CityLAB Team Members
Jay Carter, Project Manager, CityLAB
Professional background: Jay has been working in community engagement, collaborative planning, and urban sustainability for over ten years. Most of Jay's experiences comes from working with various not-for-profits, the City of Hamilton, and co-founding the volunteer-led Sustainability Professionals Network and 100in1Day Hamilton. As a McMaster alumnus, Jay loves being able to connect his various passions through his work and has a Masters of Environment and Business at the University of Waterloo. Most recently he comes from McMaster University where he spent years in the Office of Community Engagement in various roles.
Favourite part about CityLAB: The diversity of skills, experiences, and passions that different students, partners, and staff members bring to the table to make Hamilton the best place it can be.
Zahra Selman, Events & Communications Coordinator
Professional Background: Zahra comes from a diverse professional background varying from customer service, to program coordination, this includes having recently served as a Youth Engager with the City of Hamilton. Through this role, and alongside her experience at the YWCA and YMCA, Zahra has supported programs that connect and uplift youth from diverse backgrounds, focusing on inclusivity and personal growth. Additionally, as a consultant with Al-Wilayat Islamic Center, she has organized initiatives that inspire and mentor young women, cultivating a sense of belonging and creativity. Seeking to continuously enhance her skills in community engagement and collaborative planning, Zahra considers herself a lifelong student.
Favourite part about CityLAB: Connecting students to real-world challenges and empowering them to see how their efforts, in collaboration with experienced city staff, can drive meaningful progress in our community.
Personal interests & Hobbies: Zahra loves music, especially live! She enjoys reading (or at least accumulating books to be read at some point), writing, movies (especially at the Playhouse), exploring local coffee shops, spending time with her friends and family, and travelling. Her hobbies are a revolving door of various things that peak her interest, currently this is pottery, but by the time you read this it may have changed. She is deeply passionate about social justice, the arts, and building a sustainable future for our planet.
CityLAB Program Committee
The Program Committee is made up of staff from each of the participating institutions and advises on and assists with CityLAB program delivery, including coordination with faculty, evaluation, project matching, communications, and events.
Amanda Malkiewich, Director, Co-operative Education and Experiential Learning Mohawk College
Professional background: Before joining Mohawk College, Amanda spent fifteen years in several post-secondary institutions including; Brock University’s Goodman School of Business, the University of Victoria, Royal Roads University, and Bow Valley College. Amanda’s diverse background in post-secondary includes roles ranging from curriculum development, student leadership, student affairs, and experiential learning.
Favourite part about CityLAB: CityLAB provides valuable experiential learning opportunities for Mohawk College students while expanding their professional network within the city of Hamilton.
Personal interests and hobbies: Spending time with family, travelling, and exploring the great outdoors.
Jason Peng, Manager, Experiential Learning, Mohawk College
Professional background: Jason has been involved in experiential learning within higher education for over 8 years. Early in his career, he traveled coast-to-coast to supply pedagogical lab equipment to colleges and universities across Canada. Jason has supported co-op education and other forms of work-integrated learning, managing portfolios ranging from business to math and science programs, supporting partnership development, student coaching, quality assurance through accreditation, and rolling out a new field placement strategy.
Favourite part about CityLAB: Learning about the ways in which students, faculty, and city staff collaborate on all of these varied civic projects is such a great education on how communities and cities form, function, and flourish.
Personal interests and hobbies: Documentaries (especially about nature and the cosmos), a fascination with time and timekeeping—and along those lines—tremendous timewasting via YouTube rabbit holes. Recently new dad.
Harold DeVries, Director, Innovation Centre, Redeemer University
Professional Background: 20+ Years as a Business Advisor, Coach, and Mentor working with nascent, early-stage, and some well-established business owners and entrepreneurs. 10 Years teaching entrepreneurship and strategic business planning at Conestoga College.
Favorite part of CityLab: The opportunity to connect with and serve the community and interact with the people who form CityLAB.
Personal Interests and Hobbies: I am an avid amateur musician, active in the Kitchener Musical Society Band (French Horn); King Street Brass, a British style brass band (Tenor Horn), and the worship ensembles at my church (assorted folk winds). In fair weather, I enjoy cycling and fishing and teaching my grandkids to do the same.
Blaze Forgie, Project Coordinator, Community Engagement, City of Hamilton
Randy Kay, Outreach Director, CityLAB Semester in Residence, McMaster Office of Community Engagement
Professional background: Randy has lived and worked in Hamilton for over 20 years. Much of his work-life has been dedicated to helping create meaningful community engagement opportunities for undergraduate students, first with OPIRG McMaster, and now with CityLAB SIR. Randy holds a Journalism diploma from Sheridan College, an Honours BA in English from McMaster, and a Public Relations certificate from McMaster Continuing Education.
Favourite part about CityLAB: The students in SIR have proven to be a truly joyful, creative and dedicated force for innovation and change. CityLAB has provided important space for collaboration with city staff and community partners that helps strengthen the impact of the student project work.
Personal interests and hobbies: Randy loves to find ways to make positive change, whether it’s getting more street trees in Hamilton neighbourhoods or advocating for sustainable transportation, habitat rehabilitation, or supporting the work of other engaged groups and individuals in the city.