Staff Directory

Aisha is a seasoned professional with twenty-five years of diverse leadership and business experience across the private, corporate and non-profit sectors. Called upon as a thought-leader, creative visionary and prolific speaker, Aisha is also an author who has the gift of connecting narratives, experiences and ideas seamlessly with structure and strategy to energize, motivate and inspire purpose-driven action and achievement.    

In 2014 Aisha founded Project Restore, a grassroots organization with a focus on justice, racial equity and access for families impacted by incarceration (FIBI). Aisha has significant experience in leadership development in a faith-based organization and a strong background in advocating for racial justice issues. She also has an extensive background in corporate budget and operational oversight. 

She sits as a director on the Boards of Ajax Public Library, CEE Centre for Young Black Professionals and Eva’s Initiatives for Homeless Youth. Aisha is the recipient of many awards and recently she was selected as one of the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women for 2020.

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.

Bonnie’s specific matrilineal ancestry is Secwepemc from St’uxwtews First Nation, located in what is now known as Interior BC. She has worked in Indigenous Education for the past 10 years with the Langley School District. Currently she facilitates reconciliation dialogue with a strong emphasis on shared history, stereotypes/biases, responsible ally-ship & advocacy for direct calls to action within her company Skelep Reconciliation. Bonnie holds an Indigenous Cultural Safety Facilitator Certificate from UBC Health and is a Building Bridges Collaborator with the Raven Institute. Bonnie is currently pursuing her MEd in Curriculum and Instruction at Simon Fraser University.

Prior to joining the KAIROS Blanket Exercise, Carole worked primarily in post-secondary education and international development – including peace and social justice in Mesoamerica as well as student success/accessibility at Canadian colleges and universities. Her educational background includes a BA in Latin American/Caribbean Studies (York), a MA in Education (OISE/UofT), and diplomas in counselling.

As a regional coordinator at the KBE, Carole works with both hosts and facilitators in the Southern Ontario region to administer the Blanket Exercise, prepare new KBE facilitators, and generally expand the program.  The Southern Ontario region is bordered by Orillia (north), Oshawa (east), and the Great Lakes to the south and west.

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 leads the Toronto chapter of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, and 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. ​

An educator, facilitator, and artist, Cherie was born and raised in Winnipeg and lived throughout the west before settling in Moh’kins’tsis (Calgary). Her connection to Indigenous community started with summer seasons as a teen on northern Manitoba reserves, then working alongside Elders and Knowledge Keepers with residents at a central Saskatchewan healing lodge. Her work evolved into addressing addictions in youth and barriers to Indigenous peoples in the justice system, before going overseas and contributing to community development projects in southern Africa and Central America. Back home, she continued to work with not-for-profit and grassroots organizations in newcomer, youth, and older adult communities.

Cherie holds undergraduate degrees in Justice/Law and Anthropology, and has a Masters degree in Adult Education and Community Development. She has a particular passion for participatory learning through hands-on activities and “stepping into another’s shoes,” and collaboratively creates and produces immersive and interactive experiences through her theatre company chiMOchiMO, seeking to drive conversation about sometimes uncomfortable and often unfamiliar topics.

Outside of her community work, Cherie loves winter and being outside with her dogs, and enthusiastically plays hockey and trains cross fit. She is addicted to volunteering and actively contributes to several arts organizations, as well as sitting on a board of directors. She also loves to sing, create, encourage, and connect with strangers wherever she goes.

Cheyenne is a member of Mi’kmaq Nation in Wabanaki territory. She has over 15 years experience as a Registered Nurse, is certified in community health nursing, and has worked almost exclusively with Indigenous communities in Atlantic Canada. For the past five years, she has been a faculty member at the University of New Brunswick (UNB), helping to strengthen the nursing curriculum by embedding Indigenous wisdom and knowledge. Cheyenne describes herself as “deeply connected to her Mi’kmaq heritage through Elders, ceremonies and cultural events, with an eye to curating a better future for the next seven generations,” and says she seizes every opportunity to be a positive and influential voice for reconciliation in Canada. Cheyenne works out of her home office in New Brunswick.

Connie was born in the Philippines and moved to Canada in 1989.

Connie joined the ecumenical movement in 1997 with one of the KAIROS’ predecessors, the Interchurch Action for Relief, Justice and Development.  

Connie has held different positions and responsibilities at KAIROS since then. 

Currently as the Migrant Justice Coordinator,  Connie is responsible for establishing new and nurturing existing relationships with like-minded church groups and civil society organizations mostly in Canada but also with migrant justice seeking groups globally.

