65th Global Conference on Front Line Leadership (GCFLL)

Associate Teaching Professor, Thompson Rivers University

John received his Commerce degree and Law degree from the University of British Columbia and commenced private legal practice in Kamloops immediately upon graduation. His work centered around real estate development, corporate transactions, wills and estates. John pursued community service while establishing and growing his practice. He was first elected to the Kamloops School Board in 1988 and served for eight years including three years as School Board Chair.

In 1999, John was elected to Kamloops City Council where he served for eleven years in various capacities including Audit Committee Chair, President of the Kamloops Airport Authority Society, Hospital Board Chair, Municipal Finance Authority Member and Regional District Director. In addition, John served in various volunteer roles with the Thompson Rivers University (“TRU”) Foundation including six years as its board chair.

In 2011, John left the private practice of law to become Chief Executive Officer of the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc (Kamloops Indian Band). In this multi-faceted role John led a team of over 200 employees responsible for a wide variety of enterprises ranging from a working cattle ranch and retail gas station as well as providing band social programs and operating an elementary school.

John joined the School of Business and Economics at TRU first as a sessional instructor 2010 and as full time faculty commencing January, 2014. His courses include Commercial, Employment and Real Estate Law but John has also instructed Business Ethics for TRU at the Tianjin University of Technology in China. In addition, John instructs Real Estate Transactions at TRU’s Law School.

John recently received the Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence from the School of Business and Economics. Besides his work at TRU, John serves as a board member and panel chair for the Health Professions Review Board of British Columbia. This organization acts as an appellate body for decisions rendered by professional medical colleges in the province. He has also served as a board member of the Provincial Health Services Authority and board chair of the Interior Health Authority.

These organizations are tasked with the operation of large scale health facilities including the BC Children’s Hospital, the BC Ambulance Service, the BC Cancer Agency, the BC Centre for Disease Control and many others. Each organization operates on an annual budget well in excess of $2 billion. John has been recognized as a distinguished Alumnus of Thompson Rivers University in 1995, selected for a BC Community Achievement Award in 2011 and was designated as Queen’s Counsel in December 2015.

Founder and President of Motivational Leadership Training
Founder of the Level UP Leadership Model
Business Expert Press Editor
Certified Coach & Facilitator of the Reflective Best Self Exercise
Management Consultant

Dr. Michael J. Provitera is an Associate Professor of Management and Certified Positive Psychology Coach and Facilitator. Mike is an editor for Business Expert Press in the Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management Collection.

His focus is on improving organizational effectiveness and enhancing individual success. He has trained over 1000 executives and taught management to over 2000 undergraduate and graduate students.

Clients of his have been Pfizer, Trane, CEO Business, Interval International, and the City of North Miami.Michael is sought by reporters for quotes in prominent media such as Forbes, US News & World Report, The Daily News, Fox Business, Higher Ed Jobs, Hr.Com, NBC News, and The Washington Times.

Michael has published over fourteen books and over one-hundred articles and case studies. His children’s book series is called Happy Go Lucky. His motivation books and leadership books have helped thousands of people not only lead themselves but also lead others. His children’s books have been sent to Tanzania, Eastern Africa, to an orphanage and school there.

IFC/World Bank Group Certified Master Trainer

Educated and trained in the US, Norway, Japan, and Bangladesh, Quazi M. Ahmed is a renowned leadership, team building, and soft skills facilitator with 27 years of experience in training, teaching, speaking, and coaching. Since January 2022, he has been the IFC/World Bank Group Certified Master Trainer. Over the years, he has conducted face-to-face training programs/gave talks in conferences in the USA, Denmark, Malaysia, India, Nepal, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. He has also done VILT (Virtual Instructor-Led Training) workshops and spoke at e-Conferences and webinars for audiences in a dozen other countries, including the UK, Myanmar, Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia.

For his global presence in human capital development, Mr. Ahmed received the “Global Training and Development Leadership Award” in February 2017 by the World HRD Congress in its 25th-anniversary celebrations. He has facilitated training sessions attended by more than one hundred thousand people in the nonprofit, private, and public sectors in multiple countries.

In recent years, He has completed the following certifications: IFC/World Bank Group Certified Master Trainer, Certified facilitator, from InsideOut Coaching/Development (USA), Certified L&D Professional from Aon Hewitt Learning Center (UK & India), and Certified PPA Practitioner from Thomas Assessment Pvt. Ltd. (UK and India).

Mr. Ahmed is recognized as the pioneer of the modern approach to L&D in Bangladesh–the country of his birth. In 2016, he founded the Bangladesh Organization for Learning and Development (BOLD), which is the national apex body serving the needs of trainers, Learning & Development professionals, and others passionate about personal and professional development. One of his primary purposes is to become the best version of himself.