From Union Station (Bay St at Front St West)
Bus #6 – Ride 2 stops
Get off at Queens Quay East at Lower Jarvis St West Side
Cross the street northbound

Bus #72B – Ride 2 stops
Get off at Queens Quay East at Lower Jarvis St West Side
Cross the street northbound

From Bay Station
Bus #6 – Ride 9 stops
Get off at Queens Quay East at Lower Jarvis St West Side
Cross the street northbound

From Sherbourne Station
Bus #75 | #75A – Ride 7 stops
Get off at Lower Jarvis St at Queens Quay East North Side

Building Accessibility
Fully accessible by Ontario standards.
Gender neutral washroom available.
Visit https://artscapedanielslaunchpad.com/aoda/ for more information on their accessibility policy

Jason Maghanoy is a graduate of McGill University and the National Theatre School of Canada’s Playwriting Program. Currently, he is the Director of Membership & Partner Success at Toronto Life with a focus on digital innovation, revenue strategy and premium membership. Prior to Toronto Life, he was the Director of Revenue at NOW Magazine, Senior Development Officer, Corporate Partnerships at Canadian Stage, the Manager, Community Investment at Toronto Arts Foundation, and a Sponsorship & Advertising Coordinator at TIFF.

In addition to his work in corporate partnership development and community engagement, Jason is considered one of the brightest emerging leaders in the City of Toronto. He is a Mentor at Ryerson’s Social Ventures Zone and Transmedia Zone, as well as a member of the Work In Culture Inclusive Leadership Advisory Committee and Board of Directors. He was also a member of CivicAction’s Mental Health in the Workplace Champions Council, NXT City Advisory Board, an artsVest corporate sponsorship mentor for Business for the Arts, and the past Chair of the ArtReach Toronto Steering Committee.

Jason is also a playwright. He has been the playwright-in-residence at Theatre Passe Muraille and Young People’s Theatre, a member of the Banff Playwrights Retreat, a former member of the Tarragon Playwrights Unit, a Finalist for the Soulpepper Academy, a Finalist for the Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwriting Fellowship at Juilliard, and a Finalist for the 2017 K.M. Hunter Artist Awards. Currently, he is the playwright-in-residence at theatrefront and was a member of the Playwrights Retreat at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.

With fifteen years of not-for-profit and arts management experience, Michelle Yeung is a Certified Fundraising Executive and has a successful track record in arts administration, with a commitment to a culture of philanthropy, and to the arts. Michelle is currently the Managing Director of The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. Prior to joining the School,  Michelle held positions with Canadian Stage Company, Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, Factory Theatre, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir, and Toronto Arts Foundation. Michelle is also a board member of Prologue to the Performing Arts and the Network Group Conduit of Mass Culture.

Paula Whitmore is an independent consultant specializing in experiential marketing, strategic partnerships, fundraising, and artist management. Her business acumen, functional expertise and strategic abilities, combined with her passion for the arts, provide a unique ability to identify opportunities and develop strategies that not only satisfy her clients’ immediate needs but position them for greater long-term success.

Art and creativity, in their many forms, have been the central focus throughout Paula’s career. As the Director of Partnerships & Events at Aurora Cannabis, she successfully proved that supporting the arts and engaging the arts community was an effective strategy for building brand reputation, increasing consumer awareness and achieving strategic business priorities. Previously, she spent 11 years in not-for-profit fundraising, through high-level memberships, partnerships and special events, in her roles at TIFF and the AGO. Through this time, she excelled as a strategic dot connector, disruptor and champion for the arts.

Stephanie Lupinacci is currently Senior Manager, Social Impact at RBC with a focus on the Arts.  She has been working in corporate social responsibility sector for over 15 years and has a breadth of experience in both the nonprofit and for profit sectors.  During her career she has worked with major organizations like Home Depot Canada and Sun Life Financial where she has led a major initiatives, campaigns and employee giving programs.  Graduating from York University with Honours, she has also acquired her diploma from Seneca college for Creative Advertising. She has a passion for giving back and has worked hands on for the charitable sector as a volunteer, program facilitator and as a fundraiser.  Stephanie not only enjoys connecting with people one on one, but she also continuously looks for opportunities to cross collaborate and build bigger, stronger partnerships.

