Governance
=======AGM
What is the Annual General Meeting?
East Toronto Community House Service (‘ETCHS’) must hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) every year to inform you about ETCHS main activities in the past year. Members can vote on key decisions and learn more about the organization.
Who can be a Member of East Toronto Community House Service?
If you are over 18 years old and support the work, vision, and values of East Toronto Community House Service you can become a member. If you have not already become a member you can join OUR Membership for $50. This will give you membership for one year.
Reports to the Membership
On our agenda today the President of the Board will inform you about the main activities and major accomplishments of ETCHS in the past year. The Treasurer will report about the financial status of the organization. The Treasurer also asks the members to approve the auditor for the next year.
Thank you for your support
The Annual General Meeting is an opportunity for ETCHS to show its appreciation for the support it has received and is also a celebration of the successes of ETCHS and of our community
Election of Board Members
One of the most important tasks of ETCHS members during this meeting is to elect new members of the Board of Directors. The Board is responsible for overseeing the operation of ETCHS and ensures that the organization continues to meet the needs of the community in a responsible way. Board members are elected for a two-year term.
Voting on Motions
ETCHS members vote to approve all the reports presented by the Board. When a vote is required, a member of the Board of Directors will present the request as a motion which describes the issue and action to be taken. In order to be voted on, the motion must be supported by at least one other member. The person presenting the motion and the second person’s name are recorded in the minutes. Members will then be asked to show approval for the motion by raising their hands. Members who oppose the motion will also be asked to raise their hands. The motion will be passed if more people agree than disagree.
Board of directors
Halima Murji , President
Halima joined the ETCHS board in June 2014 and is currently the President. Halima received her MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario. She then worked with Eli Lilly Canada for 8 years in strategic sourcing, compliance, privacy and is a certified Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma. She has significant experience in understanding customers’ needs, improving existing processes and designing new processes to ultimately improve the customer experience. Halima left her job to pursue her passion – an entrepreneurial venture in Early Childhood Education. When she isn’t busy working on projects, Halima likes to travel, play badminton and is an active volunteer in her community.
Edorh Hubert, Vice-President
Edorh Hubert first joined the ETCHS board in June 2017. He is currently a member of the Ontario Jobs and Recovery Committee. He was born and raised in Venezuela, and is a first generation immigrant to Canada. He presently works as a senior manager at the ETCHS immigration Hub that provides programs and services in support of immigrants to Canada. Edorh is committed to the principles of social justice, equity, and diversity; and strives to live up to his responsibilities to Reconciliation, and in honouring Canada’s treaty relationship with newcomers. Edorh considers it a privilege to serve on ETCHS Board to support the well-being, needs and aspirations of the residents of Toronto, as well as with several other organizations.
Eric Plato, Treasurer
Eric Plato first joined the ETCHS board in 2014 and has served as board treasurer since 2015. Eric is a CPA, CMA who has held many finance roles in the non-profit sector for over the past 25 years. Between work and board experience he has worked with organizations with budgets ranging from under $100,000 to over $100 million. He currently is a consultant in the sector and also teaches financial management at Centennial College. Eric is dedicated to supporting non-profit and charity leadership in learning and gaining confidence in matters of non-profit financial management.
Isabelle Edwards Pierre
Isabelle Edwards Pierre was born to Grenadian parents who migrated to Canada, and so she appreciates the value of newcomer support and services. Bringing 35+ years of diversified experience to the ETCHS Board, she is a 27-year police vet, socialpreneur, impact producer, and ordained minister. Isabelle’s work includes mental wellness and trauma recovery, JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion) activism, strategic partnership, business and program development, and sustainable community development. Isabelle has worked as a frontline and community officer with Toronto Police, former Board President of Women’s Health in Women’s Hands and Women’s Multicultural Resource and Counselling Centre, Founding Member of Immigrant Women in Business, CEO of True2Soul Network (committed to the eradication of gender-based violence), Facilitator and Trainer with Toronto Police Service and TELUS Health (formerly Lifeworks/Morneau Shepell) and CEO of Broken Whole Media Group (amplifying underrepresented voices through in Film, TV and Web). Isabelle’s personal experiences as a complex trauma survivor fuel her unique professional history and drive her mission to innovate, contribute to, and collaborate with safe, equitable, and empowered spaces for marginalized communities.
Benjamin Blake
Benjamin has over 15 years of experience working in leadership roles in the not-for-profit, consulting, and financial services industries. He is currently the CEO of Optimal Growth Consulting, where he crafts the long-term vision and strategic direction of the business and provides consulting services for small businesses. Before that, Marlon worked in the Director, Finance position at ICES, where he provided financial and operational leadership, accounting expertise and guidance to the organization. He also worked in the Director of Finance position at ACT, where he provided strategic leadership and vision for the financial functions of the organization. In addition, he worked at the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan and Government of Bermuda. Marlon has strong leadership experience in financial reporting, strategic planning, analytics, risk management, process automation, governance, project management, mentoring and coaching people. Marlon holds a Master of Business Administration from Oxford Brookes University, CPA, CGA designation from CPA Ontario, and he is a Fellow Chartered Certified Accountant.
