The Team
These are the folks helping Small Change Fund succeed: our Board members, staff, consultants, experts and advisors.
Board Members
Aisling Nolan
David Love
David Love is on our board and has been raising money, mostly for the environment, for over 50 years. His current obsession is helping organizations reap the benefit of the coming legacy tsunami. David inspired his first legacy gift in 1982. He shepherded his most recent one yesterday.
After fundraising from 1969 – 2012 for a number of charities, largely environmental organizations, he now occasionally works with his daughter’s direct response company, Agents of Good, where he is affectionately known as “The Godfather of Good.”
In 2013, the AFP Greater Toronto Chapter recognized his efforts by awarding him their lifetime achievement award. Far from marking the end of David’s career, this recognition spurns him on to be a better fundraiser every day. He does that by continuing to put donors first.
David lives near the Love Mountain Nature Reserve in Happy Valley Forest just north of Toronto. He spends his time there with his wife, children, grandchildren, and golden retriever discovering the magic of the forest.
David’s book summarizing lessons learned in 51 years of fundraising is available at https://hilborn-civilsectorpress.com/products/green-green Enter SN20 at checkout for a 20% discount.
Joyce Chau
Joyce serves on our board and is an award-winning senior leader who has worked in the non-profit environmental sector for the past 16 years. Joyce was the Executive Director of EcoSpark, an Ontario-based environmental charity, for eight years. In 2020, she joined Evergreen as a Senior Program Manager, leading national programs that support youth city builders and innovative solutions to increase the supply of affordable housing. Joyce has successfully led community education and citizen science monitoring programs across southern Ontario. She has been active in numerous environmental committees including the Ontario Greenbelt Alliance, Biodiversity Education and Awareness Network and the Southern Ontario Stream Monitoring and Research Team. Joyce is also a governor of the Ontario Land Trust Alliance.
Joyce’s proven success is based on a deep work ethic, strategic thinking, creativity and a collaborative approach. Her expertise lies in leading multi-stakeholder collaboratives, policy and governance, community-based monitoring, education and fundraising.
Mary McGrath
Mary is the boss: the Chair of the Board. Her passion is building and nurturing effective social profit organizations to create sustainable communities. She is the Co-Founder of Small Change Fund and currently is the Executive Director of Green Learning.
Home Staff
Abbie Branchflower McLaughlin
As Communications and Project Manager, Abbie (she/her) supports partners with messaging, grant writing, project management and digital strategy. She is the voice behind Small Change Fund’s daily communications, newsletter and social media and regularly produces visual and written content for both the Fund and our partners.
Abbie was born in England and now resides in Mi’kma’ki/Nova Scotia. She holds a BSc in Animal Sciences and an English Minor from Delaware Valley University. She earned her MSc in Animal Biosciences, Behaviour and Welfare from the University of Guelph where she also worked for the Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare.
Abbie got an early taste for advocacy – she began writing letters to various government agencies at eight years old and hasn’t stopped. She has a passion for wildlife and the natural world and volunteers as the Director of Education for the Friends of Sable Island Society, along with running her own educational blog about the Pryor Mountain Mustangs. She is a dedicated advocate for a variety of wild animal populations, numerous conservation causes and animal rescue. Abbie spends her free time doting on her horse and cat and nerding out over nature, music and history with her husband.
Abigail Mendez Acedera
Abigail Acedera is a versatile professional with a strong background in finance and operations management. As the Operations Manager at Small Change Fund, she takes on a multitude of responsibilities including accounting, HR and project management.
With a solid foundation in finance, stemming from her BSc in Management Accounting, Abigail embarked on a career path in the finance industry, leveraging her analytical skills and financial acumen. Fueled by an entrepreneurial spirit, she ventured into the realm of freelancing, excelling in multiple roles such as Assistant to the CEO, Social Media Manager and Sourcing & Onboarding Officer. In these diverse positions, she showcased her talent acquisition expertise, digital strategy prowess and exceptional administrative skills.
