2006/2007 Fellows
Jane Ambachtsheer • Caroline Charest • Darren Fung • Sana Halwani • Bart Kasowski • David Kelton • Jake McEwan • Jason Mitschele • Rick Nielsen • Aaron Pereira • Emmanuelle Richez • Benjamin Shinewald • Alexis Wise • Stéphanie Yates • Rebekah Young
Jane Ambachtsheer
Jane Ambachtsheer is a National Partner of Mercer Investment Consulting, based in Toronto. She leads Mercer’s global responsible investment business, and consults to investors in North America, Europe and Australasia. In March 2000, Jane joined Mercer Investment Consulting’s London office, and transferred to Toronto three years later. Prior to joining Mercer, Jane worked for the pension benchmarking firm CEM, in Amsterdam and Toronto. Jane was consultant to the United Nations through the development of the Principles for Responsible Investment. She is a global advisor to the Carbon Disclosure Project, and sits on the board of the Canadian Social Investment Organisation. In 2005, Jane was recognised by Global Proxy Watch as one of the top 10 “Architects of Governance”. Jane holds a Bachelor of Economics and English literature with honours from York University, and a Master of Social Science from the University of Amsterdam. She is a faculty member at the University of Toronto, where she co-teaches a graduate course on responsible investment.
Caroline Charest
Caroline Charest is interested in economic development issues, both at the national and international levels. With experience in provincial politics and in the private sector, where she worked as an analyst, economy and management, with SECOR Conseil, Mrs Charest has acquired a solid knowledge or some key sectors of the Québec economy. In her free time, she endeavours to convince companies to adopt sustainable development practices. She has a Master in Science in Development Studies from the London School of Economics, a Master in Economics from the University of Montréal, as well as a Bachelor of Art, Administration, from HEC Montréal. During her studies, her research focused on fiscal imbalance and remuneration issues in Canada and on fiscal relations in Nepal. She also participated in a World Bank mission in Nepal. Caroline has been an active member of the Jeune Chambre de commerce de Montréal, where she is on a committee for the promotion of sustainable development in Montréal business circles. She is fluent in English, French and Spanish. She participated in two half-marathons and would like to run a full one next year.
Darren Fung
Darren Fung began composing music at age 15 through the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’s Young Composer’s Project. He completed his Bachelor of Music degree at McGill in 2002, culminating with his tenure as composer-in-residence for the McGill Concert Choir. His works have been performed most notably by the Vancouver and Victoria Symphony Orchestras; Toronto’s Tapestry New Opera Works; Orchestre de chambre I Musici de Montreal; the Altius Brass; Sofia’s Philharmonia Bulgarica; and Prague’s FILMharmonic Orchestra among others. His film scores have been heard in competition at major international film festivals around the world, including the 2005 Atlantic Festival where he won the award for Best Score. He is an alumnus of the prestigious ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop in Los Angeles, the Aspen Music Festival and School, and Tapestry’s Composer-Librettist Laboratory. As an advocate for emerging composers, he currently serves as the youngest member of the board of directors for the Guild of Canadian Film Composers. Darren and his company, Stinky Rice Studios, have won numerous young entrepreneur awards, and are currently based out of Montreal.
Sana Halwani
Sana Halwani immigrated to Canada from Lebanon at the age of eight, and knows how much of a privilege it is to be Canadian and have the opportunity to pursue her many passions. Sana is a law graduate from the University of Toronto where she was awarded the Dean’s Key for her participation in extracurricular activities in the law faculty. Prior to entering law school, Sana received a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in biochemistry from Queen’s University and attended the University of Sheffield as a Chevening Scholar and Celanese Fellow, earning a Master’s degree in Biotechnological Law and Ethics. Her thesis explored how the newly enacted Human Rights Act in the UK could be used to improve access to reproductive technologies for infertile couples. Sana has published a number of articles in the health law field, including a chapter on potential government liability for harm to clinical research subjects and a report for the Ontario Human Rights Commission on racial inequality in access to health care services. She is currently a litigator with Gilbert’s LLP in Toronto.
Bart Kasowski
Bart Kasowski is a Ph.D. student in the department of philosophy at the Université de Montréal and also works with the real estate firm Aeroterm on new business development and public-private partnership projects. He plans to pursue a career as a professor of business ethics and to focus on the role of individual conscience in corporate governance and decision-making. He has worked for Reebok International and adidas-Salomon, where he was Product Manager for the North American launch of Salomon In-Line Skates. He received his M.B.A. in 2005 from HEC Montréal where he served as president of the M.B.A. Student Association. He obtained his B.A. from Harvard University in 1993 where he was an editor of the student-run daily newspaper. He lives in Outremont, Québec with his wife Francine and their young son Maximilien.