As PwC Canada’s Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer, James leads a team that develops strategies and initiatives that brings PwC’s purpose to life in the marketplace. His team has redefined what it means to be a responsible business. They work in collaboration with the firm’s people, clients and communities to co-design solutions that address society’s biggest challenges while upskilling people and creating economic value for the business.

His portfolio oversight includes PwC’s environmental sustainability efforts, not-for-profit governance think tank, and the firm’s pro-bono based ‘Solve for Society’ effort focused on working with clients to help connect business capabilities with community need that support systems change (not symptoms or band-aid solutions).

A proud leader to the PwC Canada Foundation and its signature initiative – PwC’s Young People Project –James’ team has scaled the delivery of funding, volunteer efforts and learning sessions in the areas of digital literacy training, coaching and meaningful mentorship experiences to over 20,000 young people across Canada.

James serves on the Board of Directors for the Philanthropic Foundations of Canada, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada, and is a member of the not-for-profit committee of the Risk Oversight and Governance Board at CPA Canada. He has also appeared before the Senate of Canada’s Special Committee on the Charitable Sector and is a frequent keynote speaker on leadership and systems change.

Talk to James on Twitter about corporate social responsibility and community leadership by following him at @CSRjames.

Kulin Matchhar was most recently an Associate on the Philanthropy team at Plan International Canada, where he assisted donors with their fundraising goals in international development work. He enjoys connecting with donors and building lasting relationships. His career expanded various sectors starting from the Ontario Public Service at the Ontario Science Centre to a faculty member at Pickering College to the banking industry at TD and CIBC to his most recent role at Plan International Canada in Toronto.

With a passion for volunteering and philanthropy, Kulin sits on the Leadership Committee of the Young Patron Circle of the Gardiner Museum and this year, June 2019, he was Chair of YPC Gardiner SMASH Art Party. He has also been on the First Position Patrons Committee at Canada’s National Ballet School since 2015. In his spare time, he likes to keep active by swimming and going to Barry’s Bootcamp. He is co-chair of the Downtown Swim Club and actively swims and competes locally, provincially and nationally – trying to qualify for FINA Masters World Swimming Championships for Japan 2021 and when he is not in the pool you can find him attending galas supporting various philanthropic causes around the city.

Kulin holds a Master of Business Administration, a Bachelor of Education in Science and Mathematics and Honours Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences with proficiency in French Certificate. He is accredited with Ontario Certified Teacher (OCT) designation.

In 2001, David Vella joined the Toronto International Film Festival as Director, Major Gifts and was appointed to Director, Board and Executive Relations in 2006.  In his current role, David manages the TIFF Board of Directors and serves as their Secretary, while, with his team, also manages the offices of TIFF’s Executive Office and Special Projects.  From 2006 to 2010, David worked with TIFF’s Building and Design Committee, architects, consultants and senior TIFF management on the construction of TIFF Bell Lightbox. 

David has worked with the not-for-profit community for almost 30 years.  Prior to TIFF, David worked at the University of Toronto fundraising for three of the University’s colleges – Innis, New and Woodsworth.  Before UofT, David held various roles with the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation in both the Toronto and national offices.

David currently chairs the Board of Jayu, a group that shares human rights stories through the arts. Previous board / advisory board roles include Inside Out, an LGBT group who annually host the Inside Out Film Festival in both Toronto and Ottawa (former Board chair and currently on the Finance Committee), Canadian Sport Film Festival, Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity at the University of Toronto, Kuenzi Foundation and Volcano Theatre Company.

Liz Kohn is a Toronto cultural leader with over twenty years of experience in brand marketing, strategic communications, audience engagement and cultural facility management. Liz joined TIFF, a not-for-profit cultural organization with a mission to transform the way people see the world through film, in September 2019 as Vice President, Marketing & Communications. Prior to TIFF, Liz served as Luminato’s Vice President, Stakeholder Relations & Business Strategy where she steered a transformative corporate business planning process while also leading the marketing, communications, audience experience and government relations teams over two seasons. From 2001 – 2017, she oversaw the marketing and communications strategies and activities for Artscape, an international award-winning non-profit organization that makes space for creativity and transforms communities. In 2017, she was selected as a fellow in the Toronto Arts Council & The Banff Centre’s Cultural Leaders Lab. Liz sits on the Board of Directors of JAYU, a registered Canadian charity and leader in the space where the arts and human rights intersect.

