UCC - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Finance & Audit Committee
Ali was elected to Council in 2021. He played an active role in organizing alumni in support of maintaining and strengthening UCC's Boarding Program when it was under strategic review. Ali is currently the Head of Strategic Initiatives at Tricon Residential, where he manages the Company's strategic initiatives and operational priorities. Prior to his current role, Ali served as the Chief of Staff and Head of Special Projects for COVID-19 Response Efforts at UofT's Dalla Lana School of Public Health and supported Ontario's Science Advisory Table. Prior to working on pandemic response efforts in Ontario, Ali served in various strategy and operational leadership roles at Via Transportation, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, and on President Obama's Campaigns and in the Obama Administrations. Ali holds a BSc from Cornell University and an MPP from Harvard University.
Job Titles:
- President, Parents' Organization
I have been a school nurse at UCC since the winter of 2014. I have been fortunate during my time here to have spent time in both the Upper and Prep Schools, having a chance to meet and work with all our boys.
Job Titles:
- Member of Martland 's House
Anthony Chan, a proud member of Martland's House, graduated from UCC in the Class of 1997. He earned his MBA from the Wharton School of Business and received his Bachelor's degree (double major in economics and government), magna cum laude with distinction in all subjects, from Cornell University, where he was the recipient of the Kasdan Montessori Peace Prize.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Chairman of the Board
- Member of the Governance & Nominating Committee
- Chairman of Governance & Nominating Committee
- President and Chief Executive Officer of OMERS
Blake Hutcheson is President and Chief Executive Officer of OMERS. He is responsible for the overall leadership and performance of the OMERS enterprise. Prior to OMERS, Blake was the Head of Global Real Estate with Mount Kellett Capital Management, a New York-based private equity firm with offices in key locations around the globe. Previously, he was Chairman and President of the Canadian, Latin American, and Mexican operations for CB Richard Ellis, the world's largest real estate services company.
A recipient of Canada's Top 40 Under 40, Blake holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Western University, a Graduate Diploma in International Relations and Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics and a Master's in Real Estate Development from Columbia University.
Blake and his wife Susan have a son, Trevor '17.
Blake is the President and Chief Pension Officer at the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System. His mandate includes leading OMERS pension business, strategy, communications and public affairs, legal affairs, technology and operations, in addition to asset liability management. Prior to that he was President and CEO of Oxford Properties Group, responsible for overseeing the global business, consisting of approximately $60 billion of assets.
Job Titles:
- Member of Governance & Nominating Committee
- Principal 's Delegate VP
- Principal, Advancement
- Vice - Principal
Brendan leads annual and special fundraising, capital campaigns, alumni and constituent relations, and all community and school-wide communications. Additionally, Brendan oversees the implementation of school-wide strategic development.
Job Titles:
- Team Manager
- Vice - President, Parents
Carita is a dedicated UCC volunteer and has served as the Prep Parents' Organization, co-president of the Parents' Organization, and Co-Chair, of UCC's Blues Booster Club since its inception in 2009. She earned the Harold A. D. Roberts Award for volunteer service in 2018.
Carita has been a team manager for all three of her boys' GTHL Hockey and North Toronto Soccer teams for the past 10 years, has sat on the Board of Directors for the North Toronto Soccer Club and is a founding Board member of the North Toronto Sports Foundation. Carita's professional background is in business management, most recently as Senior Manager, Sales and Business Development with National Bank of Canada.
Job Titles:
- Partner at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
- Vice - President, Old Boys
Chanakya Sethi is partner at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, where his practice focuses on high-stakes litigation matters. He is serving his second term on the Association Council. A proud member of Bremner's House, Chan graduated from UCC in 2003 with the J. Herbert Mason Medal. While a student, he was involved with Convergence, the World Affairs Conference, Ontario Model Parliament, and student government. Chan is a graduate of Princeton, Osgoode Hall, and Yale Law School. He lives in Toronto with his husband, Kevin.
