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SENIOR
MANAGEMENT
DAVID CROMBIE
President and Chief Executive Officer
David Crombie provides leadership
to CUI and its programming across Canada and around the world. David
served as Mayor of Toronto from 1972 to 1978 and as Member of Parliament
from 1978 to 1988, during which time he served in three different federal
Cabinet posts
- Minister of Health and Welfare, Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs
and Secretary of State. He is founding Chair of Toronto's Waterfront
Regeneration Trust and has served as Chancellor of Ryerson University
in Toronto. In addition to his role at CUI, David is currently Chair
of Ontario Place Corporation, Chair of the Advisory Council of the Nuclear
Waste Management Organization (NWMO), and President of David Crombie & Associates
Inc. He has received a Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) from the University
of Toronto for his contribution to his native Toronto and a Doctor
of Laws (honoris causa) from the University of Waterloo for his contribution
to the quality of life of Canadians and the environment. Mr. Crombie became
an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2005.
JEFF EVENSON
Director, Centre for the Development of Community Assets (CDCA)
With
more than 20 years of experience managing urban issues and public engagement,
Jeff Evenson is the founding director of the CDCA, a downstream non-profit
organization incorporated by CUI in 2004 with a mandate to bring together
people, money and ideas to develop community assets and restore the
civic public realm. Acting as a consultant and advisor on private and public
sector projects, he specializes in communications, community consultation,
partnership building, strategic issue management and process facilitation.
Jeff has a strong interest in sustainable urban development, with expertise
in issues such as reinvesting in the public realm, culture and heritage,
affordable housing, waterfront development, sport and recreation and green
buildings. During his career, Jeff has worked at various times as a political
advisor to senior politicians at the provincial and municipal levels of government
and as a manager of major city-building initiatives. This has included
serving as a founding member and managing coordinator of the Toronto 2008
Olympic Bid, director of Toronto's Waterfront Regeneration Trust, executive
director of the Toronto Cultural and Heritage Foundation, manager of the
Toronto Vital Signs project, lead organizer of the 2002 Toronto City Summit
and founding executive director of the North Kingston Community Development
Project. During the 1990s, he served as Chief of Staff to two Toronto mayors,
Art Eggleton and June Rowlands, and during the 1980s he managed an advocacy
group in the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, leading a
project to build 35,000 units of urban social housing. Jeff has experience
working on international urban cooperation projects in Bosnia & Herzegovina,
Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. Jeff Evenson was born in Toronto and did his graduate
and undergraduate studies at Queen's University in Kingston.
ANDREW FARNCOMBE
Director, International Partnerships
Andrew Farncombe, an urban geographer and planner, directs CUI's portfolio
of international projects undertaken in partnership with cities and communities
around the world. He has over 20 years of work experience in the public,
private, non-profit and academic sectors in Canada and internationally.
His areas of expertise include local government, urban planning, environmental
management, local economic development, civic engagement and urban partnership
building. Since the mid 1990s, he has worked as a senior manager and consultant
on CUI's local government capacity building and urban management programs
in South-East Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Eastern Europe
and the Balkans. Mr. Farncombe has demonstrated skills in the leadership
and management of large international cooperation projects, on-site identification
and design of urban capacity development programs, multi-year project implementation
of urban management and civic engagement initiatives, project financial
planning and management, performance monitoring and evaluation, results-based
management and gender mainstreaming. He has managed projects funded by
CIDA and served as a consultant on initiatives funded by the World Bank
and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Earlier in
his career, Andrew served as a CUI researcher on urban issues in Canada
and internationally, as a land use planner with the Town of Ajax (ON),
as a teacher of urban studies at York University, as a public affairs specialist
with Sun Life Financial Canada and as an Ottawa-based legislative assistant
to a Canadian Member of Parliament (St-Boniface). Born in Vancouver, Andrew
holds two degrees, a Masters in Environmental Studies (urban planning)
from York University (Toronto) and a Bachelor of Arts (geography) from
the University of British Columbia (Vancouver). He is a member (provisional)
of the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) and the Ontario Professional
Planners Institute (OPPI). Mr. Farncombe has a working knowledge of French
and Spanish.
SUE HUSOLO
Director, Finance and Operations
Sue Husolo has provided oversight to the accounting and corporate operations
functions of CUI since 1993. She has over 15 years of experience
in financial management, accounting, business planning and NGO management.
Ms. Husolo serves as an officer of the organization in the capacity
of Secretary and Treasurer, and is responsible for the direction of
all financial operations of CUI, including accounting, budget, purchasing,
insurance, tax, treasury and audit. She monitors corporate and project budgets,
disbursements and financial reporting to management, government and funders.
