Staff and Board
A small but dedicated team of individuals committed to positive social change leads the Centre.
Staff Team
Tonya Surman, Executive Director
Raised by hippies, Tonya Surman has been making peace signs and raising a ruckus since the day she was born. Her most recent ruckus is the Centre for Social Innovation. As founding executive director, Tonya imagines the Centre as space that sparks creativity, connectedness and fun. Before this, she channeled her overzealous optimism into a national coalition of organizations working on children's environmental health, a social enterprise offering e-mail to activists and an edgy online news hub for Canadian progressives. Between these experiments in social entrepreneurship, Tonya has found the time to create a coop daycare, host chaotic street parties and create community gardens. She is also the mother of two wonderful boys which, in the end, is what matters most.
To reach Tonya, drop her an email - full cv here
Eli Malinsky, Director, Programs and Partnerships
Eli prefers the cause of helping other people’s causes, which he supposes has now become his own cause. He started thinking this way in his mid-twenties when he gave up his lavish lifestyle to toil away in the research program at Imagine Canada. This was followed by a return to school where Eli was reunited with his first love – receiving A’s from approving teachers. Eli used his time at school to explore how networks of activists and nonprofits use technology to work together. When he graduated, he found a perfect home at the Centre for Social Innovation, where he oversees programs and strategy, and where Tonya indulges him with quarterly report cards. Eli is both a dog and cat person and isn’t sure why it’s always one or the other.
To reach Eli, drop him an email.
Karine Jaouich - Director of Operations
Karine's ideal holiday involves mucking around with 600 farm animals. She tolerates, and even enjoys, being surrounded by chicken poo because of her passion for food and sustainable farming issues. Before joining the CSI team she worked in an operational capacity with both FoodShare and Local Food Plus, where she was also able to apply her other passions: systems processes and efficiency. She has found that building community is central within the food movement as well as all other movements. And because of this, she is ecstatic to be CSI's Director of Operations, to be surrounded by a community of communities and to be in the organizational role that she loves best.
To reach Karine, drop her an email
Desmond Cole, Community Animator, CSI Annex
Desmond's first word was "okay;" French is his second language; he sits on the third base side of home plate at Blue Jays games; and Toronto is the fourth Canadian city he has called home. Des arrived here over six years ago and started his journey in social service at Youthlink Inner City, a drop-in/resource centre for marginalized young people. He recently served for two years as project coordinator of the I Vote Toronto campaign, a call to give permanent residents a vote in municipal elections. Desmond is very proud to write for Torontoist, a local web publication about all things interesting in the city. A couple of years ago, Desmond completed the United Way CN Tower stair climb in fifteen and a half minutes – he is currently training hard to achieve a respectable time on his next attempt.
To reach Desmond, drop him an email
Colleen Diamond, Lead Community Animator, CSI Annex
Without fail, Colleen receives a piece of plywood or window trim for Christmas and Birthdays every year. Her Dad thinks it's pretty darn funny. Colleen's family started a millwork and construction business in the late 1980s, and all things built have been part of her life ever since. After receiving her degree in English Literature and a certificate in Writing from the University of Western Ontario, Colleen took a position at G&P Millwork where she wrote the policies that will be used to obtain Forest Stewardship Council certification, an international certificate guaranteeing the use of verified recycled products. Determined to continue using her writing skills to promote environmentally-friendly initiatives, Colleen enrolled in Humber College's post-graduate Public Relations program. She is excited to put her training in communications and love of all things "green" to work at CSI. On weekends, you can find Colleen volunteering for the Toronto Public Library's Reading to Leading program, working on her quilt, and trying to outcook her Mom.
To reach Colleen, drop her an email
Shona Fulcher, Lead Community Animator, CSI Spadina
Shona has long had a softspot for the reluctant hero who, when faced with a wrong they can right, quietly pulls up their socks and changes the world. This early fascination led her to a degree in Peace & Conflict studies and a career in the social services sector with the Ontario Child Welfare Training system. After a brief detour through the world of private sector finance, Shona returned to the social mission sector as one the CSI's inaugural Agents of Change interns. Now Shona excitedly returns to the real business of changing the world here at CSI & has high hopes to become her very own reluctant hero someday.
To reach Shona send her an email.
Barnabe Geis, Communications Lead
Barnabe Geis didn’t learn to speak conventional languages until after he was three years old. Before that, he spoke his own unintelligible dialect, which his parents painstakingly transcribed into a dictionary for his Parisian grandmother. When he learned French in preschool he forgot all of his English, save for a few choice expletives in Jamaican Patois he had picked up from his nanny. So a career in communications was a no-brainer. As a teenager, inspired by the stories of botanists and explorers, he wandered through Latin America in search of shamans. A few reality-defying experiences later, he resigned himself to higher education and completed a B.A. in Political Science “With Distinction.” He moved to the West Bank and founded a tourism company, guiding people behind the headlines of the Middle East. He travelled through the region over land, and then took a position as a communications officer and Middle East policy analyst back in Canada. Always an avid writer, he moved to New York and did his Master’s in Journalism at Columbia University. He once met a half-crazy, toothless taxi driver in Iraq who told him “politicians don’t fix problems, neighbours do.” Barnabe thought it was a pretty succinct way of saying that systems-change most often starts at the grassroots level with a few dedicated individuals. He wishes he could tell that taxi driver where he now works.
