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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Who We Are