She oversees corporate operations and administration, including human resource
management, and systems implementation and staff training both in CUI's
head office and in field offices worldwide. She is integral to the
development of grant applications and project proposals in cooperation with
project managers and teams. In addition to her work in the non-profit sector,
Ms. Husolo has experience providing consulting services in accounting,
administration and human resource management to private sector clientele,
particularly in the fields of real property development and media. Ms. Husolo
was educated at the University of Toronto and subsequently at Ryerson
Polytechnic University in Public Accounting and Administration.
GLENN R. MILLER, FCIP, RPP
Director, Education and Research
Glenn Miller directs CUI's applied research,
conference, urban leadership and education programs. Glenn is a registered
professional planner who brings more than 25 years of experience providing
advice to the private sector, governments and the non-profit sector.
Since 1996, Glenn has helped build CUI's Canadian programs by undertaking
applied research, convening conferences, contributing objective commentary
on critical urban issues and providing consulting services to a range
of clients. With an emphasis on generating new ideas and thinking for cities
and their regions, he is actively involved in research and communication
initiatives related to land use, regional growth management, municipal
practice, transportation, competitiveness, economic development, brownfields
redevelopment and sustainable buildings. In 1986, he established the Ontario
Planning Journal , the professional practice magazine of the Ontario Professional
Planners Institute, and has served as the publication's editor since
inception. Glenn is a graduate of McGill's School of Urban Planning (Masters
of Urban Planning) and Concordia University (Honours BA in Urban Studies).
In 2005, he was elected as a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Planners
in recognition for his contribution to planning in Canada.
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CANADIAN STAFF
TAMARA BALAN
Project Coordinator, Centre for the Development of Community Assets
Tamara Balan is primarily responsible for coordinating the public engagement
and consultation programs of the CDCA. This includes undertaking components
of the consultation process, including stakeholder identification, distributing
consultation materials, assisting with meeting facilitation, tracking issues,
preparing summary records and writing web updates. She has worked on a
variety of projects, including CDCA's support to consultation work for
Toronto World Expo 2015 and to Parc Downsview Park Urban Development Plan
and Sustainable Community Development Guidelines. Tamara holds a Bachelor
of Arts (Honours) in urban studies and political science from the University
of Toronto. She is fluent in Ukrainian.
JAMIL BUNDALLI
Project Officer, International Partnerships
Jamil Bundalli, an urban planner and mechanical engineer, coordinates
CUI's International Urban Partnerships (I-UP) program as well as
the Institute's international youth internship program. He provides support
to planning, implementation, results monitoring, research and communications
for CUI's urban programming in the south, with an emphasis on the Philippines,
Jamaica, Cuba and Ethiopia. Jamil's other international experience includes
working in Kenya as a rural energy-planning consultant and in the Philippines
supporting local government capacity building. Earlier in his career, he
worked for two years as an engineer with Vancouver-based Kamengo Technology
Inc. Born in Vancouver, Mr. Bundalli holds two degrees from the University
of British Columbia (Vancouver) - a Masters in Science (Planning) from the
School of Community and Regional Planning, and a Bachelor of Applied Science
in Mechanical Engineering.
LISA CAVICCHIA
Program Manager, International Partnerships
Lisa Cavicchia manages CUI's International Urban Partnerships (I-UP) program
and oversees the Institute's international youth internship program, both
of which receive funding from the Canadian Partnership Branch of the Canadian
International Development Agency (CIDA). She is trained as an urban and
regional planner and has taken other post-graduate training related to
local government, strategic planning, participatory practices in local
governance, negotiation and group facilitation. Ms. Cavicchia has over
a decade of international development experience acting as manager, coordinator
or technical expert on a range of projects funded by CIDA, the World Bank
and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Hungary, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Cuba, Jamaica,
Paraguay, the Philippines, Indonesia and Ethiopia. Ms. Cavicchia is an
accomplished manager and team leader, with solid competencies related to
local government capacity development, civic engagement, decentralization
and the delivery of international development cooperation. She has demonstrated
skills related to the design, results-based management, financial coordination
and performance monitoring of international development programs. Prior
to joining CUI, Ms. Cavicchia worked as consultant with a Toronto-based
planning consultancy. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Arts (Urban and Regional
Planning) from Toronto's Ryerson University. Lisa speaks French and has
a working knowledge of Spanish.
EMILY CORNIES
Program Coordinator, Urban Leadership Awards
Emily Cornies coordinates CUI's annual Urban Leadership Awards program.
