Theme: Limitless

Some of Mississauga's most fascinating community members will be sharing their stories with 100 guests at the Living Arts Centre on Saturday, November 28th, 2015.

Our theme, Limitless, is a celebration of Mississauga's extraordinary growth and evolution in recent history. We will be featuring some of Mississauga's leading thinkers in the areas of cancer research, law, public serve and medicine. Their experiences demonstrate the truly unlimited potential of the Mississauga community.

Living Arts Centre (RBC Theatre)
4141 Living Arts Dr.
Mississauga, Ontario, L5B 4B8
Canada

Joseph Gabriele

Professor

Dr. Gabriele is an Assistant Professor at McMaster University in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences. He is also a Special Graduate Faculty member at the University of Guelph's Department of Biomedical Sciences. He is the President and CEO of Delivra Inc., a company founded upon his ground-breaking research in the area of pain treatment and medication.

Mary Ellen Bench

City Solicitor (Lawyer)

As City Solicitor, Ms. Bench heads the legal and risk management division for Mississauga. They provide the full range of legal and risk/insurance support to the City, including advice to City Council, the City Manager, and City staff. Ms. Bench is also the only Canadian member of the International Municipal Lawyers Association (IMLA) Board of Directors.

Patrick Gunning

Professor of Medicinal Chemistry

Dr. Gunning is a professor at the University of Toronto Mississauga, and the Canada Research Chair In Medicinal Chemistry. He transitioned to UTM following his post-doctoral research at Yale University. Dr. Gunning and his team perform leading cancer research in their lab at UTM, which has directly resulted in the discovery of new and effective drugs for cancer treatment. He has been noted in the Toronto Star and recognized by the University of Toronto as Inventor of the Year.

Shelli Varela

Fire Captain / Author

Shelli made history as the City of Mississauga’s very first female fire fighter. In her years of service, she has climbed the ranks of her profession and currently serves as a Fire Captain, and claimed the title of Fire Fighter of the Year in 2010. She has been featured in the Globe and Mail, Toronto Sun, Mississauga.com, Women’s Post and the Mississauga News. Shelli is also a multi-talented entrepreneur. She has guided women with stories of her own success and bravery through her travels with Firefighters Without Borders, and she is the author of a children’s book, Peanut Meets the Pigtailed Firefighter. Her ‘why not me’ outlook has inspired men and women from all walks of life to follow in her footsteps by taking her challenges in stride and rising above each of them.