Teri Balser, Ph.D.
Co-FounderTeri is a dedicated scholar and university leader. Formerly Provost and Vice-president (Academic) at the University of Calgary, she has also been interim President and Provost at Dalhousie University, Dean of Teaching and Learning for Science and Engineering in Australia, and Dean of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Florida. Internationally known as an educator, she has received numerous awards and recognition for her work in soil and environmental science. Throughout her career she has sought to connect and empower people across sectors in working together toward a sustainable future — with a current focus on building equitable and participatory governance models and fostering the leadership needed to move us toward preferred futures.
Joseli Macedo, Ph.D.
Co-FounderJoseli is an educator, architect, urbanist, and designer. With a wide range of experience leading interdisciplinary programs in Canada, Australia, Brazil, India, and the United States, Joseli has taught and conducted research in regenerative cities, sustainable urban design, and international development planning for 30 years. She is the author of several publications on sustainability, city design, urban ecology, land tenure, housing policy, urban planning history, and pedagogy. At the University of Calgary, she is Professor of Urban Design and SDSN Canada’s Co-Chair for Research and Education.
Paniz Mousavi Samimi
Co-FounderPaniz is a PhD candidate at the University of Calgary with over a decade of research and professional experience. Her work explores the affective dimensions of restorative housing for marginalized children, with an emphasis on participatory and trauma-informed care approaches, bridging the fields of environmental design, psychology, and social equity. She is also the lead researcher for the Calgary site of the Quality in Canada’s Built Environment K–12 Design Education Initiative. Across her work, this reflects a collective duty of care spanning research, practice, and pedagogy—shaping future generations through both environment and education.
SFL network
Behind everything we do is a team of people who truly care. We bring our full selves to the table; open-minded, collaborative, and ready to make something great.
Tony Andenoro, Ph.D.
Director of Community Engagement & Programming
Tony is a leadership scholar and practitioner whose work advances regenerative, human-centered approaches to systems change across education, healthcare, business, and government. He bridges research and practice to help communities and organizations navigate complexity, cultivate innovation, and align action with values in pursuit of more just and sustainable futures. His scholarship explores moral decision-making, cognitive diversity, and the application of behavioral science to complex social challenges, with more than $15 million in funded initiatives supporting leadership and community impact. Tony also partners with mission-driven organizations to translate future-oriented ideas into practical strategies that strengthen leadership capacity and collective resilience.
Jasmine Palardy
Founder of The Good Future Collective
Jasmine is a community builder who specializes in innovative engagement methods that encourage imagination and collaboration. Her career has been spent balancing the worlds of innovation, tech and design to bring diverse groups together to envision and build better places - from innovation districts to main streets, parks, alleys, higher education labs, cultural institutions and more. She is the founder of The Good Future Collective.
Parul Dhami (former member)
TBTF Marketing Strategist
Parul is a Marketing Strategist and data enthusiast with over eight years of experience in sales and business development, supported by a background in software development. As part of the Take Back the Future initiative, she focused on transforming business development strategies through data-driven insights and purposeful storytelling. Her work sits at the intersection of marketing, analytics, and technology, enabling evidence-based decision-making and meaningful audience engagement. She is passionate about using data to translate sustainability challenges into actionable strategies that support climate action and future-ready communities.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Coming soon…
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