The humans behind our work in 2023
As 2023 draws to a close and we reflect on the impact of our programming and advocacy, we want to take a moment to acknowledge the people behind our work — because this year’s wins are truly a testament to our team, who have shown up every single day with their whole selves.
Here are our teammates, who in the past year, helped make our impact possible.
OUR 2023 ALUMNI
Extending our most heartfelt thanks to the contributions and lasting impact
of our teammates who transitioned on to new opportunities.
Allie Reddon, Senior Officer, Development & Operations [she/her]
Mar 2021 – Aug 2023
Allie first joined Fora's community in 2018 as a volunteer, an experience that kick-started her career in the non-profit sector. She officially joined the team as our Development & Operations Officer in 2021, where she became integral to Fora's success, as she not only formed meaningful connections with participants and donors across our community, but also streamlined our internal processes, and introduced new systems to help our organization operate smoothly.
Beyond the many ways she impacted our organization (and... our LITERAL organization), she also had a profound impact on her teammates, always being the first person to support her colleagues’ capacity (no matter the task).
In 2023, Allie was a key part of our fundraising efforts and integrating a brand-new CRM system — a task that was no easy feat. While she definitely won the award for most systems-inclined, Allie also brought so much warmth, support, and laughter to the team (not to mention, the best taste in music, as our very own in-house musician). Allie embarked on a new journey to become a teacher in late August, and the team misses her deeply, and will always be grateful for the processes and clarity she helped bring to Fora's internal systems.
Alexandria Bohémier, Advocacy Manager [she/they]
Feb 2022 – Sept 2023
Behind all the advocacy work at Fora is the labour of the one and only Alexandria Bohémier, Fora's very first Advocacy Manager.
Alexandria, who is also the Co-Founder for the Canadian Coalition for Youth, Peace & Security, is an incredible policy and advocacy advisor. Alex brought not just their wealth of knowledge to Fora, but also a network and gift for fostering partnerships that was unlike anything we had before. From connecting grassroots youth to government leaders, Alexandria consistently brought together the right people to the right tables. This included bringing Fora to the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) for the very first time and advocating for many of our delegates, as well as teammate Maxime Matthew to have a chance to speak at the United Nations (the smile on Maxime’s face, by the St. Lucian flag is an image we won’t forget!).
In addition to being a true connector of people, Alexandria operationalized Fora's first advocacy strategy and spearheaded research and reports spearheaded research and reports on a young feminist economy — with a full report, toolkit, and event that has been two years in the making, set to launch in 2024. While Alex continues to remain a friend of Fora's, they now continue their work as a Policy & Advocacy Advisor at Plan International Canada. We wish them all the very best, and will always have a piece of Alex at the root of our Advocacy.
Maxime Matthew, Senior Officer, Global Programs and Engagement [she/her]
Jan 2022 – Nov 2023
To have Maxime on our team was to know that the right questions would always be asked, programs would be thoughtfully designed, and a truly equitable global context would be considered in all aspects of our work.
Over the past 2 years, Maxime expanded the incredible Global Summit program, continuing to mobilize the necessary supports to guide Delegates along their career and leadership trajectories. Her strategic thinking helped create a new vision for a truly global program and community engagement strategy. This included redesigning program delivery and enhancing recruitment and mentorship processes, all rooted in equity and collaboration with Fora’s community of Ambassadors.
In addition to being a talented program designer, Maxime represented Fora on numerous panels, including speaking on behalf of Fora at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations, and using her voice and her writings to advocate for youth leadership and equity in the non-profit sector.
Outside of all of this impact-driven work, Maxime knew how to crack a joke and brought the vibes to every team meeting. While we miss her infectious laugh, we know that she will do an incredible job in her new role as the National Project Coordinator for the International Institute for Sustainable Development, as she works on national climate adaptation planning in St. Lucia.
Miriam Buttu, Interim CEO [she/her]
Nov 2019 – Oct 2023
Miriam led the organization as Interim CEO in both in 2020 and in 2023, as Heather Barnabe was on parental leave. While Miriam’s work prior to this year was as the Director of Development and Operations was instrumental to the organization, as Interim CEO in 2023, she left a massive impact on Fora’s community and staff team through her deep commitment to equity and anti-burnout practices.
Over the last year, Miriam worked hard to centre the team’s well-being, something that is often unheard of in the non-profit sector, especially when resources are sometimes strapped and the most marginalized are the ones in the workforce themselves.
