About Us

Mark is a modern Renaissance man that oversees the programming at EHRC. He has managed research and programs to transfer skills from regulated occupations into unregulated occupations while minimizing job seeker retraining. Mark’s extensive experience covers a range of skills and geographies, including sub-Saharan Africa, Taiwan, and across Canada. As a result, he has a robust set of professional talents and strong opinions about tea.

Mark holds a BA in Government from St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY and an MA in Human Security and Peacebuilding from Royal Roads University in Victoria, BC. In his spare time, Mark volunteers with organizations such as the Foundation Fighting Blindness, QuickStart Autism and Chairs the Autism Family Advisory Committee at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. The German Eurodance group SNAP! once said “rhythm is a dancer“, and so is Mark.

Marie has over 30 years of experience in business development, marketing and communications, strategic planning, project management, customer service, human resources, accounting principles, management and government relations. Her key areas of interest and professional practice include stakeholder engagement and large-scale communications and public relations planning.

Marie is a graduate with honours of the Algonquin College Marketing program. She’s been awarded both National Account Executive of the Year and Top Performer for her work. She also has a strong history of volunteering the Alzheimer Society of Ottawa, CHEO, GCWCC workplace campaign, and the Canadian Country Music Association. Marie is both a little bit country and a little bit rock ‘n roll.

Karen is a marketing and communications professional with over 15 years of experience working in both the high-technology and non-profit sector. She has worked on corporate rebranding, market research, product launches, web site development, digital marketing, and trade show management both nationally and internationally. She combines this with excellent project management, writing and communications skills
Karen is a graduate of Carleton University and Algonquin College where she continues to enjoy teaching young people starting out in their career.

Anita is EHRC’s Vancouver-based Project Manager and Cowgirl-at-Large for Western Canada. She brings a strong background in non-profits and research, along with a passion for making a difference with her work. Anita supports EHRC’s projects focusing on diversity & inclusion, helping all Canadians to participate in our economy. In addition to project management, Anita has years of experience in strategic development, stakeholder relations, communications, and public relations.

Anita holds a Masters degree in International Relations and Political Diaspora from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, as well as an Honours degree in Political Science, with a Minor in French from Carleton University, in Ottawa, Canada. She’s got the same talents and air of international-person-of-mystery as James Bond, but with a much healthier attitude about gender roles.

Kim MacLaren brings over 14 years in workplace skills development and competency analysis to our team as Competency Consultant and served as the Project Manager for EHRC’s National Occupational Standards and Functional Analysis Project. A consistent and calm communicator, facilitator and researcher, her collaborative approach and straight-forward thinking allows her to effectively partner and engage with people of all walks of life.

Kim holds a Master of Organizational Management (M.Org.M.) degree from Crandall University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Prince Edward Island. She is also a certified DACUM Facilitator and Essential Skills Analyst. Additionally, she has completed training in Systematic Curriculum and Instructional Design, Occupational Language Analysis, Basic Test Development and Project Management.

A true East-Coaster, Kim loves all seafood, seaglass hunting, and the feeling of the salty air on her skin.

Zarina Mujanovic is EHRC’s Administrative Coordinator, keeping everything organized! Coming from a diverse experience of education in Political Science and European Studies as well as many travels, Zarina is a vibrant and kind individual who is passionate about community building and sustainable development.
Zarina brings a strong background in Administration in both the private and public sector as well as experience in client relations. Seeing everything from a global lens, Zarina loves to help and learn about people from all walks of life and is never shy to say hello and welcome!
During her spare time, you will find Zarina reading up on Historical fiction, planning a new adventure, or attending her spin classes!

“ Let the beauty of what you love be what you do”- Rumi

Born and raised in Belgium, Grace is a leading expert in innovative public-private multi-stakeholder governance models, from shaping social initiatives and regulatory frameworks for social entrepreneurship initiatives and impact investing. She has consulted with various public and private institutions on strategy.

Grace holds a Bachelor of Sciences, International Development and Globalization from the University of Ottawa and is fluent in four languages (English, French, Dutch and Lingala).
She loves reading fiction and autobiographies, travelling the world, and food.

Born and raised in Ottawa, Emily earned her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Feminist Studies from the University of Ottawa. She is a graduate with honours of the Algonquin College Media Studies program as well. She is best at keeping things organized and on time, and her background is mainly client relations with some sponsorship coordinating mixed in.

Emily’s passions reside in social justice initiatives and equity, diversity, and inclusion, with a touch of reality television. When she’s not making sure projects run smoothly at EHRC, you can find her chasing her dog around or in the kitchen experimenting with new recipes…for her, not her dog.

