Our Team 

Leslie Woo

Chief Executive Officer

A tri-sector leader with over 25 years of experience building sustainable communities and shaping urban development in Canada’s fastest-growing urban region. Leslie was appointed CEO of CivicAction in 2020. For over two decades CivicAction has been mobilizing established and rising leaders to steward a future for the city and to actively respond to current urban crises. Before joining CivicAction, Leslie served as Metrolinx’s Chief Planning and Development Officer. An experienced planner, architect, and community activator, she is a 2023 Top 25 Canadian Immigrant awardee and named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in 2017, a 2019 Toronto Power Woman by Bisnow, Spacing Toronto’s Transit Changemaker in 2016 and Canada’s Women’s Infrastructure Network’s inaugural 2015 Outstanding Leader. Leslie uses her voice and platform “shebuildscities” to amplify and celebrate other women city builders.

Chris Adams

Controller

Chris runs an accounting firm based out of MARS that serves primarily start-up technology companies along with other Toronto-based non-profit organizations. He has served as CivicActions CFO since 2009 supporting the CivicAction Board of Directors and Finance Committee. Chris lives in Etobicoke with his family and enjoys commuting by bicycle along the waterfront in the warmer months.

Susan DeLisle

VP Philanthropy

Motivated by the belief that every person deserves an equitable opportunity to thrive and succeed, Susan has focussed her career on marshalling the support of key stakeholders to affect change at some of Canada’s top academic, health, and research organizations to drive positive change. She has a passion for the city and wants to see the region – and those who live in it – have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

As a member of our Executive Management Team, Susan is responsible for developing and executing CivicAction’s revenue generation plan, managing key partnerships and relationships, and building and fostering teamwork within CivicAction.

Amreen Kalsi

Executive Coordinator

Amreen has a rich and diverse set of experiences across multiple sectors ranging from not-for-profit organizations to healthcare. She completed her Master’s in Business Administration from Australian National University, Canberra. She has worked in numerous marketing, brand activations and partner engagement initiatives with some of the biggest healthcare names in India. She also led the marketing initiatives for the largest dental chain in India. Prior to joining CivicAction, she worked with TRIEC (Toronto Regional Immigration Employment Council) where she supported the CEO in driving the organization’s objectives as well as managing projects and partnerships in the DEI space.  As a new immigrant and mother, Amreen is passionate about newcomer settlement and building safe and inclusive communities.

In her spare time, she loves to spend time with her toddler son and try the variety of food that Toronto offers, especially brunch places. She loves to travel and is always planning her next place to visit.

Taher Mahmood

Bookkeeper

Taher is a CPA US professional. He has worked for the Chris J. Adams Accounting Firm for over seven years and provided bookkeeping services for CivicAction since 2010. He enjoys living in downtown Toronto with his wife.

Yasmine Mohamed

Director – Activation

Yasmine Mohamed is a Director on CivicAction’s Activation team, where she leads the design and implementation of new programming, while also managing projects related to scaling and evolving existing programs. Yasmine is an experienced program leader, joining CivicAction from the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, where she provided strategic and operational leadership in shaping digital civic engagement projects that supported tens of thousands of new Canadians across Canada. Prior to this, Yasmine was the Director, Canoo, where she led the design and execution of a national program connecting new Canadian citizens to more than 1,400 arts and culture spaces across the country, used by +70,0000 new citizens annually.

Yasmine currently sits on the City of Toronto’s Programming Advisory Group for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility supporting the city’s strategy for community engagement at Toronto’s history museums, and in 2019 was named one of the Top 21 Young Impact Leaders in Canada by Future of Good. With an academic anchoring in environmental racism (including an MA in Geography and Environmental Studies) as well as a diploma in Refugee and Migration Studies and certifications in user experience project management, she is well equipped to do the important work of building more equitable and inclusive cities. Yasmine enjoys spending time with her nephew, Aydin, and looks forward to camping and portaging every summer in Algonquin Provincial Park.

Stacey Murie

Director, Corporate Affairs

Stacey is a non-profit leader with over a decade of experience driving social impact. She has a proven track record of successfully managing complex projects and events that help solve urgent crises in our communities. In 2023, Stacey led the planning and delivery of CivicAction’s quadrennial Summit. Now, as the Director of Corporate Affairs, she leads the development and execution of CivicAction’s change management agenda, oversees People & Talent, and supports Board Governance, Communications, and Operations.

Prior to joining CivicAction, she was the Manager of Development & Communications at Horizons for Youth, a shelter for at-risk and unhoused youth in Toronto. She has also worked at MADD Canada, UNICEF Canada, and The Stop Community Food Centre. She completed a Master’s degree at the University of Toronto and her research analyzed the intersections between food insecurity, gender, and race in Toronto.

In her free time, Stacey enjoys hiking and biking, spending time with friends and family, and cooking new recipes.

Anam Zakaria

Project Manager, DiverseCity Fellows

Anam has been working in the non-profit sector for the past 12 years, leading programs across different fields including culture, education, immigration, volunteerism and civic engagement. Alongside her work as a development professional, Anam is an oral historian and author of three books and won the 2017 KLF-German Peace Prize. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Hill Times and Al Jazeera among other media outlets and has been taught in South Asia, UK and the US. In 2021, The Gender Security Project recognized Anam as one of 100 women from the Global South working in the fields of foreign policy, peacebuilding, law, activism and development. Anam is an Asia21 Young Leader and is passionate about bridging divides and addressing prejudice. When she’s not working, Anam can be found watching standup comedy or finding her next favourite spot to eat.