Major components of the program are providing support and accompaniment to temporary foreign workers and ensures that their voices and positions are brought to bear on critical issues during roundtable discussions and campaigns here in Canada when physical participation are not possible. She has helped organized delegations and participation of temporary foreign workers in government meetings and roundtable on policy issues relating to the rights and welfare of foreign migrant workers.

In her spare time, Connie Sorio is a community activist, a seasoned organizer and a passionate human rights defender. 

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.

Dianne Garner is a member of the Adams Lake Band, one of the Secwepemc First Nations. Grew up and raised my son and daughter in the Stó:lō Territory. She graduated with her Aboriginal Leadership Certificate from the Justice Institute of British Columbia and has worked for over 28 years in numerous roles in the area of Community Development in the Stó:lō Territory.  Experienced as a Provincial Coordinator and event planner numerous events: NAIG, Death Protocol in First Nation Communities, Elders Gatherings, Indigenous Knowledge Gathering and Emergency Management events and much more. Dianne is committed to empowering each First Nation community to build on the Indigenous Knowledge Keepers and leadership of each community, supporting Health and Wellness plans guided by Elders, leadership community partners and mentoring future youth leaders.

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.

Prior to becoming KAIROS’ Program Manager in 2012, Ed coordinated KAIROS’ Indigenous Rights Program. This involved working with Indigenous peoples and their allies on domestic and international public education and action initiatives towards the recognition and enforcement of Indigenous peoples’ rights.

KAIROS’ creation in 2001 brought together 10 social justice ecumenical coalitions, including the Aboriginal Rights Coalition (ARC), which brought together churches, religious organizations, Indigenous peoples and regional groups. Ed was ARC’s National Coordinator from 1995 to 2001.

Ed has a Bachelor of Journalism (Television) from Carleton University in Ottawa and is the first student at York University in Toronto to complete a combined-Masters Degree in Fine Arts (Film) and Environmental Studies. While in Toronto, Ed co-founded Friends of the Lubicon, a support group for the Lubicon Lake Cree First Nation in Alberta.

Ed’s a hockey and soccer dad who lives in rinks and on pitches in Ottawa with his partner, Nancy, and their children, Graham, Gabriella and Robertson.

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.

Giselle barely has the time to push pencils behind the solid walls of finance and administration at KAIROS. She enjoys working in the background, behind the epic scenes of the KAIROS day to day. While she may not have a green thumb like many of her colleagues, she really likes trees and plants. She’s known to love watching films and does not mind losing an excellent game of scrabble to a good opponent.

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. 

Jane is originally from Kenya and is passionate about work that supports social justice, equality, non-discrimination and respect for human rights. She has worked within Kenya’s civil society, in the U.S.A. and Canada, combining her passion, understanding and experience in social justice initiatives with connecting donors to causes they care about. Jane has coordinated and fundraised for human rights and advocacy programs, as well as partnerships with a wide social justice stakeholder movement. She is an Atlas Corps and Human Rights Campaign Fellow (2014).

In her spare time, Jane enjoys volunteering, amateur photography and exploring green spaces.

Artist. Yogacharini. Traveller

To learn more about me, visit my website at http://jenniferdany.ca/The_Artist.html

Jessica had been with KAIROS Canada facilitating KBEs in the Ottawa region since April 2018. As of January 2019, she has been in the Ottawa office coordinating the KBE requests for the province of Quebec.

Jessica moved to Ottawa from Montreal to pursue her University studies. She holds a criminology and Sociology BA from the University of Ottawa and is currently completing her Master’s degree which focuses on different issues an Indigenous individual may face coming into contact with the Canadian Criminal Justice System. She hopes this will help to continue advocating for Indigenous rights.

Having grown up in downtown Los Angeles I made my way to Toronto in 1998 after living long term in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Chad, and both master’s and doctoral studies as well as professional work in international development and agricultural extension in the Washington, DC area. I coordinate support for KAIROS ecumenical partners in the DRC and South Sudan as well as African regional and sub-regional climate and mining justice partners. My passions also run to, among other things, a just transition to a fossil free economy and mining justice that does not externalize human rights and environmental costs, and honours the principle of free, prior and informed consent for all affected peoples embodied in the United National Declaration of Rights for Indigenous Peoples in the global North and South.

Katy has been with KAIROS Canada since 2012 as Indigenous Rights Coordinator and now KAIROS Blanket Exercise Education Coordinator. She has also worked with the Sioux Lookout Anti-Racism Committee. Her current and previous work has focused on fostering reconciliation based on decolonization and justice for Indigenous peoples. Katy has trained and mentored hundreds of Blanket Exercise Facilitators of all ages and from a diversity of sectors. She has a BA in Anthropology from Concordia University and an MA in Conflict Studies from Saint Paul University. Katy is a settler on unceded Algonquin territory in Ottawa.

Dynamic and goal-oriented, Liliana Svartman has helmed financial operations across not-for-profit organizations as well as manufacturing industries in Canada, US and |Europe. Her understanding of the dynamics between organizational objectives and accounting practices has served her well in the last 20 years. As the Finance Manager at KAIROS, Liliana brings leadership to the finance function, in support of the organizational strategic vision. In this role, Liliana has overhauled internal financial processes, creating controls, establishing and implementing finance procedures. In her spare time she enjoys camping, canoeing and cooking with her family.

Lorraine Bellegarde is a member of the Peepeekisis First Nation, Treaty Four, in Saskatchewan.

Lorraine has a certificate in Adult Education from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, a Real Property Administrator Diploma from the Building Owners and Managers Institute in Arnold, Maryland, and a Certificate in Administration from the University of Regina.

In December, Lorraine retired from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, where she was responsible for the delivery of all CMHC First Nations Housing Programs in Saskatchewan, and the primary contact with First Nations communities. Among other tasks, this job involved negotiating and implementing skills development initiatives and building relationships with community leadership, Tribal Councils, and other First Nations organizations, Indigenous Affairs, and Health Canada.

While working for the First Nations Housing National Office in Ottawa, Lorraine led a team that updated the First Nations Housing Curriculum. She also worked with regional colleagues across the country on a plan for First Nations capacity and training as it relates to housing resources.

As Senior Advisor with Assisted Housing Saskatchewan, Lorrine was a member of the Regional Assisted Housing Team, CMHC representative on the Urban Aboriginal Strategy, and also Co-chair of the National Aboriginal Capacity Development team. She provided corporate direction, support and mentoring, advocated and promoted CMHC’s role and successes in the resolution of Aboriginal housing issues, supervised and monitored the delivery of the Housing Internship Initiative for First Nations and Inuit Youth programs, fostered and developed working relationships with Regional Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Health Canada, the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, and all eight Tribal Councils, to collectively and effectively deliver the Aboriginal capacity budget, and planned, delivered and administered the Aboriginal Capacity Development budget to First Nations of Saskatchewan, both on and off reserve. She also chaired the committee responsible for the development and implementation of housing curriculum for First Nation students on reserve, “My Home is My Tipi”.

Rachel is the Regional Director for Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. Rachel is a member of the Metis/Michif Nation with roots in the Red River Settlement and has Metis (French, Ojibwe, Cree, Scottish and Assiniboine) ancestry.

Rachel has worked within non-profit management in the urban Indigenous community over the last 20+ years. She has experience developing, implementing and managing programs and services in a variety of sectors including community/restorative justice, family violence prevention, mental health, culture/heritage and education. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Laws degree, and is currently working on her Masters in Social Work.  She is a volunteer on several boards and committees in the community, is the mother of 2 children, enjoys reading, learning land based and traditional skills and is an outdoors enthusiast.  She works out of her home office in Winnipeg.

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.

Originally from Senegal, Radia has worked with transnational organizations in Africa to analyze the scope of implementation of UNSCR1325 in the Great Lakes Region and worked as a MENA Gender Based Violence Consultant for the World Bank.

She analyzed the current state of displacement, women’s Health Rights and Gender Based Violence in conflict affected areas of Mali in an effort to provide policy recommendations to Refugees International; She enjoys working with local civil society organizations and is passionate about grassroots change and bottom-up approach to development. Her work at US-Afghan Women’s Council also furthered her interest in peacebuilding and reconciliation.

After working as a Grant and Development fellow focused on USAID and World Bank contracts at Inclusive Societies, she is now working as the Global Partnerships Coordinator at KAIROS Canada on Women, Peace and Security and Climate Justice in Africa.

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.

Sadie Anderson is a nêhiyawak (Cree) woman from the Peepeekisis Cree Nation in Saskatchewan. She earned her BA in Socio-Cultural Anthropology from the University of Regina and First Nations University of Canada specializing in Medical Anthropology. While she has previously been a Blanket Exercise Facilitator, she is energized in the role of KAIROS Blanket Exercise Assistant Manager.  

When Sadie isn’t at work she can be found teaching knitting and yarn spinning, or spending time with her husband and child.

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.

Siobhan started out as a teacher and taught elementary, secondary and adult students everything from Spanish to Biology to Phys Ed in schools in Ontario, Grenada and Kiribati. Along the way, her participation in a variety of social movements gave her the opportunity to become involved in amazing work with amazing people. Eventually, her work in education changed focus and she became immersed in the work of Development and Peace, first as a member/volunteer and then as Regional Animator and later, Education Programs Coordinator. Siobhan has worked with KAIROS’ fundraising and communications staff as Organizational Development team manager since January 2014.