Meet our Team
Staff
Leadership & Operations Team
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Shelan Markus (she/her)
Executive Director
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Fatima Ahmed (she/her)
Social Justice Program Manager
(Currently on Maternity Leave) -
Desneige Frandsen (she/her/kwe)
Indigenous Youth Justice Program Manager
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Tasha Stansbury (she/they)
Environmental Justice and Social Justice Program Manager
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Sudine Riley
Black Youth Justice Program Manager
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Samantha Lowes
Accounting
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Tanya Wall
Development Manager
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Kevin Ouellette
Program Coordinator
Program Facilitators
Indigenous Youth Outreach Program (IYOP)
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Samantha Craig-Curnow
Rama First Nation
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Misko Banaishe
National
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Thomas Milne
Rama First Nation
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Shawnee Monchalin
Vancouver
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Brianna Morrison
Toronto
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Sarah Schmaus
Saskatoon
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Cara Marasty
Saskatchewan
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Vivian Sim
Ottawa
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Katie McKenzie
Manitoba
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Clare Mills
National
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Shawndah Rennie
Manitoba
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![Dan Rutabingwa Gakire]()
Dan Rutabingwa Gakire
Ottawa
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Momina Naveed
Toronto
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Sam Gruppuso
Ottawa
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Kimora Harris-Taylor
Toronto
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Ingrid Chen
Montreal
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Shanda Lyons
Vancouver/virtual
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Jenna Diotte
Whitby
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Danielle Webster
Saskatchewan
Black Youth Justice Program (BYJP)
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![Emily Barker]()
Emily Barker
Ottawa
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![Caitlyn Alegbe]()
Caitlyn Alegbe
Toronto
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![Gachi Issa]()
Gachi Issa
Toronto
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![Brooklyn Williams]()
Brooklyn Williams
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 Webster
Program Facilitator - Saskatchewan
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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
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Shawndah Rennie
Program Facilitator - Winnipeg
Environmental Justice Program Advisory Board
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Dan Rutabingwa Gakire
Advisor
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Heather McLeod Kilmurray
Advisor
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.