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. 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; equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI); 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 was the Manager of Research and Analysis at the Corporate Policy branch at the Nova Scotia Department of Justice. She 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. She is a military spouse, an IVLP alumni with the U.S. State Department, and was the Social Enterprise Business Manager for Ottawa’s City for All Women Initiative (CAWI).

Uduak MacKenzie, BSc, MSc
Research & Policy Consultant | Facilitator
Uduak MacKenzie (she/her) is passionate about using her lived experiences and professional background to prioritize the inclusion of equity and diversity in research approaches, employee narratives, promising practices, and policy analysis to enhance strategic direction, programming, and management approaches. Prior to joining SEASONOVA, Uduak supported people returning to the workforce, including individuals from marginalized communities to gain meaningful employment.
She has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Biology from Saint Mary’s University, and a Masters of Science in Medical Neuroscience from Dalhousie University, both in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
SEASONOVA Affiliates

Lyndi Woo, BPE, M.Ed
Gender, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Specialist & Facilitator
Lyndi Woo (she/they) has been an educator and facilitator for over 20 years, dedicating her career to creating spaces for transformative change that are grounded in experiential learning, unlearning, reflection, relationship, and dialogue. She specializes in adult education, program development, curriculum design, youth mentorship, and project management. She offers expertise in the development and delivery of trauma informed trainings in equity, diversity, inclusion, justice, violence prevention, and consent education. She has provided training and education to support asset based community development in urban Indigenous communities, Indigenous youth leadership, and reconciliation education work with private, nonprofit and public sector organizations, including school boards, social service and healthcare providers.
Her international experience in Ghana, Nicaragua, Thailand, and Cambodia included the development and delivery of solidarity focused education and supporting community driven initiatives in sustainable economic development, community based tourism, youth rights through arts based education, and environmental education.
She has a Masters of Education in Adult Education and Community Development from the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto, with a focus on the sociocultural factors that contribute to the prevalence and normalization of gender based violence. She also holds a Bachelor of Physical Education in Sports Performance from the University of Alberta. Lyndi currently works as a freelance consultant and facilitator with clients in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

Virginia Gonzales, BA, MPA
HR and Change Management Specialist
Virginia Gonzales (she/her) 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.

Gabriela López, MBA
Researcher & Facilitator
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).

Philip Leech-Ngo, BA (Hons), MA, PhD
International Relations Specialist & Facilitator
Dr. Philip Leech-Ngo (he/him) is the Editor of the prestigious Center for International Policy Studies’ Blog and a senior fellow at the Centre on Governance at the University of Ottawa. He was the Gordon F. Henderson Post-doctoral Fellow (2016-2017) at the Human Rights Research and Education Centre at the University of Ottawa. He is the author of The State of Palestine: A Critical Analysis (Routledge, 2016) the co-editor of Political Identities and Popular Uprisings in the Middle East (Rowman and Littlefield International, 2016) and several peer reviewed journal articles.
Want to collaborate?
(c) SEASONOVA 2019-2022
You must be logged in to post a comment.