Who We Are
Bright Thread is a values-driven consultancy with over 45 years of collective experience advancing community and social impact. We offer a unique combination of policy, governance, and organizational development experience in clinical, government, industry and post-secondary settings.
With a focus on supporting social change in communities and organizations, we excel at building organizations, advancing accessibility and human rights policy to address barriers for racialized and marginalized communities, strengthening systems, and co-developing strategies with governments, international organizations, and global networks.
Meet the Team
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Partner | Human Rights & Equity
Gina Hickman is a community-focused strategist and systems leader with over a decade of experience advancing equity, engagement, and organizational transformation across public and post-secondary institutions. Her work sits at the intersection of strategic planning, policy development, and social impact — helping organizations design programs and cultures that are inclusive, collaborative, and sustainable.
An experienced leader and project manager, Gina has worked in higher education, government, and the private sector. As the Director of Equity at the University of Waterloo, Gina led institution-wide change initiatives related to equity data, employment, student experience and safety. As a Service Planning Associate at the Region of Waterloo, she created the Region’s first Multi-Year Diversity, Accessibility and Inclusion Plan, led Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act compliance, and supported the Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee, a shared municipal advisory body to Regional Council. As Project Lead with Stiletto: Make a Point, Gina worked with municipalities, universities, and economic development organizations to design strategic roadmaps for innovation.
Gina is skilled at combining research, stakeholder engagement, and operational planning, helping clients across sectors turn visionary goals into practical, measurable outcomes. Her compassionate, thoughtful approach has fuelled her success in building healthy teams, implementing sustainable community-wide policies, and convening large-scale national events for meaningful dialogue.
Gina holds a Master of Arts in Community Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology. She has completed advanced training in leadership, trauma-informed practice, decolonization, and anti-racism.
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Partner | Urban Safety & Well-Being
Felix Munger, PhD is an internationally recognized expert in urban safety, violence prevention, and public health. With over 30 years of interdisciplinary experience across clinical practice, strategic planning, and executive leadership, Felix excels at connecting system-level thinking with real-world impact.
Felix’s career began in psychiatric nursing, addiction treatment, and community health, where he worked closely with people experiencing homelessness, mental illness, and marginalization. Recognizing that complex problems require system-wide changes, he has since led many complex, multi-sector initiatives across Canada, advancing health equity, addiction services, and violence prevention, and has advised governments and UN agencies on strategies to strengthen urban safety and community safety and well-being.
As the Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Safer Communities (CCFSC), Felix guided the organization’s transformation into a national hub for community and urban safety, expanding its reach from 14 to over 150 communities and securing more than $10 million in funding. He has long centered equity, co-design, and community leadership in his work with racialized and Indigenous communities, emphasizing co-design and reflexivity.
Felix holds a master’s degree in environmental studies and a PhD in community psychology. He teaches in psychology and health studies at Wilfrid Laurier University and publishes on social justice, collaboration, urban safety, and violence prevention. Fluent in English and German and intermediate in French, Felix is frequently sought out as a speaker internationally on urban and social challenges.