Meet our CEO and members of the leadership team, our Board of Directors, and Advisory Council.
Duke is adept at identifying customer needs and innovating solutions to intuitively bring
tangible value to customers, solving real world problems and opportunities. He is also a co-
founder of Act 3 Reality, an education technology company focused on helping children with
autism and other social and learning challenges using Virtual Reality.
While Managing Director of Fidelity Investments, Duke helped champion critical innovations
across financial services including investment management, charitable giving, student loans and
the gig economy. He holds an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and a
Bachelor of Science from Georgetown University.
Duke and his family currently reside in North York, Ontario, where he also grew up. He has
endless enthusiasm to diversify the impact of CanadaHelps’ technologies and drive innovation.
He focuses his priorities at CanadaHelps on enhancements that will empower Canadians to
easily support their favourite causes and delivering real value in particular to small- and
medium-sized charities, allowing them to grow their fundraising results and advance on their
digital transformation journeys.
Anita retired as a partner with Grant Thornton LLP in 2017 after a career spanning almost 34 years, including over 15 years in senior leadership and management roles and where she negotiated several successful mergers. As a client service practitioner, she provided audit, assurance and business advisory services to a variety of clients that ranged from small, entrepreneurial, growth-oriented owner-managed businesses, to multinational organizations. She developed a large real estate practice over the years which she transitioned to others, and she grew and embraced a significant and high profile charity and not-for-profit practice towards the end of her public accounting career. In addition to financial and reporting requirements, Anita has also advised clients on governance, structure, control and sustainability matters.
Anita has held a number of Board and Advisory roles with various organizations over the years including the Toronto and Region Board of Trade, Sick Kids Hospital Foundation, the Aphasia Institute, and the University of Toronto, and she was a founding member of the Grant Thornton Foundation. She completed terms as Treasurer, Vice Chair and most recently Chair of the Board of CPA Ontario, which serves 90,000 chartered professional accountants and 20,000 CPA students in Ontario.
Malcolm is a philanthropic advisor who has worked with charities and donors since 1990.
He is Head, Philanthropic Advisory Services at Scotia Wealth Management and founder/head of Aqueduct Foundation, a public foundation with donor advised funds based in Vancouver.
He is a member of CAGP’s Government Relations Committee, Director of The Muttart Foundation, and member of the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Indigenous and Canadian Curatorial Committee. Previously, he was a member of the CRA Charities Directorate’s Technical Issues Working Group, director of CAGP, and board member of the Canadian and Barcelona sections of MSF/Doctor’s Without Borders. He is an active writer, teacher and public policy volunteer in the charitable and social impact sector.
Since 2014, Sonya has been a program Director with the Dhillon School of Business and teaches in the accounting faculty. She has been recognized with three teaching awards and has been appointed a University of Lethbridge Teaching Fellow for 2023 – 2025.
Prior to joining the Dhillon School of Business, Sonya was an accomplished accounting and assurance professional with a specialization in internal audit leadership. She published several articles in professional journals and was a frequent speaker at conferences across North America. In 2012, Sonya was recognized with an Early Achievement Award, by CPA Alberta.
Over her career she has occupied several different seats at the board table, including eight years as a direct report. Sonya currently serves on the boards of CPA Alberta and Legal Aid Alberta and is an appointed public member on the Audit Committee for a local school division.
In addition to her CPA, CA designation, Sonya holds the ICD.D and CIA designations, as well as certifications in risk management and internal controls.
Matthew Choi co-founded CanadaHelps along with his friends Aaron Pereira and Ryan Little. He has remained actively involved in the organization since its inception, serving the longest term as a Director for over 13 years before joining the Advisory Council.
Matthew currently practices academic and clinical medicine as an Assistant Professor of Plastic Surgery at McMaster University, focusing on pediatric reconstruction and craniofacial surgery.
Matthew obtained his MD from Queen’s University and his MPH from Harvard University.
Leen is the Chief Executive Officer at Wealthsimple Foundation, a charity with the mission to enable a brighter future for everyone in Canada through access to post-secondary education. Previously Leen was the Chief Financial Officer at Wealthsimple, a leading financial technology company on a mission to help everyone achieve financial freedom by providing products and advice that are accessible and affordable.
Previously, Leen was part of the founding team and led finance and operations at Influitive, a marketing technology startup in Toronto. Prior to Influitive, Leen held a number of positions at HSBC Canada, Eloqua (acquired by Oracle in 2012) and China Construction Bank.
