Gabrielle Ferguson is the leadership programs Director at the Rural Ontario Institute where she develops and leads programs including the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program, an 18 month experiential development opportunity for leaders in the agri-food sector and rural communities and Young Rural Change Makers, for 18 to 20 year olds wanting to mobilize action on issues that matter to rural communities. She is a certified KAI adaptation-innovation practitioner, holds a BSc in Environmental Biology and MSc in Plant Science. Her career has involved industry (Cargill, Pioneer Hi-Bred), government (Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, OMAFRA), teaching (University of Guelph), self-employed (agronomic consulting business) and not-for-profit (Rural Ontario Institute). She has been involved on the board of numerous agriculture, rural community and industry boards. She lives on a grain and oilseeds farm in Lambton County with her husband Dave, where she can be seen training for long distance races or hiking the woodlands. Gabe’s focus is on increasing leadership capacity for positive dialogue and action on agriculture, food and rural issues.