Mary McGrath, Founder and Executive Director

My passion is in organizational development and management in the environmental non-profit sector. I was the first Executive Director of Citizens’ Environment Watch (CEW), a provincial charity that I had the privilege of transforming from a single program $90,000 budget organization with two staff to a multi-program $700,000 organization with 12 staff. Before CEW I held the position of Program Manager and Acting Executive Director at Environmental Defence Canada, where I played a lead role in positively transforming the organization, as well as developing two successful public right-to-know programs: PollutionWatch.ca, FoodWatch.ca.

I have worked in the private sector as Assistant Manager of Environment and corporate Affairs for Lever Ponds (Unilever Canada), and in the public sector as Environmental Education Technician with Otonabee Conservation. My approach to my personal and professional life has been influenced by my experiences working and living in West Africa and the Caribbean while working in the area of environmental education.

I have served on the Board of Directors of Environmental Defence Canada, as well as serving as advisor to grantmaking committees of the Laidlaw Foundation and Metcalf Foundation. In 2005, I had the honour of being awarded with a Toronto Vital People grant from the Toronto Community Foundation. I hold an Honours BA in Environmental Studies and International Development from the University of Toronto, and have completed the course requirements for an MA in Comparative and International Education from OISE-UT. I live in Kitchener Ontario with my husband,our two young daughters, and our baby boy.

Daniella LaGiglia, Program Director

I strive to enable people to make a difference in the world by connecting their philanthropy to the things that mean the most to them. I am honored to have the opportunity to help people create change by assisting them in directing their funds to what lies deepest in their hearts.

As a professional fundraiser and non-profit manager, I most recently worked at Roy Thomson Hall and Massey Hall as their Individual Gifts Manager. I currently sit on the board of directors at the Redwood, a safe haven for women and children fleeing abuse. I have enjoyed working as a consultant to grassroots environmental charities, and was formerly the Manager of Development and Membership at Citizens’ Environment Watch (EcoSpark). A previous recipient of the PricewaterhouseCoopers Leaders in the Field award, I have a background in project management, fundraising, and citizen engagement. I live in Leslieville, Toronto with my wonderful partner and our menagerie of pets.

 

 

Anne Lévesque, Special Advisor

I have 28 years of experience in developing, leading and managing regional, national and international conservation and environmental awareness programs. My focus has been on building strategic alliances and partnerships with corporations, governments and organizations concerned with issues of sustainability. My particular interest lies in supporting multidisciplinary teams in the development of campaigning, stakeholder relations and social marketing strategies. I am presently a Senior Advisor to the Canadian Boreal Initiative and the Managing Director of the ENGO Caucus of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement. My past experience includes being the National Executive Director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and leading prominent organizations in British Columbia and in New Brunswick. I managed an international funding program for the Canadian International Development Agency and developed environmental sustainability programs in the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua and in Ecuador. I have a Master’s degree in business administration; am an avid outdoors person fascinated by the natural wonders of our planet; and am devoted to my yoga practice.

 

Clare McDowall, Communications Director

I relocated from Scotland to Canada in early 2011, fulfilling a dream I have held for nearly ten years. I hold a BA in Business, gained in Glasgow and my career has spanned both the commercial and the non-profit sectors. Before immigrating to Canada I was the Community Fundraising Manager for Oxfam in Scotland, where I learned about and became passionate about international development and visited project work in Armenia. I’m a strong believer in communicating important environmental and social issues to a wider audience using all of the great tools available in this digital age and in a way that people can relate to.

I’m the volunteer social media manager for www.SOFII.org, and I’m the lead organizer of Be Good Be Social in Toronto, a social media conference for non-profits in Canada. In my free time I blog about social media at www.sociallygood.ca, I’m learning to knit and crochet and I’m a wannabe ballroom dancer. 

Alain Pescador, Program Support Associate

I was born in Durango, Mexico and moved to Canada to pursue my undergraduate degree in Political Studies and History at Trent University. I recently finished my graduate studies in Political Science with a specialization in Environmental Policy at the University of Salamanca in Spain. My professional experience includes working at the Mexican Trade Commission in Toronto, the Mexican Embassy in Ottawa, and the Institute for Development of Public Policies in Durango; all of which has allowed me to enhance my project development/management skills and exercise the capacities for building strong networks and identifying key players.

In addition to my responsibilities with Small Change Fund, I am also a personal assistant to John Ralston Saul, President of PEN International, the world’s leading literature and freedom of expression organization.

 

Carissa Goldstein, Donor Stewardship Intern

I studied human rights at UWO in London, Ontario and am passionate about environmental and social justice issues. I love languages, both teaching and speaking them.  I most recently managed group events for the Hamilton Conservation Authority.  I am currently a volunteer with AWID (Association for Women’s Rights in Development) an association for the support of human rights organizations and movements around the world.  I am studying Non-Profit Leadership at Mohawk hoping to kick off a career in this rewarding field. 

 I’m excited to help Small Change Fund with their donor stewardship, it’s such a rewarding opportunity.  Thanking donors is ALWAYS fun.