2016/2017 Toronto Parent Advisory Board

*Please select on the name of the Parent Advisory Board Member to view their bio.

[su_accordion] [su_spoiler title=”Ms. Melissa – Toddler and PreSchool Parent”]

Melissa is an accomplished professional with proven success in both public and private sector.  Originally from Montreal, (Qc)graduated from Concordia University in Political Science and Public Administration, she is currently working at TD Insurance as a Customer Care Manager. She is a versatile individual with an expertise in executing different tasks in order to help customers and achieve organizational results.

Maman of 2 lovely active boys, she and her husband Simon adopted their preschool son as an infant in 2014 and then last year welcomed his biological brother, both via domestic adoption.

When she is not busy with her busy family routine, discovering new parts of the city, training for 10km run and or trying new recipes, Melissa is also involved with Adopt4life which is an organization that is supporting and giving a voice for parents who are involved in the adoption world.

[/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler title=”Mr. Jonathan – School Age Parent” open=”yes”]

Jonathan Mesiano-Crookston (BScH Biochem, JD) is a partner with the boutique commercial litigation firm of Goldman Hine LLP and a registered patent and trademark agent (for Canada and the United States of America).  He was awarded the IPIC Educational Prize for highest placement in the Canadian trademark agent examination. In 2016, hewas named a leading Toronto franchise lawyer by Lexpert after a peer-review process.

He has a very broad business/commercial and litigation practice, specializing in franchising and distribution law, intellectual property, computer, privacy, and pharma/health matters.  He has successfully handled claims across a wide range of areas including all manner of business disputes, franchise rescission and misrepresentation claims, intellectual property claims including complex patent litigation matters, oppression claims, partnership and shareholder disputes, injunction claims, bankruptcy, and construction lien matters, amongst others. He represents clients before all levels of Federal and Ontario Provincial courts, in arbitration and mediation proceedings, and before administrative tribunals.

Jonathan has been interviewed by national media, presented at trade and professional conferences, and has published articles (including in peer reviewed journals) on a wide range of subjects including intellectual property, civil procedure, information law, and franchising.  His articles have featured in national and international media, and have been syndicated through legal update and news services.

Jonathan volunteers as a member of the Medical and Scientific Committee of Muscular Dystrophy Canada and as a board member of a non-profit childcare centre.  He is  an active member of various professional and trade organizations, including the Canadian Franchise Association, the Association for the International Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI, where he represents Canada on the ADR standing committee), and Intellectual Property Institute of Canada. He is also an elected member of the Ontario Bar Association’s Franchising Section Executive.

[/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler title=”Ms. Shirley – Toddler Parent”]

Hello everyone! My name is Shirley and I am Chloe’s mom from Toddler 3 room.

I am a metallurgist (also known as mineral processing engineer) and dad works in marketing. On our free time, we enjoy spending family time together going out for brunch, swimming, or to the museum. And when there is extra free time, I enjoy cooking and finding new activities on Pinterest to do with Chloe.

 

 

[/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler title=”Ms. Cara – PreSchool Parent”]

After completing her bachelor of Fine Art at York University, Cara took an unlikely career path and entered the Financial industry working at CI Investments. Nine years later, she has gained experience in several different roles – administration, client service, leadership and most recently information technology. For the majority of her time at CI, she lead a small team of Client Service Representatives. This experience gave her an in depth knowledge of customer service and problem resolution. As a Team Leader and Supervisor, she created several efficiencies, new procedures and system enhancements. This in part, lead her to her current role as a Business Systems Analyst in CI’s IT department. In this role, she acts as a liaison between IT development teams and internal business teams. Cara’s husband also works for a division of the same company. Choosing Kidz Kare at Maple Leaf Square was an obvious choice for Cara’s family since CI Investments is located in the same building. What started as a convenient location turned into so much more as they grew to know the Kidz Kare team. Their daughter Mira is exceptionally happy at Kidz Kare and they all look forward to travelling to Maple Leaf Square together each day!

[/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler title=”Mr. Vince – PreSchool Parent”]

Although he currently works in the finance industry as Vice President for MATCHNow, Canada’s largest darkpool, Vince started out by getting his BA in  health and social care in his native UK and also spent two years as a police officer.  His rise through his finance career has seen him in such companies as Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse where he learned many skills relevant to both his work and home life.

