Governing Board

New Hope Non-Profit Dwellings (Durham) Inc. is a 118-unit apartment building in Oshawa, Ontario, that has been serving the residents of the Durham Region for the past 30 years. The building is governed by a multi-disciplinary board consisting of up to 11 volunteers from various backgrounds. We are presently seeking an individual with strong finance, law, building maintenance, property management or strategic planning/partnerships experience to join our Board of Directors. Individuals with professional experience outside of these areas but with a willingness to serve their community are also encouraged to apply. Please submit your CV with an expression of interest by email to newhopedwellings@rogers.com.

While we appreciate all interest in this volunteer opportunity, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

2024 Board of Directors

  • Mounir Marhaba – President
  • Caleesis Telesh – Vice President
  • Neil Sharma – Treasurer
  • Kristyn Bradley – Secretary
  • Antoine Awada – Director
  • Bruno Gino – Director
  • Francis Ani – Director
  • Clarence D’Souza – Director
  • Gabriela Palivan – Director
  • Ekene Ossai – Director

Directors' Biographies

Mounir Marhaba

President

Mounir Marhaba is a thought leader, a respected strategist, knowledge broker, an experienced management consultant, a former senior Canadian government official, Certified Health Executive (CHE), Stanford University Certified Program/Project Manager (SCPM) and an accomplished and versatile business professional, with over 25 years of Canadian and international business experience armed with solid leadership and board governance competencies backed by a multi-disciplinary postgraduate education from well-respected universities in Canada, US and UK.

Mounir is also a Professor, Faculty of Business and Healthcare Management Degree Programs, Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, Toronto.

Mounir works with governments, health services provider organizations and private sector companies to address challenges facing the business and healthcare industry, and understands the complex interplay between the clinical, technical and business aspects and their impact on public policy, funding, business and government decision making.

Caleesis Telesh

Vice-President

Caleesis Telesh is an Ontario Licensed Lawyer, with eight years in the legal field and has progressed from a law clerk to a Lawyer. She holds an LLB from the University of Birmingham, a Paralegal Diploma from Centennial College, and a B.A. in Social Science and Legal Equity Studies from York University. Caleesis is a Lawyer Licensing Candidate with the Law Society of Ontario and has also received accreditation from the Federation of Law Societies of Canada’s National Committee on Accreditation.

Caleesis past work experiences include roles such as a Legal Assistant for R. Holland Sole Practitioner (2013-2017), Court Reporter for the Ministry Attorney General (2017-2018), Law Team member at Royal Bank of Canada Wealth Management (2018-2019), Trust/Conflict Clerk at Gardiner Roberts LLP (2021) and Article Student at Daniel Kayfetz Law Office (2022-2024). In her career roles, she has managed and maintained trust account records and transactions, resolved financial discrepancies, supported multiple counsel with corporate and arbitration documents, conducted extensive legal research and has also provided support in criminal, bankruptcy, and litigation matters. Caleesis has also participated in professional development courses on immigration and anti-money laundering.

Neil Sharma

Treasurer

Neil Sharma is a CPA having worked various roles in multinational organizations.  He was born in India and has also spent time in Middle East and Africa prior to moving to Canada.  He has been a volunteer for CPA Canada’s Tax clinic.

Kristyn Bradley

Secretary

Kristyn Bradley studied Human Resources at Humber College in Toronto. She holds a CHRP certification and is in pursuit of her CHRL designation.  Kristyn’s area of expertise is Canadian employment law and legislation, which she applies in her current position with Harris Poll, a global market research group as the Canadian HR Manager. Before her time at Harris Poll, Kristyn worked for a reputable architecture firm in Toronto as an HR Lead and prior that she was a Sr. HR Generalist with a global cyber security firm.

Antoine Awada

Director

Antoine Awada is an active Member in the Knights of Columbus John Paul II Assembly in the Halton Region, as well as several social activities. He was awarded the Halton Multicultural Centre, New Comer Strategy (Newcomer Recognition Event Honouree), an award for helping new comers to Canada in 2017, as well as the Canadian 150 Award, and the Canadian House of Common Recognition Prize in 2018. 

Antoine is married and a proud father of two boys.

Bruno Gino

Director

Bruno Gino is a Brazilian physician with 8 years of experience in public health and emergencies. He holds a Masters Degree in Health Sciences from the University of Ontario in Canada, where he developed a broad understanding of how the physical and social context shapes health, illness, and health care. This includes research and analysis of cultural and economic differences and their implications for health and health care for diverse populations. Bruno also learned strategies to engage communities in efforts to reduce illness and promote health.

Growing up in Brazil, Bruno developed a strong altruistic mindset. After moving to Canada, he continues to feel that he can help many people and believes this is his greatest life mission.

Additionally, Bruno is a dedicated advocate and activist for human rights, recognized in his country by prominent figures such as President Lula. His written work “Poesia que Cura” has been praised by the renowned writer Paulo Coelho. He is also a science communicator and social activist, with over 120K followers on X (formerly, Twitter) and 50K on Instagram.

Francis Ani

Director

Francis Ani is a lawyer and writer with a strong legal background and extensive experience in dispute resolution. He holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nigeria and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Jos, Nigeria. He was admitted to the Nigerian Bar in November 2008.

Francis has vast expertise in complex litigations. He has advised and represented corporations and individuals across diverse areas of law, including oil and gas, secured credit transactions, banking law and regulation, torts, land and property law, intellectual property, company law, constitutional and administrative law, construction contracts, labor and employment, election law, family law, white-collar crime defense, general civil and commercial litigation.

Francis is a member of the International Bar Association. He is currently pursuing accreditation from the National Committee on Accreditation in Canada.

Clarence D'Souza

Director

Clarence D’Souza is a Biomedical Engineering Consultant, with an MBA in Healthcare Management & Leadership and a a work experience spanning over 40 years, successfully leading multi-disciplinary teams in hospital equipment and technology planning, for numerous healthcare projects globally. 

Clarence’s prominent hospital projects through Interhealth Canada spanned across UK, Europe, & British Caribbean (P3 Healthcare Projects). He was fully involved in the design stage of the clinical activity data bases, room data sheets liaising with  architects, life cycle costs modeling, detailing pre-installation requirements, preparation of specifications with IT integration for all the biomedical equipment, tendering, evaluating, purchasing, overseeing installation and service contract negotiations. All the projects were completed in time and within the stipulated budgets.

Gabriela Palivan

Director

Gabriela Palivan is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA Ontario), an Engineer (Precision Mechanics and Automations), Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and has a background in Law. She is experienced in integrating financial with manufacturing systems with a focus on strategic implications.

Gabriela also currently serves as Finance Portfolio Manager for the Project Management Institute, Lakeshore ON chapter and volunteers with Hospice Vaughan. She is a dedicated mother, passionate about education and continuous improvement for a brighter future for all. Her life experiences lead her to integrate body-mind-spirit healing modalities for those who want to overcome and become the best version of themselves. 

Ekene Ossai

Director

Ekene Ossai is a trusted advisor and finance professional with over 9 years broad public accounting and industry experience. Ekene enjoys helping publicly listed companies, private companies, and not-for-profit organizations meet their reporting and governance requirements.

Ekene is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), United Kingdom. He is also a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in applied accounting from Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom.