Board Members

 

Tanya Rumble | Past-Chair

Tanya is a racialized settler of multi-ethnic origins living in Tkaronto. Tanya has led learning sessions and facilitated workshops for more than 4,000 professional fundraisers across North America and Europe on the topics of power and privilege; equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and fundraising.

She is a fundraising leader who has raised millions for some of Canada’s largest charities including Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Cancer Society, McMaster University and now the Faculty of Arts and Yellowhead Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson). As a racialized philanthropy professional Tanya is honoured to share her influence and insights with students, emerging professionals and peers in the sector. Tanya regularly writes articles on the topics of inclusion, equity, and access; and power, privilege and fundraising for industry publications and speaks to professional audiences at learning events regularly.

She graduated with an Hons. B.A. Political Science from McMaster University, earned a Graduate Certificate at NYU in Marketing Communications, and is currently enrolled in the Master Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership (MPNL) at Carleton University. She has also completed numerous professional certificates including Not-For-Profit Governance Essentials (Rotman School of Management, Institute of Corporate Directors) and Truth and Reconciliation Through Right Relations (Banff Centre). Tanya is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and Master Financial Advisor – Philanthropy (MFA-P™).

Additionally, she is an active leadership volunteer in the philanthropy and non-profit sector: Member of the Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector with the Government of Canada; Board Director with the Association of Fundraising Professionals Canada; executive volunteer with the Canadian Association of Gift Planners; and Co-Chair of the Board with Findhelp Information Services – operators of 211 Central. In addition to sharing her knowledge, she is committed to lifelong learning – she is a graduate of the 2017 Association of Fundraising Professionals Inclusion and Philanthropy Fellowship, and 2010 DiverseCity Fellowship. Tanya gratefully acknowledges the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas and Haudenosaunee nations, whose traditional territory she is a settler and responsible steward of.

---

Marc Gordon | Chair

Marc Gordon has 20 years of experience in project management implementing programs that span the Province of Ontario. He started his career rolling out the Ontario electronic land registry system. He then moved into healthcare information management and technology. Working at the Canadian Institute for Health Information and then the Ontario Telemedicine Network, Marc implemented Telemedicine across the province.

As a Certified Health Executive, Marc currently leads Performance and Information Management at the Alliance for Healthier Communities. This ground-breaking program ensures Alliance members have access to high quality data and allows them to make informed decisions about comprehensive primary health care services and supports required to improve the health and wellbeing of people and communities facing barriers.

Outside of his day job, Marc volunteered with the Canadian Cancer Society for 12 years. As an Executive Volunteer, he built the Relay for Life event in central Toronto from one of the Society’s smallest to largest Relay for Life event in Canada. As someone who believes in supporting others, Marc also spends his free time volunteering with the Make-a-Wish Foundation and Out of the Cold.

---

Julie Sommerfreund | Vice-Chair

Julie is a passionate human centred designer who is currently the President of The Moment, an innovation design studio in Toronto. She leads high performing teams of senior practitioners working with organizations in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors to address complex challenges. Julie started her career as an environmental scientist and researcher working at Pollution Probe and Toronto Public Health. After confronting the limitations of the status quo approaches to problem solving, she went back to school for a Masters of Design in Strategic Foresight and Innovation and hasn’t looked back. With over a decade of experience, Julie brings a unique perspective to her work drawing from environmental sciences, public health, design and when she can her creative outlet of improvisational acting. Julie’s accomplishments include launching new programs to increase charitable giving for a global charity, changing how veterans benefits are processed and implementing Canada’s first municipal environmental reporting bylaw. She is most proud of being part of the team to establish one of Canada’s first employee owned, self-managed, purpose driven consulting firms. Joining Findhelp’s Board is an exciting opportunity for Julie to support transforming our communities’ social infrastructure with an organization that is making a big difference in people’s daily lives.

---

Renee Wilkinson-Owusu

Renee Wilkinson-Owusu, MSW is a Registered Social Worker with 9+ years of experience working with diverse population groups including youth, adult learners, consumer/survivors, families, adult offenders and marginalized communities. Her direct and indirect practice experiences are rooted in the principles of anti-oppression, self-determination, critical social work and the social determinants of health. She has experience leading teams, projects and programs in the human service sector with predominant experience in workforce development, youth development, civic engagement, community safety and mental health. Currently she works as a Health Promoter at TAIBU Community Health Centre and teaches part-time in the Community Development program at Humber College. Her professional interests and passions are for intentional service planning that is responsive to client/user need, cross-collaboration for strategizing and influencing service impacts that are sustainable and community/stakeholder engagement for ongoing feedback. Renee is excited to join the Findhelp|211 Central board and looks forward to making meaningful and lasting contributions that support the organization to accomplish its mission of creating connections and solutions to build strong communities.

---

Michael R. Anhorn | Treasurer

Michael is a settler of Irish, German and Scottish decent who grew up on the traditional lands of the Niitsítpiis-stahkoii (Blackfoot) First Nation in what is now known as Saskatchewan. Michael is now honoured to live on the traditional lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat (also known as Toronto) after having spent 19 years on the traditional and unceded territories of the səl̓ilwətaɁɬ təməxʷ (Tsleil-Waututh), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) First Nations, also known as Vancouver.

He has significant experience in disaster response, change management, not-for-profit governance, leadership development, government relations, housing (affordable and supportive), the response to homelessness, program development & evaluation and policy development. Michael is passionate about helping people live more mentally health lives and creating an inclusive society. Michael works to ensure that the not-for-profit sector has the leadership and governance capacity it needs to support people in our communities.

Michael has worked for over 20 years in the not-for-profit sector. Michael is the CEO for Canadian Mental Health Association Toronto Branch and previously worked for CMHA in Vancouver. While at CMHA in Vancouver, he led the amalgamation of three formerly independent CMHA branches, oversaw preparation for the Branch’s first accreditation survey with the Council on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and grew annual revenues and associated services by over 35%, including a significant increase in both private fundraising revenue and earned revenue.

Michael has volunteered on the Board of Directors for several not-for-profit organizations in the social services and arts sectors, including Vantage Point, an organization committed to transforming not-for-profit governance and leadership in British Columbia. He has been one of the founding Directors for two not-for-profit organizations: one focused on preserving the spiritual practices of Indigenous peoples, and the other a community service organization for the LGBTQ2S+ communities.

He has a Master of Arts in Planning from the University of British Columbia.

---

Agnes Santhosh Thomas

Dr. Agnes Thomas is the Executive Director of Catholic Crosscultural Services (CCS), a Greater Toronto Area-based non-profit organization that provides programs and services assisting in the settlement and integration of immigrants and refugees. As the chief steward of CCS, Agnes is committed to driving impact for the 40,000+ newcomers served by CCS yearly in their suite of programs and services. Agnes served in the not- for- profit sector for more than two decades locally and internationally. She also serves on a number of non-profit boards in Toronto.

Dr. Thomas is a leading community development practitioner and academic with a passion for gender equity, community mobilization and transformation, and organizational change. Her areas of expertise include immigration and settlement issues, community organizing, governance, policy, strategic planning, community-based research, training, micro-enterprise, and the creation of tools for transformative learning initiatives for organizations and communities.

Her passion for advocating for the rights of marginalized groups led her to complete and receive her Ph.D. in Adult Education and Community Development with an award-winning thesis from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto. She has a Masters of Arts (M.A.) in Critical Disability Studies from York University and a Diploma in Social Development from the Coady International Institute, St. Francis Xavier University.

Agnes was recognized as a Canadian South Asian Trailblazer and a champion for Gender Equity by the Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA), an umbrella organization of agencies providing services to the South Asian community, to celebrate South Asian Heritage Month 2019. Dr. Agnes is also a finalist for the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards, 2020.

Agnes is a firm believer that everyone has something unique to offer and should be given every opportunity to participate and contribute tangibly to society.