Veronica is a polymath. Her passion for music got her into electronic and software engineering. After making a few synthesizers in her teens, a degree later, she spent her career working in a variety of markets (including industrial control, cell phones, automotive, agricultural, music, petrochemicals, health, security, film) in a range of roles (engineering, marketing, sales, management, CTO) across the world.
Originally from England (the accent is a giveaway), she now lives in Cape Breton working with tech startups and teaches part time at Dalhousie University. She is an EDI training provider to a number of local and national organizations, as well as a speaker on a plethora of subjects. She volunteers on a number of boards and committees (CBRM diversity committee chair, education director of Pride Cape Breton, Communications director for Conversion Therapy Survivors connect, Bereaved Families of Cape Breton to name a few) using her lived experiences to bring change.
Veronica identifies as intersex and transgender, her intersex condition becoming known at the surgical stages of her transition. Veronica survived two suicide attempts and conversion therapy.
Veronica founded Cape Breton Transgender Network and supports a number of adults, youth and families. She can be a fierce advocate and activist, having become a dragon for many. She was involved in the conversion therapy ban, changes in the family services NS law to better protect children and is currently actively working on other legislative and policy changes.
Veronica was widowed in 2017, lives with dyslexia and ADHD, has two daughters and four grand children, is a writer (poetry - http://visforpoems.blogspot.com) some of which have been published, has some book projects underway, is a musician, is on hiatus from instrument making but still speaks on it, has designed, built and flown radio control gliders, might have crewed on steam railway locomotives, is a photographer, still occasionally experiments with synthesizer designs and loves a decent cup of tea.
Topics:
Transgender experience and history
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
2SLGBTQ+ in STEM
Conversion Therapy and Religious Trauma
Fee: Veronica offers a rate for non-profit community based of $50-150. Her fee would vary to $200-3000.