From incorporating wellness days, to improving staff benefit packages to include chronic illness and disability, to honouring accessibility requests from team members, and simply being a major advocate for dancing at our annual staff retreats, Miriam always encouraged each of us to take care of ourselves, so we could show up as our authentic selves in the workplace.
OUR SHORT-TERM SUPPORT TEAM
A moment of recognition to our incredible summer students, short-term contractors and research assistants.
Kassandra Neranjan, Research Assistant [she/her]
Apr 2023 - Jul 2023
Kassandra joined our team as a Research Assistant working closely with our Advocacy Manager, Alexandria and our community to examine the contours of establishing a young feminist economy in Canada.
A recent graduate of McGill University Faculty of Law’s joint common and civil law degree program, and the University of Toronto’s International Relations and Peace, Conflict & Justice Studies programs, she applied her invaluable skillset to help create several research articles.
Her most notable contribution was consulting with young leaders in our community to create a comprehensive, 100+ page report on “A Young Feminist Economy,” which documents the experiences of gender-marginalized youth in a post-COVID economy and includes essential policy recommendations informed by their experiences (a report that is set to release the report in early 2024).
Mekhalaa Muraly, Research Assistant [she/her]
Apr 2023 - Jul 2023
Mekhalaa joined the Fora team as a Research Assistant, working closely with our Advocacy Manager, Alexandria on researching the development of a toolkit to help establish a Young Feminist Economy in Canada (which we are excited to release in 2024).
In her final year of undergraduate study pursuing an Honours Double Major in Economics and Finance at Huron at Western University, she applied her strong communications and research skills to help inform numerous articles on topics examining issues affecting young leaders, including the impacts of unpaid internships on young professionals.
On the importance of this work, she shared: "Research plays a vital role in the evolution of society by giving voice to the silenced and by empowering us to take action when necessary."
Cindy Jeon, Assistant Programs Officer [she/her]
Aug 2023 - Dec 2023 [RBC Career Launch program]
As part of RBC's Career Launch program, Cindy completed a placement with Fora as the Assistant Programs Officer. Cindy flourished in this role, contributing significantly towards recruitment for the Global Summit, including coordinating with the Selection Committee, and supporting the onboarding of our new cohort of Delegates.
Leveraging her background in Computer Science & Mathematics, Cindy embraced the opportunity to analyze program data and help improve our data management processes. With Cindy’s support, we were able to refine our program recruitment processes to efficiently meet our goals for equitable representation.
Cindy’s detail-oriented approach and problem-solving abilities shone brightly throughout her time at Fora, and the Programs team is grateful for her demonstrated dedication and support.
Hirra Majid, Global Programs Engagement & Events Assistant [she/her]
Jul – Sep 2023 [Canada Summer Jobs Program]
Believe us when we tell you that Hirra hit the ground running when she joined our team during Fora's busiest time of year! She jumped in without hesitation, as she supported the coordination of our Global Summit application launch and the planning of our in-person Leadership Forum event. It instantly felt as though Hirra had been working with the team for years (not days!).
In her three-month contract with Fora, she supported Senior Programs Officer, Maxime in streamlining the Global Summit application process, organizing outreach and recruitment campaigns to promote applications. She also put her event planning expertise to good use at the 2023 Leadership Forum, where she was the point person for all of our event day volunteers, and an essential part of ensuring the Leadership Forum ran smoothly.
Her impeccable organization skills and collaborative spirit were integral in supporting our Programs team, and we are deeply grateful for the way she showed up and gave her best to Fora.
OUR CURRENT TEAM
We’re deeply grateful for the ongoing contributions of our incredible teammates.
Viktoriya Vus, Project Coordinator [she/her]
Apr 2022 - Feb 2024
Viktoriya is one of our strongest community-builders, having developed meaningful relationships with our current and former Rise on Boards alum as the project coordinator behind this entire program. Having not only managed and executed the logistics needed for the program itself, she also ensured every Young Director was supported during their online and in-person programming, including the pairing of them with their designated boards.
A project manager-extraordinaire, she is unflappable under pressure, and the person behind all the logistics of Fora's biggest in-person events, including our 2023 Leadership Forum (if you loved it, you have Vik to thank!).
Viktoriya is the definition of excellence — holding herself to a high standard, while also bringing a deep empathy and a quiet strength to her work every day. Outside of her own role, we deeply appreciate that Viktoriya continues to be the biggest supporter of the entire team, jumping in to help with everything from Global Summit coordination to being additional support wherever it’s needed most.
