The 519 Board of Management Candidates 2021/22

The 519 membership will elect new members to The 519 Board of Management at our upcoming Virtual Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, September 29, 2021, 6:00pm ET via Zoom.

There are 6 available positions to fill on the Board this year – at least 2 elected members must be from the catchment area bounded by Bloor, Bay, Gerrard, and Parliament streets. Members from the catchment area may fill non-catchment positions. 

The 519 Board of Management is recommending a slate of candidates based on the following Board-approved Skills and Experience as well as Recruitment Priorities.

Skills and Experience:

• Philanthropy and fundraising
• Community services 
• Government Relations
• Advocacy of LGBTQ2S issues
• Financial literacy
• Digital services innovation
• Board leadership and development

Recruitment Priorities:

• Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) communities
• Women
• Trans and non-binary people
• People with disabilities
• Youth (ages 18-25)
• Older LGBTQ2S adults

The Board-recommended slate for 2021/22 is comprised of 3 current Board Members who are completing their terms and are running for re-election and 3 new candidates who are running for election.

For more information about voting eligibility, please visit: https://www.the519.org/news/agm-vote2021. 

The 519 Board of Management 2021/22 Recommended Candidates

Recommended Catchment Candidates:

Natalie Miller

Natalie Miller (she/her) is completing her JD at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law. At UofT, Natalie is co-president of Out in Law and an enthusiastic volunteer for Pro-Bono Students Canada. Natalie has also enjoyed volunteering for the International Human Rights Program’s Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Working Group and as the Submissions Manager for the Indigenous Law Journal. Over the past year, Natalie has worked as a tenant housing Caseworker at Downtown Legal Services and spent her second-year summer working at Torys LLP. Prior to law school Natalie earned an HBA at Western University where she focused her studies on non-profit organizations, social enterprise, and corporate-social responsibility. During her summers, Natalie worked for a non-profit organization, a charity law firm, and in the corporate social responsibility department of a Toronto-based company. Outside of school, Natalie enjoyed serving as the President of Amnesty International at Western and taking weekly shifts at Western’s Peer Support Centre. For fun, Natalie enjoys spending time outdoors camping, hiking, and skiing, and listening to live music.

Watch a video from Natalie.

Tom Spence

Tom Spence (he/him) holds a Master’s in History from McMaster University. Since he arrived, he has called Toronto home for over ten years and consistently volunteered in leadership roles within the LGBTQ2S community. Tom currently sits on the Board of Directors for Forte – Toronto Gay Men’s Chorus as Director of Outreach & Acting Secretary when he’s not singing baritone in the chorus. He has also volunteered across the community in several other organizations. He was a co-lead for several years with Pride Toronto and was on the steering committee of the Friends for Life Bike Rally. Tom currently works at U of T as the University’s Recognition & Engagement Advisor. In that role, he oversees a number of the University’s pinnacle award programs and supporting events and programming from the University’s Equity Offices. Before joining U of T, he was a Senior Advisor to the 25th Premier of Ontario, Kathleen Wynne. A proud retired member of the Canadian Forces-Army Reserve, Tom resides in the Church and Wellesley Village with his husband, Mith.

Recommended Non-Catchment Candidates:

Biko Beauttah

Biko Beauttah (she/her) is a Published Author, Community Organizer, Human Rights Activist,  UNHCR Goodwill Glambassador, the Face of Nordström True Nord Nationwide Campaign and Toronto Life’s Best Dressed Person. Biko has been serving on the Board of Management at The 519 for almost 5 years and continues to play an integral role in the governance of the organization. She is well-known and well-respected for her leadership within Toronto’s Black and Trans communities.

Pam Hrick

Pam Hrick (she/her) is the Executive Director and General Counsel of the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF). She previously practiced law at Stockwoods LLP in Toronto. Pam received an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Ottawa and a law degree from Queen’s University. She has completed judicial clerkships at the Supreme Court of Canada and the Federal Court of Appeal. Pam is actively involved in work dedicated to ending violence against women. She served as Vice-Chair of the Board of the Sexual Assault Centre Kingston and was a member of the University of Ottawa’s Task Force on Respect and Equality. She has also acted as pro bono counsel for the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic in appeals before the Ontario Superior Court. Pam has been recognized as a Leader To Be Proud Of by Start Proud.

Zoe Robinson

Zoe Robinson (she/her) has a CPA, CMA accreditation and is the Director of Corporate Services at the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario. She worked in amateur sport for most of her 30-year career as an executive with a national sports organization. Zoe has served on multiple boards of directors over her career most recently with the Canadian Mental Health Organization – Vancouver/Fraser Branch, Parachute Canada, and The Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Services Agencies of BC (AMSSA). Zoe has spoken publicly in the amateur sport community about her transition after she came out at 54-years of age in November 2018. She lives in East York, runs, reads historical fiction and business strategy, enjoys Taylor Swift, and has two adult children.

Watch a video from Zoe.

Mauriene Tolentino

Mauriene Tolentino (they/she) is a queer treaty person, community organizer and health policy researcher in Tkaronto/Treaty 13 (Toronto) with roots originating from Mindanaoan and Visayan islands of the Philippines. Currently a Policy and Research Analyst at the Mental Health Commission of Canada, Mauriene holds a Masters of Public Health degree at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (University of Toronto) with a specialization in Women and Gender Studies and Public Health Policy. With intentions rooted in social justice, health equity and queer liberation, Mauriene works to use her research and public health background to work towards improving the well-being of marginalized and underprivileged populations in Canada. Mauriene centers decolonization and collective care as an active leader and community member supporting a few organizations and initiatives, including Makulay at iba pa, Kapit Bisig (mutual aid group for migrant Filipinos), and the Filipino Youth Fellowship Steering Committee as a volunteer Co-chair. Away from her virtual workspace, Mauriene enjoys tending to what she calls her apocalypse vegetable and flower garden.

Watch a video from Mauriene.

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