Jennifer teaches at Ryerson University, and has been a guest lecturer at the Schulich School of Business MBA Program in Arts and Media Administration since 2012. She serves as a volunteer to the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell and the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. In 2013, Jennifer collaborated with Tod Machover and MIT Media Lab to develop A Toronto Symphony: Concerto for Composer and City with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, now being produced by orchestras around the world. In her previous roles. Jennifer was the Executive Director of Soundstreams and the General Manager of Kaeja d’Dance.

Raji is the Founder and President of Willendorf, a cultural planning and design firm, collaborating with people and organizations to advance cultural places, programs and ideas that are inclusive, relevant, and deliver excellence in the service of society. She works with arts organizations, including Business / Arts where she worked as Creative Director, to help strategize and build millennial engagement. She serves on the board of the North Okanagan Arts Council, Marketing Working Committee at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Board Director of Jamii Esplanade, Vice-Chair of the First Positions Steering Committee at the Canada’s National Ballet School, and is a part of the inaugural cohort of Toronto Millennials and Get X philanthropists who collectively pledged more than $500,000 of their own wealth to build the city’s urban resilience as a part of Toronto Foundation’s Vision2020 program.

Amongst all, she is a doting Godmother to her sister’s twins and a budding art collector.

Michael Lockhart is an IABC award-winning writer and communications strategist based in Toronto. He holds a BAA in Media Studies from the University of Guelph, and a Advanced Diploma in Print & Broadcast Journalism from Humber College. He also holds a MSc in Strategic Studies, with Commendation, from King’s College, University of Aberdeen.

Michael is currently the Senior Strategist, External Communications for the Ontario Pension Board, a $27 billion public sector pension fund in Toronto, where he leads external communications and is responsible for client-facing digital strategy. Previously, he has held writing and editorial roles at the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Warsaw, MAXIM Magazine in New York City, and Playboy Magazine. Michael has also worked for leading Canadian public relations firm Environics (now Proof Communication designing content marketing strategies for brands including Panasonic, Kijiji, AIR MILES, Heart & Stroke, and a number of large pharmaceutical companies. He was the recipient of two IABC awards for social strategy and engagement for Panasonic’s social campaigns.

A long-time amateur musician, Michael plays classical saxophone with the Metropolitan Winds of Toronto, and volunteers his time at various arts and culture organizations across the city. He currently is Chair of the Royal Ontario Museum’s Young Patrons’ Circle – Canada’s oldest and largest arts youth philanthropy program which has raised almost $6 million for the museum’s highest needs. He also sits on committees for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Massey Hall, and Roy Thomson Hall. Michael recently finished a five year term on the University of Guelph’s Alumni Board of Directors, where he oversaw the finance and investment committee including the University’s credit card and insurance affinity portfolios.

Gave Lindo is the Executive Director of OTT Programming for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation where he leads the content strategy for the public broadcaster’s over-the-top streaming service, CBC GEM, and oversees its slate of original digital content for all platforms. Prior to his appointment, he served as Senior Director and Chief of Staff of Programming where he oversaw CBC’s programming operations and content partnerships. Previously, Gave has served as the Executive Director of Reelworld Film Festival, as a business executive at CBC, and began his career as a corporate media lawyer. Gave currently serves on a number of boards including Ontario Creates, the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto, and Laidlaw Foundation. He holds BA, MBA, and JD degrees from the University of Toronto.

Teresa Marques is an accomplished fundraising executive with extensive experience leading development teams in the healthcare and post-secondary education sectors. She is interested in how giving patterns in Canada are changing, and is seeking to drive social change through philanthropy while strengthening the non-profit sector in Canada.

Suzanne Knight is the Head of Organizational Effectiveness for Philip Morris International (Canada), leading a national portfolio that includes: Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, Learning and Development, Inclusion and Diversity, Change Management, and Organization Design.