Pat has many years of experience in small business development, event management, and experiential marketing. Her goal in project coordination is to get the task done in the most enjoyable and efficient way possible. Pat embraces an interdisciplinary approach to problem-solving and her calm demeanor makes her a natural mediator. She is a highly organized multitasker and is a strong proponent of the mantra; the devil is in the details.
Pat holds a diploma in Theater Production from the National Theater School of Canada, a BA in Urban Studies from Concordia University, and a Graduate Certificate in Event Management from Algonquin College. She also holds the designation as a Certified Exhibition Manager by the International Association of Exhibitions and Events.

Austin is an integrated communications generalist with over 10 years of experience in internal & external communications across agencies, not-for-profits, and the health & fitness industry. Austin holds an Honors Bachelor of Arts in Social Communications from Saint Paul University and an Advanced Diploma in Marketing & Advertising Communications Management from Algonquin College. He is a former personal trainer and group fitness instructor, and continues his learning with online certifications in content & social media marketing and diversity & inclusion.

Opeoluwa brings a strong background in project administration and coordination from previous employment opportunities. She enjoys improving her soft skills through daily activities like talking to people and going out to meet new people to build inter-personal & communication skills, and to learn more about people.

Opeoluwa holds a Master’s degree in Economics from The University of Ottawa and a Bachelor of Sciences, Economics from Babcock University in Nigeria. She loves reading books, traveling, food, and binge-watching reality tv shows.

James brings a diverse range of experience to EHRC. A history major with a concentration on the Rise of Nationalism in the 19th and 20th century, James spent time teaching in Barcelona prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and is a huge fan of the arts. He has worked in a variety of capacities, from administration and communications to event management. James’ enthusiasm is contagious and he’s always keen to help. A people-person at heart, he looks forward to his work with EHRC clients and to building lasting relationships with them. James is always looking to chat about new and old artists alike whether they’re in the classical art field, music, film, or writing. In fact, James loves chatting about everything from arts, to sciences, to religion.

Murtaza is a project management and grants writing professional with over 9 years of experience in non-profits. He has extensive experience in project development, consultation, team building, and strategic implementation. Murtaza has managed distinctive projects and research, and emphasizes the importance of learning, unlearning, and relearning to evolve and continue creating impact. He combines this with excellent participatory research and people skills.

He enjoys analytical thinking, planning, and implementing at both macro and micro levels to extract the best out of a project. Prior to joining EHRC, Murtaza worked with non-profits headquartered in Toronto and Tokyo, besides traveling extensively in remote environments to experience the root causes of socio-economic challenges. An advocate for global citizenship and responsible consumerism, Murtaza loves spending time with nature and talking about the food revolution.

Yoana (she/her) joined EHRC in 2022 and looks forward to continuing to use her broad range of project management experience to help youth and equity-deserving communities access meaningful employment opportunities in the electricity sector. Hailing from Bulgaria, she has firsthand experience of the challenges people face entering the labor market and has since been working actively to remove these barriers for others.

Over the years, Yoana has worked in the non-profit, labor, and education sectors as an advocate, facilitator, administrator, and organizer. She holds an MBA from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec and a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Ithaca College in the state of New York.

Yoana has deep love of international cuisine and all baked goods, including the beloved Bulgarian sweet bread “kozunak.” When she is not sampling dishes from different places in the world, she can be seen running after her dog, a bundle of energy named Finn.

Executive Assistant with over 20 years’ experience working in a variety of industries including retail and pharmaceutical.

Strong work ethic, highly organized and efficient, able to juggle multiple tasks at once. Skilled communicator with experience managing projects and coordinating events. Motivated self-starter who is always looking for new ways to improve efficiency in the workplace.

Spare time: Gardening, travelling, reading.

Dragana comes to EHCR with 15 years of experience in managing projects in supporting the integration of immigrants into local community and labour market. She is an experienced teacher, facilitator and project manager with a focus on cross cultural communication and training, end emotional intelligence.

She has BA in Applied Linguistics and Graduate Degree in Teaching English as a Second Language. Dragana is a keen cyclist, beginner drummer and an avid consumer of podcasts and popular culture. She travels without a lot of planning and considers that as great learning experiences.

Hailing from London, Ontario, Vicky brings a broad range of career experience to EHRC. During her time spent in the non-profit and financial industry, Vicky aided in the administration and completion of many charitable and HR-based projects on both a regional and national level. Vicky also has experience in the education sector, teaching and guiding students about modern-day social issues and sociological research.

Vicky's passion lies in helping others and bringing awareness to sociological problems, evidenced by her MA in Sociology from Carleton University. She looks forward to utilizing her passion to help provide sustainability, diversity and equal opportunities to the electricity industry.

Vicky is a people-person, and loves spending her time socializing with friends, getting to know new people, or dancing and singing to punk music in her home.