Amy Dionne

Lead, Philanthropy

As a leader, strategist, administrator, and major gifts fundraiser, Amy is equally devoted to process and results.

Prior to joining CivicAction in May 2024 as Lead of Philanthropy, Amy managed the establishment of two award-winning academic units at St. Michael’s Hospital/Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. One focused on providing programming and supports for health science clinicians to teach, lead, and conduct research (Centre for Faculty Development) and the other a multi-faceted research and innovation enterprise in efforts to improve surgical safety (International Centre for Surgical Safety). More recently, Amy has engaged in major gifts fundraising for capital, clinical care, research and education campaigns.

Amy completed her Masters in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education with a focus on leadership. In her free time, she enjoys travelling around the world with her family and freezing in GTA hockey arenas, rooting on her hockey-playing daughter.

Zoya Hashim

Program Coordinator

Zoya is a research and policy assistant on CivicAction’s Activation team. She is completing her Masters in Political Science at the University of Waterloo, where she is also a part of the Climate Risk Research Group, specializing in the governance of climate impacts on the agri-food sector in Canada. She holds a Bachelors in Sociology and Anthropology from Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). Previously, she has engaged in research, policy, and project management roles for five years with Rizq, working on food security, climate resilience, community development, and youth mobilization. Her passion lies in building food-secure, climate-resilient, inclusive, and compassionate communities. When she’s not working, you can find her on a hike, in a park, or at a social event!

Lindsay Klysen

Policy and Research Analyst

Lindsay Klysen is an urban planning student at Toronto Metropolitan University whose work focuses on the creation of equitable communities that are accessible and inclusive for all residents. Lindsay believes that we all have a role to play in shaping our region’s growth and strives to create space for those who have been historically left out of the decision-making process. Graduating with an ecological specialization, Lindsay believes that environmental considerations are integral to any future action in our cities and communities. Her previous work in the not-for-profit sector has focused on amplifying youths’ voices in the political realm and working to design a methodology for addressing residents’ susceptibility to food insecurity.

Lindsay strives to work at a level where she can make real change in residents’ day-to-day lives and continues to be challenged by complex problems that require innovative solutions. As an individual who has always lived within the GTA, Lindsay has a strong understanding of the policies that dictate growth in our region and hopes to leverage this knowledge to drive positive change for all those who call the area home.

Elena Vaillancourt

Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Elena Vaillancourt completed a postgraduate marketing management certificate at Humber College. Elena’s studies at Humber College have equipped her with a thorough grasp of various subjects essential for contemporary marketing experts, including digital marketing, brand management, product innovation, advertising, distribution, communication strategies, planning, budgeting, and strategic approaches. Prior to her studies in marketing, she earned her Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Global Development Studies from Queen’s University, where she gained a broad understanding of social, economic, and environmental issues spanning from local to global scales. Elena has experience in the non-profit sector, working as an assistant coordinator on the donor stakeholder relations team at the St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation. Elena believes that CivicAction is the perfect place for her to merge her dual passions for creating a positive difference in her community as well as to exercise her creative side through marketing and communications work. Elena enjoys spending time with her friends and family in her spare time, trying new restaurants and cooking!

Michelle Sparrow

Manager Development

Michelle works with the development team to galvanize support for CivicAction’s mission of building a city-region that is equitable, inclusive, and accessible. Michelle was an investment banking librarian before she moved into the non-profit space. Her work in fundraising spans different sectors including international development, city building, the environment and healthcare. Most recently Michelle was the Manager of Philanthropy at Shorefast where she secured funding for charitable programs and the social enterprises. Michelle is committed to making our city more inclusive. She is a former board member at Toronto Pflag and continues to volunteer with them. Michelle is a solidly mediocre artist and spends her free time taking painting and pottery classes.

Heather Burke

Program Manager

Heather works with the activation team to connect, develop, and activate rising leaders from across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area through the Emerging Leaders Network. Heather is passionate about non-profit program management with a track record of success leading a range of complex programs and initiatives for organizations like Kids Help Phone, Fred Victor and NPower Canada. Heather currently sits on the board of the Passages Centre for Self-Directed Learning, an independent democratic school. Heather is a former theatre kid and still loves watching musicals and local theatre.

Rohan Pradeep

Operations Analyst

Analytically-minded and tech-savvy, Rohan is all about creating positive change with a side of adventure. Whether diving into data or tackling a new thrill, Rohan brings energy and curiosity to everything he does. When he is not exploring insights, he is exploring the world, always on the hunt for exciting experiences and local flavours!

Valeria Duarte

Program Lead

Valeria is a social impact leader working at the intersection of creativity, social innovation, and community-based research. She has collaborated with and led multiple initiatives across the private sector, nonprofits, and higher education, including Project CREA 2024; a mentorship program for Latin Youth in Toronto, and KUNE Music Hub; a project that fosters sustainable and meaningful careers for immigrant musicians in Canada. Valeria is the lead author of the deck of cards Creating with Nature published by BIS Publishers in Amsterdam, 2024.

Before joining CivicAction, she was Research and Project Manager at the Creativity Everything lab based out of Toronto Metropolitan University, where she designed and managed a multi-year investigation on resilience, creativity and innovation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Grounded in a strong academic background in social studies and a Master of Arts in Communication and Culture, she brings valuable expertise to fostering more equitable, inclusive and creative cities. She believes that the challenges we face as a society can carry an overwhelming sense of powerlessness, but also demand us to establish the hope, and confidence, that we can do better. Valeria loves music, poetry, hiking and everyday gatherings with friends and family.