Our Team

We are building a team of highly skilled professionals

SEASONOVA was founded in 2019 by Jhoanna Gonzales Miners. SEASONOVA is a federally-registered social enterprise based in Ottawa, Ontario. We are expert practitioners in applying, teaching and coaching in intersectional analysis, specifically Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) since 2010/11.

Prior to launching SEASONOVA, our primary consultants were project and policy managers and analysts in the public service, with a combined experience of 60+ years in the Canadian Public Sector. We have worked in all levels of government including: municipal, provincial, and federal. The team also has extensive international experiences such as having worked at an international governmental organization, participated in leadership exchanges with the U.S. State Department, attended international meetings at the United Nations, and developed and implemented international development community projects both in Asia and in Europe.

We are a growing team, with research and consulting affiliates in the areas of social services; Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus); equity, diversity, inclusion, intersectionality, and accessibility (EDIIA); monitoring & evaluation (M&E); adult education; human resources (HR); and addressing gender-based violence and workplace harassment.

Jhoanna Gonzales Miners, BA (Hons), MA

CEO and Principal Consultant

Jhoanna Gonzales Miners (she/her/we) is SEASONOVA’s founding CEO and Principal Consultant. She began her public service career in 1999, and have since worked in all levels of government across Canada. She has a Master of Arts from the University of Ottawa in Public and International Affairs, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree from the University of Manitoba. Jhoanna has a post-graduate certificate on Adult Learning and Development from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto, and completed inter-cultural training from the University of Oxford.

Jhoanna was the Manager of Research and Analysis at the Corporate Policy branch at the Nova Scotia Department of Justice. She was part of the Federal/Provincial/Territorial network of Status of Women Ministers and Senior Officials who helped pivot GBA to GBA Plus in 2010/11 and helped launch the first online GBA Plus training in May 2012.

Jhoanna is a gender and diversity specialist and practitioner, an evaluator, a researcher, and a well-rounded policy analyst. She is a learning & development professional, engaged in instructional design and adult learning facilitation. Leading SEASONOVA, Jhoanna has led numerous mixed methods research and evaluation projects, designed and facilitated courses and processes such as strategic planning and change management, and completed GBA Plus audits and workforce analysis aligned with various Canadian legislation.

Mayela Lozano, MA

Program Coordinator & Senior Consultant

Mayela Lozano (she/her/ella/elle) is a counselor with over 5 years of experience in program development, coordination, and evaluation, with a specific focus on the integration of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Intersectionality, and Accessibility (EDIIA) and GBA Plus into programming. Originally from Mexico, Mayela worked on the prevention of gender-based violence against women for the federal government. She facilitated EDIIA workshops to diverse populations, eventually becoming a program coordinator.

In 2018, Mayela moved to Canada to pursue her Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology at McGill University. During her time there, she made significant contributions to community outreach and engagement, concentrating on addressing barriers to education faced by equity-deserving youth. At McGill’s Branches: Community Outreach Program, Mayela took the lead in developing and coordinating “Pick Your Path,” an online mentorship and career exploration program tailored for Indigenous youth and youth from low-income backgrounds.

More recently, as the Community Liaison for Achēv’s Advancing Equity for Women and Girls project, she played a pivotal role in addressing systemic barriers to employment for immigrant and racialized women. Her work included co-developing a strategic approach to engage with key stakeholders and provide them with resources rooted in EDIIA and GBA Plus to set women up for success in the workplace.

Janelle Casillan

Researcher & Special Assistant to CEO

Janelle Casillan (she/her) is pursuing a four-year degree at the University of Manitoba as a Political Studies major with a minor in Sociology. She is passionate about using well-informed and systematic approaches to address the gaps that exist in current society and public policy. At SEASONOVA, Janelle utilizes her skills in writing, research, and analysis to support the team with her dedication to diversity and inclusion at the forefront of her work. Janelle has been involved in several projects including in the development of community-based evaluation for programs supporting immigrants and newcomers, strategic planning, the integration of EDIIA and GBA Plus in policies, programs, and workforce development.

Kelly Vuong

Research & Data Analyst

Kelly Vuong (she/they) is a student at the University of Waterloo pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science. She first joined SEASONOVA as our youth intern through the the University of Waterloo’s Co-op Program. During school semesters, Kelly is part of SEASONOVA’s data team specializaing in data clean up, analysis and visualization in the context of evaluation and quantitative analysis. Kelly supports the application of EDIIA and GBA Plus in our analytical approach such as data disaggregation across equity groups.

Prior to joining SEASONOVA, she was an executive member of Innovire, a student-led nonprofit organization making STEM education accessible to youth across the GTA region.

Our Research Affiliates

Gabriela López, MBA

Facilitator & EDI Specialist

Gabriela López (she/her/ella) An experienced manager, trainer, communicator and language interpreter with a MBA from the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM) and a Mass Media and Communications Sciences Degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

During her 15 years working for the Mexican Construction Association (CMIC), she served as Director General of the Association’s Training Institute before becoming Director General of the Association. From 2002 to 2003, Gabriela served as the Press Liaison between the Presidency of Mexico Press Office and the Communications Offices of the 12 departments of the Human and Social Cabinet of the Government of Mexico.

After relocating to Canada, she became a facilitator and workshop designer with the City for All Women Initiative (CAWI), where she has designed and facilitated workshops on equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

In 2010, Gabriela was certified by the Immigrant Women Services Ottawa (IWSO) as a Community Language Interpreter in accordance with the Justice Strategy Language Interpreter Services of the Government of Ontario.

Her focus has been to support immigrants, women, and initiatives that contribute to make Ottawa a more inclusive city. This includes serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Multicultural Arts in School and Communities (MASC), the Board of the Catholic Centre for Immigrants (CIC), and as a Stakeholder Specialist for Leveraging Immigrant Talent to Strengthen Canadian Business (LIT).

Euphrasie Emedi, BA, B.Ed., MA, PhD

Researcher, Community Developer & Facilitator

Dr. Euphrasie Emedi (she/her/elle) is a community developer in Ottawa with a local Community Health Centre. Euphrasie is fully bilingual in French and English and has six years of post-secondary teaching experience, three years in teaching in elementary education and 10 years of experience in community service. She is an EDI specialist and facilitator with the City for All Women Initiative, a leading grassroots organization in Ottawa focused on EDI and gender equity.

Virginia Gonzales, BA, MPA

Senior Consultant and HR Specialist

Virginia Gonzales has more than 20+ years of experience in management roles in human resources and administration in the health and environmental sectors. She has a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Manitoba, and a Masters in Health Systems Leadership from Royal Roads University. She has worked with different stakeholders from government to not-for-profit agencies both in Canada and overseas in the areas of program development, monitoring & evaluation, and fundraising. She has worked with the UN, including UNDP, and CIDA prior to its amalgamation with Global Affairs Canada. Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Virginia is also engaged locally in coaching and mentoring community leaders, with a focus on welcoming immigrants as well as spiritual growth. She was a Board Member of the City of Winnipeg’s Citizens Equity Committee and was the Membership & Diversity Chair of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Manitoba Chapter.