Chris was elected to Association Council in 2021. Chris is a member of the Leaving Class of 2002 where he served on the Board of Stewards representing Wedd's House as Head of House. During his time at the College Chris was an active member of Little Theater, co-founded the Improvisational Theater Club, and was a counsellor at multiple UCC Summer Camps.
Chris is an investment professional at Searchlight Capital Partners where he seeks to partner with entrepreneurs and management teams in transformational change phases of the company lifecycle with a focus on the Financial Technology industry.
Chris graduated from the University of Western Ontario with an HBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business. He is actively involved with Junior Achievement (an organization focused on youth financial literacy and career readiness education) and diversity focused organizations such as INROADS, Girls Who Invest, and HimForHer.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Strategy and Board Member at Jona Capital
Christie Love Thomas is the Vice President, Strategy and Board Member at Jona Capital. Christie co-manages non-real estate asset allocation, an actively traded equity portfolio, external portfolio managers as well as a portfolio of private equity investments.
Job Titles:
- President, Prep Parents' Organization
Job Titles:
- Member of the Finance & Audit Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Finance & Audit Committee
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Finance & Audit Committee
- Chairman of Finance & Audit Committee
- Chief Financial Officer of Fleet Complete
- Member at Large
Cynthia was appointed to the Board in 2023 and has been a member of UCC's Audit and Finance Committee since 2018.
Cynthia is Chief Financial Officer of Fleet Complete, a global provider of fleet management solutions. She has more than 30 years of international management experience developed in high growth and innovative technology industry environments. Prior to joining Fleet Complete, Cynthia served as CFO of Blue Ant Media and Algorithmics, and Worldwide Head of Operational Risk and Governance Risk and Compliance within the IBM Risk Analytics business.
Cynthia holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen's University and is a CPA, CA.
Cynthia and her husband Gord have two sons, Josh '21 and Cam '23.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Governance & Nominating Committee
- Chairman of Governance & Nominating Committee
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant to the Principal
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Scientist
- Chairman of Wellbeing Committee
Dr. Amy Cheung is an Associate Scientist, Evaluative Clinical Sciences, in the Hurvitz Brain Sciences Research Program at Sunnybrook Research Institute and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. She works clinically as a psychiatrist with young people with mood and anxiety disorders, and their families. Dr. Cheung's research focus includes adolescent depression and community-based service delivery models for youth with mental illness.
Dr. Cheung completed her education and training at the University of Toronto, McMaster University and Columbia University. She has served on the boards of different NGOs serving children in Canada and internationally.
She lives in Toronto with her husband Kevin and their three children, Caroline, Hudson ‘26 and Josh ‘29.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Governance & Nominating Committee
- Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Dr. Kuye is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He is also the Associate Medical Director of Value Based Care in the Johns Hopkins Office of Population Health, where he leads initiatives to improve the health care system's population health and value-based care strategy.
Ifedayo received his undergraduate degree in Economics at Harvard College. He also received his MD degree from Harvard Medical School and an MBA from Harvard Business School (Baker Scholar).
He completed his residency in internal medicine at the Brigham and Women's Hospital where he served as a clinical fellow at Harvard Medical School.
Jeff leads the College's Upper School faculty including the College's boarding program to deliver excellence in teaching and learning for students in Years 8 through 12.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Governance & Nominating Committee
- Vice - Chair
- University of Toronto 's Vice President, International
Joe was appointed to the Board in 2020. He joins UCC with a wealth of experience in the education sector.
Joe is the University of Toronto's Vice President, International. He is also the Roz and Ralph Halbert Professor of Innovation at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. In addition, he is a professor of political science at the University of Toronto, a former director of the Asian Institute at the Munk School, and a past Canada Research Chair in Health, Democracy and Development.
Joe has authored a number of academic articles and several books and has been a visiting scholar in many leading global institutions, including the U.S., Taiwan, Korea, and the U.K. His current academic research focuses on poverty and social policy innovation.
