Amy is a young development professional committed to breaking down barriers for people facing challenges in life. As Major Gifts Officer at the Foundation Fighting Blindness, Amy helps donors discover how they can advance critical research on eye diseases causing blindness. She co-manages the National
Young Leaders program, a leadership development initiative for youth who are blind or partially sighted. Amy has worked with the YWCA of Metro Vancouver, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto, and the MS Society of Canada in fundraising and communications. She
serves as a Mentor for the CNIB’s National Youth Council mentoring blind and partially sighted youth and runs leadership development programming. A graduate of the University of Victoria (BA), the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business (Master of Management) and Ryerson University (Master of Professional Communication), Amy is a life-long learner. She hopes to advance advocacy and inclusion for people with disabilities within the philanthropic sector so that we can better serve diverse communities.
You can find Amy at: ca.linkedin.com/in/amyellensoden
Ada Tsang is the Co-Founder and Vice-President of Human Resources at Endeavour Volunteer Consulting for Nonprofit, an organization which provides management consulting to improve organizational capacity and community impact. As VP of HR, she leads a team of executives in the recruitment, training, development and retention of volunteers across Endeavour.
Ada also volunteers as a board member at the Four Villages Community Health Center, chairing the Quality Committee and participating in the Finance Committee, Strategic Planning Committee, Governance Committee and Accreditation Committee.
In her full-time role, Ada works as a Project and Quality Manager at the Regional Geriatric Program of Toronto. Her previous experiences include working as a Management Consultant in Deloitte Consulting’s National Health Services practice and as a Patient Safety Consultant at the Ontario Hospital Association.
Ada holds an MHSc Health Administration degree and a Bachelor of Applied Science and Engineering (Engineering Science) degree, both from the University of Toronto.
Ronit Yarosky is the National Director of the Fellowship in Inclusion and Philanthropy Program. She has been a fundraising professional since 2001 and comes to the position with extensive experience in the areas of diversity, inclusion and equity. She has worked at Mountain Lake PBS, Equitas – International Centre for Human Rights Education, the Jewish Public Library and co-founded the award-winning Montreal Dialogue Group. Ronit is a mentor at the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women and is a community leader in inter-cultural dialogue and social action. Her lived experiences in the Middle East formed the foundation of her understanding of the dire need for dialogue, introspection and the courage to question and challenge the status quo. A bilingual resident of Montreal, Ronit has a M.A. from McGill University.
Lori Gusdorf is the Executive Vice President of the AFP Foundations for Philanthropy. She has been with AFP and then the Foundation for twenty-eight years. She has been with the Canada Foundation since its inception in 2000 and two years ago moved into her current role of overseeing all three Foundations for AFP located in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Prior to that she was the Vice President of Membership and Chapter Services for AFP.
Tanya Rumble is an authentic and results-driven fundraising leader who has raised millions of dollars for some of Canada’s largest charities including the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and the Canadian Cancer Society. Currently she is Manager, Development on the Major and Planned Giving Team at McMaster University.
Tanya also contributes her skills on a voluntary basis. In addition to her role on the FindHelp Board of Directors Tanya is Co-Founder of Toronto plus Acumen, an official chapter of Acumen; past leadership volunteer with Canada’s largest grant maker – the Ontario Trillium Foundation; appointed member of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care’s Citizen’s Council advising the Minister on healthcare and drug policy in the province; Advisor with Endeavour Volunteer Consulting for Non-profits; is a Jane’s Walk leader; and regularly volunteers with the Daily Bread Food Bank.
Tanya completed a B.A. (Hons), Political Science at McMaster University and Masters Certificate at New York University with the WHO. She is completing the Masters of Public Policy, Administration and Law at York University. Tanya is naturally inquisitive and a lifelong learner – she is a certified fundraising executive (CFRE), a graduate of the 2017 AFP Inclusion and Philanthropy Fellowship, and 2010 DiverseCity Fellowship. Tanya regularly mentors students and young professionals including as an advisor in the McMaster Alumni and Partners Advisor Network and Mentor with the Cherie Blair Foundation’s Mentoring Women in Business Programme. Tanya is a professional member of AFP, CAGP, CCAE and CASE.