Pam Galenzoga, Senior Programs Officer [she/her]
Aug 2022 - Jan 2024
Pam (left) at the 2023 training day for Rise on Boards Young Directors.
In the year and a half since joining our team, Pam has spent countless hours connecting with our community to reimagine our Rise on Boards program and the impact it can have.
Pam brings a deep knowledge of theories of change along with non-profit sectoral systems, and has implemented this directly in imagining our scaled model of this program through the launch of Rise on Boards+ this year! Her expertise in programming paired with her perspective of a more global context, has had an impact across all of our programs, and her expertise and hard work has directly influenced the ways in which we support our young leaders, coaches, speakers, and non-profit boards.
Over the past year, she has brought her organizational skills, world-famous PowerPoint presentations, tenacity, creativity, and her quiet sense of humour to every aspect of her work, and she is a true inspiration to work with.
Marija Shaw, Senior Manager of Development & Operations [she/her]
Aug 2022 - Current
Marija (far right), moderating a panel at the 2023 Leadership Forum.
Since joining our team in 2022, Marija’s vision, leadership, and fundraising expertise has transformed Fora's fundraising strategy and systems. She’s taught us so much about relationship building, visioning, and aligning our values with our work, spearheading initiatives such as creating Fora's very first Ethical Fundraising Guidelines.
Because of the wealth of experience that Marija brings, Fora has been able to apply for numerous grants and funding opportunities, far outside of what has previously been within our capacity. While the funding ecosystem has completely changed in the non-profit sector since 2020, with Marija on our team, she’s been able to make sure we can not only maintain our strong programs without compromising on impact, but also ensures we consistently close the gap to maintain the integrity of our team.
Beyond her role, she has planned events and staff retreats, spoken on behalf of the organization on panels, and is deeply dedicated to investing in her teammates’ professional development and well-being. She also brings so much compassion and warmth to Fora and is our unofficial Party Planning Committee (she is the person who never forgets a birthday and brings beautifully packaged snack bags to all our in-person events).
Jen Vachon, Director of Programs & Advocacy [she/her]
Mar 2022 - Current
Since joining the Fora team as our Director of Programs and Advocacy, Jen has overseen and supported the entire Programs and Advocacy teams, including through initiatives such as the growth and renaming of our Rise on Boards program, the reimagining of our Global Summit in the wake of the pandemic, and launching our brand-new advocacy strategy.
Jen’s leadership and compassion has also given our team the space to fully show up as themselves by providing them with the support they need while also giving them the space to take ownership on their zones of genius. In addition to managing the team members of the largest department at Fora, Jen has given countless hours to updating our Board of Directors, meeting 1:1 with the CEO to inform the vision planning of our programming, and grant-writing to help ensure we can continue the impact of Fora's programs.
A Northern Ontarian at heart, Jen has also shown up to support Fora's team & our work all throughout her first year in the City of Toronto (and always has the best restaurant recommendations).
Jenny Jay, Communications & Digital Marketing Officer [she/her]
Aug 2022 - Current
Jenny (left) moderating a panel at the 2023 Global Summit Public Event.
Since joining our team, Jenny has helped change the way our organization understands and talks about ourselves and helped us centre our community in all aspects of our work (Communications, and beyond!).
She has compassionately challenged us to have essential conversations about our language and values, and Jenny’s leadership has helped us action major changes in how we communicate, as she developed a Guide to Gender-inclusive Language at Fora. As the advocate and activist that is at her core, Jenny has helped us create more inclusive and equitable spaces – both online and in-person.
In the past year, she has also played an integral role in consulting with our community to rename our Rise on Boards program, and has worked on overseeing the development of Fora's very first digital marketing strategy.
In addition to all of this, she brings her great sense of humour (and famous giggle), unmatched cooking skills, and a deep and holistic care about her teammate's wellness to every meeting, retreat, and in-person gathering, always enforcing the need for healthy boundaries, accessibility, and brain-breaks.
Cari Siebrits, Communications Manager [she/her]
Feb 2022 - Current
Cari, (right) sitting next to and laughing with Maxime (left) at the 2022 Leadership Forum.
Cari is truly the cheerleader that keeps the team going. As the Communications Manager, Cari is the one often juggling all the hats — while still making sure they all fit exactly where they need to. With many programs and efforts happening across teams, Cari has been the glue that makes sures all of our internal and external communications happen seamlessly, so our communities know about our programs, events, and advocacy work (and always on time).