In her leisure hours, Abigail finds joy in the company of her loved ones and indulges in outdoor pursuits. Away from her professional endeavors, she treasures quality time spent with her family, relishing moments of togetherness and creating lasting memories.
Aneesa Piracha
Aneesa is the Director of Technology Strategy for Small Change Fund and an advocate for using technology for positive social impact. With a background in technology consulting at IBM, she has experience designing and implementing a range of technical solutions such as mobile apps and data platforms.
She is driving a digital transformation for Small Change Fund and will support digital and AI endeavours for programmes and partners.
Aneesa is also pursuing a Masters in International Development, and is passionate about driving change in a sustainable, human-centered and decolonial way.
In her free time, Aneesa is a potter and practices both wheel-throwing and hand-building techniques. She also enjoys yoga to keep her mind and body active!
Antoinette Mak
Antoinette is a compassionate, collaborative, and a values-based servant leader with over 20 years of experience driving impactful change in the charitable sector.
An alumna of the prestigious Harvard Women and Power Program, she is dedicated to empowering women to lead through collaborative, inclusive, and innovative approaches that blend traditional knowledge with modern (conservation) strategies, fostering resilience, community-driven solutions, and sustainable impact.
As the VP of Finance and Operations at Small Change Fund, Antoinette supports her colleagues in driving strategic growth and operational excellence, ensuring that grassroots initiatives receive the support and resources they need to create lasting impact.
Burkhard Mausberg
A leader in Ontario’s environmental/food sector, Burkhard Mausberg has worked for non-profit groups for three decades. He was the founding CEO of the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation and the Greenbelt Fund and CEO of several environmental organizations, including Environmental Defence and Great Lakes United, which he transformed into essential forces for change. He’s served on the boards of NGOs and Government agencies/commissions.
As President of Small Change Fund, Burkhard works closely with grassroots organizations, provides expert fundraising advice and creates innovative programs to propel change. He leads our efforts at sustainable development through preserving, conserving and protecting the environment, fighting poverty, and informing the public.
Burkhard also inspires change by mentoring young talent to become skillful leaders. He writes extensively on vital issues in diverse settings, and in 2017 published the critically acclaimed book Ontario’s Greenbelt: Protecting and Cultivating a Great Ontario Treasure (Barlow Books).
Burkhard studied environmental science at the University of Waterloo and the University of Toronto, where he also taught for eight years.
Jacqueline Lee-Tam
Jacqueline is a climate justice advocate whose work is rooted in empowering grassroots and youth-led climate initiatives. As the former Director of the Climate Justice Organizing HUB, she and her team transformed a pilot project into Canada’s leading grassroots advocacy support organization skilling up more than 5,000 activists across the country.
Active in the climate justice movement since 2014, Jacqueline has campaigned for fossil fuel divestment at Pearson College UWC and McGill University, organized mutual aid efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, and championed sustainable policies on international stages. Guided by her belief in movement work as a pathway to creating just and resilient communities, Jacqueline combines cross-sector collaboration with a commitment to community-driven impact. She holds a B.A. in Gender, Sexuality, Feminist and Social Justice Studies with a double minor in Environmental Studies and Economics from McGill University. Born and raised as a guest on Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh Territories (Vancouver), she now resides in Tkaronto (Toronto) on the territories of the Huron-Wendat, Seneca, and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nations.
A fun fact about Jacqueline is that she finds it extremely meditative to jump into cold bodies of water. Perhaps a feat of growing up on the west coast!
Jennifer Teixeira
Working with grassroots organizations fighting to make the world a better place has become Jen’s passion, and through this work, she’s been able to refine a variety of skills from fundraising and graphic design to communications and campaign development and execution.
Working with Showing Up for Racial Justice Toronto (SURJ-TO) and other social justice organizations across the GTA has provided Jen with the opportunity to learn from others with different lived experiences, and to examine her own privilege and oppression. Jen’s aim is to help educate folks on various social issues and inspire positive change in communities.
Whether it’s planning actions for social justice locally or supporting initiatives globally, Jen strives to keep herself informed so that her passion for change can inspire others to move to action.
Jim Diorio
Whether it’s developing creative strategies and executions, positioning an organization to command attention and stand out, or translating a founder’s vision into words they can get behind, Jim’s strategic and creative skills move supporters, stakeholders and consumers alike.
As Creative Director/Writer, Jim helps both Small Change Fund and its partners with creative ideas, writing and strategies across all platforms, from speeches to social. Recognized with dozens of international creative awards, Jim has worked on hundreds of Canadian non-profits in addition to corporate and government clients. For over 10 years he was Vice-President and Creative Director of Manifest Communications, a social marketing pioneer.
In his non-existent spare time, Jim enjoys running and kayaking and has just published his first book.
Kim Bilous
Kim is VP, Development for Small Change Fund, and a lifelong and vocal advocate for nature and a healthy environment. Thanks to helpful mentors, she became a fundraiser early in her career, to help make change faster. Raised on a working farm, she studied at U. of T. and landed a job at WWF-Canada, helping to grow that organization from 6 locals to 130 staff, with projects from Brazil to the Arctic.
She has served on many boards and assisted large and small organizations to greater success, mostly in Canada, with time in Singapore. At Small Change Fund, she is responsible for plotting strategic direction and growth of the organization with the team, working closely with our partners and donors.
The Chippewas of Georgina Island are her closest First Nation community. They are water and land protectors and she joins them in these responsibilities. Kim and her husband have two sons and one ancient dog. She prefers to be outdoors, wondering at the details of nature.
Maseeda Majeed
Mike Balkwill
Mike’s approach to campaigning inspires hope. In his 40 years of campaign and community organizing experience, he has helped numerous communities oppose development projects that seemed to be “done deals” and win victories with broad public benefits. Mike tells communities that, while a campaign to mobilize broad public engagement will not guarantee a community can win, failure is guaranteed if they don’t fight back.
Mike agrees with Herve Kempf, author of ‘How the Rich Are Destroying the Earth’ when he says, “…the future success of everything depends [on environmentalists] thinking about social arrangements and power relationships; [and for] those who think about social arrangements to take the true measure of the ecological crisis and how it relates to justice.” Mike is the co-author of the Campaign Planning Handbook, publisher of CommonAct Press, and has lectured at colleges and universities on community organizing, social change and social movements.
Sarah Ceci
Sarah is Project Manager with Small Change Fund. Her academic training, including a Bachelor of Commerce and MSc in Sustainability Management, allows her to bring an analytical and detail-oriented approach to the role. Along with her academic background, Sarah draws on her previous experience in accounting for a well-rounded and holistic professional outlook. This allows her to link accounting, programming, reporting, human resources and financing to ensure smooth daily operations and progress toward organizational goals.
Sarah is inspired by her passion for exploring nature, gardening and her furry friends. When she’s not hard at work, she is spending time camping or gardening, or with her partner, family or her two feisty tabby cats.
Shantal Otchere
Shantal Otchere is the Communications Manager at Small Change Fund, where she brings her passion for social and environmental justice to life through strategic storytelling.
With a background in digital engagement, Shantal has developed compelling campaigns that inspire advocacy and has supported grassroots organizations in amplifying their voices and creating meaningful change.
Project Staff
Britt Wray
Dr Britt Wray is an award-winning author and researcher working at the forefront of climate change and mental health. She is the Director of CIRCLE at Stanford Psychiatry, a research and action initiative focused on Community-minded Interventions for Resilience, Climate Leadership and Emotional wellbeing in the Stanford School of Medicine. Britt is the author of two books, Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis, which was a finalist for the Governor General’s Award, and Rise of the Necrofauna: the Science, Ethics and Risks of De-Extinction (a New Yorker “best book” of 2017). She is the recipient of the 2023 Canadian Eco-Hero Award. Britt holds a PhD in science communication from the University of Copenhagen and she completed her postdoctoral training at Stanford Medicine’s Center for Innovation in Global Health and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine’s Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health. As a practicing science communicator, she has hosted several podcasts, radio and TV programs with the BBC, NPR, CBC, and is a Canadian Screen Award winner. She has spoken at TED and the World Economic Forum and is a Chicago Council on Global Affairs Next Generation Climate Changemaker. Britt is also the creator of Gen Dread (gendread.substack.com), a popular newsletter about building courage and taking meaningful action on the far side of climate grief.
