Speakers
2025 Breath of Fresh Air Speaker Line-Up
See the full Book of Abstracts here!
See the Summit Schedule here!
Invited Elder: Norma Peltier
Norma Peltier, a band member of the Wikwemikong First Nations, has devoted her time as a waterwalker since 2014. As a grandmother and spiritual advisor working extensively with youth across Canada and different communities.
Keynote: Stuart Brown
Dr. Stuart Brown trained in general and internal medicine, psychiatry and clinical research. He first recognized the importance of play by discovering its absence in the life stories of murders and felony drunken drivers. His years of clinical practice and review of over 6000 personal play histories affirmed the importance and need for healthy play throughout the human life cycle. His independent scholarship and exploration of the evolution and neuroscience of human and animal play have led to the establishment of the National Institute for Play. The Mission of the National Institute for Play (NIFP) is to bring the unrealized knowledge, practices and benefits of play into public life. Dr. Brown was the instigator and Executive Producer of the three-part PBS series, “The Promise of Play,” and coproduced the BBC-PBS series “Soul of the Universe.” His experience as a medical administrator, producer, and scientific consultant or creator to numerous other productions on Joseph Campbell, Cosmology, Animal Play, and Stress, plus his scientific and popular writings have identified him as the foremost “practical champion of the knowledge of play.” Dr. Brown’s book: Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul has been translated into twelve languages. He has co-teached From Play to Innovation at the Hasso Plattner School of Design at Stanford University, and has been the “Key Strategist” for the Nevada Medical Center’s Global Play Science Institute. In 2020 he was awarded the Joe L. Frost award for distinguished research by the USA Play Coalition, and in 2024 received the USA International Play Association Doctor of Play Award for lifelong research advocacy and promotion of the child’s right to play.
In addition to regular creative scholarly contributions for the PlayCore company, he enjoys other international corporate and academic consulting on play and its many contributions through their engagement with it, as it enhances overall human well-being. As the information base about play grows, it is evident that play is a public health necessity.
Our species, he says, “is built for play, and built by play.”
Keynote: Lauren Sundstrom
Lauren Sundstrom is proud to serve as a Board Member and Strategic Advisor for the National Institute for Play, continuing the legacy of her father, Dr. Stuart Brown, a pioneer in the science of play. A graduate of Colorado College also attending St. Peter’s College, Oxford University, Lauren began her career in Washington, D.C., where she served as a legislative aide to Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska and later worked as a lobbyist for Holland & Hart. She went on to become a partner at Western Land Group in Denver, specializing in public-private collaborations.
Lauren and her husband, Steve, raised their two children, Mia and Leo, in Boulder, Colorado, where she was actively involved in community and sports initiatives. Both children attended a renowned play-based preschool and later a K-8 charter school that embraced self-directed, playful learning, fostering creativity and curiosity through limited tests, grades, and homework. A self-described “social kinesthete,” Lauren is passionate about integrating play into daily life and championing its transformative power for individuals and communities.
Keynote: Mia Sundstrom
Mia Sundstrom is an assistant coach for the University of Denver D1 top-10 gymnastics team and the part-time character dimension project manager in the Office of the Chancellor. She has led character workshops and delivered keynotes for students, boards, and faculty and staff, and developed a play and character integration plan for the University of Denver.
Mia earned her Masters in Public Policy in ’23 and her Bachelors in Business Information and Analytics in ’21, both from the University of Denver. During her time as a student, Mia competed for the D1 gymnastics team for five years, serving as team captain for two years and president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee for one year.
Mia is granddaughter to Stuart Brown and daughter to Lauren Sundstrom. Under their guidance, she has followed her kinesthetic play personality and passion for play throughout her athletic and professional career.
2025 Position Statement Launch: Mark Tremblay
Dr. Tremblay is a Senior Scientist with the Healthy Active Living and Obesity (HALO) Research Group at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute and Professor of Pediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, President of the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance, Founder of the Sedentary Behaviour Research Network, President of Outdoor Play Canada, and Adjunct/Visiting/Honorary Professor at six other universities on four continents. Dr. Tremblay has published >600 scientific papers and book chapters in the areas of childhood obesity, physical activity measurement, exercise physiology, sedentary physiology, outdoor play and health surveillance. According to Scopus, his h-index is 111 and his published research has been cited >54,000 times, consistently placing him on the Clarivate list of highly cited researchers (top 1% in the world). Dr. Tremblay received an honorary doctorate from Nipissing University, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the King Charles III Coronation Medal, the Lawson Foundation 60th Anniversary Award, the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology Honour Award and John Sutton Memorial Lecturer Award, the Victor Marchessault Advocacy Award from the Canadian Pediatric Society, the Vic Neufeld Mentorship Award in Global Health Research from the Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research, the International Network of Time-Use Epidemiologists Laureate Award, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Senior Researcher Trailblazer Award in Population and Public Health Research, and the Obesity Canada Distinguished Lecturer Award for his leadership contributions to healthy active living in Canada and around the world. Dr. Tremblay’s most productive work has resulted from his 36-year marriage to his wife Helen, yielding four wonderful children.