He grew up in a large family surrounded by lots of children, this not only gave him his relaxed demeanour, but also his sharp sense of humour.

Vince has always been an avid traveller and he is a strong believer that travel broadens the mind and gives everyone a sense of perspective.  He sees as a valuable asset when raising or educating children.   He believes that children should be given the space to play whenever possible and learn at their own pace, while guiding them to focus on what they feel passionate about.

Vince feels that his broad professional and personal experiences will benefit this board and he hopes to leave a positive impression.[/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler title=”Ms. Rechelle – Toddler Parent”]

Rechelle Effendy, CAIA, CPA, CMA – born in Winnipeg, Canada – graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Commerce degree.  Working in the finance industry has led to opportunities in Bermuda, San Francisco and now Toronto.  In her current role as Senior Vice President for Citco (Canada) Inc, she strives to balance her challenging work with her young family.  Rechelle is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst, Chartered Professional Accountant and – the most rewarding – mother and wife.

 

 

[/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler title=”Ms. Sarah – Supervisor”] Sarah grew up in North Toronto and was a student at the Performing Arts High School where she majored in music.  After attending York University, Sarah went on to earn her Honours Early Childhood Education Diploma from George Brown College.  Additionally, she has completed Advanced Studies for Children with Special Needs at Humber College.    Sarah started her career in the field of Early Childhood Education as a Supply Teacher and over the past 19 years has worked her way up from that position to Lead Classroom Teacher, Assistant Supervisor, Supervisor and School Administrator for a multi-sight program.

Sarah is a firm believer that children learn best through play and that it is the role of the classroom teacher to provide opportunities for purposeful play that will allow each child in the class opportunities to challenge themselves and experience success.

She also believes that the best motivation for a child’s learning is internal – following their own natural curiosities and interests and that a teachers’ responsibility is to encourage their students’ exploration and build their sense of confidence as they learn about the world around them.

Sarah is passionate about early literacy – ask her for Scholastic Canada recommendations for your child!

[/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler title=”Mr. Cory – Advisory Board Financial & Business Adviser”] Since graduating from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Commerce Degree and a minor in English Literature, Cory’s professional career has followed multiple paths and exposed him to numerous industries. Along with corporate work in sales and finance in the insurance, information and news media industries, he has always maintained entrepreneurial pursuits as well. He has co-founded three companies over the past twenty years, including a boutique financial services firm, a sales consulting firm and an entertainment company. Along the way he has frequently undertaken independent consulting work in the areas of business development and communications. This has taken him throughout Canada and the US as well as to India and Africa, working with independent companies, franchises and distributors to set up and grow their businesses. Having recently sold his last company, Cory is now focusing on his writing and consulting work and enjoying being Dad to his four year old son Pearce. Along with his wife Carmen, he loves to travel and engage in amateur photography.

[/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler title=”Ms. Marisa – Advisory Board Secretary”] Image_Not_AvailableBio Coming Soon…

 

 

 

[/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler title=”Mr. Alex – Advisory Board Treasurer”] Image_Not_AvailableBio Coming Soon…

 

 

 

[/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler title=”Ms. Lisa – Advisory Board Vice Chair”]

Bio Coming Soon…

 

 

 

[/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler title=”Ms. Jennifer – Advisory Board Chair”] Jennifer_RoselliKidz Kare founder Jennifer Roselli has been involved in the child care and education industries for the past twelve years. She founded her first daycare in 2003 and tells of its genesis in the frustration of trying to find child care for her own sons. “I was having a great deal of difficulty finding the right balance of a loving and nurturing environment combined with a place where my two sons could learn. I was not prepared to place them in a situation where they were not receiving the same level of care and nutrition they would get at home, as well as the daily challenge of new things to learn and achieve.” Yet her day care search continually yielded only extremes of one or the other with no happy medium. Never one to accept the status quo, Jennifer decided to take matters into her own hands and create the solution she couldn’t find in the marketplace. She became a “mom on a mission” to develop a childcare facility that could offer the best of both worlds. She wanted to produce something that would meet the exacting expectations she had for the care of her own children and at the same time provide other parents with the relief of discovering a daycare that nurtured all aspects of children’s development, from health and happiness to achieving learning milestones.
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*Due to privacy laws, we have removed the last names on our profiles.