BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The board of directors is committed to providing strategic oversight and good governance to support the mission, mandate, and vision of Fora. Made up of a combination of dedicated gender equity champions and past and current program participants, the board of directors steers Fora towards a sustainable future by ensuring sound strategies and policies are in place.

— BOARD MEMBERS —

  • Beth is a Risk Advisory Partner and Board Director at Deloitte Canada, and leads the Data Protection and Privacy business offering nationally. Beth has over 15 years’ experience designing privacy and data protection strategies and programs, driving alignment between business strategy and risk management. Beth has trained privacy officers, ran executive and board level briefings, advised on privacy/data protection modernization efforts, data risk strategies, and designed strategies to support digital transformations. In her experience, she has advised clients on statutory legal obligations and the impact on data sharing and governance, data analytics, and the adoption of emerging technologies, such as cloud and AI on individual privacy. Recently, Beth has led the build of an integrated risk framework, bringing the areas of data, privacy, security and tech risk together.

    Beth is also passionate about issues relating to diverse and inclusive leadership, women's equity and empowerment, and creating safe spaces for women to own their voices, lead by example, and through their own lived experiences. At Deloitte, Beth leads our Women in Cyber initiative both in Canada and Globally, and is sponsoring a leadership development program for next generation women leaders.

    Beth is also a member of the Board for the Massey Centre for Women in Toronto.

  • A Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award recipient, Tanvi works as an advisor, trainer, and coach to social impact organizations and mission-oriented leaders across the globe. Tanvi founded Becoming I Foundation - a youth-led organization that works towards revolutionizing education systems in India. She participated in Fora’s first-ever global summit as a delegate from India and has been a speaker, panelist, and moderator at various summits ever since. She has also played the role of a board mentor for Fora’s Girls on Boards program.

    Tanvi has served as an International Fellow for the Global Fund for Children and was awarded the William J. Clinton Fellowship for Service in India through which she helped build programs targeted at women and children in high-risk communities. She currently serves as National Advisor for GirlTrek - America’s largest non-profit focused on black women’s health.

    Tanvi has been awarded the Karamveer Puraskar for Justice and Citizen Action and her work has been recognized at the UN where she has been awarded for ‘Contribution to Humanitarian Development’. She has been invited to speak at the UN ECOSOC, UN WOMEN at the EU Development Days, the Clinton Global Initiative, and at various TEDx conferences, alongside heads of state, and social, and business leaders.

    Tanvi holds a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University where she frequently returns to teach and coach various students in programs and fellowships. She calls New York and New Delhi home.

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  • CEO & Principal Consultant Ivy + Dean Consulting

    Originally from Yellowknife, NT, Jacq Brasseur (they/them) has over a decade of experience leading queer and trans non-profit organizations. They co-founded the Northern Mosaic Network, the only 2SLGBTQ+ human service agency in the Northwest Territories, and proudly served as the agency's first Executive Director. Jacq has previously served as the Executive Director of the UR Pride Centre for Sexuality & Gender Diversity, and as National Director for Fierté Canada Pride.

    In 2021, Jacq founded Ivy + Dean Consulting, where they currently serve as CEO & Principal Consultant, whose goal is to bring equity focused, queer-informed and accessible approaches to governance, leadership and programming to small & medium-sized non-profits.

    In addition to their work in queer and trans communities, Jacq is proud to have been involved in a wide range of grassroots, community and corporate organizing over the past decade with organizations such as United Way Northwest Territories, Briarpatch Magazine, la Fédération de la jeunesse canadienne-française, and the University of Regina Alumni Association.

    Today, Jacq shares their time between Yellowknife, NT and Regina, SK.

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  • Minora is a multi-disciplinary Financial Risk Specialist at the OSFI, regulating some of Canada’s largest financial institutions. She brings 20+ years of versatility having worked in Audit & Assurance at Deloitte in Canada and France, and in Capital Markets and Treasury at BMO Financial Group prior to joining the OSFI.

    Minora believes in creating dialogue and transparency through her professional work and community engagement. Having lived on four continents and worked internationally in bilingual environments, she appreciates diverse cultures and challenges. Minora is a CPA, CA and holds B.A. (Hons.) and Master of Accounting degrees from the University of Waterloo.

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  • Elizabeth practices intellectual property law and litigation, focusing on the acquisition, management and enforcement of intellectual property rights and intangible assets for clients that rely heavily on intellectual capital in their business. After gaining significant experience at two top-ranked law firms, Elizabeth went on to found Dipchand LLP.

    Beyond her legal practice, Elizabeth is a founding member of The Big Push, a women-driven collective accelerating women-founded or co-founded startups, and is passionate about providing mentorship to businesswomen in technology. Elizabeth received her BSc (Hons.) (Double Honours in Biochemistry and Genetics) and LLB both from the University of Western Ontario. She is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and the New York State Bar.