Carter Gorzitza
Carter Gorzitza (he/him) is an organizer from Treaty 6 & 8 territory, raised in rural Alberta (Fox Creek and Hinton) and now residing in Edmonton, Alberta. Since 2018, Carter has been a community organizer with organizations such as Climate Justice Edmonton and Free Transit Edmonton. He graduated from the University of Alberta with a bachelor’s in environmental and conservation science and a master’s in environmental sociology.
Carter is currently a national organizer with Common Horizon/Horizon Commun, working on the project Educate and Train Young Workers for Systemic Climate Solutions. This project is building a mass movement of working Gen Zs and Millennials to fight for solutions to the climate and affordability crises.
Dan Hendry
Dan Hendry has a simple but powerful model to transform public transportation and it starts with training youth. His success in Kingston, Ontario with on-bus orientation and free passes increased high school ridership from 28,000 to close to 600,000 annually. Dan is now working with Small Change Fund to apply Kingston’s model to cities across Canada through the Youth Transit Program. Dan’s concern for the environment is what drives him to take initiative in promoting sustainable solutions within the Kingston community and beyond. His combined interest in sustainability, innovation, entrepreneurship, student mentorship, and community have been well integrated into his personal, academic, and professional experiences.
Dan’s credentials include a Masters in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability from Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH), a Bachelor of Commerce from Royal Roads University and an International Business Diploma from Seneca College. In Sweden at BTH, Dan studied under Dr. Karl Henrik Robèrt, the founder of the Natural Step. Dan spent a couple of years teaching English in South Korea and is an active volunteer with YourTV and the local Canadian Red Cross Disaster Management Team.
Dani Lindamood
Dani Lindamood has worked across multiple sectors, including social enterprise, academia, and the nonprofit sector. She has a successful track record of program development, funding, and implementing digital tools for community engagement, as well as supporting grassroots campaigns. Dani holds a Masters of Environmental Management with a focus on water resources, as well as a certificate in Collaborative Water Management. She loves working on the Water For Life, Not Profit project because water touches all life and grounds us to be in the right relationship with nature and each other.
Erin Blondeau
Erin is a Métis mom, currently living and working on the west coast of BC. Her paternal family comes from the Red River Settlements and the Qu’Appelle Valley, and her maternal family is British and Jewish. Erin has nearly a decade of communications experience, having worked in anti-racism, entrepreneurship, and climate justice. She holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology with interest in climate communication. Erin is a board member with Cowichan Women Against Violence Society and now works as a freelance writer in addition to her role on the Advancing Climate Emergency Policy in Canada project with Small Change Fund.
Franz Hartmann
Franz collaborates with Small Change Fund on select projects as our Special Advisor in Community Engagement. He is the Coordinator of the Alliance for a Liveable Ontario and has a long history in building alliances and community engagement.
Franz served as Chair of the Ontario Greenbelt Alliance for four years and helped the Alliance build vast community support for the Greenbelt. He is currently serving as the OGA Coordinator.
Franz was the Executive Director of the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA) for eleven years. Under his leadership, TEA succeeded in getting key environmental policies adopted at City Hall, including a new climate action plan and a zero waste plan. Franz expanded TEA’s community engagement activities in all areas of the city and enlisted many non-environmental community partners. Prior to working at TEA, Franz was the Environmental Advisor to City Councillor Jack Layton and oversaw Jack’s civil society engagement activities in Ottawa.
Godknows Okpora
Godknows is a seasoned User Experience (UX) designer with over a decade of expertise in creating user-focused digital solutions. His skills span UX research, information architecture, and the design of visually engaging user interfaces. He has contributed to software companies based in London, UK, playing a key role in enhancing user experiences for a global clientele.
