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 Board Members |
| How can I contact the Board? |
| Write to: |
The Secretary
Toronto Public Library Board
789 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario M4W 2G8 |
| Phone: |
416-393-7215 (9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday to Friday) |
| Fax: |
416-393-7083 |
| Email: |
Nancy Marshall at nmarshall@torontopubliclibrary.ca |
| How can I apply to become a Board member? |
City Council makes citizen appointments to agencies, boards and commissions, including Toronto Public Library Board. For details, see Citizen appointments to City of Toronto agencies, boards and commissions on the City of Toronto website.
| Board Member Biographies |
Ms. Eman Ahmed
Ms. Ahmed currently volunteers on the board of the Bloor Information and Life Skills Centre (BILS), a not-for-profit agency providing social services to diverse ethnic communities. Professionally, Eman works for the Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW) and for Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC). Both her professional and volunteer work have given her a multifaceted understanding of the needs and challenges of the varied ethnic communities to which women belong. She has researched and published on issues related to women, development, and religion. She holds three Masters Degrees - English, Social Anthropology and Publishing. Eman was elected Vice Chair of the Board in January 2009. |
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Councillor
Paul Ainslie
 Paul Ainslie Biography |
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Mr. Adam Chaleff-Freudenthaler
As a community activist for more than 10 years, Adam Chaleff-Freudenthaler has worked with students, youth, seniors, parents, teachers and educational support staff to improve the quality and accessibility of public and post-secondary education in Toronto and throughout Ontario. Working with groups like the Canadian Federation of Students, the Continuing Education Students' Association of Ryerson and the Toronto Youth Cabinet, Adam has also won funding for the programs and services that Toronto's most vulnerable young people need to succeed.
Appointed to the Toronto Public Library Board in March 2007, Adam is employed as a communications professional in the public sector. |
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Matthew Church
Matthew has been a member of the Toronto Public Library Board since 2004 and in March 2007, was elected Vice Chair of the Board. In January 2009 he was elected Chair of the Board. He is currently Director, Marketing and Development at Evergreen, a national charity exploring and supporting the relationship between nature, culture and community in urban settings (www.evergreen.ca). Previously, he worked as a Director of Marketing & Communications at a national AIDS agency and prior to that as a magazine editor and writer for over 20 years. |
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Councillor
Janet Davis
Janet Davis Biography |
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Ms. Ann Decter
Ann Decter brings two decades of skills developed in Canada's small press world to the Toronto Public Library Board. A writer, researcher, editor and publisher, Ann spent 15 years in feminist publishing before becoming publisher and owner of Toronto's McGilligan Books. She has travelled internationally promoting Canadian women's writing, and edited award-winning books. The author of two novels - Paper, Scissors, Rock and Honour - Ann currently specializes in health and social policy writing. |
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Ms. Tina Edan
Tina Edan joined the Library Board in March 2007. She is a poet and community leader with a passion for breaking silence. Currently the Manager of Leadership and Learning at The Maytree Foundation, Tina holds a Masters of Media Arts Degree from Concordia University, and has worked with a variety of social justice organizations across Canada on issues such as immigrant and refugee rights, women's rights, anti-racism and poverty. Her previous experience includes creating and implementing Passages to Canada, an initiative that promotes the contributions of immigrants to Canada with the goal of facilitating dialogue and a culture of inclusion. She also teaches creative writing, focusing on creativity as a pedagogical tool and a vehicle for change. In 2005, she was named an emerging writer of Diaspora Dialogues, and her work has been published in TOK: Writing in the New Toronto. |
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Mr. Okeima
Lawrence
"My fondest memory of Toronto Public Library was walking through the doors of Mt. Dennis Branch for the very first time with my mother. We were greeted with full smiles and a world of opportunity opened up for me. Mt. Dennis quickly became my escape from the streets, my safe place to study and, most important, it became my second home. Today, it brings me much pride to think of how important a role Toronto Public Library plays in building a sense of belonging for all, and an even greater sense of community."
-Okeima Lawrence
The youngest-ever Toronto Public Library board member, Okeima Lawrence majored in political science and international relations at York University. He is currently the community grants developer for the Youth Challenge Fund, an organization dedicated to creating meaningful opportunities for Toronto's young people. He is an active community member having participated in various community-based initiatives and committees including: the York Youth Council, Urban Harvest, York University Model United Nations, City Idol, Canada Poland Cultural Exchange, Forum for Young Canadians and the North York Committee on Community Race and Ethnic Relations. In addition to his library board duties, he is currently a member of the Toronto Youth Cabinet and the Laidlaw Foundation. In the words of Mr. Lawrence: "I want to see a better city...filled with kindness, justice, brotherhood, friendship and love. I choose to do something to foster sustainable change. We need fresh ideas and a renewed commitment to all communities and all youth." |
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Councillor
Chin Lee
Chin Lee Biography |
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Councillor
Anthony Perruzza
Anthony Perruzza Biography |
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Kathy Gallagher Ross
Kathy Gallagher Ross joined the Library Board in December 2004. She was elected Vice Chair of the Board in January 2006, and from March 2007 to January 2009, she was Chair of the Board. Kathy is a long-time library member, avid reader and supporter of the Toronto Public Library. A mother of three, she hopes to put her experience as an early childhood educator, nurse and early intervention and prevention specialist toward supporting the Library as a key ingredient of a healthy community. She is the author of A Parent's Guide to Choosing Day Care: Finding the Best Alternative for your Child and Co-author/Editor of Good Day Care: Fighting for It, Getting It, Keeping It. Kathy is the Director of Public Policy for the United Way Greater Toronto. |
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Councillor
Adam Vaughan
Adam Vaughan Biography |
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Kate Wilson
Kate Wilson joined the Toronto Public Library Board in December 2004. Kate's professional background includes thirty years of experience in publishing, having worked for Kids Can Press, The Observer, The United Church of Canada, James Lorimer & Company and McClelland and Stewart. She has held communications positions with the Department of the Secretary of State in Canada and the Government of Botswana. Additionally, as a producer for CBC Radio, Kate produced "The Arts Hour" for CBC's flagship national radio program, Sunday Morning, and documentaries on cultural politics and events in Canada, the UK and Europe.
In 2003 Kate started work in the field of Children's Mental Health, serving as Project Director on the Policy Framework Consultation for Children's Mental Health Ontario. Kate is a volunteer at Child Development Services and serves as Board member and Chair of the Advocacy Committee for Kinark Child and Family Services. |
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Updated on: October 14, 2009
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