In March 2023, in partnership with Vancity, the Broadbent institute launched its inaugural Emerging Leaders Program - a transformative initiative uniting visionary minds from across Canada. This groundbreaking program seeks to cultivate a community of diverse, innovative, and socially conscious leaders.
Our Emerging Leaders Program is a testament to the Broadbent Institute's commitment to fostering a new generation of trailblazers who will navigate the complexities of our ever-evolving society. The goal of the Broadbent Institute’s Emerging Leaders Program is to provide leaders working for systemic change with hands-on training and ongoing mentorship and networking opportunities to increase their skills and capacity around progressive policies and projects. As one of final projects founder Ed Broadbent supported before his passing in January 2024, the program seeks to shape the next generation of progressive leadership as a part of his legacy for the future of the fight for justice and equality.
Ed Broadbent with 2023 Emerging Leader Program cohort members (from L to R) Diego Cardona, Charles Ozzoude, Karimah Naguib, Ed Broadbent, Akuah Frempong, Alexandra Ages, Michael Hamilton, at Ed's last Progress Summit, March 10, 2023.
Throughout this program, participants engaged in a multifaceted learning experiences with in-depth Director-level training, ongoing mentorship and networking opportunities to increase their skills and capacity around strategic thinking, progressive policies and project management.
We invite you to explore the profiles of our exceptional inaugural cohort, each bringing their unique strengths and experiences to the table. Together, these leaders will collaborate, innovate, and inspire, forging connections that will transcend this program.
The application for the 2024 Emerging Leaders Program is NOW CLOSED.
Check back in early 2025 to be apply for next year's cohort.
Meet the 2024 Emerging Leaders Program Cohort
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Abeer Yusuf Ashley Cummings Avreet Jagdev Cory Witter |
Dael Vasquez Francis Tersigni Kristen Young Megan Devoe |
Navneet Chand Niya Ahmed Abdullahi Omar Akeileh Parul Kanwar |
Paulina Chan Rowan Burdge Style Dayne Stenberg Suhaib Abdillahi |
Abeer Yusuf
Abeer Yusuf (she/her/elle) currently works at the City of Vancouver as a social planner in the Social Policy department, and comes from a background of journalism, community development, communications and philanthropy spanning more than a decade. Abeer migrated to unceded Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh lands 11 years ago as an international student to pursue her second Masters in journalism. Her body of academic work includes examining identity and belonging, the intersectionality of race and culture, and learning about how we belong (or don't) in places and spaces.
Abeer has grown up around the world, and has incredibly rotten luck when it comes to many things, but at least that makes her life both weird and wonderful – and helps her approach her life with a sense of schadenfreude adventures, which makes for great party conversation. Her lifelong interests include living and learning about different models of decoloniality, authentically building connections and community, reading and friendship. Abeer lives in the Milky Way galaxy between Vancouver and the Internet, is deathly petrified of writing bios, and some of her personal passions include telling and listening to stories, beating Google Maps' walking estimates, gushing about moments of serendipity and eating chicken biryani and mangoes (separately). She also passionately hates Excel spreadsheets, and has never gotten a manicure before.
Ashley Cummings
Avreet Jagdev
Avreet Jagdev is a student and organizer based in Tkaronto. She is studying Political Science, Critical Studies in Equity and Solidarity, and Women and Gender Studies at the University of Toronto, where she is the Vice-President of Public and University Affairs of her student union, representing 40,000 students on her campus.
Outside of her involvement on campus, Avreet is a national organizer with Amnesty Canada, co-chair of Ontario New Democratic Youth, and Board Member of Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada. Her passion for social justice advocacy lies in the intersection of her own identities as a woman of colour. She hopes to pursue law school in the future, with a focus on gender and racial justice.
Cory Witter
Cory has 7 years of experience in the Canadian nonprofit sector, in organizations focusing on youth, climate, and sustainability. She has a graduate diploma in business administration from Concordia university and an undergraduate first class honours degree from Dalhousie university in international development with a minor in economics and certifications in sustainable leadership and intercultural communication. Cory is currently the executive director of Youth Climate Lab, a Canadian based global nonprofit organization which empowers youth to become leaders within the climate space. Cory is deeply passionate about climate justice and uplifting the voices of youth globally.
Dael Vasquez
Dael Vasquez is an award-winning leader and scholar devoted to progressive policy reform, civic education, and youth capacity building.
He is also a government relations specialist in the financial industry, committed to sustainable finance and prudential regulation.