Outside of his work, Godknows is an outdoor enthusiast who finds rejuvenation in nature. Whether hiking challenging trails, camping under starlit skies, or taking peaceful walks in the park, he cherishes time spent in the great outdoors with family and friends. This deep connection to the outdoors has inspired him to volunteer with eco-conscious organizations such as Small Change Fund and the Green Neighbours Network (GNN) of Toronto, where he applies his professional skills to support sustainability initiatives, including their joint project the Greener Toronto Fund.
Hailey Asquin
Hailey Asquin is on the Movement Coordination Team for Common Horizon, a mass movement of everyday people, organizing to take power away from the billionaire class and win solutions to the climate crisis that secure good jobs, address affordability and ensure a dignified life for all. Hailey leads the national comms work and supports organizing work for the Educate and Train Young Workers for Systemic Climate Solutions project. She attended the Ontario College of Art and Design University, where she earned a degree in graphic design.
Hailey then worked for the Sunrise Movement in the US, where she learned video production and learned to do political communication and creative work that supports movement organizing. She is passionate about creating movement spaces that are accessible and welcoming to people from all walks of life, and she is excited to be bringing the creative production skills she learned while working in the US home to Canada. She is currently based in Montreal/Tiohtià:ke, on the unceded Indigenous lands of the Kanien’kehá:ka/Mohawk Nation.
Jaimie Vincent
Jaimie Vincent (she/her) is a coordinator with the Environmental Justice Research Alliance and works in academia at Carleton University. She is Anishnabe (Algonquins of Barriere Lake) from her dad’s side and of mixed English and settler-Canadian descent on her mom’s side. She grew up in Hull, Quebec, on unceded and unsurrendered Algonquin territory.
Jaimie’s background is in ecology and conservation science. Her credentials include a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Université Laval, a Master of Science in Biology and a Graduate Diploma in Indigenous Policy and Administration from Carleton University. When not in front of her computer, Jaimie enjoys reading, gardening, swimming, trail running and trying to get the hang of mountain biking. She lives in her hometown with her partner and their tiny grey cat, Comet.
Jaouad Laaroussi
Jaouad (he/him) is an organizer and activist who grew up on the unceded territories of the Abenaki nation, in so-called Sherbrooke. He has lived in Tio’tià:ke (Montreal) since 2008, where he studied history and has been active in several social movements (student, union, anti-racist, environmental, housing rights, etc.). Through his involvement in community organizing, he has always sought to draw links between different systems of exploitation and oppression in order to nurture a convergence of movements between different social struggles. Popular education and knowledge transmission are at the heart of his priorities at The HUB.
Jen Gobby
Jen Gobby (she/her) is a settler activist-researcher with a focus on climate justice, systems change and settler-Indigenous relations in climate movements in so-called Canada. She completed her PhD at McGill in 2019 and is now an Affiliate Assistant Professor at Concordia University. Jen teaches environmental studies courses at McGill, Concordia and Bishops Universities. She is the author of More Powerful Together: Conversations with Climate Activists and Indigenous Land Defenders.
Jen lives on a small farm in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. She is a Research Coordinator for the Environmental Justice Research Alliance.
Joan Faux
Joan’s role is Administration & Communication with the Keep the Greenbelt Promise Campaign. She developed an early love for water and nature while growing up along the shore of Lake Erie in the Niagara peninsula. Her mother, a high school geography teacher and her father, a superintendent of wastewater treatment plants, were big influences. Joan has fond memories which range from beach days, family camping and visiting farm markets to poring over maps and rock samples with her mom and visiting pump stations with her dad. Joan studied Chemistry, earning a B.Sc.(McMaster University), a M.Sc. (University of Toronto) and a B.Ed. (Queen’s University) and taught high school chemistry, science and math in Toronto and Niagara.
Joan now lives with her family in Paris, ON, along the Grand River in the Haldimand Tract on the traditional territories of Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, Huron-Wendat and Attawandaron Nations. Joan volunteered at her children’s schools and became an advocate for public education. In more recent years, Joan has broadened her advocacy to include environmental issues and sustainability. She is one of the founders of the Greenbelt West Coalition, a board member of the Brant Land Trust and volunteered with the Keep the Greenbelt Promise campaign prior to taking on her current role.