Joe and his wife Jennifer have a son, Oliver '24.
Job Titles:
- Academic Dean and Interim Head of the Preparatory School
Julia oversees the College's academic program, from Senior Kindergarten through Year 12. She leads all International Baccalaureate elements, curriculum development, and the Wernham West Centre for Learning.
Job Titles:
- General Partner at Archangel Network of Funds
Ellen Fang is a General Partner at Archangel Network of Funds, an angel stage investment fund focusing on investing in innovations and disruptive technologies developed in Canada. Prior to this, Ellen worked at L.E.K. Consulting and Deloitte, helping corporate and private equity clients develop strategies and evaluating deals.
Ellen is a dedicated UCC volunteer and had served both upper and prep school libraries, TUBS, and as a House Rep at upper school. She had also been fully involved in facilitating communications between the school and Chinese families, helping them integrate into the community and become more engaged in campus life.
Ellen holds a bachelor's degree in Material Sciences and an MBA from China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) with an exchange program at London Business School. She and her husband Frank have two sons, Simon '19 and Ziming '30.
Job Titles:
- Vice - Principal, Enrolment Management
Emily is responsible for the recruitment and admission of new students and for external marketing of the College locally and world-wide.
Ira was elected to Association Council in 2022 and is a proud member of the Leaving Class of 1987. During his time at the College, Ira served as Head of Martland's, Secretary to the Board of Stewards, and Chairman of the World Affairs Conference in 1985 and 1986. At graduation, he won the Class of '62 Trophy for outstanding contributions to extracurricular activities. He has served on the Events and Engagement Committee and as a Common Ties mentor for many years.
Ira is a Partner with Borden Ladner Gervais LLP with a practice in complex commercial litigation and international disputes, with expertise in commercial fraud, investigations, cybersecurity and information technology litigation, and international arbitration and litigation.
Ira obtained a BA (Political Science and French, High Distinction) from Trinity College, University of Toronto, a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Toronto (Dean's Key), and a Diploma in International Law from the University of Cambridge.
Job Titles:
- Director, Prep School Admission
Job Titles:
- Member of the Governance & Nominating Committee
- Member at Large
As co-founder and president of her family foundation, Joannah feels honoured to collaborate with other philanthropic foundations, not-for-profits, universities and think tanks who are pushing the boundaries to move Canada and the world toward nutrient dense food systems that are produced sustainably to help mitigate climate change.
Key recipients of the foundation's philanthropic focus are the Joannah and Brian Lawson Centre for Child Nutrition in the University of Toronto's Temerty Faculty of Medicine and the Lawson Centre for Sustainability at Trinity College, University of Toronto. Other organizations they support include Farmers for Climate Solutions, Canadian Organic Growers, Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario, Clearwater Farm and Community Food Centres Canada.
Before becoming certified as a nutritionist, Joannah led a successful career in organization change management in the high-tech industry and was recognized with the Nortel President's Award of Excellence in Innovation. She completed her graduate studies at the University of Toronto and is the proud recipient of the university's Arbor Award for volunteer service as well as the Doctor of Sacred Letters (honoris causa) from Trinity College, University of Toronto.
At Upper Canada College, Joannah chaired nutrition committees at both the Prep and Upper Schools over a nine-year period. In 2016 she joined the Association Council and the Wellbeing subcommittee of the Council, and in 2019, she was appointed to the UCC Board of Governors.
Joannah has served as co-chair of the Campaign Cabinet at the University of Toronto's Temerty Faculty of Medicine and the Boundless Campaign executive.
Joannah and her husband Brian Lawson '78 are parents of three children, a daughter Gillian and sons Tristan '17 and Alexander '19.
Job Titles:
- Member at Large
- President and Chief Executive Officer of Global Furniture Group
Joel Feldberg is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Global Furniture Group. Prior to joining Global Furniture Group, Joel was an associate at the law firm of Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt in Toronto where he focused his legal practice on the areas of corporate finance, and mergers and acquisitions.
