Vice Chair

Debra is an accomplished nonprofit leader blending international experience and entrepreneurial spirit with the desire to unleash the power of people, teams and social impact organizations to deliver transformational change.

Debra currently works as an Interim Executive leader, working alongside volunteer Board and leadership teams through times of leadership transition. Prior to this Debra was President & CEO of The Learning Partnership (TLP). She led both the transformation and graceful wind-down of this national organization, transitioning TLP programming to four exciting Canadian organizations.

Debra also led Canadian Feed the Children on a journey to become an award-winning international agency recognized for governance excellence with an inclusive long-term approach to community led development, including Bolivia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Uganda and First Nations communities in Canada.

Debra started her nonprofit leadership journey as the Chief Program and Policy Officer/ Executive Director Strategic Partnerships for Right To Play, working alongside the CEO and Founder to set a strong foundation to deliver rapid start-up and global growth. Debra has held a variety of strategic marketing and communications roles (Warner Lambert, Labatt Breweries and Mariposa Communications).

Debra holds an M.Sc. in International Development Management from the London School of Economics, an International MBA from the University of Edinburgh and an undergrad degree from Queen’s University.

Treasurer

Umair Jaffar is the CEO of Small World Music, one of Toronto’s most significant presenters of culturally-diverse music and also the producers of the Global Toronto Conference.  

Umair is a member of the City of Toronto Music Advisory Council. Additionally, he advises Humber College’s Music Program, Toronto Metropolitan University’s Creative School, and the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences/The JUNO Awards.

He is a board member for several non-profit art organizations, including MusiConnect Asia/Asia Music Summit, CAPACOA (Canadian Arts Presenting Association), Folk Canada/Folk Music Ontario, and Bhutan's Hidden Kingdom Music Festival. 

He holds an MBA in Strategy & Finance from the University of Adelaide and an MSc in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Oxford.

Founder, Board Chair

Michael Prosserman found his passion for B-Boying (“break dancing”) at a very young age. By the time he was three, Michael was already standing on his head while watching Saturday morning cartoons.

Michael is a professional speaker who specializes in team culture, development, succession and start-ups. He is the Founder of Unity Charity (www.unitycharity.com), an organization using Hip Hop to improve youth mental health. Michael built Unity from the ground up over fifteen years out of his passion for Hip Hop and mental health. By high school, Michael was accepted into Cirque Du Soleil and was featured in the major motion picture “Honey”. Since then, Michael has had the privilege to share his story, perform and facilitate for hundreds of audiences including municipalities, non-profits, corporations, associations, schools and more.

Michael grew Unity from a group of volunteers to employing eighty staff, raising $7 million and having an impact on the lives of over 250,000 youth. Michael has facilitated groups from Asia to Europe to the Canadian Arctic. Michael speaks from lived experience, bringing a practical, innovative approach to coaching, consulting and teaching. Michael’s new book Building Unity shares practical steps to launch, lead and leave a sustainable organization. Michael is an instructor at the University of Toronto for the Non-Profit Leadership for Impact certificate. Michael has travelled the world as a competitive B-Boy, placing first in over twenty-six battles. Michael has been featured in over sixty major media outlets in Canada including Maclean’s, Toronto Star, and CBC.

Michael is the Founder at EPIC Leadership, a firm focused on helping social impact leaders build sustainable organizations. Michael serves on the board of directors of several charities including Acorn Seed Foundation and RISE Arts and Community Services. He has a strong passion for making the world a better place in a responsible way.