Mark will share insights from his latest work on systems and social transformation, drawing from decades of experience as one of Canada’s leading voices in this space. Together, we’ll explore the panarchy cycle—a powerful framework for understanding the societal and environmental upheavals we’re living through.

This session will shine a light on the often-overlooked phase of creative destruction—a necessary precursor to renewal. We’ll unpack its implications for leadership, strategy, and community resilience, especially in times of disorientation, grief, and fragility.

Whether you’re seeking clarity, inspiration, or practical tools for navigating change, this conversation will offer a timely and hopeful perspective for building stronger, more adaptive communities.

Join us for a presentation from Mark, some group discussion, and a Q&A session. Bring your thoughts and questions for an interactive session. And finally, we’ll discuss some next steps around systems change in the Edmonton ecosystem!

Mark is President of the consulting company From Here to There, a Thought Leader of the Tamarack Institute (since 2012), and a past Fellow of the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation (2019-2020). Back in Canada, Mark was the Coordinator of the Waterloo Region’s Opportunities 2000 project (1997-2000), an initiative that won provincial, national and international awards for its multi-sector approach to poverty reduction. From 2002 to 2011, he was Vice President of the Tamarack Institute and the Executive Director of Vibrant Communities Canada. Mark’s current focus is on developing practical ways to understand, plan and evaluate efforts to address complex issues. This includes challenges such as neighborhood renewal, poverty and homelessness, community safety, educational achievement and health. He is particularly involved in building the practice of developmental evaluation, a new approach to assessment which emphasizes real time feedback and learning in emerging, messy and sometimes fast-moving environments.