Joel has a Bachelor of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall and is a member of the Canadian and Ontario Bar Associations. Joel serves on the Boards of Sick Kids Hospital Foundation, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center; BIFMA (member since May 2008).
Joel and his wife, Dr. Melissa Feldberg, have four children, including their son, Jay Feldberg '24.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of Events and Engagement Committee
Job Titles:
- President and CEO of Kensington Health
John Yip is President and CEO of Kensington Health, a not-for-profit, community-based residential and ambulatory health services provider. John's role is to ensure the best-quality patient, resident and community care, while providing overall strategic direction. John has over 20 years of healthcare industry, leading system and organizational strategy and change. Prior to joining Kensington Health, John was the Vice-President of Corporate Services at Health Quality Ontario and a management consultant with the national health care practices at CGI, KPMG and PwC before founding his own boutique healthcare consulting firm.
John holds an MBA in Health Services Management from McMaster University, and a B.Sc. and B.A. from Dalhousie University. John sits on the Centre for Effective Practice Board of Directors and is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors. John is a member of Leaving Class 1991, and is parent to current student Jackson '26.
Originally from Edmonton, Kanwaljeet Biln began her career on campus in Special Events and Development while working towards her BA at the University of Alberta in 2002. Upon moving to Toronto in 2006, she took a personal interest in homelessness and chose to shift focus to philanthropy and housing - first with Good Shepherd Ministries and then Fife House. After a decade-long break staying home to raise children, Kanwaljeet joined The Bishop Strachan School's Development Office in 2022 as Manager of Special Events and Stewardship.
The transition back to work was made easier with her daughter currently attending BSS and her son, Julien Madhany ‘30, only blocks away at UCC. Kanwaljeet took on the role of President, Prep Parents Organization in the 2022-23 academic year after serving as VP the year prior and volunteering in other capacities since joining the Prep Community when Julien was in SK.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Governance & Nominating Committee
- Member at Large
Karen was appointed to the Board in 2018.
Karen's legal and executive career spans more than 30 years and includes ten years practising law at Goodman and Carr and senior roles at Cineplex Odeon Corporation, Irwin Toy, Spin Master Ltd. and St. Joseph Communications. In 2010, she was appointed General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games Organizing Committee and in 2014 added responsibility for human resources, volunteer recruitment and workforce planning to her portfolio. She served as an interim Chief Operating Officer at U Sport, formerly Canadian Interuniversity, in 2016.
Karen now dedicates her time and expertise in the areas of law, governance and sport to a number of not-for-profit boards.
Karen and her husband Irv have a daughter, Robin, and two sons, Sean '11 and Mattie '13.
I've been in a classroom for most of my life, as a student and a teacher. The magical spirit that a group of curious and caring children creates helps fuel my own learning.
Job Titles:
- Programming Manager / Facility Scheduler
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Community Relations
Job Titles:
- Manager, Community Relations
Job Titles:
- Faculty Rep
- Year 2 Teacher
I have taught years 5 and 3 here at Upper Canada and am constantly amazed at the potential in our boys, the dedication of my peers, and support of our community. I am fortunate to be a part of this community and daily strive to give my best, as our history commands it, and the future of our boys deserves it.
Mark is a UCC faculty member and is a Primary Form Adviser for Year 3 at the Prep. He was the faculty representative on the College's HR committee and served on the Principal's Innovation Committee and the Information Technology Advisory Group.
Mark is passionate about UCC, understands the effects of changing learning environments on students and has always been leaning into the future of education by collaboratively creating dynamic learning environments at the Prep.
