of the national training program for IRCA writers, she has contributed to the training of a new generation of French-speaking IRCA writers, enabling courts to better contextualize the systemic factors influencing sentencing.

For several years, Me Black St-Laurent has been a regular speaker and advocate, raising awareness among justice system players of systemic biases and the tools available to remedy them. From 2019-2022 she organized and presented at various conferences on the subject of racial profiling, wrongful convictions and the consideration of trauma in the practice of law. These presentations were given at McGill University, Université de Montréal, Ontario and Quebec bar associations, as well as at the Quebec Centers for Forensic Science.

From 2015-2016, Me Black St-Laurent also acted as a volunteer researcher with the Light of Justice Project in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she analyzed racial disparities in sentences imposed by the 9th Circuit Court in order to bring cases to appeal.

She currently sits on the Board of Directors of the McGill Innocence Clinic since 2021, where she acts as supervising attorney. In this capacity, she accompanies student teams in the in-depth examination of files of potentially wrongfully convicted persons, overseeing their legal research and strategies to prepare applications for review under section 696.1 of the Criminal Code. She has been involved with the clinic since 2018.

Montreal-born Sharon Sandiford originally graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, specializing in criminology and social problems. In 1997, she completed an integrated Bachelor of Civil and Common Law degree at McGill University. In 1999, Ms. Sandiford was called to the Montreal Bar, and practices as a criminal defence lawyer. She is the managing partner of the law firm Silver, Sandiford, Avocats - a group of independent and autonomous lawyers. She has been a training supervisor for articling students at the École du barreau since 2005, and has been a member of the Comité des Droits de la Personne du barreau du Québec since 2016. Since 2013, Maitre Sandiford has been a lecturer on delinquency prevention in Montreal. She has been on the Board of Directors of the Montreal community care organization since 2023. In 2024, she teaches at McGill University's Faculty of Law, for the winter session of the “focus week workshop course” on Sentencing Representations. And finally, in January 2025, Maitre Sandiford was lecturer for the Fédération des associations de juristes d'expression Française de common law inc - training in Montreal. She developed training materials of a legal nature related to the Impact of Race and Culture Assessments (IRCA).