Dael’s passion lies with Engage, an NPO he co-founded, dedicated to enhancing youth civic education and participation across Canada. Dael leads Engage’s policy strategy, publishing 5 articles, over 10 policy briefs, and 3 public consultations. Together with his co-founders and team, he is currently helping over 400,000 students find their dream university program, saving them an average of $80,000 on mistakenly choosing the wrong majors. Recognizing Engage’s impact, the organization was recently featured in the Toronto Foundation 2024 Good to Give Guide.
Francis Tersigni
Francis Tersigni is a community organizer and musician based in Toronto. Francis’s entrypoint into local organizing was through climate justice campaigning. Through studying Environmental Studies and Human Geography at McGill University, Francis was able to get involved in climate action awareness on campus. Then as a frontline campaigner with the Toronto Environmental Alliance, Francis spoke to people all across Toronto about local environmental issues and the levers to advocate for climate action.
Francis’ background in climate organizing, community building, and fundraising led him to his current role working with Progress Toronto. In this role he wears many hats as an organizer, graphic designer, digital campaigner, and development lead. Francis is motivated by his work to make political engagement more accessible and support people to come together to push for localized change. He establishes strategies to reduce barriers for political engagement and produces educational content that inspires people to take action.
Kristen Young
Kristen Young is an Information Management Consultant whose work in Black community archives sparked a need to better understand the ways mental health impacts Black history and Black community spaces. A third-culture kid with a deep interest in applying the principle of sankofa to the every day, Kristen uses her training as an archivist and her interest in governance, collaboration, community care, and community education in the many hats she wears both professionally and personally.
Megan Devoe
Megan Devoe is a scholar-activist currently pursuing her PhD in Labour Studies at McMaster University which is on the unceded territories of the Mississauga and Haudenosaunee nations (Hamilton, ON). Her research focuses on the perceptions and experiences of just transition policy among workers and communities in rural Nova Scotia who depend on fossil fuel extraction for economic survival, but at a distance. She is passionate about creating a more just and equitable future for all beyond the current dependence on fossil fuels.
Navneet Chand
Navneet Chand is an aspirant community navigator and mediator collaborating at the intersections of legal, political, and policy-oriented spheres. He currently works as a Strategic Policy Advisor in public health with the Government of Alberta. Navneet is a recent graduate from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Arts in the undergraduate thesis program in political science, public policy, and women's and gender studies. His undergraduate research work focused on community responses to sexual violence perpetration, the relationship between Indigenous legal traditions and the Canadian legal system, as well as ethical approaches to data governance. Navneet's early professional background includes roles in dispute mediation and restorative practices as an institutional ombudsperson, in innovation, infrastructure, and economic development as a policy research analyst, as well as in youth development through non-profit programming initiatives and municipal politics. In this cohort, Navneet hopes to deepen connections with young policy leaders across Canada.
Niya Ahmed Abdullahi
Niya Ahmed Abdullahi is a Multi-disciplinary Artist, Technologist and the founder of @Habasooda, a collective dedicated to sharing the richness of the Muslim experience through a variety of storytelling avenues. Her work has been exhibited at Nuit Blanche, TIFF, Black Film Festival Zurich, Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival, MENA Film Festival, Eastern Edge Gallery, amongst others. She was a 2021 Hot Docs Accelerator Fellow and currently serves on the advisory committee City of Toronto's ArtworksTO program board and the Work in Culture board. She looks forward to connecting with her cohort and the larger Broadbent community through this incredible program.
Omar Akeileh
Omar Akeileh is a dedicated policy advisor with expertise in stakeholder management, strategic advocacy, and government relations. As an immigrant and someone living with a disability, Omar values the significance of representation in decision-making arenas. Having worked in the public, private and non-profit sectors in multiple provinces, Omar brings diverse perspectives and solutions to complex policy problems by leveraging evidence-based data, political acuity, and business acumen. Holding a Master of Public Policy from McGill University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alberta, Omar currently serves as the Acting Manager of Research & Advocacy at Daily Bread Food Bank. In this temporary capacity, he provides invaluable strategic advice to the Executive Leadership Team on matters of research, policy, advocacy, and government relations. As he transitions back to his hometown of Edmonton from Toronto, Omar is excited to re-enter the foray of Alberta politics and policy.
Parul Kanwar
Parul Kanwar (she/they), one of Alberta's 2024 Top 30 Under 30 and recipient of the Alberta Newcomer Recognition Awards in the Young Leader category, currently works as a policy officer for the Alberta NDP caucus. A University of Alberta graduate with a BA in Political Science, Women and Gender Studies, and English, Parul is passionate about shaping progressive policy. Their work includes published research on right-wing movements and political extremism, community organizing, and justice equity. As founder and former Editor-in-Chief of Crossings and The Bold Word, Parul amplifies diverse voices in academia and political advocacy. With expertise in political economy, public policy, and social movements, Parul employs an intersectional and equity-driven approach in her professional and volunteer work. They volunteer for and sit on the boards of several NGOs, contributing to crisis line support and other community initiatives, particularly in 2SLGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities.
