Board Profiles

Martin Bryan

Martin’s interests are advocacy for marginalized people and communities. Martin has volunteered with the RTCC Membership and Outreach committee at RTCC helping with membership, and producing copyright material, media and video.

 

Hongmei Cai

Hongmei is a long-time resident of Riverdale. She has worked in community organizations for over 10 years helping newcomers and their families. Currently she is a caseworker with the Ontario Disability Support Program. She has great understanding of the needs of people and families who face multiple barriers and the roles of community organizations in serving the communities.

Hongmei has strong connections and involvement with the Chinese community. She has been involved with RTCC for the past 15 years, both as a board member and as a community member.

Hongmei has a master’s degree in social work. Outside her regular employment, she teaches Mandarin and does counselling and psychotherapy. She enjoys gardening, reading, and walking in the neighbourhood. Hongmei lives with her husband and daughters in Rivertowne.

 

Kelly Davies

Kelly is a mother of a 7-year-old daughter.  Kelly started her first company at the age of 23 which eventually led to an offer of an administrative position at a well-established Toronto hedge fund. She took over responsibility in areas of HR, Marketing, Investor Relations, and Accounting. Over the next few years, Kelly worked tirelessly, learning everything she could about the industry.  At the age of 40, Kelly was offered a position as the CEO. This marked the beginning of a new chapter in her career.

Kelly has previously led a campaign to raise funds for the patient amenities fund at Sick Kids and has volunteered her time among many charities including Ve’ahavta, The Scott Mission, and The Yonge Street Mission. Kelly volunteers at her daughter’s school when she can,  and has been involved in a mentoring program through her work in finance.

In her spare time Kelly can be found enjoying concerts and festivals, biking, yoga, baking, gardening, and renovation projects.  Kelly is an avid Golfer with the “Iron Ladies” and Curler with “the Royals” on Broadview.

 

Ex Officio Board Member Councillor Paula Fletcher

Paula Fletcher has a long record of service to Toronto-Danforth residents. She first became involved as a leader in the East End Parent Network and was then elected as the TDSB Trustee in 2000. Paula was elected as City Councillor for the former Ward 30 in 2003 and has served as Councillor since. She was re-elected in 2018 and again in 2022 to represent the over 106,000 residents of Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth, which extends from the Don Valley Parkway to Coxwell Ave and from Lake Ontario to just north of O’Connor Drive.

Paula is a strong progressive voice at City Hall. She’s focused on creating affordable housing, improving public transit, parks and other public spaces, fighting the climate crisis along with enhancing community and road safety for all users. Paula works with residents, community groups and local business owners to build vibrant, healthy neighbourhoods.

Paula was appointed to a number of key committees and boards in August 2023. This includes the Executive Committee, responsible for major City-Wide issues and key priorities, and the Economic & Community Development Committee.

Paula was reappointed as Chair of the Film, Television and Digital Media Board and as Mayor Chow’s designate on the Boards of Toronto Community Housing, CreateTO and TOLive. She also serves on the Toronto and East York Community Council.

Visit Paula’s website for a full list of her committee and board appointments.

 

Ruby Kaliray

Ruby is an accomplished lawyer with extensive experience in securities, mergers and acquisitions, and technology law, and has advised regulatory bodies on developing legislation. Ruby leverages her expertise on corporate boards to drive impactful decision-making and promote ethical practice. Ruby also volunteers as a mentor to foster care youth transitioning out of the system, guiding them through challenges.

She leads a community-focused group that examines how local developments and housing initiatives shape the Riverside community, with a particular focus on the diversity impact on its residents. Additionally, Ruby serves on Ralph Thornton Community Center as a board member contributing to its mission and initiatives in the community.

 

McKell Neilson

McKell joined his first board at age 17, representing his dance group – the Kingston Ukrainian Maky Dance Ensemble, as part of the local Folk Arts Council.

McKell had the opportunity to see much of the US and Western Europe as a member of the international performing group Up with People, working with the organization until the end of 2000, visiting 20 countries and almost every US state and Canadian province.  Countless hours of community service and involvement were part of the Up with People program ranging from working in inner-city schools in the US to visiting nursing homes, clearing litter and working with animals.  In the years since then, he moved to Toronto and started working at an event planning company but left after SARS decimated the industry in Toronto in 2003.  Since then, he has been working at Exela Technologies, currently as an operations manager.

