Janak has 20 years of progressive and diverse health care management and governance experience in the health sector. He has an excellent understanding of complex systems and their interdependencies within hospitals and within the health care network. Janak is presently the Vice President, Operations and Transformation at Bridgepoint Health.  He previously worked at North York General Hospital as its Vice President, Strategy and Organizational Performance.  His past work experiences include Executive Director of a community hospital and leading clinical and support services portfolios in large, multi-site hospitals.   Janak has extensive volunteer experience with organizations such as COTA Health, a CCAC, and the Central LHIN among others. Janak holds a Master of Health Sciences in Health Administration from the University of Toronto, and is a Certified Healthcare Executive member of the Canadian College of Health Services Executives.

Iris has been working to help bring about social change for over twenty years, through her experience in non-profit management, program development and social research and policy.  She is executive director of North York Women’s Centre and a volunteer internal review panelist for Housing Connections.  Iris has been active on the YCS and Unison Boards since 2005. She brings to the Board extensive knowledge and experience in women’s issues, housing, childcare and newcomer settlement.  Having served on numerous boards and committees, Iris also brings valuable skills in organizational development, strategic planning and policy work.  Iris is a second generation Canadian who has lived and worked in the Unison’s catchment area since 1995.  Through her passion and commitment to the community, Iris hopes to make a valuable contribution to Unison.

Laurelle has worked primarily in the field of communications and public relations and is currently Internal Communications Officer for Ornge Transport Medicine.  She has a broad background and interest, with particular knowledge of healthcare, education and community services.  Living in our local community, Laurelle has solid knowledge of the changes and challenges that have taken place over the years and has been active on the YCS and Unison Boards since 2008.   As the daughter of one of the founders of YCS, she has both a historical and personal knowledge of the Keele-Rogers site as well as a strong sense of commitment to the community. Having previously volunteered with church groups, local committees and the International Association of Business Communicators, Laurelle looks forward to contributing her communications, leadership and organizational skills to our Board and to working with others to enhance the quality of life for vulnerable members of our community.

Dan is a partner at Goodmans LLP and has practiced corporate/commercial law at that firm since 1986.  Dan has served on the YCS and Unison Boards since 2009.  Dan has extensive experience on the Boards of other social service organizations including Toronto Community Care Access Centre and Canadian Children's Opera Chorus.  As well he is corporate counsel to significant not-for-profit bodies such as the OMERS Sponsors Corp. (the body responsible for governing the pension plan for Ontario's municipal employees) and the EDA (the association of Ontario's municipally-owned electric utilities).  He is particularly interested in governance and good fiscal management and has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions.  Dan brings to the Board solid knowledge of governance, past board experience, legal expertise and ties to the business community which will be valuable assets as we move forward in these challenging economic times.

Alex completed his undergraduate degree in history and international development studies at McGill University in December 2005.    Born and raised in Scarborough he has worked in community development here and in Montreal.  Specifically Alex has experience in youth programming, health promotion, GLBTQ awareness and other diversity issues.  Alex has worked with Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Toronto as well as with the Griffin Centre in the past.  He currently oversees the Malvern Action for Neighbourhood Change initiative of the United Way.  He is a member of the Toronto Food Policy Council and AIDS Prevention Community Investment Review Panel under Toronto Public Health.

Maureen has been involved in various community organizations amongst these are the Antibes Community Centre, the Crime Prevention Association of Toronto and the Children and Dance Theatre.  She was a key person in setting up the Antibes Community Centre and spearheaded the Multicultural Festival which has served to foster understanding of diverse communities.  Maureen is the president of the Antibes Torresdale Rate Payers Association.  Maureen is the past Treasurer and Board member of the Applause Institute Finishing School.  She also served as treasurer at the former New Heights Community Health Centres.   Maureen has taken courses in Group Participation, Public Speaking, Accounting, English and Information Technology at York and Ryerson University and participates in seminars to further enhance her ability to work with our youth.  Maureen taught dining etiquette and preparing youth to have self-esteem and self-preservation.  Maureen thinks that the board should help prepare our youth for the future - because they are the future.

Michael works in public education where he started as a special education teacher, and subsequently as school administrator at a number of sites within the Toronto District School Board, including Bathurst Heights, Lawrence Park and the City Adult Learning Centre (CALC).  He is currently working as an Education Officer with the Ministry of Education, Toronto and Area Regional Office (TARO).  Michael has been associated with the Centre since 1999 when he was the Principal at Bathurst Heights Secondary School.  He raised money to commemorate the successes of Bathurst Heights and formed a partnership with the Health Centre to manage the New Heights Scholarship.  Michael has a keen interest in making sure that families living in our community have access to all of the services that we take for granted in Canadian society.  His top priority is to ensure the availability of health care and education for families so that children’s development can take place in the most optimal conditions.   He is a strong advocate for public education and is supportive of initiatives that target students at risk.

Shaon has lived in the Lawrence Heights Community almost all her life. Connected to the community through her spirit of volunteerism, Shaon brings a keen interest to advocating for the rights of her community. In the past she has participated in Pathways to Education during its initial launch; has been the former Chair of the new Heights Scholarship committee, and most recently she has joined the Social Development Plan Steering committee to provide feedback and add a community voice into the Lawrence Heights Revitalization project. As a recent graduate of Schulich School of Business, Shaon brings her business background and a youth perspective to the board. Shaon is currently working at Deloitte in Marketplace Services, and her ability to think critically, persevere and create persuasive arguments will assist her to advocate effectively for the community in the face of challenges. 

Shabnum is Manager of Programs and Services at Skills for Change.  A graduate of the Leaders for Change Program from the Maytree Foundation, Shabnum has more than fourteen year’s experience in program planning and implementation, community development and advocacy. She is a former member of the United Way’s Speakers Bureau and has also facilitated self-help workshops at the North York Women’s Centre. Shabnum is an appointed member of the Council of the Ontario College of Teachers. Fluent in Hindi, Gujarati and Urdu, Shabnum has a focus towards integrating internationally trained professionals into the labour market and is passionate around issues of marginalization, access, equity and diversity.  Shabnum brings to the Board her knowledge of community and social services, immigration and refugee issues, crisis/conflict management skills and the ability to communicate effectively with people from diverse cultural, economic and academic backgrounds.

Tanya has been in the financial services industry for most of her career.  She has been with RBC for the past 10 years, and is currently the Senior Manager for Canadian Strategy at RBC Insurance.  In this role, she defines the direction of the company and determines which insurance solutions will best meet the needs of Canadians.  She is an active fundraiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund, and was on the Resource Development and Finance committee at MicroSkills (a community-based organization committed to helping women and newcomers).  She is strong in the areas of financial management, business management, leadership, communication, and overall collaboration.  She has a broad background of knowledge and experience, with a particular interest in governance and good fiscal management.  Having lived in the catchment area for a number of years, Tanya understands the value of community health services, and as such she is looking forward to giving back to the community in a way that leverages her skills and network to their fullest.