Board of Directors

Board of Directors 2022-2023

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Nermin Foda

Chair Person

Nermin Foda, OCT (certified, Ontario College of Teachers) is an educator with extensive Canadian and international experience. She holds Bachelor Degrees in Commerce and Education. She is a teacher with

the Peel District School Board for over 20 years in the areas of Special Education and English as a Second Language. She was a member of OnBoard Canada and completed the Not For Profit Governance Essentials program at the Rotman School of Management by the Institute of Corporate Directors. She joined MIAG as a Board Member in 2017 and is currently a Board Member and Treasurer.


She has served as a member of the board for the Council for the College of Early Childhood Educators of the Ministry of Education as an Order in Council appointee by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. In her spare time she enjoys gardening, cooking and sewing.

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Rekha Vaishnav

Vice Chair

Rekha Vaishnav, M.S.W., R.S.W. has over 18 years of professional experience in community mental health in various capacities. At present she successfully carries a two-fold professional role as a President of MEHAR, (Mental and Emotional Health Awareness Renaissance) and as a psychiatric Social Worker as her full-time employment. As a licensed social worker and through providing direct clinical services, Rekha has gained in-depth understanding of diverse communities in the context of mental health challenges.

 

Rekha’s passion for art and mental health inspired her to establish MEHAR which is a non-profit organization committed to spread awareness around mental health through art. She contributes her professional experience, knowledge and expertise to create and produce artistic projects in the form of theatre, films and creative writing to educate our community about mental health topics. MEHAR's Theatrical project “I am still Me” and Poetry project "Mann" and the documentary film are the outcomes of her vision to foster community engagement in connecting art with mental and emotional well-being.

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Esel Laxa Panlaqui

Secretary

Esel Laxa Panlaqui has worked in settlement services and community development in over the last 15 years. She is the Manager of Community Development and Special Projects at TNO-The Neighbourhood Organization. She also took the initiatives towards achieving social justice for marginalized immigrant caregivers and has written several articles about inequities that shape their lives including recommendations to adopting human rights approaches to service delivery and policy development.


Esel studied Community Service as well as Women’s Development program. She continued her education focusing on Refugee Studies at York University. She received the Woman Abuse Council of Toronto (WomanACT) Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Advocate Award in 2017.

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Fauzia Khan

Director

Fauzia Khan has 13 years of experience in the social services sector, with a focus on settlement and women’s empowerment. She is currently the Settlement Manager at the Afghan Women’s Organization in Mississauga, where she has been since 2009.


Fauzia has been involved in a variety of different organizations including Victim Services of Peel, MIAG, and Interval House of Hamilton. Her work has been focused on the settlement needs of newcomer and refugee women and families, including a special focus on Violence Against Women (VAW). An advocate of women’s health and wellness, and lifelong learning, she engages and guides community members to realize their full potential as they transition into life in Canada.

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Susan Lee

Director

Susan Lee is a Talent and Development professional with over 15 years of experience in a broad range of industries including financial, telecommunications, IT, retail, education, government, and management consulting. She holds a dual MBA from Queen’s University in Kingston and Cornell University in Ithaca, as well as a Master’s Degree in Educational Technology from Concordia University in Montreal. Susan is currently the Director of Education at IFSE Institute.

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Shivani Parshad

Director

Shivani Parshad brings over 15 years of experience in the Human Service sector and specializes in Training and Development, project management and community development. She has led diverse projects such as women empowerment, employment, Diversity and Inclusion for employers, and capacity building. Her global and local experience ranges from being a Consultant, Project Manager to Facilitator with City of Mississauga, City of Guelph, PwC, Nissan and many other non-profit organizations in GTA.


Shivani holds a Master degree in Human Resource Management and Post Graduate in Psychology. She believes in continuous learning, building a resilient society through education and community collaboration. To achieve her personal and professional goals she partners with organizations and people with common community development goals. Outside of her work, she practices spirituality and teaches Human Values (Truth, Love, Peace, Right Conduct and Non-Violence) to children of all faiths on Saturdays.

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Dr. Salha Jeizan

Former Chair Person

Dr. Salha is a community figure who devoted her time to advocacy on behalf of vulnerable community groups. She is a member of many committees and sits as a community member representative of Parents Involvement Committee, Peel District School Board as well as the Community Advisory Group of the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC). She is the founder of Umoja Women's Association (UWA). Salha holds a PhD in Education from University of Minnesota, USA and M.A from McGill University, Canada. Salha has been a teacher and educator for over 30 years and had experience mentoring and teaching degree level courses in C&I. Currently Salha teaches at Sheridan College in the Department of Professional Studies and as Adjunct Faculty at Capella University.

 

Salha is committed to community work and she has been involved with the Board of MIAG in various capacities since 2006.



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Karthika Gobinath

Former Vice Chair

Karthika Gobinath completed a BA (HONS) in Criminology, Justice & Policy Studies. She is a graduate of York University’s Masters in Public Policy, Administration, and Law Program, Graduate Diploma in Justice System Administration; and the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management’s NFP Governance Essentials Program. Karthika has worked for the Ontario Public Sector for over seven years and as a professor at Centennial College’s School of Business.


Karthika offers her expertise in policy through various non-profit Boards serving woman, children, and youth in the community through the Elizabeth Fry Society of Toronto, Hope 24/7, MIAG Centre for Diverse Women and Children, the Boys and Girls Club of Peel, Brampton Focus, and more recently, Refugee Girls Worldwide.


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