Christine Preece
Christine Preece is an accomplished mental health and education leader with more than 35 years of experience advancing child and youth well-being across education, public health, and community settings.
Most recently, she served as Mental Health and Wellbeing Systems Lead with the St. Clair Catholic District School Board, where she led system-wide implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), social and emotional learning (SEL), strategic planning, and evidence-informed mental health frameworks. Her work has focused on building the capacity of educators and leaders to create sustainable approaches to mental health promotion, prevention, and early intervention.
A Registered Social Worker, Christine holds a Master of Health Studies and is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist. She now works with the Werklund Institute for Social and Emotional Intelligence Canada and as a mental health clinician, bringing extensive experience in strengthening partnerships, supporting system change, and creating healthy, inclusive school communities.
First Day Oct 28
Pre-Conference Wellbeing & Flourishing Symposium
1:00–2:00 PM | Keynote: The State of Youth Mental Health in Canada: Navigating an AI-Enabled World (Speaker: Michael Cooper, Mental Health Research Canada)
- Michael will explore the current state of youth mental health and well-being in Canada, sharing new research on how AI is impacting youth well-being.
2:00–2:10 PM | Break
2:10–3:00 PM | System-Wide Universal Mental Health in the Age of AI: Building Human Skills Through SEL (Speakers: Former Superintendent Deb Crawford & Christine Preece)
- Designed for school and system leaders, this session explores how universal mental health promotion through Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) can strengthen the human skills students need to thrive. Participants will discuss how a system-wide approach fosters belonging, empathy, resilience, and critical thinking.
3:00–3:10 PM | Break
3:10–4:00 PM | Leading Healthy Systems: Psychological Safety, Well-Being, and Belonging (Speaker: Dr. Gail Markin, Workplce Wellbeing Speciaist and Authout of Beyond Self-Care)
- Gail will shift the focus to the adults and systems supporting young people. She will explore how leaders can intentionally create safe, healthy workplaces where staff feel valued and connected, offering practical leadership practices to strengthen trust and relationally healthy school systems.