Emily has worked with CUI over several years in a number of different roles
for both international and Canada-based programs. She brings unique ideas
and leadership strength gained from her earlier management position with
Hospitality Services at the University of Guelph, as well as experience
in event production. As Coordinator of the Urban Leadership Awards, Emily
is involved in all facets of program production including acquiring sponsorship,
facilitating the nomination process, liaising with award recipients, recruiting
and managing volunteers and overall event production. Ms. Cornies holds
a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in International Development from the University
of Guelph.
CARLENE DEMPSTER
Project Assistant
Carlene Dempster provides administrative support and financial coordination
for the Regional Government and Development (RGD) project in Ukraine. Carlene
holds a Diploma in Accounting and Finance from Centennial College and a
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in International Relations and Development Studies
from the University of Windsor. She has four years of experience working
in finance in the private sector and is soon to pursue her Masters in the
area of Public Policy Administration.
EMESE DOMBOVARI
Project Assistant
Emese Dombovari provides logistical and administrative support to professional
staff working on international partnership projects and assists with maintaining
the project management information systems of CUI's international operations.
Emese holds a Diploma in Travel and Tourism from the International Institute
of Travel and is currently attending Sheridan College to pursue a Business
Certificate. She speaks English and Hungarian.
CHRISTINE FRANK
Coordinator-Bookkeeper
Christine Frank coordinates and provides bookkeeping services to CUI's
International Partnership Program for Good Urban Governance. She is responsible
for maintaining the project management information system. Christine works
alongside the corporate Treasurer and international project professional
staff in providing support for financial record-keeping, accounts management
and financial monitoring. She has considerable experience in the maintenance
of project-specific financial ledgers, coordination of accounts payable
and receivable, preparation of international funds transfer and coordination
of complex, multi-project and multi-currency financial information systems.
She has set up financial reporting systems in overseas project offices
and trained local staff in financial management systems. Prior to joining
CUI, Ms. Frank was a math teacher. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Education,
Math and Physics) from Teachers' College, Eger, Hungary and a Certificate
in Quality Management and Organization from Mohawk College in Hamilton.
Christine speaks English and Hungarian.
BRENT GILMOUR
Project Manager, Education and Research
Brent Gilmour manages a range of projects with CUI's Education and Research
centre. He has a strong focus on the Institute's urban energy issues and
programs, undertaking research for government and private sector clients,
assisting with the development of conferences and providing commentary
and presentations on emerging urban issues, such as greening municipal
infrastructure and the application of large-scale community carbon reduction.
Brent is CUI's lead investigator on district energy and green building
issues, as part of the secretariat services provided by CUI to the Canadian
District Energy Association and the Green Building Alliance. He also manages
CUI's Canadian-based internship and volunteer programs. Prior to joining
CUI, Mr. Gilmour was the Strategic Coordinator responsible for the establishment
of the University of Toronto's Sustainability Office (USO) and was an independent
research consultant specializing in community energy innovation. Mr. Gilmour
holds a Masters of Science in Planning from the University of Toronto and
a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Toronto.
SHAH HOSEIN
Project Coordinator, Education and Research
Shah Hosein works on a range of Canadian-based research and education
initiatives. One of his major portfolios is to coordinate CUI's brownfields
redevelopment program, including the organization of the Annual Canadian
Brownfields Conference and Brownie Awards programs. He also supports the
design and organization of CUI's Roundtable Breakfast Seminars and Urban
Leadership symposia. Shah is a former employee of the British Urban Regeneration
Association (BURA), where he held the position of Best Practice Manager
and was responsible for the planning and delivery of various annual award
schemes, conferences and research projects, including the Deputy Prime
Minister's Award for Sustainable Communities, as well as BURA's own awards
for Best Practice in Regeneration and Best Practice in Community Regeneration.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in geography from Middlesex University (London,
UK).
JACLYN KANE
Project Assistant
Jaclyn Kane provides financial, administrative and logistical support
to the International Urban Partnerships program of CUI. She is primarily
responsible for maintaining various project financial records, providing
hands-on support to the project team and coordinating logistical
arrangements for overseas missions of staff and consultants. She also
acts as Coordinator to the Canadian District Energy Association (CDEA)
- for which CUI acts as secretariat - providing financial and administrative
support to the operations of the Association and supporting the organization
of its annual conference. Jaclyn holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours)
in Management Economics in Industry and Finance from the University
of Guelph.
