Aldeli Albán Reyna (she/her) is the Director of Grants and Community Initiatives at Laidlaw Foundation. Born and raised in Montréal to Afro-Peruvian parents, Aldeli is a Black artist with a natural talent for using language to bring stories to life coupled with an ability to transform her lived experiences, using multilingual narratives. She holds an Honours Bachelor Degree in Women and Gender Studies, Spanish, and Italian from the University of Toronto and a Masters in Public Policy, Administration, and Law (MPPAL) from York University. Aldeli has extensive experience working in multiple sectors including nonprofit, philanthropy, and corporate. She has worked nationally for almost a decade in advocacy and public policy.

Amanda Bernard is a member of the Madawaska Maliseet First Nation, Director of Indigenous Programs at the Laidlaw Foundation and is an Honours Bachelor of Business graduate from the University of Guelph Humber. Her active engagement extends to board roles with the Philanthropy Canada Foundation (PFC) and Advisory Committee with the Canadian Women’s Foundation (CWF) and Indigenous Peoples Resilience Fund (IPRF). Amanda is deeply committed to supporting Indigenous youth by facilitating their engagement with their ancestral land, language, culture, and peers through diverse projects. While residing in Tkaronto, ON, her roots remain in Ottawa, ON where she was born and within Edmundston, NB, where most of her family resides.

Diana is the Operations Coordinator at the Laidlaw Foundation, where she manages grant and office administration. Diana previously worked at Oceana Canada, a nonprofit organization focused on ocean conservation. She supported campaigns with the goal of bringing oceans back to abundance and had the opportunity to work with remote and Indigenous communities to advocate for ocean protection. Diana holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in History, Political Science, and French from the University of Toronto.

Miraaj is the Youth Collective Impact Manager for the Foundation. A world traveller, Miraaj holds an Honours Bachelor Degree in Media, Culture & Communications from the University of Sunderland and a Masters in Gender & Social Justice from the University of Alberta. From community engagement programs, to mentorship, Miraaj has had extensive experience and passion working with youth within the welfare, justice and educational systems. Miraaj has extensive work in the nonprofit sector and hopes to continue making an impact at the Foundation.

Haiat is the Research Lead for the Foundation. She holds a BA (Hons) in Political Science from the University of Toronto and an MSc. in Poverty Reduction: Policy & Practice from the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). As a Social Researcher, she has helped numerous organizations develop and implement research projects in support of their programming and advocacy initiatives. With the support of her colleagues, she has produced a number of reports on homelessness, poverty and food insecurity, including ‘Meeting Crisis with Opportunity: Reimagining Toronto’s Shelter System’; and ‘Who’s Hungry’. Her work is driven by a curiosity to understand the socioeconomic factors that influence and motivate people’s circumstances, their responses, the impact of their efforts and in turn their livelihood outcomes. When she is not working, Haiat enjoys mastering new languages, exploring Toronto’s art scene and traveling.

Jehad has been working in the public benefits sector for nearly 25 years. Before joining the Laidlaw Foundation in January 2014, he was the Executive Director of Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Office, Regional Director of Catholic Cross-Cultural Services, Metro Region, and Executive Director of the Canadian Arab Federation. In all of these roles he has been an advocate for inclusion, diversity and equity. He is passionate about building bridges between Canada’s oldest residents and its newest citizens. He strongly believes that the well-being of Canada rests with Indigenous Peoples and immigrants and refugees. In his work at Laidlaw, he is constantly inspired by young people's ability to provide solutions to some of the society's seemingly intractable problems.