2025 IP Summit:
Protect Your Ideas,Power Your Business

Dana Driedger, CM is a proud member of the Canoe Lake Cree First Nation and serves as the Director of Marketing and Strategic Initiatives at North Forge, where she leads with a deep commitment to community development and Indigenous inclusion. She is also an entrepreneur, co-founding and partnering in Knowledge Gap SR&ED Consulting. Her diverse career spans leadership roles, including Executive Director of The Nellie McClung Foundation, where she championed women’s and human rights, and Director of Brand Management at Red River Mutual. Dana’s dedication to community is exemplified through her work on the Board of Directors for the Circle of Life Thunderbird House and her involvement in initiatives that promote women’s leadership and support Indigenous communities. Grounded in the teachings of her Cree ancestors—kinship, respect for the land, and collective well-being—Dana’s leadership is inspired by her family’s history of resilience, with her mother and grandmother both survivors of Canada’s residential and day school systems.

Yvan Guy Larocque, CD, LLM, is an accomplished Indigenous business lawyer specializing in Indigenous Economic Development and Governance. Yvan is the Clinical Counsel in Private Law at the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law and a supervising lawyer in the L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic and Manitoba Legal Clinic for the Arts. He also teaches courses in contract law, commercial law, corporate law, legal negotiations, and Indigenous economic development. As a Founding Partner at Hall & Larocque LLP, Yvan provides invaluable counsel to Indigenous governments, Economic Development Groups, and Indigenous entrepreneurs on a broad spectrum of corporate, financing, tax, and business development matters. Yvan's commitment to promoting Indigenous rights is reflected in his roles on the Executive of the CBA's National Aboriginal Law Section. Additionally, he sits on the board of directors of several not-for-profit organizations and charities serving Indigenous and non-Indigenous persons, including Indspire, the Neeginan Centre, and the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. In addition to his legal pursuits, Yvan has a distinguished military career, having served in the Canadian Armed Forces for over 20 years in both the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force. He currently holds the rank of Petty Officer 1st Class and is a member of His Majesty’s Canadian Ship Chippewa. Yvan's educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Economics from the University of Manitoba, a Juris Doctor degree from the Peter A. Allard School of Law (UBC) with a Business Law Concentration and Specialization in Aboriginal Law, and a Master of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School, specializing in Business Law. He is called to the Bar in the Province of British Columbia and Manitoba. As a proud citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation, Yvan holds a strong connection to his Red River Métis roots in Sainte-Anne, Manitoba. His identity and heritage inform his passion for advancing the economic opportunities and legal rights of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Kevin Danner is the CEO of Carbon Lock Tech, a Manitoba-based cleantech company focused on developing and deploying carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies. With experience in research, planning and climate policy, Kevin has built a company that advances its climate solutions through research and development while protecting its knowledge and innovations with key IP strategies.

Nancy Cooke, CEO and Founder Campaign Compass™, brings over twenty years of experience in nonprofit governance, community activism, business and political operations. Nancy’s passion for community engagement translated into engagement in the democratic process as a candidate, campaign manager, federal constituency office assistant, director of operations and CEO of a provincial political party. In 2016 Nancy moved her public service to working in the legislature as a Chief of Staff to various ministers, including Infrastructure, Crown Services, Municipal Relations and Mental Health Wellness and Recovery, playing a key role in supporting the development of the first Manitoba Roadmap for Mental Health, Wellness and Recovery in 2021. Since 2021, Nancy’s innovative pursuit for a game-changing solution to support engagement in democracy was created. Campaign Compass is a comprehensive software platform that includes an integrated suite of tools to streamline campaign operations and resource management. Campaign Compass™ allows candidates and campaign teams to focus on campaign strategy and success. To date Nancy has helped transform several campaigns across Canada.

Dan Patriarca is a lawyer at Fillmore Riley LLP, a premier full-service Manitoba law firm. Dan practises primarily in the areas of intellectual property, technology, and corporate/commercial law. His experience includes IP licensing, purchases and sales of businesses and IP, as well as formulating IP strategies. He is currently a trademark agent-in-training and enjoys working with startups and businesses of all sizes.