ELIZABETH MASCARENHAS
Project Officer, International Partnerships
Elizabeth Mascarenhas supports the coordination of CUI's international
partnership programming in the south. She has over 10 years' experience
in the field of international development, having worked in administrative,
coordination and communication roles on projects in Southeast Asia, South
Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. Throughout
her decade with CUI, she has developed extensive experience in the coordination
of international development projects and in organizing study tours, workshops,
internships, training sessions and consultancy assignments in Canada and
abroad. Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Advanced Accounting and
Auditing) from the University of Pune, India, and a Diploma in Business
Management from Xavier's Centre for Management Studies, Pune, India. Elizabeth
speaks English and Hindi.
ROBIN MEDNICK
Program Director, Urban Leadership Awards
Robin Mednick directs CUI's annual Urban Leadership Awards, and has responsibility
for other special projects. Ms. Mednick has her LLB from Osgoode
Hall, her Masters degree in Economics and Politics from Oxford University
and her Teacher's Diploma in Speech and Drama from Trinity College,
London, England. She worked with the Toronto 2008 Olympic Bid Corporation
and continues to be involved with the Commonwealth Games Association
of Canada. She was the creator and co-editor of the national bestseller
'Heroes in Our Midst', a compilation of 110 personal stories from
Canada's top Canadian athletes, and was the author of the children's
book, Mr. LikeUmYouKnow. A dedicated advocate and volunteer in many
community organizations, Ms. Mednick was one of the founding Board
members of the Community Care Access Centre of York Region in 1996, and is
an advisor to the Rolling Rampage, Toronto's first wheelchair marathon.
JENNIFER PAVEY
Financial Administrator
Jennifer Pavey is responsible for processing accounts payable, accounts
receivable, payroll and government remittances. She works alongside the
Director, Finance and Operations as well as project staff in providing
support for all aspects of financial record-keeping and budgeting. She
also assists with the provision of space and resources, and supports human
resource management. Jennifer has a Bachelor of Mathematics (Honours) from
the University of Waterloo.
ANDREA ROBERTS
Project Officer, International Partnerships
Andrea Roberts is responsible for coordinating CUI's Regional Governance
and Development (RGD) Project in Ukraine on the Canadian side. Prior to
joining CUI, Andrea was a Policy Research Assistant with the World Bank
in Ukraine, where she worked on the People's Voice Project and the TB and
HIV/AIDS Control Project. She also served as a policy intern with the EastWest
Institute in New York, where she assisted with the US-Russia Working Group
on HIV/AIDS. Ms. Roberts holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political
Science from Columbia University (New York), with a focus on Eastern Europe
and economic and political development. She has a working knowledge of
French and an intermediate knowledge of Russian.
RAIJA SUOMELA
Senior Program Administrator
Raija Suomela is responsible for providing organizational and administrative
services for CUI's Canadian-based programming, pertaining to event planning
and implementation, executive support and membership services. She is in
charge of the web updates, email marketing and online registrations of
CUI events. She compiles researched information to produce various deliverables
and promotional materials and oversees the administration and development
of CUI's database. Raija brings an array of organizational and knowledge-based
skills from her previous employment with senior executives and professionals.
She has an Honours BA in Linguistics from the University of Helsinki (Finland).
Raija speaks Finnish and has a good knowledge of Swedish, German and French.
CHRIS VANDOOREN
Project Manager, International Partnerships
Chris VanDooren is
the Canadian-based manager of CUI's Regional Governance and Development (RGD)
Project in Ukraine, funded by the Europe, Middle East & Maghreb Branch
of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Chris also serves
as technical advisor on the Ethiopia-Canada Urban Management Programme, a
component of the International Urban Partnerships program. His earlier work
with CUI included serving as the Contract/Financial Manager on the World
Bank-financed Poland Institutional Development Program and as an advisor
on various local government support programs throughout Central and Eastern
Europe. Before joining CUI in 2000, Chris served as a consultant on a local
government reform project in Jamaica, where he was resident for one year,
and on community development projects in Ecuador and Mexico. Mr. VanDooren
is an economic development practitioner who holds a Masters in Applied Environmental
Studies in Local Economic Development from the University of Waterloo and
a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from McMaster University in Hamilton.
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INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES
RAFAEL BETANCOURT
Regional Manager, Caribbean and Latin America
Rafael Betancourt manages CUI's projects in Cuba and has responsibilities
for other initiatives in Spanish-speaking countries of the Americas. He
is an urban economist and specialist in Latin American studies with over
25 years of employment and academic experience in program development and
management, business administration and economic research. Resident in
Havana, Rafael has extensive on-site experience managing, coordinating
and implementing international development and local capacity building
projects including local administrative and financial management, organization
and delivery of workshops and trainings, and research. He understands how
to effectively build cross-cultural relationships and partner with multi-lateral
agencies. In 2005 Rafael initiated a partnership with UNDP and UN-HABITAT
in Cuba, where CUI has expanded its programming to support the CIDA-funded
Program for Local Human Development (PDHL) in the Eastern provinces of
Cuba and UN-HABITAT's Localising Agenda 21 Program. Rafael also facilitated
a promising new partnership for applied research between the Environmental
Health Unit of Cuba's Ministry of Public Health and the Canadian Public
Health Agency. In addition to managing CUI projects in Cuba, Rafael also
teaches postgraduate courses in Urban Economics for local government officials
in Cuba. He was born in Cuba and holds a Masters in International and Urban-Regional
Economics and a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) from the University of
Florida (USA). Mr. Betancourt is fluent in English and Spanish.
FRANCIS GENTORAL
Regional Manager, South-East Asia
Francis Gentoral manages CUI's projects in the Philippines and has responsibilities
for other initiatives in the South-East Asia region. He has close to 20
years experience working in the public, private and non-profit sectors
in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. He has extensive experience in participatory
program design, project implementation, performance monitoring and evaluation
of local environmental, economic and governance initiatives, as well as
social service delivery enhancement activities. Francis has been successful
at promoting CUI project experiences in the Philippines as national best-practice
models, initiating knowledge networking activities with the Department
of Local and Interior Government (Philippines), UN Habitat (Philippines),
USAID Making Cities Work Project, UNEP and CIDA. Prior to joining CUI,
Mr. Gentoral supported a CIDA-funded bilateral project entitled Philippines-Canada
Local Government Support Project Phase I, providing technical assistance
in project assessment, design, coordination, monitoring and impact evaluation.
He has also completed evaluation and impact studies on environmental, economic
and health services delivery for USAID and the Government of the Philippines.
During the early 1990s, Francis served as Program Officer for Philippines
Business for Social Progress, a Philippines-based non-profit foundation
dedicated to promoting business sector commitment to social development.
Living in Iloilo City, Mr. Gentoral holds a Master of Business Administration
from the University of San Agustin (Philippines) and Bachelor of Science
in Agriculture from Western Visayas State University (Philippines). He
is fluent in English, Tagalog and Ilonggo.
YURI POLIANSKI
Project Manager, Ukraine
Yuri Polianski manages CUI's Regional Governance and Development project
on the Ukrainian side. Prior to joining CUI in early 2006, Mr. Polianski
served as UNDP's Regional Development Advisor on their "Integrity
in Action: Governance Program" in Ukraine. He has expertise in international
project management, governance, public administration and public
service, the development and international accreditation of training
programs, monitoring and evaluation and results-based management.
Yuri was previously the Deputy Vice Rector and Head of the International
Relations Department of the National Academy of Public Administration,
which operates out of the Office of the President of Ukraine, where
he coordinated and contributed to numerous technical assistance projects
in Ukraine. Mr. Polianski has also served in the Chernihiv Regional
State Administration and Regional Council in the late 1980s and early
1990s. He is the author of many books and articles on performance
evaluation, policy implementation, governance issues and the public
service. Yuri received a Specialist Degree with Distinction in English
Language and Literature from the Chernihiv State Pedagogical Institute
(Ukraine) and a Masters of Public Administration from the Institute
of Public Administration and Local Government, Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
Mr. Polianski speaks Ukrainian, Russian and English.
TEFERRA SILESHI
Project Manager, Ethiopia
Teferra Sileshi manages CUI's activities in Ethiopia. He is an urban planner
and urban management specialist living in Addis Ababa. Prior to joining
CUI, Mr. Sileshi was General Manager of the Urban Management Institute,
an institution established by the City of Addis Ababa to provide
need-driven urban management training, research and consultancy services
to the City as well as municipal and non-municipal offices, non-governmental
agencies and private sector organizations. Teferra has engaged in
several multi-lateral agency-funded projects including Public Sector Capacity
Building Program (PSCAP), a five-year, World Bank-funded program, and a
UN-Habitat project assessing capacity gaps of professionals supporting
urban development/planning in Ethiopia. He has extensive experience designing
and managing capacity building projects including performing training/capacity
assessments, producing training manuals and conducting training workshops.
Prior to joining the Urban Management Institute, Mr. Sileshi was lecturer
and Deputy Dean of the College of Urban Planning and the Ethiopian Civil
Service College, Addis Ababa. Mr. Sileshi holds a Master of Science (GIS)
from the International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Science,
the Netherlands, and Bachelor of Science Urban Planning (Honours) from
the College of Urban Planning, Addis Ababa. Teferra is fluent in English,
French and Amharic.
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