Diamond Member
Jefferson Darrell
Founder & CEO, Breakfast Culture Inc.
• Inclusive Leadership • Marketing • PR • Change Management • Thought Leader • 2021 LGBT+ Business Advocate of the Year Award Winner
Brief Description
Jefferson Darrell is among Canada’s earliest outliers in the IDEA arena; successfully driving positive change management for organizations for the past five years resulting in more diverse and inclusive teams and increased revenue or new business opportunities. Jefferson is an accomplished marketing communications and public relations professional with more than 20 years of brand strategy expertise generating earned and owned media using traditional and digital channels.
Professional Experience
— Sep 2025 to Present
• Media Relations Officer, Ontario Science Centre
— Jan 2025 to Mar 2025
• Communications Manager, Dancap Productions
— Jun 2025 to Jul 2025
Read more on LinkedIn
Biography
Jefferson Darrell is a dynamic marketing communications and public relations expert with over 20 years of experience in brand strategy, earned and owned media, and digital channels. As the Founder and CEO of Breakfast Culture Inc., he is a trailblazer in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Inclusive Leadership. Jefferson has helped transform organizations by building diverse teams and increasing revenue through strategic DEI initiatives.
In the DEI space, Jefferson was pivotal in the creation of the Diversity Inclusion Anti-Racism Action Team at the Ontario Science Centre, where he also organized the Centre’s participation in the world’s first "International Pride in STEM Day" in 2018. He served on the DEI Committee for the Canadian Association of Science Centres, contributing to significant shifts in representation and inclusion in science and technology fields.
Jefferson’s leadership in change management extends to non-profits, where he led a project with the Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention (Black CAP), diversifying its development committee, optimizing its communications, and creating new revenue streams. His thought leadership has earned him prestigious accolades, including being named “Most Influential CEO 2023 – Ontario (Business Culture Consulting)” by CEO Monthly Magazine, as well as the 2021 Business Advocate of the Year by Canada’s LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC).
A sought-after speaker, Jefferson inspires audiences with keynotes such as "Mapping the Inclusion Continuum" and "Corporate Social Advocacy," offering insights into the business case for DEI. His motivational presentation, "The Year I Learned How to Walk…Again," chronicles his remarkable recovery from paralysis, providing a powerful testament to resilience and perseverance.
Jefferson has been featured as a thought leader on diversity and inclusion in the 2020 Public Relations Canadian Edition textbook and serves on the Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Board for Strategy magazine. He holds certifications and accolades from leading programs, including the BMO Elevate Program and EY Canada’s Entrepreneur Access Network.
With a career marked by innovation, advocacy, and a deep commitment to fostering inclusive business cultures, Jefferson continues to lead, inspire, and drive transformative change across industries.
Testimonials of Expertise
“We reached out to Breakfast Culture to facilitate a suite of three foundational training sessions for our organization: D&I 101, Power & Privilege and Ally is a Verb. Jefferson is an excellent facilitator. He brings his own lived experience into many of the topics being reviewed which makes the information all the more real and authentic. He is engaging and adds many pop culture references to the training which makes it fun and further cements the learning. The activities are really eye-opening. "Additionally, our staff felt comfortable enough to bring forward stories of their own which we all valued so very much. When we reached out to staff afterwards, we were thrilled that their baseline knowledge on topics such as privilege, intersectionality, micro-aggressions, and unconscious bias had increased significantly. Even more important, staff felt that they were now better able to ensure that they provided a safe and inclusive space for their clients. Here are a couple of quotes from our staff: "Jefferson was incredible and it was the most helpful and engaging workshop I’ve done in all my years at YES. Thank you for allowing us to participate and become better people. “It was such an amazing opportunity. Thanks so much. I learned a LOT and it was great to hear others’ perspectives and how we all have privilege and the brave stories shared by all who experienced racism externally.”.
—Margherita DeCesare, Manager, Human Resources, Youth Employment Services (YES)
I’ve learned a lot in the D&I 101 training with Jefferson! Rather than the talking, Jefferson teaches inclusion in the action and challenges our assumptions towards certain “thinking” processes and stereotypes. Organizations should prioritize cultivating and nurturing an inclusive culture. Awesome content and training! 🙌🏼
—Abdullah Sabri Tok, CCDP