Juan Vargas
Juan works with Small Change Fund and the Climate Emergency Unit as the Prairie Organizer based in Edmonton, on Treaty 6 territory. Through grassroots organizing, Juan has engaged with hundreds of Albertans about a just transition, mobility justice, and worker-oriented municipal advocacy. Born in Colombia, multiracial and cross-border perspectives deeply inform Juan’s work, having completed research capstones on environmental peace-building and energy transitions in South America. When they’re not organizing, Juan can be found enjoying local art and theatre, bird-watching, or scheming to amplify the presence of communities of colour in these spaces.
Kenzie Harris
Laura Doyle Péan
Marcia MacDonald
Marcia is a research coordinator for the Environmental Justice Research Alliance project. For over a decade, Marcia has worked with non-profit groups to serve the research needs of community end-users. She was Associate Director, Research at the World Anti-Doping Agency and Director, Research Programs at Genome British Columbia. Her background in genetics and biochemistry prepared her to produce rigorous evidence-based research outputs, while her Secwépemc ancestry drives her responsibility to practice solidarity with Indigenous-led movements for climate and environmental justice.
Marie Rioux
Marie Rioux is the Co-Lead of the Moms Together project, which unites mothers to amplify their political voice and tackle shared challenges including the climate crisis. Based in London, Ontario, Marie brings over a decade of experience as a dedicated community activist and political organizer. Her work spans critical progressive issues such as housing, healthcare access, workers’ rights, economic equity, and reproductive rights. Her career includes work with the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and involvement in electoral campaigns across all levels in Ontario and Alberta. Marie is also a seasoned Get Out The Vote (GOTV) organizer, with extensive expertise in mobilizing disengaged voters to increase democratic participation.
Marie holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of York, where she focused her research on the impacts of privatization in Ontario’s long-term care and home care sectors. In addition to her work with Moms Together, she also serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for LIFE*SPIN, one of Ontario’s most respected Community Economic Development (CED) organizations.
Michelle Xie
Michelle Xie (she/her) is a community organizer, facilitator, and sociology student at the University of British Columbia. She resides on the unceded homelands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples, colonially known as Vancouver. Michelle is passionate about building anti-oppressive spaces that are rooted in care and abundant in creativity. Through her work, she strives to strengthen cross-movement solidarity and shift power into the hands of the people. Michelle is a trainer with our Climate Justice Organizing Hub, as well as a coordinator with Climate Justice UBC and the Climate Resilient Communities Lead at the UBC Sustainability Hub.
Rae Oquirrh Dial
Rae Oquirrh Dial is communications strategist and social entrepreneur working at the intersection of climate change and mental health. She has a passion for taking unformed or complex ideas and transforming them into effective campaigns and captivating platforms that compel audiences towards action. She’s drawn to the power of narrative strategy and coalition-building at the intersection of culture, creativity, and climate. Rae has been featured in Outside Magazine, Forbes, Adventure Journal, B the Change Media, and is the co-founder of Wylder, the first female-founded benefit corporation in the state of Utah. She’s cultivated her entrepreneurial spirit by building three businesses, while also bringing two non-profits to life.
Rae believes that entrepreneurship and activism often require publicly staking a claim for a world that could be, and walking an unknowable path so that others might follow. This way of being is a driving force in her life, and her hope is that it’s contagious. She has dedicated her career to building and amplifying organizations tackling climate justice, sustainability, health equity, and regenerative enterprise. Rae works on the Protecting and Promoting Youth Mental Health in the Climate Crisis project.
Sara Adams
Sara (she/her) is an educator, facilitator and organizer who grew up on the unceded territories of the Algonquin nation in so-called Ottawa. Based in Tio’tia:ke (Montréal), Sara has been involved in climate justice organizing since 2019 and currently organizes with Small Change Fund for the Climate Justice Organizing Hub.
She is a committed socialist and feminist dedicated to building a livable world for all.
Sophia Young