Mark is married to Katie MacKenzie-Ferley and has two boys, Tatum '29 and Tristan, who serve as the primary motivator for continually improving the College and his practice.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Finance & Audit Committee
Max entered the Prep School in Year 7 and graduated from McHugh's in 1999, succeeding his father (1953) and grandfather (1921). Max went on to earn a BSc in Biological Sciences from the University of Calgary. After his undergrad he started his professional career working in successive roles for a global provider of business intelligence. His interest in real estate led him to a private real estate firm where he was responsible for asset management of a 1.2 million square foot portfolio. In 2012, Max returned to school to earn a Master of Business Administration from the Ivey Business School, Western University. After graduating in 2013 Max joined Crestpoint, a private equity real estate investment and asset management firm where he is currently the Vice President of Acquisitions & Asset Management. Since joining Crestpoint, Max has been integral to the growth of the firm which has grown its assets under management to $5 billion from $250 million and is consistently one of Canada's top performing real estate investment firms.
Job Titles:
- Director, Upper School & Boarding Admission
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Admission, Upper School and Boarding
Job Titles:
- Member of the Finance & Audit Committee
- Vice - Chair
Nina was appointed to the Board in 2017.
She is Chief of Operations and External Relations for the Canadian practice of The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a global management consulting firm. She has more than 20 years of experience at BCG, with a unique career path that spans both client service and leadership of global and national practices. Prior to joining BCG, Nina worked in product management for Kraft Foods Canada.
Nina holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University and an MBA from the Ivey Business School at Western University. She has two sons, Jackson '18 and Troy '20.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of Awards Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Finance & Audit Committee
- Member of the Governance & Nominating Committee
- Vice - Principal of Administration and Innovation
Patti is the Vice-Principal of Administration and Innovation and is responsible for all non-academic services including finance, IT, facilities, food services, housekeeping, security, rental operations, and UCC's Summer Camps and Summer Life programs.
Job Titles:
- Adviser for Year 3 at the Prep
Job Titles:
- Professor of Innovation at the Munk School of Global Affairs
Toronto-based stage director Ravi Jain is a multi-award-winning artist known for making politically bold and accessible theatrical experiences in both small indie productions and large theatres. As the founding artistic director of Why Not Theatre, Ravi has established himself as an artistic leader for his inventive productions, international producing/collaborations and innovative producing models which are aimed to better support emerging artists to make money from their art.
As a director Ravi work has been critically acclaimed for its innovation and accessibility. Select credits include A Brimful of Asha, Nicolas Billon's Fault Lines which won the Governor General's Award for Drama, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, The 39 Steps, Animal Farm, Alanna Mitchell's Sea Sick (co-directed with Franco Boni, Theatre Centre), Lisa Codrington's The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God and Sarena Parmar's The Orchard After Chekhov (Shaw Festival), We are Proud to Present…(Theatre Centre), Salt-Water Moon (Factory Theatre), Prince Hamlet (Why Not Theatre), Like Mother Like Daughter (Complicite/Why Not Theatre). He co-created What you won't do for Love starring renowned environmentalists David Suzuki and Tara Cullis, the play has been published and premiered at the Luminato Festival and has been turned into a feature film. In 2021 he directed his adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet called R + J for the Stratford Festival. In 2023 he is co- adaptating The Mahabharata with Why Not Theatre and the Shaw Festival.
Ravi was shortlisted for the 2016 and 2019 and 2022 Siminovitch Prize and recently awarded the Metcalf Foundation Johannas Prize 2022. He also won the 2012 Pauline McGibbon Award for Emerging Director and the 2016 Canada Council John Hirsch Prize for direction. He is a graduate of the two-year program at École Jacques Lecoq and was selected to be on the roster of Clowns for Cirque du Soleil.
Job Titles:
- Senior Corporate Partner With Torys LLP
Richard Willoughby '80 is a senior corporate partner with Torys LLP. He has a wealth of experience in domestic, cross-border and international mergers and acquisitions, giving practical and strategic counsel to some of Canada's largest institutional investors, businesses and family enterprises. Richard is Chair of the UCC Campaign Cabinet, and has served the College as Chair of the Plan 200 committee (2020 to 2021), Chair of the UCC Foundation Board of Trustees (2014-2020) and was previously a Trustee of the UCC Foundations in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. In 2022 he received the John D. Stevenson Award for his UCC service. He is the parent of two Old Boys, Robert '11 and Andrew '15.
