Lin Grist
Principal
Lin completed her undergraduate studies in the UK,reading Sociology with minors in Economics and Philosophy,and lived and worked for a number of years in France before settling in Canada. She spent eleven years in senior management positions in the social service,housing and health sectors;4 years as a senior advisor policy to two Ministers of Health,providing counsel on high-level policy issues in a complex and highly charged environment to shift the publicly funded health care system to deliver a Wider Determinants of Health agenda for Ontario.
In 1996 she established her consulting firm. Chrysalis operates both in Canada and in the United Kingdom.
Lin’s consulting experience in both Canada and the UK has allowed her to advise clients on best practice drawn from both cultures and gives her a cultural sensitivity and flexibility that leads her to approach issues and challenges from an international experience and knowledge base. Her clients have ranged from international investment banks to community organizations. Her work focuses primarily on building capacity in organizations and businesses,facilitation,(large group interventions – Open Space,and small group interventions),training and team building;needs assessment,strategic planning,organizational development and change processes and more recently on public private partnerships (PPP) in the Health and Education Sectors,including the national Sure Start Program for children 0-5 years in the UK.
She sees her role as a consultant not as an expert coming in to ‘fix’ problems,but rather to work with clients and organizations to help and support them to explore,find,and own their own solutions. It is based on her belief that:
If a person feels safe they have the capacity to dream,and
It is our dreams that change the world
Ron East
Associate
Ron East,is a producer,director and playwright with thirty-five years in the professional theatre. He started his professional career as an actor at the Stratford Shakespearean Festival,spending three years with the ensemble company,earning a prestigious Sir Tyrone Guthrie award for his work. He has performed across North America and in Europe. Ron operated his own production company and professional theatre school for 20 years in both Canada and London UK,has written and produced 18 plays,as well as working on several films as a choreographer and for TV as a series director. He is also a dramaturge,developing original pieces to performance with playwrights,directors,and producers internationally.
He has taught in universities and professional schools in Canada,the UK,France,Germany and Greece. Ron trained as a teacher in physical theatre at the famed Ecole Internationale de Theatre Jacques Lecoq in Paris. As well as operating his own school,Ron has been on staff at universities and colleges,has taught with dance and theatre companies,notably The National Ballet,Skate Canada,the Vancouver Playhouse and the Donmar Warehouse,and conducted workshops internationally,most recently at the Edinburgh Festival,and the University of Toronto.
Not only does he bring his professional theatre experience,his research into the pedagogy of the learning process (physical,emotional,and intellectual intelligences) as well as his business entrepreneurship to this collaboration,but he is presently developing his work on the creative process further by completing his PhD in Neuroscience and Creative Practice at the University of Guelph.
Susan Bellan
Associate
Susan’s career has straddled the worlds of business and public policy. As a businesswoman,economist,and public policy advocate,Susan has a unique perspective,understanding the macroeconomic pressures of government as well as the needs and concerns of publically and privately owned corporations and small businesses. A creative thinker and problem solver,Susan specializes in developing synergistic policies that boost employment and tax revenue as well as business opportunities and profitability,creating win/win situations for all stakeholders. Her consulting experience includes work for international organizations such as the World Bank and national and provincial governments in Canada and abroad.
.Susan is also interested in developing economic/environmental/tax strategies that mobilize the vast pool of national savings held by private investors and banks to finance the transformation of our economy to one that is ecologically sustainable and generates widespread prosperity. She has organized meetings with multiple stakeholders such as government,the investment industry,utilities,and environmental businesses.
Owner and founder of Timbuktu,a well known Toronto store which sells handmade things from many countries,Susan is experienced at managing staff,customer support,negotiating leases and contracts,organization budgets,bank financing,government requirements,creating marketing campaigns,and building websites. She is a graduate of York University’s Dispute Resolution Certificate Programme and has mediated a wide variety of disputes in the Toronto and Richmond Hill Small Claims Court.