MELISSA PENEYCAD

Director, Public Engagement & AI Strategy

With more than 20 years of experience across the non-profit, private, governmental, and academic sectors, Melissa brings extensive expertise in public engagement, operations, sustainability, and business development. Her work has spanned numerous sectors such as regulation, education, energy, and healthcare, housing, and transportation in Canada and around the world.

Melissa is a recognized authority on developing complex impact-driven tools and frameworks that make innovation in communications, sustainability, equity, and technology accessible and actionable. She recently played a key role in delivering Canada’s first AI in Regulation conference in Toronto (2025), hosted by MDR Strategy Group, and is an Amazon award-winning author of Essentials of AI for Beginners and Generative AI Basics & Beyond. Melissa is also a sought-after trainer and speaker, having worked with hundreds of professionals and students across North America and Europe.

She previously held senior roles at the Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada, Stantec, the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure, TerraChoice Environmental Marketing (now UL), and Clinton Group Inc. Melissa currently also serves on the Bureau (Executive Board) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s Working Party on Public-Private Partnerships.

Melissa holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University, a Master in Environmental Studies and a Graduate Diploma in Business and Environment from York University, and a postgraduate certificate in Leading Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from Northwestern University. She is passionate about advancing social equity and empowering women in business and STEM through education and mentorship.