David Kelton
Physician David Kelton is dedicated to improving health with new technologies that have a patient-centered philosophy. He started ClinLink.com, a website which enables patients to participate in medical research. He is currently specializing in radiology, with an interest in open source software innovation, at the University of Toronto. As the former vice-president of the Toronto Medical Society, he focused on research and advocacy for under-represented minorities in medical education. Prior to medical school, David studied life sciences at Queen’s University. Drawing on his diverse health research experience, he has led projects in basic science at McMaster University and in clinical research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard. David believes that successful entrepreneurship is directly linked to strong mentorship experiences. He regards Action Canada as a tremendous opportunity to connect with diverse mentors from across Canada.
Jake McEwan
Born in Trail, B.C., Jake was raised in the B.C. Kootenays. In 2003 he graduated from the University of Victoria with a B.A. in political science and Greek and Roman studies. Jake then accepted a variety of successive B.C. government jobs including junior communications assistant, research officer for the Northern caucus, executive assistant to the Minister of State for Resort Development, and ministerial assistant to that Minister. During the 2005 B.C. provincial election Jake managed the West Kootenay-Boundary B.C. Liberal campaign, then became the chief political assistant to the Minister of Agriculture and Lands. Having worked as the ministerial assistant (chief of staff) to several ministers responsible for resort and land development, Jake has a wealth of experience in managing the political and public dimensions that surround land planning and development. He was the political staff lead responsible for the B.C. Resort Strategy, the Sea to Sky, North Coast and Central Coast Land and Resource Management Plans, and the Master Development Agreements for Revelstoke and Red Mountain resorts as well as three major golf resorts. He is currently Development Manager with Concord Pacific Group Inc. In his spare time Jake is an avid golfer, skier, surfer and general outdoor enthusiast. With a passion for music, Jake has spent many hours behind a drum kit recording and touring with three different bands. His music has been featured on Canadian rock radio stations.
Jason Mitschele
Committed to equality and social justice for all Canadians, Jason Mitschele practices law as a federal prosecutor for the department of Justice in Toronto. Jason is also a proud advocate for the promotion of equality for persons with disabilities. He is currently serving his second term on the board of directors of the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS). He is also a member of the International Development Committee of the Counsel of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD), where he advises the organization and the Canadian government on international law in policy. Jason has most recently been part of the CCD’s advisory group on the negotiation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities currently being discussed at the United Nations in New York. Jason is a graduate of the faculty of law at the University of Toronto where he focused on international law and development. Prior to attending law school, Jason completed an internship with Disabled Peoples South Africa where he gained valuable experience working with local and national organizations in shaping human rights law and policy in the new South Africa. He plans to share his perspectives on equality as an Action Canada Fellow. According to Jason, “The time is now to make significant improvements in the lives of Canadians with disabilities”.
Rick Nielsen
Rick was born and raised in the Yukon Territory and has made his home there ever since. He is passionate about learning and making a difference. His quest has taken him down an eclectic career path as a tradesman, commercial pilot and entrepreneur with businesses in both Yukon and Alaska. He has served as a director and chairman of both the Whitehorse and Yukon Chambers of Commerce and has been active on public policy initiatives. He is a staunch advocate for trades training for young Canadians and is the past chairman of the Yukon Apprenticeship Advisory Board and the Inter-provincial Alliance of Apprenticeship Board Chairs. Rick was a founding member of the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum. He has been active with the Aboriginal Human Resource Development Council of Canada as a volunteer, principally focusing on improving the participation of Aboriginal Canadians in apprenticeship training. He attended the Banff School of Advanced Management which sparked his interest in public policy and governance. Rick is currently serving as the Chief of Staff to the Premier of Yukon.
Aaron Pereira
Strongly dedicated to social activism, Aaron Pereira has most recently worked to develop a new financial institution focused on financing Canadian social sector organizations. Vartana, through an innovative partnership with Vancity, will unlock millions of dollars in new financing for social and environmental organizations. He is a co-founder of CanadaHelps, an online organization that engages Canadians to donate their time and money to causes across the country. Aaron’s commitment to social activism reaches back to high school when he was involved with a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) project to raise money for displaced Kurds following the first Gulf War. Aaron completed a Bachelor’s degree in economics from Queen’s University in 2002. Past committee memberships include the Ethics Committee of the Washington-based e-Philanthropy Foundation; the Federal Government’s National Roundtable on the Social Economy; and the Strategy Committee of Queen’s University. In recognition of his work, he became the youngest ever member of the Ashoka Fellowship in 2004, joining a global fellowship of outstanding social entrepreneurs. Aaron is currently studying at Oxford as a Skoll Fellow.