During the pandemic, McKell led a volunteer group in his apartment complex to assist house-bound residents with groceries and prescription pick up, support phone calls and a food library to support those with food insecurity. McKell also serves on the International Alumni Association Board as Director of Internal Development.  He has two cats and shares his life with them.

 

Lisa Pottie

After her PhD in English literature and a number of years teaching at various universities in Ontario, Lisa was bitten by the nonprofit bug. For 25 years she worked as a fundraiser for a wide variety of arts, health, and community organizations. She is currently the Chief Operating Officer at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, responsible for facilities and operations, government relations, HR, and finance. She was previously the Director, Development and Donor Relations at the McMichael. She also served as Executive Director for Muscular Dystrophy Canada’s Atlantic region for five years before returning to Toronto. Lisa is a life-long volunteer and passionate about helping to make a practical impact in her community. She and her partner Laurie and their three cats have lived in the RTCC catchment area since 2015, and she joined the RTCC Board in 2020.

 

Maggi Redmonds

Maggi has lived in the catchment area for over 40 years and in that time has served on boards and committees of community-based agencies, including Ralph Thornton Community Centre, South Riverdale Community Health Centre and Boulton Child Care. She has also been active in other community initiatives, most recently with the “Save Jimmie Simpson” Campaign.   With experience in governance, community organizing & outreach, Maggi strongly supports principles of collaboration, inclusion, equity and social justice.  She was re-elected to the RTCC Board in 2020.

 

Heather Simpson

Heather Simpson is a consultant who works exclusively with nonprofit and social purpose organizations. Her work is focused on supporting the development of earned income strategies (through social enterprise feasibility and business planning), strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, evaluation and grant writing.

Heather has over 20 years of experience working in and for non-profit organizations. She has previously served in the roles of Board President and Treasurer at Elizabeth Fry Toronto, as a Board member of the Canada Africa Partnership, a Councilor for the Toronto council of the Canadian Red Cross, as a member of the Grant Review team at Ontario Trillium Foundation, as an Agency Reviewer for United Way Toronto, and as a Peer Reviewer for Imagine Canada’s standards program

Heather has an MBA from Schulich/York University, a certificate in Fundraising Management from X University, and a certificate in Non-for-Profit & Charity Finance Leadership from CPA Ontario. As an RTCC Board member elected in 2021, she hopes to put her skills and expertise to use in order to give back to an organization that is an important part of the community in which she resides.

 

James Topham

James Topham returned to Toronto, Canada, after spending two decades dedicated to assisting children in war zones. In the early ’90s, he worked in the music industry, where he once accidentally hung up the phone on Bono.

Joining the RTCC Board in 2021, James has two decades of non-profit experience both as a fundraising and communications director. He was a member of the Crisis Management, Gender and Diversity, and Safeguarding Committees at War Child Canada. He was also part of War Child Canada’s senior team that oversaw the organization’s growth from $5M/year to over $20M over just five years. James is looking forward to using his expertise and experience to help and give back to a community that is closer to his home, and seeing the impact with his own eyes.

 

Ejay Tupe:

Ejay has been a member of the RTCC Board Management since 2018. He has been serving marginalized and vulnerable people for over 16 years, working for the Yonge Street Mission as a Case Manager, serving as the Community Chaplain at Cornerstone Dinner in Regent Park and was employed as a Youth Minister for Church in the City in the St. Lawrence area, piloted a youth Outreach program with Our Place Peel and regularly works to advance Urban Ministry initiatives.  Ejay started his own not for profit work serving and advocating for marginalized people in cyclical poverty.  His extensive experience in public speaking, fundraising, and teaching has served him well in his past experience and current role at RTCC.

 

Lindsay Williams

Lindsay has lived in the community for over 10 years and her affinity for it grows each day. She is looking forward to being part of RTCC and contributing to the great work that it does.

Lindsay holds a leadership position at a full-service public relations agency and brings more than 20 years of experience across a broad range of clients in varying sectors. Her professional experience has taught her to quickly integrate and ingrain herself into new roles. As a strategic problem-solver she knows there’s always a solution – the art is finding the right one for every situation.