Meet our Team
Staff
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Shelan Markus (she/her)
Executive Director
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Fatima Ahmed (she/her)
Social Justice Program Manager
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Desneige Frandsen (she/her/kwe)
Indigenous Youth Justice Program Manager
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Tasha Stansbury (she/they)
Environmental Justice Program Manager
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Samantha Lowes
Accounting
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Tanya Wall
Development Manager
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Carolina Batista
Executive Administrative Assistant
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Alisha Bailey
Summer Law Student
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James Gaume
Program Facilitator - Alberta
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Samantha Craig-Curnow
Program Facilitator - Rama First Nation
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Misko Banaishe
Program Facilitator - National
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Thomas Milne
Program Facilitator - Rama First Nation
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Shawnee Monchalin
Program Facilitator - Vancouver
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Brianna Morrison
Program Facilitator - Toronto
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Sarah Schmaus
Program Facilitator - Saskatoon
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Cara Marasty
Program Facilitator - Saskatchewan
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Vivian Sim
Program Facilitator - Ottawa
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Katie McKenzie
Program Facilitator - Manitoba
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Clare Mills
Program Facilitator - National
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Robert Bassett
Program Facilitator - Siksika First Nation
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Dan Rutabingwa Gakire
Program Facilitator - Ottawa
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Momina Naveed
Program Facilitator - Toronto
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Sam Gruppuso
Program Facilitator - Ottawa
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Kimora Harris-Taylor
Program Facilitator - Toronto
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Emily Barker
BYJP Facilitator - Ottawa
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Caitlyn Alegbe
BYJP Facilitator - Toronto
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Gachi Issa
BYJP Facilitator - Toronto
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Brooklyn Williams
BYJP Facilitator - Halifax
Board of Directors
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Jewel Amoah
Board Member
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Jennifer Guerard
Board Chair
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Heather McKay
Board Member
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Fallon Melander
Board Member
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Tanya Mushynski
Board Member
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Susan Spence
Board Secretary
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Brittany Twiss
Board Vice Chair
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Richard Zeni
Board Treasurer
Black Youth Advisory Board
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Faith Enemaku
Advisor
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Jasmyne Julien
Advisor
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Safia Abdulle
Advisor
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Presila Mason
Advisor
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Janice Asiimwe
Advisor
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Samantha Adebiyi
Advisor
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Ever Imafidon
Advisor
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Victory Adeosun
Advisor
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Aisha Abawajy
Advisor
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Evan Paulse
Advisor
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Jeff Rogers
Advisor
Indigenous Advisory Board
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Samantha Craig-Curnow
Program Facilitator - Rama First Nation
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Danielle Davyduke
Program Facilitator - National
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Desneige Frandsen
Program Facilitator - National
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Misko Kicknosway
Program Facilitator - National
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Paul Porter
Program Facilitator - National
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Thomas Milne
Program Facilitator - National
FOUNDERS
Co-founders Catherine McKenna and Yasmin Shaker started Canadian Lawyers Abroad - Avocats canadiens à l’étranger (CLA-ACE) in 2005 with a simple goal: to engage the Canadian legal community to positively change lives in Canada and abroad. CLA-ACE originated from the idea that Canadian legal professionals have a specific set of skills, and given the opportunity, can uniquely benefit and support communities in need.
In September 2015, CLA-ACE became Level (Égaliser), which marked an important milestone in the growth and development of our organization. ‘Level’ captures our long history of combating injustice, promoting equality in rights and opportunities, and changing lives through law.