Staff
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Tracey SandilandsExecutive Director |
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| Tracey Sandilands holds a degree in Communications and comes from a corporate background in marketing and communications in South Africa. Identifying as pansexual, she worked as Media and Events manager with the Triangle Project, a queer service organization in the Western Cape. Tracey spent four years as a board member of Cape Town Pride Festival and two years with Joburg Pride, one year as Chair. During her time with Joburg Pride the first Soweto Pride - now in its fourth year - took place. Always an activist, Tracey was a supporter of the then-banned African National Congress in South Africa and was in a mixed-race relationship in the days when such relationships were illegal. Later, as a founding member of GEM (Gays for Equitable Media) her activism focused on issues relevant to the queer community in South Africa and the education of the media in how to cover such issues. In her current role of Executive Director for Pride Toronto, she brings to the organization an increased focus on queer human rights both locally and abroad. |
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Ryan LesterSponsorship & GrantsFundraising Director |
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| Following undergraduate study, Ryan Lester received a Professional Certification in Not-For-Profit Management from the University of Western Ontario and brings over seven years of fundraising experience in the Not-For-Profit sector at the local, regional and provincial levels. In 2009, he attained his CFRE designation (Certified Fundraising Executive), an achievement with international recognition in his field. In his role as Fundraising Director, he is responsible for all main sources of revenue for the festival and brings a fresh new strategy to achieve this goal. |
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Ben FreemanActing Operations Director |
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| Ben Freeman has been working on special events for more than a decade, specializing in community based festivals and concerts around Ontario. Some of the most notable are the Mix 99.9 Birthday Beachfest, 95.3 Country Canada Day Jam, The Y108 Rockfest and the Beaches International Jazz Festival, to name but a few. Ben has worked in all aspects of events, including sponsorship, marketing, advertising and logistics and has been successful on all fronts. Ben holds an Honors BA degree in Criminology with a concentration in Law and a minor in Psychology. He has also attained the professional designation of "Certified Meeting Planner", which has international recognition. |
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Emily GibsonVolunteer Program Manager |
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| Emily Gibson has an Honours BA from McGill University in Women's Studies. Her experience is primarily in administration and academic research. She also worked at an NGO health clinic in Bhopal, India where she worked with other internationa l volunteers and interns to develop teaching tools on health issues for local women. | ||
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Ajay JoshiFinance Manager |
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| Ajay is a Professional Accountant. He holds a CGA from Canada and an MBA in Financial Management from India. He worked for years in the Corporate Industrial sector, and has been working for not-for-profit organizations in Canada since 2003. Ajay is responsible for the accounting and financial management of Pride Toronto. Ajay is married with two daughters. | ||
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Anu Radha Verma Green Project Coordinator |
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Anu has an undergraduate degree in Environmental Resource Studies & Women's Studies. She is intensely concerned with issues of social justice and has engaged in work around issues of race, gender, sexuality and the environment. She has been involved with numerous community organizations in varying capacities including paid work, volunteering and board membership. From 2008-2009, she was living and working in New Delhi, India, and her adventures include coordinating a 6-day youth summit on climate change, selling drink tickets at a performance bar, and picking up garbage at Delhi Queer Pride and Queer Azadi Mumbai parades. In her position as Green Project Coordinator, Anu will be responsible for coordinating environmental education/training and helping implement best practices to significantly reduce Pride Toronto's environmental footprint by 2013. |
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