Emmanuelle Richez
Emmanuelle Richez is of Franco-Vietnamese heritage and grew up in Gatineau, Québec. She is currently a doctoral student in political science at McGill University, where she is specializing in the impact of Supreme Court judgements on Canadian citizenship. Previously she obtained an M.A. in political science from Université Laval, and a B.A. in political science from the University of Ottawa, where she graduated magna cum laude. While studying in Québec City, Emmanuelle worked as an aide to Québec’s minister of intergovernmental affairs and democratic reform. She has also worked in Ottawa as a page at the House of Commons and as a legislative assistant to the MP for the riding of Portneuf. She also worked at Magna International Inc. after being a finalist in Magna’s As Prime Minister Awards essay contest. In her spare time, Emmanuelle likes to cook, rollerblade, and shop for bargains on eBay
Benjamin Shinewald
Benjamin Shinewald’s diverse professional experiences reflect his interests in both public policy and private enterprise – and the interplay between the two. Benjamin is presently on an Executive Interchange, serving as a senior analyst in the Economic and Regional Development Secretariat of the Privy Council Office. Prior to this position, Benjamin practiced corporate and securities law for three years at Torys LLP, one of Canada’s top “ Bay Street” law firms. His earlier employment experiences include serving as a law clerk to Chief Justice Aharon Barak of the Supreme Court of Israel; working at Simpson Thacher and Bartlett, a major “Wall Street” law firm in New York; interning for Hon. Martin Lee, chair of the Democratic Party of Hong Kong; serving in the Permanent Delegation of Canada to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris; and working for the Winnipeg Jets Hockey Club of the National Hockey League. Benjamin earned a Juris Doctor in Law from the University of Toronto, where he also served as the president of the Students’ Law Society and was a fellow at Massey College. He earned a Master’s degree in international relations from the London School of Economics, where he was a fellow at Goodenough College; and a B.A. (first class honours) from the University of Manitoba, where he also participated in a one-year exchange at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Benjamin has earned approximately 15 scholarships, including a Rotary Foundation Cultural Ambassadorial Scholarship to France. He is fluent in English, French and Hebrew and speaks some Spanish. Benjamin has also been active in the community, volunteering as a Big Brother in Winnipeg. He has held a wide variety of positions on various charitable and community boards, including the United Way, the Asper Foundation and the London Goodenough Association of Canada. He has traveled to approximately 30 countries, spending approximately a quarter of his life abroad. He is also an avid photographer, runner and hockey player.
Alexis Wise
Alexis has always demonstrated an interest in the intersection of social and economic policies and outcomes. In her three years as a consultant at Monitor Group, an international management consulting firm, Alexis provided strategic counsel to both private and public sector clients across a wide variety of industries including media and publishing, pharmaceuticals, life sciences, transportation, and healthcare. In 2004, Alexis decided to pursue her passion for entrepreneurship. She worked as an independent consultant, primarily in the healthcare field, and co-founded LifeSpeak Inc., a national company providing work-life integration solutions to leading Canadian organizations. Raised in Toronto, Alexis is a graduate (with distinction) of the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario. Currently, Alexis lives in the United Kingdom and is studying at London Business School. Alexis dedicates her free time to her husband and young son, her friends and her community through a variety of volunteer, athletic and continuing education interests. She is an avid downhill skier and ultimate frisbee player and continues to pursue her studies in French language.
Stéphanie Yates
Stéphanie wants to work against the ambient cynicism directed towards Canadian democratic institutions. She holds a B.A. in communication with a public relations specialization from University of Quebec in Montreal and a Master’s degree in public communication from Laval University. She centered her Master’s research on lobbyism in Quebec, work which earned her a place among the finalists for the Jean-Charles Bonenfant Award for the best Master’s thesis on Quebec politics. Stéphanie’s professional career is characterized by its diversity. After assuming responsibility for the public relations and marketing portfolio of an environmental multinational business for three years, she decided to jump into the political arena. After successfully completing a one-year internship at the National Assembly of Quebec, she worked as a political attachée for the office of the Premier of Quebec, and then became press attachée and vice-chief of office for the Minister of e-government, also in Quebec. She was actively involved in preparing Connecting Québec to its Citizens, a report used by the Québec government to orient its development efforts around the e-government initiative. As her political career has produced more questions than answers, Stéphanie is now doing her PhD in political science at Laval University. The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada is helping her in her studies with their most prestigious scholarship. Having already published some of her work, Stéphanie studies how interest groups use communication and information technologies in a context where e-democracy initiatives have the support of governments and where these efforts can contribute to re-establishing citizens’ trust in their democratic institutions.
Rebekah Young
A native of Nova Scotia, Rebekah Young is a Senior Economist with the Department of Finance working on international development policy. As part of the federal Recruitment of Policy Leaders Programme, she has also worked as a Senior Analyst at the Canadian International Development Agency. Prior to that, she worked for over three years with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), a CEO-led organization for multinational companies in Geneva, Switzerland. In a very versatile job environment, she worked on issues such as eco-efficiency, technology, small-and-mid- size enterprises, poverty alleviation, and globalisation in more than 20 countries. She has also worked on clean plant design, eco-efficiency, and industrial ecology with Hatch, an international consulting company in Canada and with a start-up in the USA (Applied Sustainability LLC). She holds an MBA from INSEAD (France/Singapore), a Master’s degree in environmental assessment and evaluation from the London School of Economics (UK), and a chemical engineering degree from McGill University. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, jogging, skiing and triathlon.