Fariha Chowdhury
As a South Asian immigrant who arrived in Canada at the age of 2, Fariha witnessed the transformative power of resilience and community support. Her journey, interwoven with her mother’s journey from escaping domestic abuse to becoming a single mother of three who completed her education and became a social worker, fuels Fariha’s commitment to ETCHS’s Board of Directors. She is enthusiastic about contributing positively. Her mother’s story exemplifies change amid adversity, inspiring Fariha to facilitate community transformation. Her music and entertainment background equips Fariha for innovative campaigns that engage hearts and minds, driving awareness and action. ETCHS’s mandate aligns with Fariha’s aspiration to pay it forward, and her diverse background promises a unique perspective. Fariha is thrilled to be selected as a board member, eager to channel her passion for ETCHS’s mission.
Leadership
Wayne Miranda
Wayne’s passion is to develop social, environmental, cultural organizations serving un(der)served communities. He has co-founded several international social enterprises. Wayne is interested in the power of social finance to accelerate and deepen positive change. Wayne is currently the Social Finance Lead at the McConnell Foundation. He also has relevant Canadian social innovation experience as a Director of Growth at the Centre for Social Innovation. Wayne loves padding and hiking in Canada’s beautiful national provincial parks.
Raju Mohandoss
Mohandoss is the Director of Newcomer Services at WoodGreen Community Services and has over 12+ years of management experience specializing in social services program design, evaluation, human resource and financial management. Previously he was the Director of Programs and Services at The Neighbourhood Organization (TNO) and has provided consulting services to various non-profit organizations in Ontario. Mohan has also served as the chair of the board of directors at the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture and at the Mennonite New Life Centre. Mohan identifies himself as part of the newcomer community in Toronto and is committed to empowering the newcomer community.
Nargis Noori
Nargis grew up in the Toronto area and is a graduate of the University of Toronto with a double major in Sociology and Psychology. She is inherently curious and solution-driven with a passion for community capacity building and innovation. She currently works in the banking industry as a business transformation and change management lead.
Andrew Do
Andrew is currently a Service Designer with the City of Austin but is a resident of Toronto. He also has an independent freelance civic design and policy research practice. He likes to apply a human-centered lens to solve wicked civic problems through a combination of digital products and analog services. He was previously a policy researcher with the Brookfield Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He helped to co-found CivicTechTO. Growing up in Toronto, he was a beneficiary of public and community-based services in Toronto while growing up. He’s a champion of Toronto’s immigrant-owned culinary scene. Interviewed a variety of restaurants about how they started their business, including neighbourhood favorite Sampaguita Village Restaurant on Bathurst and Wilson as part of 6ixspots.
Kendra Kerr
Kendra is currently the Community Investment Officer of MLSE Foundation and is responsible for more than $7.7 million a year in charitable giving. Kendra earned a B.A (Hons.) from Queen’s University and a B. Ed from U of T. She has a background in non-profit capacity building, strategic impact investment and corporate social responsibility. Kendra is passionate about sector innovation, gender equality and a good slice of pizza.
Shatabdi Sarker
Shatabdi holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from York University and a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) designation. She is currently working at the Royal Bank of Canada as an Internal Audit Manager. Over past 10 years, through her volunteer work with non-profit originations such as United Way and Toronto Enterpriser Fund, Shatabdi created transformation by designing new programs, engaging diverse stakeholders and leading and managing entrepreneurial teams and working groups. During her time at RBC, Scotiabank and Manulife, Shatabdi participated in and co-founded Employee Resource Groups focused in practicing and encouraging a corporate culture of presence and awareness, specifically in the area of newcomer and at-risk youth.
Keetha Mercer
Keetha has 15+ years experience in the non-profit sector, primarily in youth programming, preventing gender-based violence, housing and homelessness, and 2SLGBTQI+ communities. She is currently the Director of Community Initiatives & Grants at the Canadian Women’s Foundation. Keetha is a Queer woman, a program designer/facilitator, community organizer, and organizational development enthusiast. She has lived and worked throughout the country and has made Toronto home for the last 7 years. Keetha is committed to community led programming from an intersectional feminist perspective, with a strong emphasis on collaboration. She is an avid reader of fiction, aspiring herbalist, and chocoholic, with one too many tattoos, who enjoys laughing at her own jokes and is semi-seriously planning her escape off the grid.
Rohan Thompson
Rohan Thompson is the Workplace Equity Manager with the Peel District School Board. Rohan has always had a focus and commitment to youth development, crime prevention through social development, community development, anti-racist practice and advocacy. Most recently, Rohan worked for the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council where he was the manager of Communications and Community Engagement. During his time with the Crime Prevention Council Rohan was instrumental in working with the community, the local school board and students to develop Black Brilliance, a Black youth led initiative that brings attention, education and advocacy to address anti-Black Racism that high school students in Waterloo region face. Rohan also played a lead role in working with community partners and Black professionals in Waterloo region to develop the ACB (African, Caribbean and Black) Network. Rohan was the Project Manager for inREACH, a youth street gang prevention program that operated for four years until its Federal funding came to an end. In additional to his professional work, Rohan is a community volunteer, sitting on several boards, providing front line support and coaching in minor athletics. Rohan holds two degree’s from Wilfrid Laurier University including his Masters in Social Work. In his spare time, Rohan is also passionate about the sport of football and has been a youth football coach for over 12 years.
Thanks to our funders
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
United Way of Greater Toronto - City of Toronto
- Employment and Social Development Canada
- Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development
- Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport