Our people

Meet our dedicated team of Board of Trustees, Class Proceedings Committee, and staff members.

The Law Foundation of Ontario is governed by a five-person voluntary Board of Trustees. Three Trustees are appointed by the Law Society of Ontario and two by the Attorney General of Ontario. The Foundation also administers the Class Proceedings Fund, which provides cost assistance in class actions. The Law Foundation of Ontario appoints one member of the Class Proceedings Committee and the Attorney General also appoints one member. Three members are appointed jointly by the Foundation and the Attorney General. All of the work of the Foundation and Class Proceedings Committee is supported by a small and dedicated staff team.

Alida DeLorenzi

Grants Manager

Anarthy Arumaichselvam

Legal Assistant, Class Proceedings Committee

Arta Tafaj

Senior Administrative Coordinator (Accounting & Compliance)

Catherine Banning*

General Manager Maawandoon Inc.

Ms Banning is a lay Bencher of the Law Society...

Connie Gemma

Finance Coordinator

Danielle Marks***

Partner and Chair of the Civil Litigation practice group, SV Law

Emily Naylor

Governance Coordinator & Executive Assistant

Gerald Chan*

Partner, Stockwoods LLP Barristers

Gerald Chan is a Law Society of Ontario Bencher (Toronto)...

Gianne Ewing-Chow

Grants Manager

Heather Johnston**

Consultant, Financial and Operational Management

Heather recently retired from BDO Canada where she was the Office Managing...

Jerry Calkowski

Acting Director, Strategic Finance

Jessica Ellis

Grants Manager

John P. Brown**

Chair, Class Proceedings Committee & Legal and Strategic Advisor, Indigenous Initiatives, McCarthy Tétrault

Lara Sanders

Director, Strategic Finance

Leah Zilnik

Grants Manager

Lili Pach

Grants Manager

Linda R. Rothstein*

Partner, Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP

Linda R. Rothstein B.A., LL.B. is a partner of Paliare...

Lisa Brisebois

Director, Human Resources & Operations

Lisa has extensive experience in learning and development, change management,...

Lisa Cirillo

Chief Executive Officer

Lisa Cirillo has served as CEO of The Law Foundation...

Monique Jilesen****

Managing Partner and Commercial Litigation lawyer, Lenczner Slaght

Mpume Hlazo

Senior Financial Analyst

Nadia Campion***

Commercial Litigator/Partner, Lax O’Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb

Nathalie Gondek

Associate Counsel, Class Proceedings Committee

Nathalie Noël

Communications Manager

Noah Aiken-Klar

Director, Grants & Programs

As Director, Grants & Programs, Noah provides strategic leadership for...

Punar Sidhu

Operations & Administration Coordinator

Rachael Simser

Law Student

Remissa Hirji

Director and Counsel, Class Proceedings Committee

Rohana Buzamlak

Grants and Programs Coordinator

Sharnette Beckett

Finance Assistant

Stephen Thiele**

Partner and Director of Legal Research, Gardiner Roberts LLP

Mr. Thiele is a partner and the Director of Legal...

Purple square made up of vertical and horizontal pillars

Alida DeLorenzi

Position: Grants Manager
Phone: 416-598-1550;205
Email: ADelorenzi@lawfoundation.on.ca
Categories: Grants Manager, Staff
Pronouns: she/her
Purple square made up of vertical and horizontal pillars

Anarthy Arumaichselvam

Position: Legal Assistant, Class Proceedings Committee
Phone: 416-595-1425;303
Email: AArumaichselvam@lawfoundation.on.ca
Categories: Staff
Purple square made up of vertical and horizontal pillars

Arta Tafaj

Position: Senior Administrative Coordinator (Accounting & Compliance)
Phone: 416-598-1550;213
Email: ATafaj@lawfoundation.on.ca
Categories: Staff
Pronouns: she/her
Woman with long brown hair wearing glasses

Catherine Banning*

Position: General Manager Maawandoon Inc.
Categories: Board
Pronouns: she/her

Ms Banning is a lay Bencher of the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) and General Manager of Maawandoon Inc., a Fort William-based business specializing in Indigenous engagement, capacity and infrastructure development, First Nation governance policy, and procedure development. Previously, she worked within the financial services sector as Chief Credit Officer for a credit union where she managed property and commercial law files and adjudicated a $70-million loan portfolio.

A proud Nishnaabe-qwe band member of Fort William First Nation and lifetime resident of Northwestern Ontario, Ms Banning is the second-ever Indigenous lay Bencher in the LSO’s history. Lay Benchers are appointed by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. They represent the public and do not require a law degree or training. She sits on the LSO’s Audit & Finance, Equity and Indigenous Affairs, and Tribunal committees.

Purple square made up of vertical and horizontal pillars

Connie Gemma

Position: Finance Coordinator
Phone: 416-598-1550;231
Email: CGemma@lawfoundation.on.ca
Categories: Staff
Pronouns: she/her
Woman with long black curly hair, smiling

Danielle Marks***

Position: Partner and Chair of the Civil Litigation practice group, SV Law
Categories: Class Proceedings Committee
Pronouns: she/her
Purple square made up of vertical and horizontal pillars

Emily Naylor

Position: Governance Coordinator & Executive Assistant
Phone: 416-598-1550;206
Email: ENaylor@lawfoundation.on.ca
Categories: Staff
Pronouns: she/her
Man smiling slightly who has short black hair and dark glasses and is wearing a light and dark blue tie

Gerald Chan*

Position: Partner, Stockwoods LLP Barristers
Categories: Board
Pronouns: he/him

Gerald Chan is a Law Society of Ontario Bencher (Toronto) and Partner at Stockwoods LLP Barristers. He practices criminal, administrative, and civil litigation, with a special focus on white collar criminal and regulatory defence. His diverse practice includes regulatory offences, criminal prosecutions, cyber-crimes, and professional disciplinary proceedings. In addition to his trial practice, Gerald acts for clients on appeals and judicial reviews. He has appeared as counsel in over 20 appeals in the Supreme Court of Canada, including cases on data privacy, foreign corruption, insider trading, and medical marijuana.

He is a longtime member of the Probono Inmate Appeal Program through which he argues appeals for marginalized inmates in the Court of Appeal for Ontario. He is also a prolific writer and teacher. He has published numerous books on sentencing, digital evidence, and digital privacy and teaches on the faculty of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada’s National Criminal Law Program and the adjunct faculty of the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law.

Purple square made up of vertical and horizontal pillars

Gianne Ewing-Chow

Position: Grants Manager
Phone: 416-598-1550;203
Email: GEwing-chow@lawfoundation.on.ca
Categories: Grants Manager, Staff
Pronouns: she/her
A woman with long blonde hair, smiling and wearing a white shirt and black blazer

Heather Johnston**

Position: Consultant, Financial and Operational Management
Categories: Board
Pronouns: she/her

Heather recently retired from BDO Canada where she was the Office Managing Partner of the Collingwood office and Group Managing Partner of 11 local regional offices. Over her long career at BDO, Heather was a client-facing partner in the areas of accounting, tax, financial advisory services, and auditing. Heather is now consulting, offering business strategy, and financial oversight to a number of companies across Ontario.

She is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario and Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia.

Purple square made up of vertical and horizontal pillars

Jerry Calkowski

Position: Acting Director, Strategic Finance
Phone: 416-598-1550;208
Email: JCalkowski@lawfoundation.on.ca
Categories: Staff
Pronouns: he/him
Purple square made up of vertical and horizontal pillars

Jessica Ellis

Position: Grants Manager
Phone: 416-598-1550;233
Email: JEllis@lawfoundation.on.ca
Categories: Grants Manager, Staff
Pronouns: she/her
Man with short brown hair wearing glasses and a blue suit

John P. Brown**

Position: Chair, Class Proceedings Committee & Legal and Strategic Advisor, Indigenous Initiatives, McCarthy Tétrault
Categories: Class Proceedings Committee
Pronouns: he/him
Woman with long straight blonde hair, smiling into camera

Lara Sanders

Position: Director, Strategic Finance
Phone: 416-598-1550;208
Email: LSanders@lawfoundation.on.ca
Categories: Staff
Pronouns: she/her
Woman with chin length dark brown hair, smiling, wearing a black blazer

Leah Zilnik

Position: Grants Manager
Phone: 416-598-1550;212
Email: LZilnik@lawfoundation.on.ca
Categories: Grants Manager, Staff
Pronouns: she/her
Purple square made up of vertical and horizontal pillars

Lili Pach

Position: Grants Manager
Phone: 416-598-1550;210
Email: LPach@lawfoundation.on.ca
Categories: Grants Manager, Staff
Pronouns: she/her
Linda Rothstein

Linda R. Rothstein*

Position: Partner, Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP
Categories: Chair, Board
Pronouns: she/her

Linda R. Rothstein B.A., LL.B. is a partner of Paliare Roland and has served as a Foundation Trustee since 2014 and as Board Chair since 2016.

Ms Rothstein has a diverse practice that encompasses many areas of civil and administrative litigation. Her high profile work as Commission Counsel to the Inquiry into Pediatric Forensic Pathology, counsel to the City of Toronto in the Computer Leasing Inquiry, and lead counsel to the Motherisk Hair Analysis Review have cemented her reputation as one of Ontario’s leading advocates.

Ms Rothstein is a board member of Public Health Ontario. She is a Fellow and former board member of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers (2012-2015). She was a Bencher of The Law Society of Upper Canada (2007-2015) and Past President (2005–2006) of The Advocates’ Society.

Ms Rothstein is a recipient of the: 2021 The Advocates’ Society Medal; Ontario Bar Association Award of Excellence in Civil Litigation; the prestigious Law Society Medal; and the Award of Distinction from the Toronto Lawyers’ Association.

Woman with shoulder length dark brown hair and dark brown glasses

Lisa Brisebois

Position: Director, Human Resources & Operations
Phone: 416-598-1550;214
Email: LBrisebois@lawfoundation.on.ca
Categories: Staff
Pronouns:: she/her

Lisa has extensive experience in learning and development, change management, and inclusive culture workplace initiatives. She began her career as a Human Rights Investigator for the B.C. Human Rights Commission and then became the first Human Rights Officer for the Peel Board of Education. She shifted into management consulting, specializing in organizational development and strategic projects in the private and public sectors. Returning to her roots in public service, she has since held successive senior human resource roles with Humber River Hospital, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities, and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

Her commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion is seen throughout her professional roles as well as in her volunteer work with Justice for Children and Youth, The Women’s Monument Project, and the Neighbourhood Interfaith Group.

Lisa is a Certified Management Consultant. She earned a Public Sector Leadership Institute Certificate from the Rotman School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Toronto.

Woman with chin-length brown hair, smiling at camera

Lisa Cirillo

Position: Chief Executive Officer
Phone: 416-598-1550;204
Email: LCirillo@lawfoundation.on.ca
Categories: CEO, Staff
Pronouns: she/her

Lisa Cirillo has served as CEO of The Law Foundation of Ontario since September 2020. Prior to this, Lisa was Executive Director of Downtown Legal Services, a community-based legal clinic at the University of Toronto law school, since 2010.

Lisa has practiced human rights, education, housing, and family law in a wide variety of social justice organizations including Downtown Legal Services, ARCH Disability Law Centre, and the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

She also has extensive experience in public legal education and information (PLEI). She managed the Family Law Education for Women project, which assisted marginalized women in understanding their rights and responsibilities under family law. She also worked with Community Legal Education Ontario’s Your Rights. Your Language project where she managed PLEI in multiple formats and languages focused on high priority legal issues for newcomers to Canada.

Lisa has served on a number of boards and committees over the years, including the: Association for Canadian Clinical Legal Education; National Association of Women and the Law’s National Steering Committee; Legal Aid Ontario’s Clinic Law Advisory Committee; and the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Community Advisory Group.

She earned her Hons. B.A. from the University of Toronto, her LL.B. from Queen’s University, and her LL.M. from Osgoode Hall Law School. She was called to the Bar in 1998.

A woman with shoulder length dark curly hair and smiling slightly

Monique Jilesen****

Position: Managing Partner and Commercial Litigation lawyer, Lenczner Slaght
Categories: Class Proceedings Committee
Pronouns: she/her
Man with a goatee beard wearing a light blue shirt and navy blue suit jacket

Mpume Hlazo

Position: Senior Financial Analyst
Phone: 416-598-1550;207
Email: MHlazo@lawfoundation.on.ca
Categories: Staff
Pronouns: he/him
Phone:
Woman with long blond hair that is dyed a dark brown colour near the ends. She is smiling and wearing a black shirt.

Nadia Campion***

Position: Commercial Litigator/Partner, Lax O’Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb
Categories: Class Proceedings Committee
Pronouns: she/her
Woman with shoulder length blonde hair, smiling at us and wearing a black shirt

Nathalie Gondek

Position: Associate Counsel, Class Proceedings Committee
Phone: 416-595-1425;301
Email: NGondek@lawfoundation.on.ca
Categories: Staff
Pronouns: she/her
Woman with chin-length light brown hair wearing teal blazer

Nathalie Noël

Position: Communications Manager
Phone: 416-598-1550;209
Email: NNoel@lawfoundation.on.ca
Categories: Staff
Pronouns: she/her
Man with short salt and pepper coloured hair an d beard

Noah Aiken-Klar

Position: Director, Grants & Programs
Phone: 416-598-1550;201
Email: NAiken-klar@lawfoundation.on.ca
Categories: Staff
Pronouns: he/him

As Director, Grants & Programs, Noah provides strategic leadership for the Foundation’s granting activities.

Noah comes to the Foundation from RBC where he was the inaugural Director, Youth Social Impact and most recently served as Director, Academic and Strategic Partnerships, Technology, & Operations. Prior to RBC, Noah was the Regional Director of Community Investments at Ontario Trillium Foundation. Noah also spent three years as the National Director of Pro Bono Students Canada where he led a network of 4,000 law student and lawyer volunteers from 21 law schools across the county.

Noah earned his LLB from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and practiced in civil litigation earlier in his career.

Purple square made up of vertical and horizontal pillars

Punar Sidhu

Position: Operations & Administration Coordinator
Phone: 416-598-1550;202
Email: PSidhu@lawfoundation.on.ca
Categories: Staff
Pronouns: she/her
Young woman with long straight dark hair, smiling into camera

Rachael Simser

Position: Law Student
Email: RSimser@lawfoundation.on.ca
Categories: Staff
Pronouns: she/her
Woman with long thick brown hair, wearing glasses, smiling into camera

Remissa Hirji

Position: Director and Counsel, Class Proceedings Committee
Phone: 416-595-1425;302
Email: RHirji@lawfoundation.on.ca
Categories: Staff
Pronouns: she/her
Purple square made up of vertical and horizontal pillars

Rohana Buzamlak

Position: Grants and Programs Coordinator
Phone: 416-598-1550;235
Email: RBuzamlak@lawfoundation.on.ca
Categories: Staff
Pronouns: she/her
Purple square made up of vertical and horizontal pillars

Sharnette Beckett

Position: Finance Assistant
Phone: 416-598-1550;232
Email: SBeckett@lawfoundation.on.ca
Categories: Staff
Pronouns: she/her
Man with small round glasses wearing a dark suit

Stephen Thiele**

Position: Partner and Director of Legal Research, Gardiner Roberts LLP
Categories: Board
Pronouns: he/him

Mr. Thiele is a partner and the Director of Legal Research at Gardiner Roberts LLP where he has been involved in many high-profile cases and has written extensively on a variety of legal topics.

Mr. Thiele is the Chair of the Canadian Abridgment Editorial Advisory Board. The Canadian Abridgment is a leading legal research service. The Board is a partnership between the Canadian Association of Law Libraries and Carswell and its mandate is to ensure that the Canadian Abridgment remains a leading legal research tool in Canada.

 

*Appointed by the Law Society of Ontario
**Appointed by the Attorney General of Ontario
***Appointed by the Attorney General of Ontario & The Law Foundation of Ontario
****Appointed by The Law Foundation of Ontario