Her prior role was Senior Manager in Deloitte’s Toronto Human Capital Consulting practice, specializing in organization transformation. In her nearly 8 years with the firm, she worked with clients in 10 countries in the public, financial services, energy and resources and healthcare sectors. Types of transformations that Suzanne supported include shifts in culture (e.g., performance, agile, innovation, collaboration, digital), corporate strategy, human capital strategy, customer service, major infrastructure development, merger/acquisition and service delivery.

Outside of work, Suzanne is a member of The McMichael Canadian Art Collection Foundation and a founding member of The McMichael’s Young Patrons’ Circle. She is also a volunteer evaluator of submissions to the Unfunded Project, providing helpful and candid feedback on grant proposals in order to enable non-profits around the world to raise more funds.

In addition, Suzanne has been a featured speaker for Schulich School of Business, Schulich Executive Education Centre, Canadian Government Executive, Institute of Public Administration of Canada, Tomorrow’s Ontario Public Service, Financial Management Institute, Future Leaders of Ontario, and other school boards, agencies, and ministries within Ontario.

Suzanne holds an MBA in Finance and Strategy from the Schulich School of Business, York University and an MA in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Guelph.

Devyani Saltzman is a Canadian writer, curator and journalist with a deep interest in multidisciplinary programming at the intersection between art, ideas and social change. She is the author of Shooting Water (Publishers Weekly), Library Journal starred reviews, ‘A poignant memoir’ The New York Times) and was the first POC woman Director of Literary Arts at the Banff Centre (2014-18) as well as the Founding Curator, Literary Programming, at Luminato. In 2018 she was appointed the Director of Programming at the Art Gallery of Ontario, working across all disciplines. Saltzman has a degree in anthropology and sociology from Oxford and sits on the boards of a number of art organizations, including Summerworks, Writers’ Trust of Canada and PEN.

Martha works as Senior Director, Development at TO Live, which is a family of three performing arts venues that hosts a diverse array of presentations, co-presentations, and education and engagement initiatives. Previously, Martha served for more than a decade at the Luminato Festival in Toronto, including roles on the Executive, Programming, and Development teams.

Martha recently completed a Masters in Arts Leadership at Queen’s University in Kingston, as well as the Cultural Leadership Program at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. She previously studied Drama, English, and Italian Studies at University College, University of Toronto, and has a long personal past in the arts as a photographer, performer, and producer; including co-producing ZED.TO, an award-winning theatrical and transmedia project with The Mission Business, a Toronto-based consultancy.

Martha is a Board member of the Summerworks Performance Festival and a member of the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Emerging Leaders Committee.

Karlee has always felt a dual passion for both arts and business, leading her to obtain a degree in Business of Cinematic Arts from the University of Southern California. In the first chapter of her career, Karlee worked at various award shows, film festivals and events including Emmy Awards, American Music Awards, Cannes Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, American Idol, and many more.  She felt pulled to move back to Toronto, where she switched careers and became a financial planner focusing on women and couples under 50. She is currently the Managing Director | Financial Advisor at Vukets & Associates.

Outside of work, she is driven to make an impact in the arts through her roles as Executive Director of the Michael and Karen Vukets Family Foundation, Chair of the First Positions Patrons at Canada’s National Ballet School, board member at The Glenn Gould Foundation, and committee member of arts & business exchange through Business / Arts.

It is an experimental open public forum that is a hybrid of performance, installation, roundtable, discussion, dinner party designed to facilitate dialogue through the gathering of people of common interests. 

It is designed to stage public conversations around difficult subjects. 

How it works: 

• Long Tables begin with a group of people sitting around a table that is set with empty chairs. 
• To begin the conversation a question is asked, and participants are able to take a seat at the table if they wish to speak. 
• Participants are not allowed to speak unless they are sitting at the table, and they may join or leave the table at any time. 
• If there are no seats available they are permitted to ask for a seat.
• The event has been described as ‘a performance of a dinner party where the conversation is the only course.’

/boardlink is a national program that matches young business professionals with arts organizations to find volunteer board and committee roles in the arts.

Learn more about /boardlink