2025 Position Statement Launch: Louise de Lannoy
Dr. Louise de Lannoy is the Executive Director of Outdoor Play Canada. She holds a PhD from Queen’s University in clinical exercise physiology and has research interests in population health and knowledge translation, which led her to join the Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Team at the CHEO Research Institute where she became involved in and helped grow Outdoor Play Canada into the not-for-profit organization it is today. Louise is passionate about environmental stewardship, finding daily joy and wonder outdoors, and thinking creatively and collaboratively about whole-of-community challenges. She routinely delivers outdoor play and learning presentations at local, regional, national and international conferences and events, including local outdoor early childhood education professional development days, the national Outdoor Learning Conference (Canada), and the International Play Association Conference (Glasgow). Outside of OPC, Louise enjoys exploring Ottawa by running, cycling and skiing through it and winding down at the end of the day on the couch with a glass of wine, her partner Jeff, and their geriatric puppy.
2025 Position Statement Launch: Eun-Young Lee
Dr. Eun-Young Lee is an Associate Professor at Queen’s University with appointments in Kinesiology & Health and Gender Studies, and an Affiliated Investigator at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute. They are a population health researcher whose work lies at the intersection of climate change, movement behaviours—including outdoor play—and social and health equity. Dr. Lee holds a PhD in Health Psychology and Behavioural Medicine, with postdoctoral training in Epidemiology and Population Health. Their scholarly contributions include over 100 peer-reviewed publications and notable service roles such as Senior Associate Editor for the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, Research Advisory Member of ParticipACTION, and Board Member for Outdoor Play Canada and the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute. In recognition of their leadership and impact, Dr. Lee was recently awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal. They recently completed a Global Visiting Fellowship at Seoul National University (South Korea) and will complete a Visiting Fellowship at the Columbia Climate School’s Center for Sustainable Urban Development (USA) in 2026. Dr. Lee has delivered keynote presentations on outdoor play at major international conferences and institutions within the past year, including the North American Society for Pediatric Exercise Medicine (USA), University of Santa Catarina (Brazil), Yonsei University (South Korea), and National Taiwan University of Sport (Taiwan). Looking ahead, their work will focus on developing global youth climate leadership through outdoor play. Their most humbling and persistent challenge has been to convince their naturally sedentary dachshund to embrace the great outdoors alongside them.
The English-language launch of A 360° Vision of Play: Margaret Fraser
Margaret Fraser is the co-founder and co-director of Metalude, where she integrates child- and person-centered facilitation techniques with a strong focus on inclusion. She designs playful and thoughtful participatory processes to explore complex issues, while honouring the lived experiences of all participants.
The English-language launch of A 360° Vision of Play: Stephanie Watt
Stephanie Watt is the co-founder and co-director of Metalude, a non-profit that supports the creation of child-inclusive cities. She designs participatory processes that generate insights and results that shape how adults think and decide, while centering children’s rights and the quality of their experience.
Risky Teaching: A research to practice guide for risky play in schools: Mariana Brussoni
Dr. Mariana Brussoni is the Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership and Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. She is an investigator with the British Columbia Children’s Hospital Research Institute and BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit. Mariana is a founding member and current board member of Outdoor Play Canada. Her research investigates child injury prevention and children’s risky play, focusing on parents’ and educators’ perceptions of risk, and design of outdoor play-friendly environments. Details can be seen at outsideplay.org
Risky Teaching: A research to practice guide for risky play in schools: Megan Zeni
Dr. Megan Zeni is a teacher consultant in the province of British Columbia. She has 3 decades of professional K-7 teaching experience in classrooms, outdoor classrooms, and school gardens. Megan supports schools, school districts, non-profit organizations, university faculty, teacher education programs, funding agencies, and education specific think tanks interested in building capacity for effective and sustainable implementation of risky play, school gardens, and outdoor classrooms in elementary schools. Learn more and follow her work at meganzeni.com
Bridging Research-to-Practice on Quality Participation in Active Play for Children and Young Persons with Disabilities Across Different Contexts: Kelly Arbour-Nicitopoulos
Kelly Arbour-Nicitopoulos, is a Full Professor in Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education and an Advisory Member of the Mental Health and Physical Activity Research Centre at the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada. She is also the Co-Chair of the Active Play Team of the Canadian Disability Participation Project and an Associate Editor of the Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly journal. Situated within the field of behavioural medicine, her research program is theory-driven, using both quantitative and qualitative methods to measure, understand, and change physical activity behaviour in children and youth experiencing disability. Kelly’s work is founded in knowledge mobilization, where she collaborates with families and persons experiencing disability as well as community organizations to ensure her research is able to address relevant and timely needs of the disability community. The research products that her research team has developed and disseminated include physical activity program training manuals and curricula for children and adults with disabilities, health professional training resources to support physical activity in disability populations, and tools to enhance individuals’ awareness of physical activity programs and policies.
