Our 2026 Special Guests
Taylor McPherson is a Proud Mi'kmaw woman, a national champion wrestler, and Co-Winner of The Amazing Race Canada Season 10 alongside best friend and teammate Katie Mulkay. A U SPORTS Wrestling National Champion and two-time Canadian National Team athlete, she holds a Bachelor of Kinesiology and a Master of Science from the University of Alberta. As Sport Program Coordinator at the Indigenous Sport Council of Alberta, Taylor co-founded SHED (Spiritual Holistic Exercise Den), a community wellness program grounded in Medicine Wheel teachings that delivers sport equipment and youth leadership training to rural Indigenous communities. In January 2027, she begins a PhD at the University of Calgary to expand SHED into rural Indigenous communities across the country.
Katie Mulkay is a former Team Canada wrestler, 2023 National Champion, and winner of Season 10 of The Amazing Race Canada. Today, she works as a substitute teacher, coaches wrestling, and is pursuing a career in the fire service after recently completing her first season as a Wildland firefighter with Alberta . As a KidSport Edmonton Ambassador, Katie is passionate about giving back through sport and empowering young people to recognize that “Strong is Beautiful,” embrace challenges, and get comfortable being uncomfortable
Quinn Phillips was born and raised to be a sports fan in Edmonton.
She followed her passion for sports as a reporter and anchor, most recently with Global Edmonton.
Now, she is the co-host of The Bits podcast, an all-female sports podcast here in Edmonton.
She loves to golf, curl in the winters and not to sound cliche, she really loves long walks.
Jacqueline (Jackie) JeanFrancois is the founder of Black Girls in Tennis Canada (BGIT), a national non-profit building community for Black women and youth through tennis, leadership and lifestyle. Based in Edmonton, she has grown BGIT into a 500+ member organization with chapters in seven Canadian cities, from Vancouver to Halifax. BGIT is a Tennis Canada Game. Set. Equity. ambassador and winner of the 2025 TPA Innovation Award.
Kendall Barber is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Poppy Barley, the Canadian fashion brand she launched with her sister in 2012. Together, they’ve grown Poppy Barley from an idea into a nationally recognized footwear and accessories brand, with stores in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver and a growing ecommerce business across North America.
Kendall leads brand, marketing and sales, and through Poppy Barley’s Future Fund, is committed to creating opportunities for girls in sport and financial literacy. Outside of work, she’s a mom of two young athletes, plays tennis, runs, and spends plenty of time at hockey rinks and soccer fields.
Dr. Lauren Sulz is the Associate Dean of Research and a Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta. An advocate for healthy school communities, her research helps school leaders implement comprehensive school health approaches to foster inclusive, engaging, and health-promoting learning environments. Through this work, she supports educational leaders in driving systemic change—positioning student well-being as a vital foundation for academic success and the core mission of schools.
Melissa Lotholz is a 3x Canadian Olympic bobsleigh athlete from rural Alberta. After being introduced to bobsleigh in 2014, she went on to compete at three Olympic Games, earning World Cup titles and World Championship medals along the way. After competing as a brakeman at the 2018 Olympics, Melissa transitioned to the pilot seat and became the first Canadian woman to win a medal in women’s monobob. She competed at the 2022 Games becoming the only Canadian woman to compete at the Olympic level in both the pilot and brakewoman positon. And, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, she achieved a personal-best Olympic finish, placing 6th in monobob, the highest Canadian result across the sliding sports.
Throughout her athletic journey, Melissa has experienced firsthand how sport can build confidence, resilience, leadership, and a sense of belonging. She is passionate about encouraging girls to discover what they are capable of, pursue opportunities that challenge them, and recognize that their potential extends far beyond the scoreboard. Today, Melissa is passionate about investing in the next generation through coaching, mentoring, speaking, and volunteer work, using her experiences in sport to encourage young people to build confidence, embrace challenges, and discover their potential both on and off the field.