Paulina Chan
Paulina Chan holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto with a double-major in Political Science and East Asian Studies, and a double master’s degree with the London School of Economics and Fudan University, where she studied social policy and governance from international perspectives. During university, her main research interests included foreign policy, political history, socioeconomic inequality, and poverty alleviation. She has a background working with Canadian policy NGOs researching and analyzing issues in healthcare, trade, labour, education, economic wellbeing, and Indigenous affairs. She also recently completed the Parliamentary Internship Programme, which allowed her to gain insights on federal politics and focus on Canadian foreign policy issues. She is delighted to join the Emerging Leaders Program and looks forward to gaining skills that will help her champion socioeconomic justice both locally and globally.
Rowan Burdge
Rowan Burdge (she/they) is the Provincial Director of the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition. Rowan is a disabled, queer white settler living on the unceded, stolen lands of the xʷməθkʷiy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations. Rowan is an advocate and organizer working towards poverty eradication alongside marginalized communities across BC. Rowan has 15+ years of experience in nonprofits, including many years working in shelters in the DTES neighbourhood in harm reduction programs. They have a master's degree in Equity Studies in Education focusing on radical inclusion for disabled students in higher education. Outside of work, Rowan loves to roller skate, play on their queer dodgeball and softball teams, and advocate for fair Pharmacare and disability justice.
Style Dayne Stenberg
Style Dayne Stenberg is a progressive organizer currently living on Treaty 4 territory in Regina SK. After spending a decade in the Film/TV industry of Vancouver, Style is about to wrap up a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Regina with a Major in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. During his time in Saskatchewan he has become active in community organizing and student politics around 2SLGBTQ+ issues.
Style currently produces a drag event and fundraiser that supports the “You are Loved” Bursary, a fund that sponsors houseless 2SLGBTQ+ youth with their post-secondary goals. Style and his partner raise heritage turkeys and free range chickens which they market each year as a sustainable and local alternative to factory farmed holiday birds.
Style see's a Canada that values regional equity, diverse voices, and socio-economic fairness, where the dreams of the individual aren't silenced by the will of the many.
Suhaib Abdillahi
Suhaib Abdillahi is a community organizer and advocate currently working as a senior advisor to Councillor Alejandra Bravo on Toronto City Council.
The son of Somali refugees, Suhaib’s deep passion for building a more equitable society stems from his experiences growing up in an underrepresented community in Toronto’s west end. Through his work at ACORN Canada, Future Majority, and on numerous election campaigns at all three levels of government, Suhaib has organized to build community-based power in support of progressive change.
In his current role on City Council, Suhaib continues the work of empowering local communities as an advocate in the fight for a more equal, inclusive, and progressive Toronto for all.
Suhaib is a graduate of York University with an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a Professional Certificate in Public Administration and Law.
Meet the 2023 Emerging Leaders Program Cohort
Akuah Frempong
Akuah Frempong is a first-generation African-Caribbean-Canadian woman, Akuah holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Management of Applied Science, Specialization in Global Health Systems in Africa from Western University.
By day, Akuah is a healthcare administrator for a homeless health organization in downtown Toronto where she liaises with shelter partners and community organizations to provide low-barrier healthcare clinics to individuals experiencing homelessness. Outside of work, Akuah serves as the Chapter Secretary for the Congress of Black Women, Oshawa/Whitby Chapter and is a Community Member on the Durham Region Anti-Racism Taskforce.
Alexandra Ages
Alexandra Ages currently works as the Executive Director for the Council of Alberta University Students. Alexandra is deeply privileged to support student leaders from universities across Alberta in efforts to make post-secondary more affordable and accessible.
Having obtained her Master of Public Policy degree from McGill’s Max Bell School of Public Policy, Alexandra is deeply passionate about the intricacies of political capital, and particularly enjoys engaging with public policy in regards to post-secondarie, food insecurity, and economic inequality. Previously, Alexandra has worked in various non-profit roles, and obtained her B.A from the University of Victoria, where she studied history and applied ethics.