To reach Barnabe send him an email.
Jessica Hazen, Director, Stakeholder Engagement
Jessica’s passion for entrepreneurial creativity started at age 9 in one of Toronto's diverse neighbourhoods with an ironing business to pay for field trips. She never looked back – homework often seemed unpractical in light of real world stakes – and she’s continued to look forward to interesting new ventures that make a difference. After studying political science at York University’s Glendon College, Jessica took on a role in fund development for the Osteoporosis Society of Canada. That spurred another passion: corporate social responsibility and creative engagement with corporate partners to deliver community projects. Too many and too fun to mention in a bio! Since 1994 Jessica has enjoyed working for a wide range of nonprofits including Festival Manager for the Hillside Community Festival, Events Manager at Big Brother and Big Sisters of Toronto, and Program and Fund Development at the Sustainability Network.
To reach Jessica send her an email.
Farah Malik, Bookkeeper
Feels like a fish, swimming without boundaries, in the peace and serenity of a social change ocean. Farah was born and raised in Kuwait. Deep down in Farah's heart the fire of wanting to make a difference has always burned brightly. In Pakistan, Farah joined the Insan Foundation- an NGO working for child rights and peace. First as an accounts volunteer and later as Program Manager. Then she found CSI and decided it was the best place to feed and sustain her fire; the fun and innovative place of social innovators where a numbers job is anything but boring. She is now working on her CMA.
To reach Farah, drop her an email
Liz Phillips, Leasing Coordinator
After more than a decade of freelance writing/editing/project coordination for a variety of organizations – most notably Gender at Work, rabble.ca, Web Networks, and Queen’s School of Business – Liz is thrilled to bring her passion for communication, organization, and people to the Leasing Coordinator position at CSI. Her experience as a volunteer in the Desk Exchange Program for over a year at the Annex honed her skill in artfully, wittily, and respectfully slapping wrists for dirty dishes. She plans to evolve those skills as she welcomes new members to participate fully in the incredible community that is CSI.
To reach Liz, send her an email
Karim Rizkallah, Community Animator, CSI Spadina
As a jack of many trades who occasionally dabbles in commitment issues, Karim was instantly drawn to CSI's diverse and dynamic environment. His interests include photography, outdoor activities, movies, writing, music, debate, and eating, and he can do each of those things with some skill (especially eating). A hands on learner, Karim grasped Spanish and tango by living in South America for a year; to figure out how to sail, he sailed across the Atlantic. He then came back to Canada for a string of weddings (always a bridesmaid, never a bride), and stayed for CSI. Karim almost invariably judges a book by its cover.
To reach Karim, send him an email
Grace Yogaretnam, Executive Assistant & Project Coordinator
In Kindergarten Grace developed a 10 point plan detailing how she could grow up to be a Thundercat or Jedi Knight. Today she works at CSI, which, as everyone knows, is basically the same thing. Before joining the team Grace was actively involved in federal politics, Toronto’s ENGO sector, and property management. Originally from Alberta, she completed her BA in Environmental Studies and Political Science at York University in Toronto. Following graduation, Grace worked her way across Canada as a farm hand on small-scale organic farms. In her spare time, she Co-Chair's the Toronto Youth Food Policy Council. Grace believes crises are opportunities to be seized, that the best way to influence is by example, and that good food tastes better with good friends. She is also madly in love with the Canadian landscape.
To reach Grace, drop her an email
Board of Directors
Alice Klein
Named in 2000 as one of the 100 Graduates Who Shaped the Century by the University of Toronto Alumnae Association, Alice Klein is co-founder of Toronto's news and entertainment weekly, NOW magazine and its editor/CEO. Launched in 1981, it boasts a weekly readership of 325,000. As a frequent writer, Klein draws on her experience in politics, business and psychology to focus on issues related to world evolution, the environment and the global economy.
Klein is also a documentary producer, director and writer (2007's Call of the Hummingbird). She's a founding member of Green Enterprise Toronto (GET), one of the co-creators of VoteforEnvironment.ca and on the Board of the Toronto Arts Council (TAC) and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) as well as the Centre for Social Innovation.
