Staff Directory

Leah has worked with faith-based and social justice organizations in Canada, Haiti, Jamaica and Nepal, including serving as executive minister for Mennonite Church Eastern Canada. She is the author of the nonfiction book Tending Tomorrow: Courageous Change for People and Planet (forthcoming, Herald Press, 2024). Leah holds an MA in Development Studies from York University, and a BA in Political Science and Peace & Conflict Studies from University of Waterloo.

Barbara brings more than 15 years’ combined experience in the non-profit and education sector/s, leading programs for diverse clientele and communities including youth, women and adults facing multiple challenges to a sustainable livelihood. She has built lasting relationships, coached program staff, volunteers and participants while impacting communities.

Barbara holds a master’s degree in Sustainable International Development and approaches her work in human rights and ecological justice with passion and commitment.

Alfredo Barahona, originally from Cuzcatlan, a Maya – Pipil territory part of what is now known as El Salvador, moved to Canada as refugee in the mid-eighties. He has worked with refugee and migrant communities through Toronto-based settlement agencies and now with KAIROS Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives.

Currently Alfredo is working on Indigenous Rights issues focusing on the development of meaningful relationships and solidarity between Indigenous peoples and newcomers to Canada.

Alfredo has facilitated the KAIROS Blanket Exercise (KBE) extensively in English and Spanish through all of Canada including training KBE facilitators. Alfredo is responsible for the international work related to the KAIROS Blanket Exercise.

Facilitating the effective and meaningful participation of affected communities in advocacy and solidarity work is a key principle in Alfredo’s work.

As a tool for social change, music within a faith ecumenical and solidarity context, is an integral part of Alfredo’s life and social justice work.

Beth is a social and ecological justice advocate with over 10 years experience in sustainable development. She has worked with academia, civil society and government, including Global Affairs and Status of Women Canada. Her work has focused primarily on freshwater management, climate justice, gender, and urban issues in Canada and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Beth was a Youth Council member of PWRDF and supported the work of justgeneration.ca and the Canadian Lutheran Anglican Youth (CLAY) National Youth Project Working Group. She has worked in social justice, camping, and youth ministry at the parish and diocesan level for the Anglican Church of Canada in Ottawa, Kingston, and Toronto. When not at work, Beth enjoys spending time by water with her family, including swimming, paddling and sailing in Ontario’s many great lakes and rivers.

Caroline Sharp graduated from Trinity College at the University of Toronto in 2018 with a Master of Divinity. Her two areas of focus were on ecotheology and faith formation. After graduating she began pursuing a Master’s of Environmental Studies in Social and Ecological Sustainability at the University of Waterloo and plans on completing her thesis in 2022. Caroline enjoyed her position as a Teacher’s Assistant at UofW. Caroline is currently one of three Chairs for Social and Ecological Justice Huron (Anglican Diocese of Huron) and is the owner of greenUNITED Vegetable and Duck Farm (previously in Hamilton).

The Media Coordinator for KAIROS Canada, Cheryl has 20 years experience in communications management. She has worked for national and grassroots organizations that include the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation, Easter Seals Canada, and the Toronto Arts Council Foundation. She is also a climate activist. Cheryl founded and led the Toronto chapter of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby for a number of years, and continues to be an active CCL volunteer. She has lobbied Parliamentarians, US lawmakers and the World Bank to put a price on carbon. Once upon a time, Cheryl was a professional actor. In her wee spare time, she writes plays and hangs around with trees. ​

A member of the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation, Connor has worked with First Nation Chiefs, council, staff and Tribal Councils to assist with building capacity, employment and training within their respective communities.

Over his career, Connor has been employed in the non-profit and private sectors for corporations and Indigenous businesses in various areas from sales, employment and training, to tourism, graphic design and marketing. Connor is formally trained in Graphic Communications from Canadore College and is also known for his passion as an Algonquin/Mohawk artist that has led to several art shows across Ontario.

Another passion Connor holds close to his heart is his continuation to reclaim his culture to honour the sacrifices his grandparents made. They fled their home, family and community and lived off the land in hiding in order to save their own children from being taken away to residential school.

Connor is grateful to be a part of a movement to bring awareness and understanding of his ancestors to light.

John is a creative thinker and innovator, passionate about digital communication and its progressive development for teaching and communicating with a global audience. As the Digital Communications and Marketing Coordinator for Kairos Canada, he feels blessed with the opportunity to continue to fulfill his passion by allowing him to convey information, impart knowledge, and engage on subjects such as climate change, equality, social and economic justice, as well as stories of faith and courage with various audiences from around the world.

In his professional life, he has assisted businesses and organizations with their website development, social media presence, and marketing campaigns, as well as led teams in the fields of quality control, franchising, web development, graphic design, analytics, marketing, data acquisition, and technical support for over three decades.

As for his personal life, when he’s not volunteering for non-profit, religious, and youth sports organizations, he enjoys designing and creating in his workshop for 3D printing, CNC fabrication, sublimation, and woodworking.

Devora grew up in Regina where she completed a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and a Bachelor of Education. Since her student days, she’s been volunteering and working in the non-profit / arts and culture sector, with experience in public libraries, provincial museums, national arts organizations, local music festivals and independent print and digital media.