Leen is actively involved in the community and has a passion for education, healthcare, technology, and advocating for women and people of colour. She sits on the board of the George Brown College Foundation, and the advisory board of MoveTheDial and Medchart.
Leen holds an MBA in Finance from Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University.
Lawrence Mandel is a Director of Engineering at Shopify.
Lawrence specializes in building and running high performing and globally distributed software development teams. His career has spanned IBM enterprise technology to consumer technology such as Firefox. He has been active with not-for-profit, open source technology organizations including Mozilla, the Eclipse Foundation, and the Apache Software Foundation.
Lawrence volunteers as a coach for youth hockey and baseball with the North Toronto sports organizations, he mentors at the University of Toronto, and he has chaired events and fund-raised for The Canadian Shaare Zedek Hospital Foundation.
Lawrence was recognized with an Arbour Award for outstanding volunteer contributions to the University of Toronto and with a Volunteer Recognition Award from the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. He is the author of Eclipse Web Tools Platform: Developing Java Web Applications and holds a M.Sc. in Computer Science from Western University.
Krishan Mehta is the AVP of Engagement at Toronto Metropolitan University where he oversees alumni, community and volunteer development, as well as special institutional fundraising projects. Previously, he held a variety of senior fundraising, alumni and marketing roles at Seneca College and the University of Toronto. Krishan is also the coordinator of Toronto Metropolitan University’s fundraising management program and an adjunct professor in Carleton University’s graduate program in Philanthropy and Non-Profit Leadership. He has served as the President of the AFP Greater Toronto Chapter and is currently a member of the TELUS Community Board.
He holds a PhD from the University of Toronto and his research focuses on the philanthropy of high net-worth immigrants in Canada.
Dr. Alan Middleton recently retired from almost 20 years as the Executive Director of the Schulich Executive Education Centre (SEEC), an executive management training group training 10,000 +/year executives and managers domestically and globally/, as well as being a Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Marketing, Schulich School of Business, York University.
His career in marketing spanned 23 years with UOP Inc. Chicago, USA; Esso Petroleum Oslo, Norway and J. Walter Thompson Advertising London UK, Toronto, Canada and Tokyo, Japan. He then had a 28-year academic career with Schulich School of Business, York University and Rutgers School of Business, US as well as leading Universities in Argentina, China, Russia and Thailand.
He is the author of numerous reports, articles and books on marketing, as well as the recipient of many awards, including: Canadian Marketing Hall of Legends inductee; ACA Gold Medal Award; Queen Elizabeth Il Diamond Jubilee Medal for services to literacy; and Toronto Communicator of the Year Award from International Association of Business Communicators.
Dr. Middleton is currently on the Boards/Board Committees for ABC Life Literacy Canada MarCom Committee (having been Board Chair for 6 years and having a workplace literacy award named after him), Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto Finance International Education Committee, Destination Ontario Metrics Committee and the AMA Mentor Exchange Group.
Denise Baker is the former Executive Director of Vantage Point, a not-for-profit that delivers learning opportunities focused on governance and leadership. Currently semi-retired, Denise now offers capacity-building pro bono and consulting work to build not-for-profit capacity, including strategic planning facilitation, board governance training, and leadership support.
Denise has had the opportunity to create high performance teams and organizations in a career that has spanned international for-profit, higher education, and not-for-profit. Before coming to Vantage Point she was an Assistant Dean at the Sauder School of Business and prior to that spent 10 years at Crystal Decisions/Business Objects. Denise is a skilled facilitator, leading discussions on the topics related to board governance, leadership, women in leadership, strategic planning, and mentoring. Denise has an Honours English Degree and a Masters of Library and Information Science from UBC.
Ruth MacKenzie is the Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Gift Planners, a position she has held since April 2013.
Ruth has a 30-year background in the nonprofit sector, working at the local, provincial and national levels. For 12 years she was with Volunteer Canada, serving as its President and CEO from 2007-2013, and previously held the position of Director, Volunteer Development with the Canadian Cancer Society, Nova Scotia Division.
Ruth also has experience running a small business, having established and ran her own microbrewery for which she was recognized with an Entrepreneur of the Year award.
Ruth is, of course, a committed volunteer. In addition to the CanadaHelps board she currently serves on two international Boards: the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration and the International Association for Volunteer Effort. Ruth also Chairs the eastern region Grant Review Team for the Ontario Trillium Foundation – Canada’s largest granting agency. Ruth also served on the Governor General of Canada’s Volunteerism and Philanthropy Advisory Committee. In acknowledgement of her contribution to volunteerism, Ruth was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in April 2012
Mike Bradley is Managing Director at NorthCard. With nearly 25 years’ experience in the electronic banking / payments business, Mike works with leading North American financial institutions, retailers, technology companies and card networks to develop strategies and drive key initiatives.
