Speakers

Aurooba Ahmed

Professionally that means I’m a front-end web developer at Wanderoak, a company I co-founded with my best friend. We work with creative and inspiring businesses striving to make a positive difference in this world. I love my job and am grateful everyday that I have it.

I strive to create easy to use systems people can use to further their vision in the world.

Wanderoak 
@aurooba

Kevin Brennan

Kevin Brennan is the owner and operator of Build Studio Inc., a Calgary-based web design and development firm specializing in WordPress.

Kevin started his career in the non-profit sector, working in marketing and communications. After 8 years, he struck out on his own as a freelance web and graphic designer, building websites for small to medium sized companies. In 2011, as work was pilling up, he started Build Studio. Since then, Kevin and his partners have built websites and brands for companies large and small.

Kurt Archer

Calum Lykan

I love to tell stories, it’s my passion and my world. And what I love most is a challenge, give me a theme, a concept an emotion and then give me a second till a story springs to mind.

That is the best way to tell a tale.

Life needs breathed into the stories and with each new telling they take flight and form.

So come along to an event and hear a tale, and just remember if the opportunity is there challenge me or ask as many questions as you like.

I’ve told stories in a wealth of locations from libraries, schools, community centers, public houses, theaters, festivals, the streets, in distant lands and even in ancient Redwood Forests and loved ever minute of ever experience.

I was born and raised in Ayrshire in the heart of Burns country growing up surrounded by the stories from this rich and beautiful area. And like the Bard I moved to Edinburgh (not on the back of a donkey but in a Fiat Panda….I reckon he had a smoother ride) to develop as a professional Storyteller and Tour Guide, becoming a regular contributor at such nights as Cafe Voices and The Guid Crack.

And that wasn’t enough. Early in my career I formed The Burgh Blatherers Group, a development group for new and up and coming storytellers in Edinburgh. The idea was to give the opportunity to test out stories and build confidence telling to groups of people. This group I am happy to say is still running and although I have handed over the running of it, due to a busy schedule and travel, I am still a member and attend meetings whenever possible.

These days you can find me telling out of Calgary, Alberta all the way over in Canada where I perform at Fringes and local historical events.

Scottish and Irish folk tales and legends, Norse and Greek myths, tales from Europe, Asia, America are just some of the stories I love to tell.

Traditional Scottish Folk & Fairy Tales
Historical Tales
Whisky Tales
Russian Folk and Fairy Tales
Celtic Tales
Norse Saga’s and Stories
Greek & Roman
Tree stories
Animal stories
Tales from the Ocean
Pirate Tales of High Adventure and Skullduggery
Halloween Tales
Ghosts and ghouls
Christmas Stories
Historical Walks and Tours
Ghost Walks and Tours
Workshops

Christina Workman

When you love WordPress and you love teaching kids, what could be more natural than teaching WordPress to kids?! Christina has been teaching coding to kids as young as 5 for the past few years through Kids Code Force.

Shawn Hooper

Hailing from Ottawa, Canada, Shawn has been building web applications since the late 90s, with a focus on WordPress since 2011. He is the Director of IT at Actionable, a learning and development startup based in Toronto. He is a core contributor to the WordPress open source project, and has spoken at WordPress events in Canada, the United States and Australia. Shawn is the lead organizer of WordCamp Ottawa 2018.

William Jackson

William Jackson, M.Ed. graduated from South Carolina State University earning a Bachelor’s in Education, furthering his education earning a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Webster University a focus on Educational Technology, Social Media and STEM.

William’s career includes teaching with NASA as a Internet and Technology instructor, technology consultant with Florida Department of Education, Professor with Edward Waters College; Educational Technology, Social Media and STEAM.

Involved in education over 25 years in elementary and higher education as a Technology and Physical Education teacher. “Coach Jackson” or “Professor Jackson,” a media blogger, speaker on Cyberbullying prevention, STREAM advocate. Is the Social Media Liaison for TEDxFSCJ and for the Jacksonville Sister Cities International Exchange. Each requires William to monitor, manage and update the Social Media platforms for each organization. Provide training in how to manage content respectfully to each committee. William is on the Board of Directors as well as a consultant for Social Engagement for several non-profit groups in Jacksonville, Florida.

National / International blogger published in the United States, Canada
and the continent of Africa.
The digital innovator for My Quest To Teach http://MyQuestToTeach.WordPress.com/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/williamdjackson
Twitter: @wmjackson
William has spoken at multiple WordCamps from 2017 to 2018.

Tom Drake

Tom Drake has been blogging on WordPress for over 9 years at MapleMoney.com and now runs multiple blogs with a focus on SEO that has led to over 700,000 pageviews a month. Tom brings together personal finance, travel, parenting, and entrepreneurship bloggers on the Canadian Money Bloggers Facebook group and the annual EarnEvents.com.

Lorraine Watson

A self-professed “left-brained creative big picture idea” type (and crazy for cats), Lorraine’s insatiable curiosity of life leads her to explore, question and push beyond the box. She brings a unique perspective blending together logic, intuition, creativity, and analysis.

Lorraine left behind her role as a business system analyst in the corporate world to work as a consultant, and eventually found herself on an unexpected detour to becoming a holistic practitioner. In the early 2000s, she was drawn back to the world of IT with SEO, websites and online marketing. Not wanting to be part of the less-than-white-hat ways she saw it being used, Lorraine moved on to become a life coach.

But SEO wouldn’t leave Lorraine alone. In early 2017, she was drawn back into the world of helping people raise their visibility after connecting with those who approached SEO as a vehicle for good, and creating positive experiences – the way she knew it should be done.

Where most people might see Lorraine’s work as an SEO strategist and life coach being an odd pairing, she views them as complementary skills aligned in the same direction. Both disciplines serve in helping you to understand yourself and your work more clearly, put your best confident self forward, and being found so you can bring your work to the world.

Connect with Lorraine at these places around the web:
Website: https://www.trispherefusion.com/
Twitter: @LorraineEWatson
LinkedIn: LorraineWatson311
Facebook: Lorraine.Watson.311

WordCamp Calgary 2018 is over. Check out the next edition!