Our Team
Impact Hub is hosted by a team that helps serendipity along by connecting members, encouraging cross-sector collaboration, designing events, programming, and supporting your work.Impact Hub Ottawa was founded by a small team of social investors who wanted to create a home of radical ideas that create positive social change. This home is hosted and facilitated by a multi-disciplinary team of hosts and catalysts with skills in micro-finance, human rights, advocacy, event planning, project management and finance. Find out more about our team and board below.
Team
Liz Cleland
Managing Director
Liz is Impact Hub Ottawa's Managing Director. With a background in business and in the charitable sector, Liz brings an entre…
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Liz Cleland
Managing Director
Liz is Impact Hub Ottawa's Managing Director. With a background in business and in the charitable sector, Liz brings an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion to support other entrepreneurs to #dogoodbetter.
Gina Babinec
Head of Programs and Partnerships
Passionate about bringing people and ideas together for impact, Gina works to design inclusive programs and events that empow…
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Gina Babinec
Head of Programs and Partnerships
Passionate about bringing people and ideas together for impact, Gina works to design inclusive programs and events that empower change-makers to bring about social and environmental justice in their communities.
Building on a background in gender and social policy, Gina is committed to creating brave spaces for connection and collaboration across diverse perspectives and sectors, both in-person and virtually.
William El Khoury
Head of Operations and Community Experience
William moved to Ottawa in 2014 to pursue a Master’s degree in chemical engineering. After working for a non-profit organiz…
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William El Khoury
Head of Operations and Community Experience
William moved to Ottawa in 2014 to pursue a Master’s degree in chemical engineering. After working for a non-profit organization for a year, he decided to apply his engineering knowledge to the environmental sector, working as a research assistant and as a chemical technician. William is passionate about supporting innovation for the betterment of the world. During his free time, William volunteers as an interpreter for resettled families in the Ottawa-Gatineau area. He is an avid graphic artist and loves to cook.
Tristan Oliff
Community Lead
A true global citizen, Tristan spent his formative years growing up in Quebec, South Africa and Kenya, before moving to Ottaw…
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Tristan Oliff
Community Lead
A true global citizen, Tristan spent his formative years growing up in Quebec, South Africa and Kenya, before moving to Ottawa to study politics & African studies at Carleton. There he developed a passion for entrepreneurship and social impact manifested through his work as a photographer and creative involvement in the new media movement. He is most at peace in nature or backpacking somewhere new, and seeks to use his energy to facilitate positive social change.
Charlotte Whittaker
Marketing Automation and Lead Generation Specialist
Charlotte is a new grad from the Advertising and Marketing Communications program at Algonquin College. She is passionate abo…
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Charlotte Whittaker
Marketing Automation and Lead Generation Specialist
Charlotte is a new grad from the Advertising and Marketing Communications program at Algonquin College. She is passionate about working in the non-profit sector. Charlotte hopes to use her knowledge of advertising and marketing to promote positive change and innovation to the world.
Sonia Vinogradova
Online Marketing Coordinator
As a passionate advocate for sustainability, Sonia has experience running non-profit programs and engaging her community in c…
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Sonia Vinogradova
Online Marketing Coordinator
As a passionate advocate for sustainability, Sonia has experience running non-profit programs and engaging her community in collective action! At the Hub, she's excited to build a community around the SDGs. Keep an eye on our social media to see her impact stories.
Kayla O’Neill
Programs Coordinator
Kayla recently moved back to Ottawa after spending the last two years in Peterborough working on a Masters of Sustainability …
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Kayla O’Neill
Programs Coordinator
Kayla recently moved back to Ottawa after spending the last two years in Peterborough working on a Masters of Sustainability from Trent University. She has a background in environmental studies and has a passion for environmental work, forest sustainability, and advancing the SDG goals.
Advisors & Board of Directors
JP Bervoets
Board Member
JP is Vice President of Community Foundations of Canada, the national network of 191 community foundations. For the past deca…
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JP Bervoets
Board Member
JP is Vice President of Community Foundations of Canada, the national network of 191 community foundations. For the past decade, he has worked to build meaningful cross-sector partnerships to enhance community wellbeing and advance domestic and international development outcomes through professional and voluntary roles based in North America, Europe and Africa.