From 2004-2012, Mike managed Visa’s products in Canada, launching Visa’s chip and contactless cards, as well as new credit, debit and prepaid card products. Mike also led innovation activities in e-commerce and mobile payments. Prior to Visa, Mike led several strategic initiatives for Bank of Montreal.
Mike served on the CanadaHelps Board of Directors from 2010-2016, and as its Chair from 2015-2016. He was also an active Member of the United Way of Greater Toronto IT Committee from 2002 to 2012.
Wayne C Fox retired from CIBC effective September 1, 2005. He was formerly ViceChair and Chief Risk Officer (CRO) responsible for Treasury, Balance Sheet and Risk Management of CIBC. Prior to his appointment as ViceChair in 1999, Mr. Fox worked with CIBC’s wholesale banking and brokerage businesses for 28 years, previously as head of CIBC World Markets global capital markets activities.
Mr. Fox is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of Cygnus Investment Partners Inc. and President of W C Fox investments Inc. Mr. Fox was the former Chair of the Board of Directors of the TMX Group Inc (2001-12) and E F Hutton Holdings Canada Inc. In addition, he was formerly a member of the Board of COM DEV International Inc., the Bourse de Montreal, Canadian Investor Protection Fund, CIBC Mellon, CIBC First Caribbean (Barbados), World Federation of Exchanges, McMaster University, Appleby College, CanadaHelps.org Inc, and Junior Achievement of Central Ontario. He was also a member of the Accounting Standards Oversight Council (2008-12). Mr. Fox holds a BA from the University of Waterloo (1971), a MBA from McMaster University (1973) and completed the Advanced Management Program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business (1992). He is also designated a Chartered Director (C.Dir). from McMaster University – The Directors College (2006) and Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) from McMaster University (2007). He was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (IIAC) in 2012.
Patrick Johnston is Principal of Borealis Advisors – a consultancy advising foundations and charities. Patrick has held numerous leadership positions in Canada’s charitable and philanthropic sectors.
At various times, he has served as Executive Director/CEO of the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation, the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy (now Imagine Canada), the Canadian Council on Social Development and the National Anti-Poverty Organization. Patrick has extensive governance experience at the community, national and international level including service on the Board of Directors of Philanthropic Foundations Canada, the United Way/Centraide Canada, the Council on Foundations (Washington) and CIVICUS (Johannesburg). In December 2014, Patrick was appointed to the Order of Canada by the Governor General “for his contributions to the charitable sector”.
Patrick has undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Education from York University and Queen’s University respectively. He also holds an M.S.W. in Social Policy, Planning and Administration from the University of Toronto.
Ryan is one of the co-founders of CanadaHelps. Today he works as an independent consultant in the fields of impact investing, social innovation, technology for good, and corporate social responsibility. His work ranges from startup acceleration through to impact investment strategy. He is both a social/tech-for-good and software entrepreneur, having founded his first venture more than 20 years ago.
His “sweet spot” is working with impact entrepreneurs and impact investors to bridge the gap between concepts and capital. He has led investment readiness for dozens of impact teams and designed led the deal sourcing, due diligence, investment, and impact management processes for several foundations, high net worth individuals, and corporate venturing arms of large companies. He has completed more than a dozen successful debt and equity impact investments on behalf of these stakeholders.
Ryan is active in the software-as-a-service sector and was recently Managing Director of SmileBack, a B2B feedback company where he rebuilt the team and grew revenues by 30% before replacing himself and moving to the board of directors.
Previous roles in the sector include leading the social finance practice at the BMW Foundation (Berlin) and serving as Global Business Development Manager at the worldwide corporate entity of Impact Hub (Vienna). He is co-founder of StormFisher Biogas, one of the earliest energy-from-organic-waste companies in North America.
He holds an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts from Queen’s University.
Joan McCalla is retired from her position as Director and Distinguished Fellow with the Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG), Cisco Systems. Joan worked as part of the global public sector team providing strategic advice to public sector organizations that are interested in how ICT-enabled transformation can help them to achieve their program objectives and priorities.
Until late 2006, Joan was Corporate Chief Strategist with the Government of Ontario’s information and information technology (I&IT) organization. Appointed in 1999 as the government’s first Chief Strategist, Joan provided leadership for Ontario’s highly regarded e-government strategy. Joan was with the Ontario government since 1977 in various planning and policy positions at several ministries.
