John Beebe
Senior Advisor and Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Arts
Catherine Corriveau
Senior Manager, Policy & Strategic Initiatives
John founded the Democratic Engagement Exchange in 2017. John’s passion for democratic engagement started while biking across North America when strangers from all walks of life took pity on a sweaty teenage kid and opened up their homes, shared a cold drink, provided him a hot shower and shared a little of their lives.
Since then, John has had the opportunity to work for the US Congress, exhibit photos at the United Nations, and lead national engagement efforts for organizations like the Samara Centre for Democracy and Pathways to Education.
Through these professional and personal experiences, John continues to be reminded of the wisdom that resides in our communities when we take the opportunity to engage and listen.
To learn more about John and other efforts to foster democracy, visit the Faculty of Arts.
Catherine is the Senior Manager, Policy & Strategic Initiatives at the Democratic Engagement Exchange. Catherine Corriveau brings over eight years of experience in public policy, stakeholder engagement, and strategic communications, with a focus on fostering collaboration and driving meaningful impact.
Having worked with senior government offices, civil society organizations, and corporate leaders in her different roles, Catherine’s expertise includes building cross-sectoral partnerships, facilitating high-level stakeholder engagement, and advancing policy solutions on issues ranging from national security and democracy, energy transition, housing, economic inclusion, governance and more. She has also designed creative outreach campaigns and supported experiential learning programs for marginalized communities.
Catherine holds an Honours BSocSc in Conflict Studies and Human Rights and a Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Ottawa, with a focus on national security and democracy in Canada.
She is also an active volunteer with the Lifesaving Society of Ontario, and athlete, participating in ultra-marathon relay challenges for charity and supporting community initiatives. On her spare time, Catherine likes to prepare material for amateur stand-up shows.
Marium Nur Vahed
Federal Election Campaign Manager
Marium Nur Vahed is the Federal Election Campaign Manager at the Democratic Engagement Exchange. She brings nearly a decade of experience across the nonprofit, political, academic, business, and creative sectors to support stronger, more inclusive civic participation.
Marium has worked with Muslim, newcomer, racialized, and student communities to advance civic engagement and build more equitable systems. Her work spans grassroots voter outreach, civic education, and capacity-building for community organizations. She has contributed to national conversations on democratic engagement, climate action, mental health, and equity, diversity and inclusion in the film industry.
She brings an interdisciplinary lens to her civic work, combining design thinking, storytelling, and community organizing to create people-centred, equity-driven solutions. Marium holds an MSc in Digital Management from Ivey Business School and an Honours BA in Diaspora and Transnational Studies and Anthropology from the University of Toronto.
Outside of her civic work, Marium is a filmmaker and storyteller, using film to highlight underrepresented voices and spark community dialogue. In her free time, you can find her with a good book and a cup of chai at her local park.
Madeleine Case
Lead, Policy & Strategic Initiatives
Madeleine Case is the Lead, Policy and Strategic Initiatives at the Democratic Engagement Exchange. In this role, she leads work to advance inclusive democratic participation through policy development, research, and strategic partnerships.
Maddie brings extensive and well-rounded experience in public policy, communications, and community engagement, shaped by roles in both federal politics and the public service.
A long-time volunteer in political campaigns, Maddie is deeply committed to strengthening Canada’s democracy and ensuring it remains accessible, vibrant, and representative.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Studies from Queen’s University and a Master of Arts in Public Policy and Administration from Toronto Metropolitan University. Maddie is also a Policy Fellow with the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy at McGill University, aiming to further the conversation on online safety and youth engagement.
Ashley Denny
Project Coordinator
Ashley joined the Democratic Engagement Exchange in 2020. She is passionate about building a culture of democracy in Canada. With a foundational education in the Humanities, Ashley believes in the importance of big ideas, education and meaningful action. In her career so far, she has had the opportunity to work for Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada in Ottawa and for the Faculty of Laws, UCL in London, UK.
Her experience in the Canadian co-operative movement has strengthened her belief in the importance of community engagement and participatory democracy in various aspects of our personal and political lives.
Victoria Kuketz
Host of Democracy Dialogues
Victoria is thrilled to be the host of the Democracy Dialogues. She is a public policy and external relations professional who has built her career leading programming centred on social policy and democratic engagement, community outreach, driving stakeholder engagement, and building partnerships. She is also the Director of Corporate Engagement at Catalyst Canada, and the Digital Democracy Fellow at the Public Policy Forum.
Having worked closely with The Exchange in its formative years, Victoria is excited to return in this role and will draw on her previous experience at Public Policy Forum (where she is now a disability inclusion advisor), Elections Ontario, MaRS Discovery District, and the Samara Center for Democracy in order to convene and facilitate equitable, timely and responsive conversations for the Democracy Dialogues. Victoria holds both a Master's Degree and HBA from the University of Toronto in Literature with a focus on Representation and Intersectionality. Fun fact, Victoria was the first-ever Vote Pop-Up volunteer and worked with The Exchange and on behalf of Elections Ontario to achieve the First-Time Voter Award from the International Center for Parliamentary Studies. Get in touch with her to share ideas for topics, chat about building an inclusive democracy, and to share great books and articles you're reading.