Bridging Research-to-Practice on Quality Participation in Active Play for Children and Young Persons with Disabilities Across Different Contexts: Kelly Arbour-Nicitopoulos
Jennifer Leo, PhD is the Director of The Steadward Centre for Personal & Physical Achievement in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation at the University of Alberta. With over 15 years of research and community-based experience, Jennifer has focused on understanding experiences of access, inclusion, and participation in adapted physical activity settings. Jennifer prioritizes learning from those with lived experience of disability and she is committed to developing and supporting young people experiencing disability to become leaders in the community. Collaboration and partnerships are critical to Jennifer as she is a Co-Director of the Active Play Team in the Canadian Disability Participation Project and is a Member of the Leadership Team for the Inclusive Sport and Recreation Collective in Alberta.
Bridging Research-to-Practice on Quality Participation in Active Play for Children and Young Persons with Disabilities Across Different Contexts: Louise de Lannoy
Dr. Louise de Lannoy is the Executive Director of Outdoor Play Canada (and would rather not take up so much space on this page but is grateful to be part of this symposium, speaking alongside Kelly and Jenn; see full bio above)!
Outdoor Ways of Learning and Sharing (OWLS) – A collaboration to bring learning outside to build resilient school communities in Northeastern Ontario: Eileen Berwick
Eileen Berwick began her 20 year teaching career in Scotland before moving to North Bay, where she continues to inspire learning with the Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board. As the Experiential Learning Lead, Eileen supports school communities in fostering hands-on, exploratory learning opportunities that are guided by students’ interests, talents and passions, helping them navigate their educational journey towards relevant career-life pathways.
Outdoor Ways of Learning and Sharing (OWLS) – A collaboration to bring learning outside to build resilient school communities in Northeastern Ontario: Coral Bissett
Coral Bissett is a certified teacher and Forest School Practitioner who has spent the past 18 years teaching at the Canadian Ecology Centre in Mattawa. As the lead instructor of the OWLS (Outdoor Ways of Learning and Sharing) program, Coral is passionate about creatively connecting curriculum expectations to outdoor learning, while focusing on student’s social-emotional well-being through enriching experiences in nature.
Outdoor Ways of Learning and Sharing (OWLS) – A collaboration to bring learning outside to build resilient school communities in Northeastern Ontario: Josee Bisson
Josee Bisson is a Community Health Promoter at the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit with 25 years of experience in public health. Over the past decade, Josee has collaborated closely with school board partners to support schools in creating healthier learning environments that enhance student achievement and wellbeing.
Outdoor Ways of Learning and Sharing (OWLS) – A collaboration to bring learning outside to build resilient school communities in Northeastern Ontario: Heather Dabrowski
Heather Dabrowski is a certified teacher (OCT) at Silver Birches Public School in North Bay. With a strong background in outdoor education, Heather co-founded the OWLS (Outdoor Ways of Learning and Sharing) program during her time at the Canadian Ecology Centre. She has also worked with ALIVE Outdoors and the Cambridge Farm and Forest School. A qualified Forest School Practitioner, Heather is dedicated to connecting children to nature through engaging outdoor learning experiences.
Working Wild: Outdoor Mentorship and Training: Monique Lozeron
Monique Lozeron is a passionate advocate for physical literacy, play, and outdoor nature programming. Her enthusiasm, positivity, and open-minded approach deeply influence her work with children and co-workers, inspiring educators and parents to reconsider and reframe their perspective on adult-child interactions. With a BPE in Adapted Physical Activity, Monique encourages a holistic view of physical engagement and learning.
She is a self-proclaimed ‘spreader of joy’, residing on Treaty 6 Territory in Alberta, where she enjoys adventures with her husband and two young children while embracing nature and outdoor activities.
Monique Lozeron (she/her)
Owner, Move Play Nature Consulting