In this section, you find profiles of diverse leaders who have participated in the DiverseCity project.
Cameron Bailey
Before long he was negotiating with Hollywood studios to bring Precious to Toronto as a gala performance. But showcasing an African-American filmmaker would be a first.
Tatum Wilson
For Tatum Wilson, leadership is not a solo sport. He credits other leaders with playing an important role in supporting his efforts.
Tina Tehranchian
“An effective leader is one who lets go of power and paves the way so the organization can carry on without that leader.”
Mitzie Hunter
As a leader, Mitzie Hunter has always been ahead of her time. She shares this with her former employer, Goodwill Industries.
Juan Carranza
Juan Carranza describes himself as a reluctant leader. As the eldest of nine children growing up in El Salvador, he really had no choice in the matter. “I had to take responsibility for the younger children and show a good example.”
Cadigia Ali
As a newcomer to Canada, Cadigia Ali recognized almost immediately what volunteering could do to help her integrate into Canadian life. After just two years in Canada she was profiled in the Toronto Star for her work with the United Way and the Red Cross. During the height of the Somali crisis in 1992, Ali led an effort to mobilize performers and other volunteers from her home country of Somalia in a fundraising concert that raised $22,000 to send home some badly needed relief supplies through the Red Cross. She soon became a member of the organization’s Etobicoke District Council.
Priscila Uppal
“Some people hoard their knowledge,” says Priscila Uppal, “and this keeps a community stagnant and marginalized.” As a writer and educator, keeping what you know to yourself is a foreign concept to Uppal. For her, leadership is about sharing and is a serious responsibility. “It’s about shaping knowledge into a form that people can take away and build on.” Uppal puts this into action every day in her classroom at York University, where she teaches English.
Desmond Cole
Desmond ran as a candidate for Toronto City Council in 2006 where he campaigned on extending the right to vote in municipal elections to non-citizen residents. He says that the platform came to him from residents in his riding who wanted to support him but couldn’t.
