Ken D. Porter is the National Projects Director at Mood Disorders Society of Canada (MDSC), where he leads pan-Canadian research and innovation initiatives, including the MIRA Mental Health Virtual Assistant, an AI-enabled navigation chatbot that connects Canadians to trusted mental health information and services. With more than twenty-five years of experience in the mental health and disability sectors and extensive experience leading teams and projects, he brings deep expertise in stakeholder engagement, policy, and systems-level change, grounded in his professional background as a Social Worker and national program leader.

A passionate mental health and technology advocate, Ken integrates his lived experience with depression and anxiety into all aspects of his work, advancing person-centred, evidence-informed, and equity-focused approaches to care and system navigation. Based in North Bay, Ontario, he has held leadership roles in national nonprofits, contributed to peer-reviewed work on AI in mental health, and remains actively involved in community mental health governance and advocacy, helping to bridge innovation, ethics, and real-world impact in Canadian mental health systems.