Prior to joining Community Foundations of Canada, JP helped drive the partnership development and communications efforts for North Star Alliance, a public-private partnership founded by the United Nations World Food Program and TNT Express, and recognized by UNAIDS, the Clinton Global Initiative and the World Economic Forum as a best practice on how business, governments and civil society can combine forces to rapidly scale up access to healthcare.
He has a Master’s degree in Development Studies from York University and his professional interests include sustainable development, public-private partnerships, global health and arts and culture. He's been an Impact Hub member since 2014.
Jesse Cressman-Dickinson
Board Member
Jesse has a background in community management and stakeholder relations. She is a founder and Board Member of JustChange Can…
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Jesse Cressman-Dickinson
Board Member
Jesse has a background in community management and stakeholder relations. She is a founder and Board Member of JustChange Canada, a not for profit that supports the development of giving circles and sits on the board of their local chapter in Ottawa. She gets excited about new models of philanthropy, experimenting with new forms of public engagement, creating quality public spaces for people of all ages and abilities and working with local organizations to address community challenges.
Brian Toller
Chair of the Board
Brian Toller is President of Tolcor Investments Ltd., a private investment firm. He is also Co-Owner of Cognitive Workshops, …
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Brian Toller
Chair of the Board
Brian Toller is President of Tolcor Investments Ltd., a private investment firm. He is also Co-Owner of Cognitive Workshops, which provides cognitive therapy training for mental health professionals across Canada and in the UK. Previously, he was President of real estate developer The Expernet Group; Senior Consultant of DCH Consultants; Publisher of Renewable Energy News; and a reporter with the Ottawa Citizen. He received an Honours BA in Economics and Canadian Studies from Trent University in 1975 and also did post-graduate studies in journalism at Carleton University.
On a community level, Brian is on the board of Community Foundations of Canada, which represents the 191 community foundations across Canada. He was on the board of the Community Foundation of Ottawa (CFO) for 10 years, three as Board Chair and four as Chair of its Investment Committee, where he led an initiative to implement Responsible Investing and Impact Investing policies at the foundation. He is currently a member of CFO’s Impact Investing Committee as well as its Investment Committee. He is an active supporter of the Ottawa theatre community and is involved in other local initiatives around issues of affordable housing and social innovation.
Jon Lomow
Board Member
Jon has more than 20 years experience as an operator, investor, strategic advisor and communications specialist. Jon has spen…
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Jon Lomow
Board Member
Jon has more than 20 years experience as an operator, investor, strategic advisor and communications specialist. Jon has spent his career developing innovative ideas and organizations that push beyond the typical, to forge new ways of solving complex commercial, societal and environmental problems. He has provided leadership or senior advisory services to organizations ranging from small not-for-profits to multi-billion dollar projects in sectors that span municipal and community infrastructure, education, agriculture, food & beverage, renewable energy, marketing communications, financial services, information technology and public policy.
Tracey Clark
Past Chair & Board Member
Tracey Clark is Vice President, New Business for Shorefast Social Enterprises Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Shorefas…
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Tracey Clark
Past Chair & Board Member
Tracey Clark is Vice President, New Business for Shorefast Social Enterprises Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Shorefast Foundation. Tracey was President & CEO of Bridgehead Coffee, a company she founded, from 2000 to its sale in 2020. During 2020 she served as the Bridgehead’s Chief Culture Officer, and activated Fogo Clay Studio on Fogo Island, NL. Tracey holds an MBA, and is an Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) Fellow.
Tracey served for five years as founding Chair of Impact Hub Ottawa. She is a Director of the Ottawa Community Foundation, and chairs its Impact Investment Committee and is an Advisor to the Ottawa Climate Action Fund. She also serves as a Director of Ottawa Riverkeeper and Ecotrust Canada.
She enjoys travel, outdoor pursuits, reading, writing, and cooking and spends her time between Fogo, Ottawa and Toronto.