Charles Ozzoude
A true community whisperer, Charles is guided by a sense of purpose, perspective, and conviction that everything he does has reverberations beyond himself. His first-generation immigrant status with gifted him a dual perspective on life that allows him to appreciate the privileges of living in Canada while remaining grounded by his roots. When not decoding health complexities, he jams to Afrobeats, cycles through the vibrant streets of Toronto, or deep dives into a good book. As a 2022 Toronto City Council Candidate and Co-Director of the Board of Health in Toronto, Charles is committed to crafting an equitable and inclusive Canada where the rhythms of compassion and collaboration thrive.
Dakotah Traverse
Dannielle Morrisseau
Dannielle Morrisseau (She/Her) is a Métis Cree Nation woman from Treaty 2 Territory also known as Brandon Manitoba. Dannielle is a writer and storyteller as she works with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg and more recently the Community Wellness Collaborative in Brandon Manitoba. Dannielle often does Story Trails where she tells Indigenous based teachings and creative stories in partnership with the City of Brandon and Assiniboine Food Forest. In her spare time, she is focused on her health and writing career.
Deepmala Sahu
Deepmala Sahu is a growing professional in the political domain who brings credible knowledge and experience in this area. Based out of Winnipeg, Ms. Sahu currently works as the Executive Assistant to Hon. Lisa Naylor, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure and Minister of Consumer Protection and Government services. Ms. Sahu holds a Masters degree in Political Studies from the University of Manitoba and in International Relations from the University of Glasgow where she gained acumen in the political domain.
In her past experiences, Ms. Sahu has worked with the Scottish Parliament where she supported ministers in various public correspondences, surveys and research. Ms. Sahu has worked with various local and national non-profit organizations in India leading public outreach initiatives and generating revenue through donations. Beyond this Ms. Sahu has a strong inclination towards women rights and equality and constantly advocates for this cause through social media handles and other avenues.
Diego Cardona
Diego moved to Turtle Island - Canada as a refugee from Colombia in 2005 with his mom and sister. He is one of the co-founders of Fresh Voices, a BC-based, youth-driven organization of racialized immigrants and refugees, and has worked in different capacities with the Federation of BC Youth In Care Networks, the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, Fostering Change initiative and Vancouver Foundation.
He has served as a policy advisor to governments in different capacities. In 2014, Diego received the National Terry Fox humanitarian award for his commitment to social justice, and in 2016 was named one of BC’s Top 10 under 20 by the Globe and Mail. He has been a candidate for Vancouver city council in the past and is currently the board chair of a municipal political party. Since 2019, Diego has served as a political staffer and ministerial advisor to B.C.’s cabinet. He currently advises the Attorney General of British Columbia, and is the chief political advisor for anti-racism initiatives. In his spare time, Diego can be found dancing, and playing volleyball.
Graysen Parker
Graysen Parker is a Diversity Specialist at the Municipality of the County of Kings in Nova Scotia. In this role Graysen promotes inclusion and diversity which contributes to the municipality’s vision to become a “community of communities, where all people belong” through actions like promoting universal access to culture, developing a mentorship program for BIPOC and 2SLGBTQ+ youth, supporting and promoting diverse businesses, holding cultural events are examples of this effort.
In her spare time, Graysen supports her local L’Arche community, which she has been doing for almost 10 years. This experience led to Graysen becoming the FIRST employee of L’Arche Fredericton while she was attending the University of New Brunswick. Graysen has always had a passion for leadership and building community and has shown so by publicly speaking out against the stigma surrounding mental health, organizing a Black Lives Matter march in her hometown, and working to keep a “Do With, Not For” approach.
Gurneet Dhami
Gurneet Dhami is a Punjabi-Sikh settler focused on centring food and community at the table. Professionally, she is an almost dietitian working in a novel role as a Health Associate in the Town of Innisfil. She holds a BASc in Nutrition and Food from Toronto Metropolitan University and completing an MSc in Applied Human Nutrition at Mount Saint Vincent University.
Her passion for food security extends into her community organizing with the York Region Youth Food Committee, where she mobilizes youth into community food projects. As a youth, she doesn't shy away from moving conversations as a Board Member with the Social Planning Council of York Region through the CivicSchool GTA project. Gurneet is currently focused on civics, anti-racism and food security work in local communities and municipal government.
Josel Angelica Gerardo
Josel Angelica Gerardo is a Philippine-born and Tkaronto-raised (Scarborough) community organizer and a master’s student in Political Science at the University of Toronto with research interests in the politics of identity and belonging. At Toronto Metropolitan University, Josel was quite involved in undergraduate student leadership where she led student government, and contributed to university research projects and initiatives focusing on knowledge mobilization, and equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility.