Cari is a huge advocate of making sure every team member knows their voice truly belongs at Fora — giving them the space to candidly share their feedback and feelings, and then going the extra mile to make sure our communications — whether internal or external — honours their perspectives.
Outside of Fora, Cari also spent this past year managing our incredible little comms team, while also planning (and having!) her wedding in the beautiful West Coast, with her dog Lando by her side. To have her enthusiastic spirit on our team, while she makes sure those newsletters get out to our community, has been an absolute joy.
Heather Barnabe, CEO [she/her]
Jun 2017 - Dec 2023
It feels like an impossible task to try to sum up the impact Heather has had on this organization in a few short words (but bear with us as we try).
We could tell you about how Fora grown and evolved in size, impact, and programming over the past six years. We could tell you about how she helped rebrand the organization, launch our Rise on Boards program, or reimagine our Global Summit.
But we would rather tell you about the person behind the many accomplishments. Heather is someone who truly leads by example – bringing her collaborative spirit, strategic vision, deep care for her team’s well-being, and famous sense of humour to all she does. Even on her parental leave this past year, she showed up at every Fora event (sometimes with a newborn in tow...), and generously offered her support, advice and counsel wherever needed. If you’ve been to a Fora event, you’ll know that you’re just as likely to see Heather up on stage addressing the room, as you are to see her sitting on the floor beside the staff team, trying to put together a step-and-repeat. That’s the type of leader she is.
She has shown up, in a very real way, for the Fora team and community – from always making time to share wisdom and provide mentorship to countless young leaders, to building partnerships with other non-profits and activists, to being the first to try to connect someone in her network to a new opportunity.
The impact of her strategy can be felt in the way Fora has grown, formalized policies, expanded programming, and rebranded to reflect our community. And the impact of her as a person can be felt in all of us who have learned from, been inspired by, and grown alongside her.
It is not enough to simply highlight what Heather did in 2023 to really showcase the impact of her work at Fora — because it’s her work over the last 6 years that have given the space for this organization to be the one we see today, and to have had the privilege of welcoming the staff leaders we’ve listed here before you. While we wish her all the very best as she embarks on a new chapter, and while we know she’ll be part of our community forever, we will miss her dearly.
A WARM WELCOME
We are also excited to welcome some new faces to Fora! Meet our talented new teammates, who are already making their mark on our work.
Linh Vu, Development & Operations Officer [she/her]
Sept 2023 - Current
Linh deeply resonates with Fora's commitment to fostering an intersectional and 2SLGBTQIA+ feminist movement on top of empowering young women and gender-marginalized leaders. Prior to joining Fora, Linh worked as a project manager in the advertising industry for 8 years. Since Jan 2023, she decided to seek opportunities to work for non-profit organizations to align her personal values with her career path. She fell in love with fundraising through various volunteering experiences and hopes to continue to raise funds for projects supporting education for youth and equity for all.
In her free time, Linh enjoys taking care of her plants, hiking within the GTA, reading art books and going to see theatre plays.
Tehreem Fatima, Advocacy Manager [she/her]
Oct 2023 - Current
Tehreem is first generation Pakistani-Canadian social impact strategist with an interest in civic innovation and peacebuilding. Having specialized in political science and minored in philosophy, Tehreem often finds herself at the intersection of politics and philosophy as a researcher, activist, and social innovator.
As an Advocacy Manager she brings her academic, grassroots, and professional expertise in advocacy, policy influencing and knowledge mobilization to Fora, helping make powerful decision-making spaces more accessible for a new generation of leaders.
Tehreem believes that getting gender-marginalized young leaders into spaces of power is a critical way to spark innovation and meaningful change, this belief led her to Fora.
Emma Asiedu-Akrofi, Chief Executive Officer [she/her]
Oct 2023 - Current
We are so excited to welcome our new CEO, Emma to the team! Emma brings a wealth of leadership experience to the role, underpinned by an unwavering commitment to gender and racial equity. She joined us from the Jean Augustine Centre in Toronto, where she led the organization for over seven years.
She is a dedicated advocate for women and girls, committed to addressing gender-based inequalities. She holds a degree in political science and sociology from the University of Toronto and has over 10 years of experience working in the charitable sector.
As a Black Canadian woman of Ghanaian descent, Emma's work is deeply rooted in an intersectional, anti-oppressive, and inclusive framework. She recognizes the importance of acknowledging and addressing the intersecting forms of discrimination and oppression that individuals face.