We are a Canada-wide team of industry leaders and practitioners, academic researchers and policy experts, highly-trained convenors, facilitators, and program designers who believe in the power of human ingenuity to solve the complex problems of our generation.
Events and Communications Coordinator
Iswariya Tirunagaru is a government and public affairs professional with cross-sector experience spanning the public, private, and non-profit landscapes. Guided by a lifelong passion for Canadian governance, she is dedicated to advancing initiatives that reflect Canada’s values of inclusivity, collaboration, and global leadership. Specializing in strategic communications, government relations, and public affairs, Iswariya brings a thoughtful and solutions-oriented approach to her work — translating complex policy challenges into clear, actionable strategies. She is particularly interested in the intersection of policy, sustainability, and social impact, and strives to build meaningful connections between people, policy, and purpose.
Iswariya holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a Double Minor in Human Rights and Immigration from Concordia University. She continues to be inspired by opportunities to drive positive change and strengthen the systems that shape Canada’s future at home and abroad.
Program Director, Sustainable Agriculture, Smart Prosperity Institute
Ryan is a Senior Research Associate working as part of SPI’s Land Use Team. Ryan completed his M.Sc in Environmental Sustainability at the University of Ottawa and studied Human Resource Management and Psychology at Trent University. His main interest is working to improve the sustainability of Canada’s food system and his research is focused on promoting clean growth and innovation in the agriculture sector.
Ryan’s work with SPI has centred around identifying the barriers that prevent farmers from adopting environmentally beneficial management practices and the policies that can be used to motivate practice adoption.
Human Resources Specialist
Research Associate, Smart Prosperity Institute
Caelan Welch is a Research Associate at Smart Prosperity Institute. His current research focuses on the design and implementation of sustainable finance taxonomies. Before joining SPI in 2023, Caelan worked at the Institute for Sustainable Finance at Queen’s University.
Caelan holds a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and Economics from St. John Fisher University in Rochester, NY and is pursuing a Master’s in International Development and Global Studies, with an environmental sustainability specialization, at the University of Ottawa.
Managing Director, Smart Prosperity Institute
Marena has over a decade of experience moving the needle on sustainability policy in Canada. She led the programming of the 2021 World Circular Economy Forum on behalf of the Government of Canada and now leads the creation of new research projects and partnerships at Smart Prosperity Institute.
Leveraging her experience working with all orders of government, including Indigenous, she focuses on bringing about real-world changes that benefit people and planet.