As a young queer Filipina immigrant-settler, Josel enjoys being involved in the community advocating for progressive political and social change locally and nationally, while empowering youth to become leaders in the community, in particular, Asian and 2SLGBTQ+ youth. She is the current Director of Communications at Kabangka Canada, and co-chair of the Youth Advisory Council at Wisdom2Action's SAFER project. Josel is now in a role supporting progressive politics in the City of Tkaronto.
Karimah Naguib
Karimah Naguib is an emerging international development professional with experience in program development, data analysis, and stakeholder engagement. As a Junior Professional Consultant at UNICEF HQ, she conducted extensive research and co-authored global and regional reports on education acceleration and recovery policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Karimah also manages the data analysis team for a federally funded portfolio of 89 social development projects aimed at reducing homelessness in Greater Vancouver as the Program Lead for Data Analysis and Research for Reaching Home at Vancity Community Foundation.
Her next work assignment will take her to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania as a Regional Nutrition Advisor with the Aga Khan Development Network. Karimah holds a Masters degree in Globalization and Development from the University of London, SOAS, and a Bachelor’s degree in International Nutrition with honours from the University of British Columbia. She is fluent in English and French, with conversational proficiency in Arabic and Spanish.
Kelly Speak
Kelly Speak lives in Winnipeg and is a member of Fort William First Nation. She has 20 years of experience in community social services and began life as a political staffer after the 2019 general election in Manitoba. Most recently she worked on the Leader's Tour during the 2023 Manitoba provincial election. Kelly now works with the Manitoba Government and General Employees Union.
Michael Hamilton
Michael Hamilton works for the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. He’s also a proud member of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union:OPSEU/SEFPO. He continues to be a strong voice for advocating for workers and their rights in the workplace. Being a racialized worker, he witnessed firsthand how hard it is for racialized and marginalized workers to move ahead within their respective occupations.
He is an active member within OPSEU/SEFPO and sits on various OPSEU/SEFPO committees which include, the Coalition of Racialized Workers, The Provincial Human Rights Committee, the Social Mapping Committee and the InSolidarity Committee. He’s also a Local President for the Liquor Board Employees Division within OPSEU/SEFPO.
Michael O'Shaughnessy
Rebecca Widdicombe
Rebecca Widdicombe serves as Deputy Chief of Staff in the Premier’s Office in Manitoba. She was earlier a political Communications Officer and was platform lead and Director of Communications during the 2023 provincial election in Manitoba.
Saba Javed
Saba is a progressive organizer and writer based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She has worked for political party caucuses and election campaigns across Canada to help secure bold changes -- during her time working in Yukon territorial politics, she helped enact Canada's first-ever public dental care program. More recently, she was involved in the 2023 Manitoba provincial election campaign. She now works with the Manitoba government as the Premier's speech writer. When she's not organizing, Saba spends her time fishing and paddling her way around her home in the Yukon.
Samantha Martin-Bird
Sam Bird is a citizen of Peguis First Nation. She's currently based in Winnipeg, where she works for the first Anishinaabe Premier.
Sonam Swarup
Sonam's passions lie in the intersection of community economic development, equitable design and story-telling. She has spent the last 10 years working with various social impact organizations. Previously, she co-founded a social venture that focused on engaging immigrant women and their transition to the Canadian workforce through cultural cooking classes.
She earned her BA from Simon Fraser University and has studied internationally at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. She has received multiple awards for her work including HSBC Women Leader of Tomorrow for Western Canada and an AMEX Emerging Innovator.
Tsahai Carter
Tsahai Carter (she/her/elle) is a recent graduate of the University of Ottawa where she studied Political Science and Languages. As a student, Tsahai was active in her school community, promoting anti-racism and equity as a student mentor and deputy director of her faculty’s internship program. She is passionate about public policy and Anti-Racism, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion. Tsahai completed her 2022-23 Urban Alliance on Race Relations Youth Policy Fellowship placement with the Broadbent Institute, where she researched the future of housing policy in Ontario.
Vivienne Ho
Vivienne Ho (she/her) is a community organizer and a passionate advocate for worker rights, women’s rights and social justice. She is the co-chair of Women’s March Winnipeg and the President of CUPE Local 2348. She serves on the CUPE Manitoba executive board and the Women’s Committee at Manitoba Federation of Labour. She was recently elected as Advocacy chair at The Institute for International Women's Rights.
Vivienne works for Harvest Manitoba and has long been a resident of downtown Winnipeg. She now serves as board member for Spence Neighbourhood Association. She is also politically engaged on the provincial level. She is a Manitoba 150 honouree and was awarded the Paul Fortier Prize and the Community Excellence Award by Winnipeg Labour Council and the United Way.
