CHANGE - Key Persons

Alanna is currently completing her internship at Openly to receive her Research Analyst Post-Graduate Certificate through Georgian College. She has a background in the non-profit sector, working for the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank and volunteering throughout her undergrad with Wilfrid Laurier Shinerama. Alanna is devoted to applying her research skills to make the world more inclusive and welcoming. In her spare time, Alanna enjoys walking her dog Mia, crafting her next DIY project or working on her new backyard garden. Being outdoors, with family and friends is how Alanna usually spends her weekend, cooking up pizzas or entertaining in some form.

Asma has immense experience in administrative work and has built her career in a variety of work fields such as Accounting, Budgeting, Project Management, Human Resources, and Marketing. She started her career with UN Relief & Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, in Gaza. In Canada, she has worked for organizations such as the Kidney Foundation and for the Living Arts Centre, Mississauga. Asma considers herself fortunate to have worked with international organizations making a difference in peoples' lives, supporting their safety and wellbeing.

Cheryl has a Masters of Public Health and is in the process of completing a Graduate program in the Science and Policy of Climate Change. Her roles in the public health sphere have focused on research, evaluation, analysis, strategy, policy, community engagement and facilitation across a variety of content areas. She applies an equity and inclusion lens to all her work and is passionate about critical systems thinking. Cheryl most recently made the switch to environmental focused work, realizing that even the best social and public health advances can't be enjoyed without a planet to live on. She wants to make meaningful social and environmental impact, striving to meet Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change goals in a way that leaves no one behind.

Dylan is determined to merge mathematics and humanity. He believes that numbers are a powerful tool in understanding and doing social good, and can be an integral force in uniting and inspiring action. Although a numbers wizard, he can just as often be found indulging in ancient texts. After all, he believes there is no better way to understand and challenge our present than by exploring the lessons of our past. In understanding complexity, he takes inspiration from one of the greatest generals in antiquity: "Aut viam inveniam aut faciam." I shall either find a way or make one.

Eve is a values-based leader, centred in relationships. She behaves with intent, authentically connecting with others by being her whole self & creating safe spaces. Eve believes these are essential to being a catalyst for social justice & change. She is a lifelong learner. Aware of her position of privilege, she deepens her understanding of the complex nature of intersectionality & how she benefits from the systemic oppression of others. Activated through 20 years of public service, Eve's passion is equitable improvement to community wellbeing through relationship based, strategic, anti-oppression systems thinking for social impact. Her strengths include multi-sector human design, communication, community development, engagement, & facilitation paired with research & evaluation methodology & evidence informed system disruption & improvement. Eve loves to buy local, explore nature with her family, read on her Kindle, get out of her head & into her body through dance, & sing all things.

Geetha was born in India and grew up in the east coast - Prince Edward Island. She left the Island after high-school, and several cities/countries/years later landed in Guelph in 2011. As a passionate community builder and strong believer in that "alone we can do so little, together we can do so much," Geetha combines her knack for collaboration, research, and evaluation in ways to capture and amplify learning. Geetha is also known for her sensitivity, and attention to, working with diverse populations and her ability to hold the space for conversations and insights to emerge. She has over 15 years' experience in qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, with a special focus and passion for participatory, culturally-responsive, and community based designs. While she does find herself referring to her self as an anti-researcher researcher, professionally speaking, she is a community-based researcher, a credentialed evaluator, and an Erickson professional coach. What do those things have in common? She designs and ask questions, in multiple ways, to foster ‘fresh insights' and spark change. Questions, she believes, can and do change the world.

Helen has designed and developed a wide range of interventions in the grassroots, nonprofit, public and philanthropic sectors. Her work has supported leadership, program and policy development in the most complex areas of public policy - always with a lens for greater and better quality access and inclusion. She loves solving complex challenges with bright, curious minds who dream of improving or innovating archaic, dysfunctional and/or unresponsive programs, policies, systems and perspectives for the purpose of greater and deeper impact. Helen weaves people, processes, policies and purpose together to achieve synchronicity as a catalyst for sustainable and transformative social change.

Jillian is a community arts lover who has worked with a range of organizations and foundations across Canada to build community and shift philanthropy. Jillian has a Masters of Social Work from the University of Toronto. Her volunteer time is spent helping grow La Ruche D'Art de NDG, a community project using the arts to build community in Montreal, Quebec. She is also the Community Engagement Lead for The Philanthropist Journal, a journal dedicated to the nonprofit sector in Canada.

Linda is a researcher, advocate, knowledge mobilizer, and problem solver. She is passionate about advancing health equity and addressing systemic barriers, particularly within immigrant and racialized communities. Linda values curiosity, continuous learning, and challenging accepted norms. She enjoys the process of collaborating and working through complex problems, to find sustainable solutions. A self-described optimist, she firmly believes we can work towards a more equitable world for all. Linda holds a Master of Public Health, and has experience in qualitative methods, community-based participatory research, refugee health, patient advocacy, and health promotion.

Neb completed a graduate program at Carleton University in Public Policy and Program Evaluation. Since, Neb has worked as a dedicated, passionate professional, with almost a decade of experience in diverse leadership, health, and community-building roles. The majority of those roles focused on using project management, facilitation, and evaluation to build programs and services that address barriers to wellbeing faced by diverse populations. In her free time, Neb enjoys spending time with family, baking, or her newest venture, learning to play the guitar.

Randal has a wealth of knowledge in the nonprofit realm, understanding the key role that design plays not only in day-to-day communications, but in building community and philanthropy. This experience was built from his work at 12thirteen, a graphic design studio in Toronto that creates print and digital materials in the nonprofit sector. As a Registered Graphic Designer (RGD), he adheres to a set of ethical guidelines and applies them to his studio practice. He enjoys working with a variety of stakeholders involved in a project - and fosters an environment that is creative and collaborative. His work passion is to distill complex stories and concepts into compelling and engaging visuals that are easy to understand and desirable to share. When not sitting in front of a computer or sketching out a complex theory of change, Randal occupies his time perfecting his mastery of the hula hoop!

Sabina has over 20 years of international experience wearing and juggling various hats for social justice and human rights causes, ranging from operations and relationships to advocacy and community engagement, and culminating in systems-level strategy design. Her journey has taught her that when it comes to crafting innovative and collaborative solutions to complex problems, few things matter as much as relationships and an assets-based approach. Sabina has experience in network weaving and strategic collaborations to promote place-based community development and poverty reduction, notably at East Scarborough Storefront and Making Room Community Arts. Holding a BA in Psychology from Northwestern University, Sabina's professional and creative focus is on systems change, strategic visioning, and inspiring others to see their full potential. Sabina believes that when everyone commits to authenticity and community, great mountains can be moved.

Shelley is an experienced web designer helping clients build an online presence that not only best reflects them but is also effective for their users. Working primarily in WordPress, she has a breadth of experience that bridges the gap between graphic design and developer skill sets. Using the various tools within UX, Shelley guides clients along the journey of website building from first idea to first day of launch. She excels at consensus building, knowing how to balance the needs of a client and their structures while ensuring the end result is clear, concise and easy to use. Shelley's primary goal is to utilize the principles of design to provide greater access, clarity and visibility to the important community strengthening services offered by the nonprofit sector. She spends her time listening to too many podcasts, watching movies at second theatres and playing Stardew Valley.