When Devora moved to Ottawa in 2005 she brought her organizational skills and love of spreadsheets to several grassroots initiatives, often in support of gender equality and Indigenous rights. She joined KAIROS in summer 2017 providing administrative services to the Ottawa team. When she’s not sifting through files, she’s exploring hiking trails or coffee shops in the NCC. Devora’s also passionate about fitness and teaches a bi-weekly strength-training class at her local gym.

Fahira has served in many roles within KAIROS since joining in 2002. She currently holds the position of Donor Relations Coordinator. She enjoys the challenges of fundraising and believes in social justice. Fahira currently lives in Toronto with her husband and two daughters.

Isabel has managed to juggle not only her full-time job as a mother and wife but now finds herself in the role of Finance Coordinator.  

She moved to Canada in 2014, not knowing any English. It was just her and her family and their luggage. She was able to create a name for herself in only six years. She decided that this language barrier was not a challenge for her; she started taking different courses and emerging herself in the culture and learning the language. She then started getting involved as a working member of the community.  

Her story at KAIROS started in 2018 when she was just an intern trying to earn experience for her Business Office Skills course. She was then able to make this grow into a full-time job due to her hard–working and determined personality. She has never backed down from a challenge and is open to trying new things.  

With more than ten years of experience in the Administrative area, for various companies and non-profit organizations, Isabel has brought many new additions to the KAIROS team. But her interests are diverse and go beyond work.  

Outside work, she is an amazing mother that has provided an immense amount of encouragement to her kids to continue whatever path in life they choose to. When she is not working, you can find Isabel spending her time with her family and friends. She enjoys learning various new skills from YouTube videos. She also enjoys reading, going for walks, watching movies with her daughter or playing video games with her son and husband. 

Rachel is KAIROS’ partnerships manager. She has been involved in the human rights and social justice work of the churches for over 20 years and in solidarity and social justice movements for much longer, starting with the anti apartheid and divestment movement and the Nicaraguan solidarity movement in high school and university.

She holds an honours degree in International Development Studies from the University of Toronto, and a graduate certificate Gender and Peacebuilding from the University of Peace of the United Nations in Costa Rica.

Rachel is an experienced Popular and Adult Educator and fearless flute player and member of the Fallen Angles musical group. Finally, but most importantly to her, she is the mother of two beautiful, wise, compassionate and independent young women.

Silvia Cristina Vasquez-Olguin (she/her) graduated with a Ph.D. from the Faculty of Urban and Environmental Change at York University, and her research focused on rural and peasant studies in Latin America. Gender Justice and Extractivism resonate with her approach to food sovereignty and environmental conservation, focusing on injustices, gender-based violence and their links to extractivist industries, patriarchy, and neo-colonialism. Her interest in urban agriculture came from an urgent call for food sovereignty that peasant organizations worldwide have raised in recent years, based on food access and food production in the city as well as the commitment and participation of community in envisioning new futures for a truly equal society. Silvia is part of the APG-GOPA Steering Committee. She participates as a member of the CNCA. In the summers, she teaches Urban Gardening and Sustainability in the Maloca Community Garden of York University on Keele Campus (Toronto, Canada.) https://www.silviavasquezolguin.com/

Silvia Cristina Vásquez-Olguín se doctoró en la Facultad de Cambio Urbano y Ambiental, y su investigación se centró en los estudios rurales y campesinos en América Latina. La justicia de género y el extractivismo resuenan con su enfoque de la soberanía alimentaria y la conservación del medio ambiente, centrándose en las injusticias, la violencia de género y sus vínculos con las industrias extractivistas, el patriarcado y el neocolonialismo. Su interés por la agricultura urbana surgió del llamamiento urgente a la soberanía alimentaria que las organizaciones campesinas de todo el mundo han planteado en los últimos años, desde el acceso a los alimentos y su producción en la ciudad hasta el compromiso y la participación de la comunidad y los bienes comunes, pasando por la visión de nuevos futuros para una sociedad realmente igualitaria. Silvia es parte de APG-GOPA Comité Directivo, y en miembro activo de la CNCA. En el verano es profesora de Jardinería Urbana y Sostenibilidad en el Huerto Comunitario de Maloca de la Universidad de York, en el campus de Keele (Toronto, Canadá). https://www.silviavasquezolguin.com/

Rick hails originally from the Maritimes where he received a B.A. from Mount Allison University and an M.Div from Atlantic School of Theology. Rick worked for the Student Christian Movement of Canada as General Secretary from 1995-2000. From there he moved to work at the general council office of the United Church of Canada, where he acted as program coordinator for youth and young adult ministries.

He currently holds the position of Administrative Associate at Kairos, dealing with financial reconciliation for staff and operations of the organization. He also manages resources and other office duties. In his spare time, Rick spends time volunteering for Save My Tail dog rescue, playing Rock Band with his partner Darren, and generally pining for the East coast.

My role at KAIROS is to support the work of the grassroots across the country and to maintain the link to the churches in all the justice work.  I give workshops and develop worship resources related to all areas of KAIROS work.

When I’m not at work I enjoy exploring the city with my partner and children, especially the green spaces on my bicycle.