 | Tom Rosser Assistant Deputy Minister, Market and Industry Services, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Tom has been part of the senior management team at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada since 2017 and became Assistant Deputy Minister of the Market and Industry Services Branch in 2021. His responsibilities include trade negotiations, agriculture and agri-food sectoral competitiveness, emergency management and departmental regional offices. Previously, Tom had served as the department’s Assistant Deputy Minister of Strategic Policy. Before joining AAFC, Tom held senior positions at Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Natural Resources Canada. Earlier in his career, Tom held a number of positions in both the public and private sectors related to economic and public policy analysis in natural resource sectors. This included assignments at NRCan, Industry Canada and the Forest Products Association of Canada. A British Chevening Scholar, Tom holds a Master of Science in Environmental and Resource Economics from the University of London as well as Masters and Bachelor’s degrees in Public Administration from Carleton University in Ottawa. |
 | Dr. Humberto Boncristiani, Inside The Hive Media & Consulting Inc. Humberto Boncristiani is a second-generation beekeeper and honey bee researcher, Dr. Boncristiani has accumulated extensive experience working in several prestigious research institutions, including the USDA, University of North Carolina in Greensboro, University of Maryland, and the University of Florida. He specializes in honey bee health research with an emphasis on honey bee virology. Through Inside The Hive Media & Consulting Inc., Dr. Boncristiani assists companies entering the beekeeping industry with new products and helps beekeepers optimize their operations across the United States. In his spare time, he hosts the YouTube Channel [Inside The Hive TV](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy_oMgMW7ImhNNp4T7N3atQ), where he educates people about the importance of honey bees, research, and also has fun with his students at [Inside The Hive TV - Academy](https://www.insidethehive.tv/academy), where he teaches honey bee sciences and creates exclusive content for those supporting his YouTube channel. When he is not working on bee-related subjects, Dr. Boncristiani enjoys exercising, traveling, going for long hikes, biking, and cooking. He is also busy chasing his two daughters and helping them reach their life goals. |
 | Dr. Stephen Pernal, Officer-in-Charge, Beaverlodge Research Farm, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Dr. Pernal received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Manitoba and was a postdoctoral fellow at Simon Fraser University. Since 2001, he has been employed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada as a Research Scientist in Beaverlodge, Alberta where he leads Canada’s federal apiculture research program and also serves as Officer-in-Charge. His work has been diverse, and has included the detection, control and management strategies for AFB, chalkbrood, Nosema ceranae, as well as emerging parasites of honey bees. Steve has also been an integral member of three successive Genome Canada projects evaluating markers for resistance to bee diseases and Varroa destructor. He formerly served as President of the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists and is a contributing member to international bodies related to honey bee health. In 2017, he was awarded AAFC’s Gold Harvest award for Innovation, Collaboration and Service Excellence. In 2019, he served as the Scientific Program Chair for Apimondia 2019 in Montreal, Canada. |
 | Fairo Dzekashu, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Lethbridge I am Fairo Dzekashu from Cameroon. I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada working on the effects of heat and drought on canola – pollinator interactions and crop yield. I hold a PhD in Entomology from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. My PhD research was in collaboration with the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), Nairobi, Kenya where a huge part of my work was conducted under the African Regional Postgraduate Programme in Insect Science (ARPPIS). I also hold an MSc and a BSc in Zoology and Animal Physiology (Specialty Entomology) from the University of Buea, Cameroon. |