Mary Ferguson, Senior Partner
Over 25 years, Mary has been involved with hundreds of projects focused on social, environmental and economic development, working as a principal of Eko Nomos since 1995. Throughout Canada, in northern, remote, rural, and urban communities Mary has brought her skills to bear on project of many sizes and with many different organizations. In addition to working with individual organizations she provides services to private companies, funders and intermediaries investing in corporate responsibility and social enterprise development. Mary has developed a specific group of strategies for application to development, research and evaluation projects according to specific local needs. Using refined research techniques, proprietary tools and directed policy initiatives, she excels at guiding groups through complex situations to find cost-effective solutions. In her work, Mary continues to mentor a new generation of social entrepreneurs and community/environmental economic developers. Mary holds a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo, a Masters of Environmental Studies from York University, and a PhD from the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, University of Guelph. She is a Research Associate of the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute of the University of Guelph. Mary is usually found caring for her grandchildren and getting outdoors with her partner and dog in the Beaver Valley.
Emmett Ferguson, Partner
Emmett has over a decade of experience as a facilitator and researcher in Ontario’s Third Sector. His practice is informed by a commitment to social justice through participatory action and research to create democratic governance and economies. Now in his seventh year working with Eko Nomos, Emmett works in a variety of roles: researcher, writer and editor, evaluator and facilitator. He has worked on many projects with diverse stakeholders, including primary research and facilitation activities with people facing multiple, complex barriers to economic participation. Emmett holds a BA and an MA from the University of Toronto.
Kaitlyn Cinovskis, Associate
Kaitlyn is a committed writer, administrator and facilitator. She has a passion for projects that grow organizations and develop sustainable enterprises, and looks for opportunities to work with clients who seek change. Kaitlyn is a recent addition to the Eko Nomos team, and is excited to be applying innovative approaches to developing Sustainable Livelihoods with clients in the GTA and beyond. In addition to her role at Eko Nomos, Kaitlyn is the Administrative Coordinator of the Canadian Evaluation Society – Ontario Chapter, where she serves the chapter’s members and promotes the value of evaluation across the province. Kaitlyn holds a Hon BA from the University of Toronto.
Our network
Over the past twenty years, Eko Nomos has developed close relationships with many other consultancies and practitioners across the non-profit sector and solidarity economy, including:
Catherine Lang, Principal: C Lang Consulting
Catherine has worked in management and consulting with social economy organizations for over 25 years. Through her consulting practice, Catherine partners with national, provincial, and community based groups with a key focus on innovation in community and economic development.
Catherine’s work engages funders, nonprofits, academics, networks, local governments and emerging community groups in partnership development, evaluation, program design, knowledge creation and social entrepreneurship.
As an independent consultant and past manager of the Ontario Co-operative Association she has extensive experience in co-op development and social enterprise coaching. She is an editor of the 2011 edition of the Canadian Social Enterprise Guide produced by ENP BC (http://www.enterprisingnonprofits.ca/projects/the_guide) and co-founder of the Rural Social Enterprise Constellation (http://www.theonn.ca/rural-social-enterprise-constellation/).
In addition to numerous reports and feasibility studies, she has co-authored papers, tools and guides for communities, including: Innovation Pathways: Tools for Rural & Northern Community Innovation, 2006; Strengthening Collaboration in the Not-for-Profit Sector (Ontario Trillium Foundation); and Building Collaboration in and with the Nonprofit Sector (ONN), 2010. She recently completed work on a free online platform for nonprofit collaboration called Collaboration Coach, with Capacity Builders, the training arm of the Ontario Community Support Association. (www.capacitybuilders/collaborationcoach/)
Catherine holds a Masters degree in Adult Education as well as a BA in Sociology and Philosophy and a Bachelor of Social Work.
Janet Murray, Principal: Resources 4 Results
Janet Murray (MA) is a professional evaluator who has worked for over 25 years planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating community-based social and economic development programs in Canada and overseas.
Throughout her career, Janet has focused on poverty reduction. She brings a deep understanding of the sector that promotes social and economic inclusion, with particular expertise in financial literacy, sustainable livelihoods, community health and social enterprise interventions. Through her evaluation practice, Janet has worked closely with practitioners to capture promising practices and theories of change. She has developed practical tools and strategies to support continuous improvement of their program interventions.
Janet owns and operates Resources for Results (R4R), a private evaluation firm based in Toronto, Canada.
Bio and picture found at http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/janet-m-murray-ma-c-e/15/222/b5a
Samantha Blostein, Principal: Research for Change
Samantha is a proficient researcher, facilitator and consultant in the social sector, both in Canada and abroad. Her work centres those affected by gender-based violence, issues of migration and the systemic barriers that affect marginalized communities. Along with her extensive experience, Samantha is adept at communicating with and educating others, empowering them with knowledge to enact change and implement best practices in their own communities. As the founder and director of Research for Change, a consultancy strengthening the community advancement and social service sectors, Samantha leads a team of experienced researchers and facilitators to help clients address specific objectives surrounding positive change within their communities. The projects range from community-based research, program design and evaluation and cross-sector partnership development to workshop facilitation and policy advancement. In addition to her work as a consultant and researcher, Samantha brings a wealth of educational experience. She currently lectures at the University of Guelph on International Development Studies as a Global Community Engagement Specialist and has taught internationally, focusing on the education of women, children and families. Samantha is committed to fostering environments that encourage gender justice, social change and collaborative action.