Rob is a graduate and past parent of UCC. He has participated in Common Ties and is a past Chair of Founder's Dinner. He is CEO of Ontor Limited, a 70-year-old national industrial distribution firm and a multiple past-winner of "Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies." He has been an active member of many boards including the Young Presidents Organization and the University Student Council at the University of Western Ontario.
Rodger Wright '70 has happily spent his whole life in school. After his undergraduate days at the University of Toronto, he began his career in education at UCC from the mid 70's to the mid 80's where he was the Head of the PE Department and Seaton's Senior Housemaster. He finished his career back at UCC from 2016 to 2021 in the Advancement Department dealing with strategic planning, major gift philanthropy and rebooting a legacy giving program. In the intervening 33 years, some say his "walk in the wilderness", Rodger headed two other independent schools - Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ontario and Collingwood School in West Vancouver.
Rodger and his wife Louise have two grown children and six grandchildren - his new full-time job! He is very much looking forward to re-engaging with the UCC community and giving back to the school that launched him.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Governance & Nominating Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Finance & Audit Committee
- Member of the Governance & Nominating Committee
- Principal
Sam McKinney is the 19th principal of Upper Canada College. Under his leadership, the College has set a course for the next decade - leading to the College's bicentennial - through its Strategic Directions: Towards 2029. He is passionate about the College's renewed vision and mission, which hinge on the intention to provide transformational learning experiences and to inspire students to be their best selves.
Sam is the 19th Principal of Upper Canada College. Under his leadership, the College has set a course for the next decade - through its Strategic Directions: Towards 2029. Sam chairs the Senior Leadership Team and reports to the Board of Governors.
Job Titles:
- Manager, Alumni Relations and Common Ties Mentorship
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, Operations
Sarah leads the Prep School's faculty and staff to deliver excellence in teaching and learning for students in Senior Kindergarten through Year 7.
Job Titles:
- Member of McHugh 's House
- President of Chandaria Family Holdings, Inc
Sunir Chandaria serves as President of Chandaria Family Holdings, Inc., the Family Office of his branch of the Chandaria Family. He has been charged with managing a portfolio of public and private investments, including early capital behind Mill Street Brewery, Element Financial, and ROAR Organic. Sunir retains oversight of the family's direct interests in technology, agriculture, medical supplies, mining, and real estate, as well as investments in venture, growth, and hedge funds with diverse expertise. Prior to his role in the Family Office, Sunir served as President of LePage's, a family portfolio company that is a leader in office supplies distribution to major retailers in North America and around the globe.
Sunir graduated with a BA (Hons) in Economics and Management from Oxford University, where he subsequently sat on and concluded his term on the inaugural Foundation Board of St Peter's College and has served as Chair of the East African Advisory Council of the Rhodes Trust. He is a Member of Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) where he served for two years as Chair of YPO, Canada and was the Founding Chair of the Young Fellowship of the Duke Edinburgh's International Award for Young People. Sunir is a Member of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) and has enjoyed experience on the Boards of private and public sector organizations, including the Ontario Lottery & Gaming (OLG) Corporation. He additionally enjoys the privilege of serving as the Hon. Consul of Kenya in Toronto, Canada.
As a proud member of McHugh's House, Sunir graduated from UCC in the Class of 1998, the first year to complete the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma at UCC. He lives in Toronto with his wife, Charissa, and their three young children.
Job Titles:
- Vice - Principal, People and Culture
Thomas leads the human resource function, directing leadership and culture development, employee relations and diversity, equity and inclusion, talent and success management, policies and compliance, change management and organizational development.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Finance & Audit Committee