Joan was an original Board member of the Institute for Citizen-Centred Service and is currently serving as a Fellow of the Institute. The mission of the ICCS is to promote high levels of citizen satisfaction with public sector service delivery through research and other initiatives to promote service quality and innovation. Joan is a graduate of the University of Toronto (M.Sc. Urban and Regional Planning) and the University of Alberta (B.A. Honours Geography).
Sarah Morgenstern is the Managing Partner for 100 Days AS.
Sarah holds an Honours degree in Economics and Political Science from the University of Toronto, an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business and is a Chartered Professional Accountant. She started her career in management consulting with several industry-leading global firms, focusing on strategy and organization, and then went on to spend a decade in digital publishing and media as the founder of the SavvyMom Group with its influential portfolio of email newsletters, website properties and online communities, before returning to consulting.
Sarah is a member of the Ivey Advisory Board, the Chair of the Ivey Annual Fund and a past recipient of the Ivey Distinguished Service Award. She is also serves as a member of the Canadian Advisory Council for Neuchatel Junior College.
Formerly, she served on the Digital Advisory Board of SickKids Foundation and as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Toronto’s Children’s Own Museum.
Of particular interest are funding opportunities where a nexus exists between environmental degradation and health issues.
In partnership with Dr. Michael Greger, Jesse established NutritionFacts.org in 2010, a non-profit healthcare site which is now the preeminent, science-based resource for consumers and physicians to lean about plant-based nutrition.
As Chief Executive Officer of YW Calgary, Sue Tomney is responsible for the strategic leadership of more than 300 diverse team members who offer shelter, housing, counselling, language and employment programs to some of the most vulnerable women and families in the Calgary. In September 2019, YW will open the doors to the YW Hub facility in Inglewood with a focus on building a sustainable model to support families in the community for years to come.
Sue has held senior-level positions with both non-profits and corporations prior to joining YW in December 2010: VP, Marketing and Communications for Imagine Canada; Director of Communications and External Affairs at TransAlta Corporation; and Manager, Public Relations & Community Investment for Canadian Airlines International.
Currently, Sue is a board member of Calgary Housing Company and a past-chair of CanadaHelps.org. Recent voluntary sector experiences include serving as a member of the Premier’s Advisory Committee on the Economy; board member for Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations; cabinet member for Calgary’s United Way Campaign; governor for Education Matters – Calgary’s Public Education Trust; and executive committee member of the 2008 Governor General’s Leadership Conference.
Sean Van Doorselaer is the CEO of Lind Equipment, a Canadian Manufacturer of portable lighting and power equipment based in Markham Ontario. He joined Lind Equipment in 2007 as a member of a new management and ownership team which reinvented a longstanding family business.
Prior to joining Lind Equipment, Sean was Vice President of Social Capital Partners (SCP), an organization that invests in and supports businesses in economically marginalized communities across Canada.
Before Social Capital Partners, Sean was a strategy consultant at The Monitor Group. During his time with Monitor Sean provided strategy advice to top-level executives in Fortune 1000 companies.
Sean holds an MBA from Queen’s University and an undergraduate degree in business administration from the Ivey School of Business (University of Western Ontario).
Alec was a founding director of CanadaHelps, assisting in its creation and serving on the Board from 2000 to 2010. Since 2010, he has been a Director of Hope Air, and currently serves as its Vice Chair and as Chair of its Governance and Nominating Committee.
In his professional life, Alec is a partner in the Toronto office of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP as a member of its Financial Services, Insolvency and Restructuring, and Financial Services Regulatory Groups. He has extensive experience in advising Canadian and foreign banks and other lenders, as well as large corporate borrowers, in relation to acquisition, project and operating credit facilities featuring multiple borrowers, lenders, currencies, jurisdictions and tiered interests. Alec is also widely known for his experience and expertise in connection with insolvency and restructuring matters, principally acting on behalf of creditors or court-appointed officers. Throughout his career, Alec has been recognized in various national and international publications as one of Canada’s leading financial services lawyers in both the lending and the insolvency and restructuring fields.
Between 2002 and 2006, Alec was engaged with Aaron Pereira and others in the initiative to incorporate a Canadian chartered Schedule I bank to serve the charitable sector. He also co-founded and served as the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of NexgenRx Inc., a publicly listed employee health benefit plan manager.
Alec is currently a Director and the Chairman of the Audit Committee of J.P. Morgan Bank Canada, a member of the Advisory Panel to Wakefield Canada Inc., and a member of the Advisory Panel to Daza Investments Limited.