A values-based executive with a practical, “make-things-happen” approach, Louis Moubarak always brings vision, experience and a passionate commitment to his challenging mandates. A 25-year veteran of the international public affairs, management and philanthropy fields, Moubarak’s work prior to the Golden Square Mile Tourism Development Society, allowed him to acquire knowledge and experience in international cooperation and program development, as well as valuable experience working with the Canadian government apparatus, funding agencies and political community – relationships and experiences which he has successfully leveraged at Canada World Youth, Public Relations Without Borders and Rights & Democracy.
Trilingual, Louis also shared his expertise in international media campaigns with the United Nations (New York) and the International Federation for Human Rights (Paris), and he travelled to Morocco, Mali, Jordan, Jerusalem, Lebanon, Mali and Roumania as a speaker and Public Affairs trainer.
Louis has served on the boards of different associations and is a founding member of Culture Montreal and Francophonie Express. Member of AFP since 2012, Louis is Accredited in Public Relations (APR designation) since 2008.
Gerri Nakirigya Lutaaya belongs to the Ngonge clan within the Buganda kingdom and is a 2016 graduate of the AFP Inclusion and Philanthropy Fellowship. Gerri maintains a spirited zest and commitment to the importance – and power – of education for young people because of its potential to spark action, impact and change on society’s most pressing issues. With a Master of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership degree from Carleton University and a Certificate in Fundraising Management from Algonquin College, Gerri is committed to Nelson Mandela’s challenge that “a degree means nothing unless you go out into the community to prove yourself.” Through her involvement in various volunteer roles, Gerri is persistent in building awareness and strengthening relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. She also works closely with CivicAction’s Emerging Leaders Network, People for Education and is a Board Member with the Young Women’s Leadership Network.
Darius Maze is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and is the Diversity and Languages Coordinator for Fraser Health in B.C. He is committed to inclusive and equitable social change and currently holds leadership positions on the boards of Vancouver Pride, the Association of Neighbourhood Houses BC, the AFP Foundation – Canada, and the Friends of the Vancouver Public library. Darius has been involved with the Association of Fundraising Professionals Vancouver Chapter for over four years, serving on its National Philanthropy Day and Communications committee, as well as Co-chairing the Diversity and Inclusion committee. He is also an active member of AFP International’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) committee and is currently supporting workgroups for the Women’s Impact Initiative.
Winsome Smith is an experienced worker with over 15 years’ working in public, non-profit and public organizations. An excellent communicator and negotiator with strong analytical, problem solving and conflict resolution skills.
Winsome did extensive work in Jamaica raising over $500,000 to help HIV positive children and those in need of care and protection. Presently she volunteers as Chairperson at New Hope Community Church in Toronto and work with a team to send volunteer workers to Haiti annually.
Winsome holds a MEd. from Mount Saint Vincent University, Post Bac. Certificate in Public Administration from Ryerson University and BA. Guidance and Counselling
Toni Francis was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa before immigrating to Canada in 2001. From an early age she was passionate about serving under-resourced and marginalized folks in her community, starting her volunteering in elementary school with her local rotary club. Since immigrating to Canada she has committed her training, work and volunteer experiences to be equity-focused, advocating for resources, supports, services and policies that will facilitate the capacity-building and empowerment of marginalized communities and equity-seeking groups including women and children survivors of violence, individuals with precarious status, newcomer and immigrant communities , and individuals accessing social assistance.
Over the last several years Toni has worked in non-profit and social service organizations coordinating public education, communications, community outreach and engagement programs/projects. Her most recent role as the Coordinator of the Peel Committee against Woman Abuse (PCAWA) saw her advocating for and coordinating a comprehensive and effective response to violence against women across the Region of Peel. Her significant responsibilities included grant writing, managing funded projects in their entirety, planning outreach events, managing staff and volunteers and partnering on collaborative projects with equity-seeking organizations across Ontario. Toni aspires to grow an expertise in fundraising, philanthropic strategy and advising, innovative community programming and social impact investing.
Toni holds an M.A. in Women Studies, and an Honours B.A. in Communications and International Development Studies from York University.
