About the Program
Women working in complex, high-performance environments in fields where they have been historically underrepresented can face substantial challenges, including unconscious bias, limited advancement opportunities, and difficulties having their voices heard. These obstacles can affect professional development and prevent women from achieving their full potential. Women ASCEND, a unique program specifically designed for women working in these environments, aims to equip women with the tools, strategies, and knowledge they need to advance and excel in their careers.
The program consists of in-classroom sessions, peer learning, hands-on exercises, and interactive discussions with renowned women senior leaders and experts, exploring challenges distinct to women’s professional experiences in specialized fields. The program’s facilitators will offer perspectives and guidance for navigating challenging workplace issues, examining gender power dynamics, and will discuss essential women’s leadership issues, principles, and strategies in this specialized work context.
Who Should Attend?
This program has been tailored to support women working in security, defence, intelligence, law enforcement, public safety, and cyber sectors. All genders and identities are welcome.
What You Will Learn
- Communicate with greater clarity, confidence, and impact
- Grow your resilience to sustain personal and team performance under pressure
- Have presence as a visible, credible, influential, and trusted leader
Program Takeaways
By attending this program, participants will leave equipped with tools, strategies and knowledge to:
- Navigate complexity, uncertainty, and high-pressure environments effectively;
- Strengthen strategic thinking and decision-making in fast-paced contexts;
- Handle conflict and difficult conversations with courage and skill;
- Drive innovation and lead change in complex organizations;
- Accelerate readiness for senior leadership positions through career strategies; and
- Turn insight into action through clear leadership commitments and growth plans.
Program Facilitators
Jennifer Irish
Program Co-Director
Jennifer Irish
Program Co-Director
Jennifer Irish is an accomplished former Canadian diplomat and senior international and national security executive, currently serving as a Program Director at Telfer Executive Programs, where she leads its security and intelligence programming. She is the Founding Director of uOttawa’s Information Integrity Lab, advancing the understanding, analysis and mitigation of disinformation, misinformation and foreign influence operations.
Over a distinguished 36-year career in Canada’s foreign service and security community, Ms. Irish served in five international postings and held senior roles addressing national and international security, foreign affairs, humanitarian crises, and climate change. She further honed her expertise leading intelligence assessment and geostrategic analysis as Director General of the Integrated Threat Assessment Centre and as Director of Operations at the Intelligence Assessment Secretariat in the Privy Council Office, providing strategic intelligence to senior decision-makers.
She brings that extensive experience to her training, facilitation, and consulting — helping organizations strengthen resilience, sharpen risk and crisis communications, and build effective alliances in a complex and contested information and geostrategic environment.
Lisa Ducharme
Program Co-Director
Lisa Ducharme
Program Co-Director
Lisa Ducharme is a former senior government executive with over 36 years of experience in the national security, intelligence, defence, and public safety domains.
She served in the Canadian Armed Forces before accepting progressively senior leadership positions at the Communications Security Establishment, the Department of National Defence, Public Safety Canada, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Most recently, she was the Director of Operations and Acting Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet for Intelligence Assessments at the Privy Council Office, where she led the development of strategic assessments for the most senior levels of government, which included the Prime Minister and the National Security Council.
Lisa has also chaired interdepartmental governance committees and international intelligence forums. She was the Canadian chair for several Five Eyes intelligence working groups and led Canada’s delegation to the 2024 Five Eyes Heads of Assessment Conference.
Her expertise includes crisis operations leadership, national-level intelligence program management, and organizational transformation. She has received numerous awards throughout her career, which includes three DND/CAF Commander’s Commendations, a CSE Director’s Award, and an RCMP unit citation.
Lisa holds a Bachelor of Management degree and is a graduate of the Canadian Security and Intelligence Leadership Program. She teaches intelligence tradecraft at the uOttawa Professional Development Institute and co-directs the Executive Security and Intelligence Leadership Certificate Program at Telfer Executive Programs.
Details
- Registration Deadline
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Friday, February 26, 2027
- Date
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March 22 - 24, 2027
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Fee
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$2,750 + HST
Payment & cancellation policy
- Format
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In person
- More Information
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This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
613-562-5921
- Location
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Telfer School of Management
Telfer's Executive Campus
99 Bank Street, Suite 200
Ottawa ON K1P 6B9
Tailored Programs
Our programs and certificates can be delivered to your employees and tailored to fit your organization’s specific requirements.
To discuss your needs, please contact us.
