CityLAB Team Members

Jay Carter, Project Manager, CityLAB

Professional background: Jay has been working in community engagement, collaborative planning, and urban sustainability for over ten years. Most of Jay's experiences comes from working with various not-for-profits, the City of Hamilton, and co-founding the volunteer-led Sustainability Professionals Network and 100in1Day Hamilton. As a McMaster alumnus, Jay loves being able to connect his various passions through his work and has a Masters of Environment and Business at the University of Waterloo. Most recently he comes from McMaster University where he spent the last 4 years in the Office of Community Engagement in various roles.

Favourite part about CityLAB: The diversity of skills, experiences, and passions that different students, partners, and staff members bring to the table.

Personal interests and hobbies: Anything nature related: camping, canoeing, hiking, etc.

CityLAB Program Committee

The Program Committee is made up of staff from each of the participating institutions and advises on and assists with CityLAB program delivery, including coordination with faculty, evaluation, project matching, communications, and events.

Amanda Malkiewich, Director, Co-operative Education and Experiential Learning Mohawk College

Professional background: Before joining Mohawk College, Amanda spent fifteen years in several post-secondary institutions including; Brock University’s Goodman School of Business, the University of Victoria, Royal Roads University, and Bow Valley College. Amanda’s diverse background in post-secondary includes roles ranging from curriculum development, student leadership, student affairs, and experiential learning.

Favourite part about CityLAB: CityLAB provides valuable experiential learning opportunities for Mohawk College students while expanding their professional network within the city of Hamilton.

Personal interests and hobbies: Spending time with family, travelling, and exploring the great outdoors.

Jason Peng, Manager, Experiential Learning, Mohawk College

Professional background: Jason has been involved in experiential learning within higher education for over 8 years. Early in his career, he traveled coast-to-coast to supply pedagogical lab equipment to colleges and universities across Canada. Jason has supported co-op education and other forms of work-integrated learning, managing portfolios ranging from business to math and science programs, supporting partnership development, student coaching, quality assurance through accreditation, and rolling out a new field placement strategy.

Favourite part about CityLAB: Learning about the ways in which students, faculty, and city staff collaborate on all of these varied civic projects is such a great education on how communities and cities form, function, and flourish.   

Personal interests and hobbies: Documentaries (especially about nature and the cosmos), a fascination with time and timekeeping—and along those lines—tremendous timewasting via YouTube rabbit holes. Recently new dad.

Harold DeVries, Director, Innovation Centre, Redeemer University

Professional Background: 20+ Years as a Business Advisor, Coach, and Mentor working with nascent, early-stage, and some well-established business owners and entrepreneurs. 10 Years teaching entrepreneurship and strategic business planning at Conestoga College.

Favorite part of CityLab: The opportunity to connect with and serve the community and interact with the people who form CityLAB.

Personal Interests and Hobbies: I am an avid amateur musician, active in the Kitchener Musical Society Band (French Horn); King Street Brass, a British style brass band (Tenor Horn), and the worship ensembles at my church (assorted folk winds). In fair weather, I enjoy cycling and fishing and teaching my grandkids to do the same.

Greg Tedesco, Senior Project Manager, Community Engagement, City of Hamilton

Professional background: Greg Tedesco is the Senior Project Manager for Community Engagement in the City’s Government and Community Relations (GCR) Division. Prior to joining the GCR Division in early 2023, Greg worked as a Senior Policy Analyst in the City’s Housing Services Division with a focus on research and evaluation, project management, group facilitation, and stakeholder engagement to support various local initiatives. A graduate of the Bachelor and Master of Social Work programs at McMaster University, Greg has worked in both government and front-line community-based settings in the areas of affordable housing and community development. Greg is a proud Hamiltonian and believes that this city is at its best when we listen to and amplify the voices of lived expertise and collectively work to pursue institutional change to create and sustain safe and meaningful spaces that welcome, include, support, celebrate and value all residents in our community.

Favourite part about CityLAB:  The core focus on creating a dedicated space for collaboration and application of a wide range of skills, abilities, perspectives, and expertise all coming together to develop practical, real-world solutions to the issues facing our city.  

Personal interests and hobbies: Greg lives in the Strathcona neighbourhood and can often be found: walking around downtown, cooking/baking Italian food (panettone, anyone?), drinking coffee, or playing tennis (although not all of those things at once)!

Randy Kay, Outreach Director, CityLAB Semester in Residence, McMaster Office of Community Engagement

Professional background: Randy has lived and worked in Hamilton for over 20 years. Much of his work-life has been dedicated to helping create meaningful community engagement opportunities for undergraduate students, first with OPIRG McMaster, and now with CityLAB SIR. Randy holds a Journalism diploma from Sheridan College, an Honours BA in English from McMaster, and a Public Relations certificate from McMaster Continuing Education.

Favourite part about CityLAB: The students in SIR have proven to be a truly joyful, creative and dedicated force for innovation and change. CityLAB has provided important space for collaboration with city staff and community partners that helps strengthen the impact of the student project work.

Personal interests and hobbies: Randy loves to find ways to make positive change, whether it’s getting more street trees in Hamilton neighbourhoods or advocating for sustainable transportation, habitat rehabilitation, or supporting the work of other engaged groups and individuals in the city.

Amanda Montague, Educational Developer, Community-Engaged Teaching and Learning, McMaster Office of Community Engagemeny

Professional background: Amanda brings experience developing community-engaged courses as an instructor, collaborator, and consultant. Since 2016, Amanda has designed experiential learning courses in digital humanities and developed classroom-based digital partnership projects to promote collaboration and community-building. She is committed to creating equitable co-teaching and co-learning spaces that effectively support students, instructors, and community members. Prior to this role with the Office of Community Engagement, Amanda held a postdoctoral fellowship at the Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship at McMaster University and received a Ph.D. from the University of Ottawa.

Favourite part about CityLAB: CityLAB gives students the opportunity to learn from a diverse range of expertise by making space for community members, experts, and professionals in the university classroom.

Personal interests and hobbies: Wine-tasting, board games, and cooking!