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  • Chauntae De Gannes is an ambitious and intelligent leader. She recently graduated from Queen's University on the Dean's List with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a minor in Global Development Studies. Chauntae is currently pursuing her Juris Doctor at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Common Law and hopes to use her legal degree in innovative ways. Chauntae's drive for making a difference has led her to hold various roles on executive teams, in community organizations, and in student government. Chauntae has extensive experience in the public sector having worked for the Ontario Public Service across five different ministries during her summers. Chauntae is passionate about public policy, access to justice, and technology-related issues. She hopes that her participation with Rise on Boards will make a positive impact and inspire others to be change-makers.

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  • Rachel Stephenson Sheff (she/her) is an award-winning strategy consultant passionate about social and environmental justice, the intersection of art and activism, and feminist collaboration.

    Currently, Rachel is Managing Director of B Corp, I.G. Advisors - an award-winning global strategy consultancy specializing in social and environmental change. Prior to I.G., Rachel was a major gifts fundraiser in New York where she worked on everything from multi-million-dollar performing arts capital campaigns to community-based fundraising for HIV/AIDS at the Metropolitan Opera, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Housing Works. She is also the voice behind the popular podcast, What Donors Want.

    Rachel recently earned a Certificate in Management from Harvard Business School, and in a previous life was a triple threat graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where she earned a BFA in Drama, with minors in Producing and Applied Theatre. Originally from Toronto, Canada, she is now based in London, UK.

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  • “Excellence with authenticity” is Nadia Theodore’s motto. A seasoned Public Affairs leader with a reputation for forging strong partnerships wherever she goes, she manifests humility, confidence, and fun. Her passion for community service leads Nadia to invest time and effort in ventures that are committed to putting more women that look like her in decision-making spaces across Canada and globally, with true power and influence at the table. With a career path that took her from her native Ottawa to the World Trade Organization in Geneva, the Consulate General of Canada in Atlanta and most recently, to Toronto take up a Senior Vice President role at Maple Leaf Foods, Nadia embodies the leader of the future: hard-working, value driven and transparent.

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  • Vandinika (she/her) has over a decade of experience in gender policy, movement building, and civic technology. As an Intergovernmental Policy Advisor and Youth Focal Point at UN Women, Vandinika has designed national gender policies and advised heads of state on implementing the SDGs and human rights frameworks. She was the delegate from India in Fora’s 2014 Summit and later served as the Vice-Chair of Fora’s first Steering Committee.

    Most recently, Vandinika launched the Practicing Democracy Project at Harvard Kennedy School – advising global campaigns and organizations on leadership, storytelling, and movement building– with world renowned community organizer Marshall Ganz. Previously, Vandinika built civic engagement products and partnerships at MIT Media Lab to pilot AI/ML technology to amplify marginalized voices in policymaking and developed cross-stakeholder relationships for responsible tech for Jigsaw and the Government of France.

    Vandinika has been recognized and invited to speak as a young leader by the G20, the European Commission, UN SDG Action, and All Tech Is Human. Her writing and work have been featured in the Boston Globe, Tech Policy Press, Slate, and Indian national dailies like The Hindu. She is also a member of the Board for Represent Women and Partners In Democracy.

    Vandinika holds a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School and an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics. She currently teaches movement building and democratic leadership at Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership.

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  • Elana Chan is the Director of Americas SMB Marketing at Google. With nearly 20 years of marketing experience, her goal is to help small & medium businesses get online, thrive, and grow through the transformative power of AI and digital marketing.

    Her responsibilities include building and executing the Marketing strategy for Google’s Americas Ads Acquisitions business, including programs through both direct & partner channels. She has deep expertise in e-commerce, paid media, growth & lifecycle marketing, and go-to-market strategies that help millions of businesses make the most of the web.

    Prior to Google, Elana built iconic brands at Unilever, launched new products at Apple, and helped scale the startup, Jetsetter, and successfully sold it to TripAdvisor. Wherever she goes, Elana is passionate about leading teams, innovating on new ideas, and transforming businesses, particularly in the areas of digital commerce, customer journeys & insights.

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  • Sampada Kukade (she/her) is the VP of Corporate Communications and Stakeholder Engagement at Skills for Change. She has been at Skills for Change since 2015. Sampada has over 20 years of non-profit sector experience in marketing communications, brand management, leadership development, and strategic partnerships. She holds a Bachelors in Arts from the University of Western Ontario and a post-graduate certificate in Marketing and Events Planning from George Brown College.

    Prior to working at Skills for Change, Sampada led communications, province-wide events, and a leadership program at the Ontario Medical Association. Being passionate about politics, Sampada also previously ran as a political candidate at the provincial level.

    She is extremely passionate about driving social justice issues and advancing the social inequities of underserved communities. She works with partners on building workforce development strategies that embed Equity, Diversity and Inclusion practices.

    Sampada currently serves as a Toronto Region Board Director for OCASI, Advisory Committee Member on the Conference Board of Canada's Research Advisory Board and is on the Advisory Committee for the Institute for Work and Health. She previously served as a Regional Reviewer for the Canada Volunteer Awards and a Board Member with the Emerging Leaders Network. In her spare time, Sampada teaches yoga as a certified yoga instructor, with a specific focus on helping manage chronic disease. She is also a mother of two young boys.

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