Eric Meerkamper, Board Chair
Eric is a partner in DECODE, a research, strategy and innovation firm focused on understanding and engaging youth, young adults and young families. Over the past number of years, Eric has been actively involved in facilitating the interaction between "space" and "creativity". In addition to being a Co-Founder of the Centre for Social Innovation, he was the Founder and President of the Spadina Bus business association, and was also on the Leadership Team for Toronto's "Strategies for a Creative Cites Project". Eric is currently the Chair of the Daily Bread Food Bank. Eric holds an MBA from the Ivey School of Business and Honours BA in International Political Science from the University of Western Ontario.
Founding Board Member 2004 - present
Jini Stolk, Treasurer
Jini Stolk is founding Executive Director of Creative Trust, a $6.4 million program to improve the financial health and sustainability of Toronto's creative performing arts organizations. Before that, she was Managing Director of Toronto Dance Theatre and Executive Director of the Toronto Theatre Alliance/ Dora Mavor Moore Awards; at the TTA she acquired and revitalized Toronto's half-price ticket booth, T.O. TIX. She was also Associate Director of the Association of Canadian Publishers and General Manager of Open Studio. She is Vice-President of the Toronto Arts Council, a director of the Centre for Social Innovation and on the steering committee of the Ontario Nonprofit Network; and is Past-President of Toronto Artscape, Hum dansoundart and Six Stages Theatre Festival.
Brian Iler, Board Member
Brian brings valuable skills and experience to our board.
As a commercial lawyer for the past 35(!) years, he's advised many of Toronto's (and Ontario's) co-operative, charitable, and non-profit organizations on a wide range of issues and transactions. He's been the creative legal mind behind many of our innovative social enterprises.
He's learned and applied the business skills required to build his law firm - Iler Campbell - to its current twenty staff, including seven lawyers.
And he's a committed community activist, as a member of Ontario Non-profit Network's Expert Working Group on corporate law reform; a long-time advocate for reforms to Ontario's Co-operative Corporations Act; a founder of Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative that erected the wind turbine at Exhibition Place; a founding director of the Community Power Fund, established to finance community-based renewable energy projects; a member of the management committee for the hugely successful Green Energy Act campaign; chair and spokesperson for CommunityAIR that campaigns to rid Toronto's waterfront of the scourge that is the Island Airport.
Thursdays all summer, he'll be out racing his sailboat Indefatigable
on Humber Bay.
Past Board Members
Jacline Nyman, Board Member
For more than fifteen years, Jacline Nyman has built an impressive track record in the fields of marketing higher education and business strategy. As a management consultant, Jacline works with social mission organizations on strategic business planning, in addition to pursuing doctoral studies at the Schulich School of Business, York University. Prior to this, Jacline was vice-president of fundraising and donor relations with the York University Foundation (2002-04) and director of external relations for the Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary (1999-04). Jacline has also held the following positions: Director of Development with the University of Calgary (1997-99); Director of Advancement Services (1994-97) and Manager of Student Recruitment, both with the University of Ottawa (1992-94).
Board Member 2005 - 2008
Mary Rowe, Board Member
Mary W. Rowe has assumed the position of Vice President for Program in March 2007, following eighteen months as Senior Urban Fellow with the blue moon fund. Mary's fellowship focused on self-organization in cities as the underpinning of urban resilience, with New Orleans, Charlottesville (where the fund is based) and New York City as case studies. Now a member of the blue moon staff, Mary is charged with developing an urban program that reflects the values of the fund, specifically fostering the diversity of urban responses to change, and the connections that bridge them. Prior to joining the blue moon fund Mary was Director of Toronto-based Ideas that Matter, a convening and publishing program based on the work of Jane Jacobs.
Founding Board Member 2004-2006
Sandy Crawley, Board Member
Sandy Crawley is a lifelong Arts Activist and, as the erstwhile Executive Director of the Documentary Organisation of Canada/ Documentaristes du Canada, he was also the first tenant of the CSI. Among his many roles, Sandy has been President of the Alliance of Canadian Radio and Television Artists (ACTRA), director of the Canadian Conference of the Arts for Film and Broadcasting, Chair of the Cultural Human Resources Council, delegate to UNESCO Conference on the Status of the Artist, 1996, Executive Director of Canadian Screen Training Centre, and a Board member of the Great Canadian Theatre Company and Word-On-The-Street Ottawa. Behind it all, Sandy has been self-employed as an actor, composer, musician, writer, teacher and director for over 35 years.
Founding Board Member 2004 - present
Margaret Zeidler, Board Member
Margaret Zeidler is president and creator of 401 Richmond Limited, a vibrant urban community of diverse artists and entrepreneurs, located in the old garment district in the Spadina and Richmond area of downtown Toronto. Margie was formally trained as an architect at the University of Toronto and the University of Westminster, and subsequently worked for a number of years with the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF), raising money and monitoring projects in eastern Africa. Margie has served on the Board of Artscape and is a current board member of Foodshare/Field to Table. Margie is currently the President of Urbanspace Property Group.
Co-Founder and Founding Board Member – 2004 - present
