Sharing Stories of Resiliency and Reconciliation

As a sought-after speaker, Kevin draws on his humble beginnings as an Indigenous youth in Winnipeg's North End to working alongside business, community, and government leaders. Through sharing personal stories of resiliency, possibility, and hope, he is able to engage diverse crowds into inclusive and healthy conversations about reconciliation.

Kevin Chief is Principal of Chief Partnerships Manitoba Incorporated. He is currently the chairperson for the Centre of Aboriginal Human Resource Development Inc. and Senior Advisor at True North Sports and Entertainment. Kevin brings a commitment to community and leadership development through his dedication to education, training, and employment.

Born and raised in Winnipeg’s North End, he has considerable public sector and community experience. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, representing Point Douglas, and was appointed to Cabinet as Minister of Children and Youth Opportunities in 2012, Minister responsible for the City of Winnipeg in 2013, and Minister of Jobs and the Economy in 2014. Following public service, Kevin was the Vice President at the Business Council of Manitoba. Chief is the co-founder of the Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Achievement Centre.

Kevin and his wife Melanie have three young sons: Hayden, Kellan, and Daxton. He is also known as a high steppin’ square dancer as a part of the Norman Chief Memorial Dancers.

Karen Haycox serves as CEO of Habitat NYC and Westchester and as President of the Habitat NYC Community Fund, the organization’s certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) dedicated to providing financial services that meet the needs of economically- disadvantaged and underserved communities.

Prior to joining Habitat NYC and Westchester in 2015, Karen held a number of senior positions across the Habitat for Humanity network, getting her start right here at home, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. In 2004, she joined the global headquarters of Habitat for Humanity working closely with a portfolio of multinational partners, serving in a leadership capacity on the organization’s annual Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project and on a cross divisional team working to strengthen Habitat’s role in global disaster response. Karen has also served as Vice President, Fund Development at Southwest Solutions, a Detroit-based organization working at the intersection of mental health, housing, neighborhood revitalization and economic development.

Karen is deeply involved in New York’s LGBTQ+ and housing communities. She serves on the board of the Toronto-based Rainbow Railroad, an international organization helping LGBTQ+ individuals around the world to escape state-sponsored violence and find safety and freedom from persecution. She is a past board member of Stonewall Community Development Corporation (NYC), an organization dedicated to providing New York’s LGBTQ seniors with supportive, affordable and safe housing options.

Additionally, Karen serves on the boards of the New York City-based Housing Partnership, which assists in the development, promotion, and revitalization of New York City’s affordable homeownership and rental housing; the New York State CDFI Coalition which provides advocacy and resources for New York State Community Development Financial Institutions and the Interboro Community Land Trust, a non-profit organization focused on creating affordable opportunities for homeownership across New York City.