Our Team
lEENA sHARMA sETH (She/her), Founder & principal
Leena is a settler who is cisgender, heterosexual, able-bodied, and a child of Hindu, Punjabi (India), and Brahmin immigrants. Leena brings a set of lived and intersectional experiences to her work as a facilitator, strategist, and process designer in the equity, justice, inclusion and belonging space. Leena’s practice is grounded in the belief that equity work is sacred and that healing, wholeness, and embodiment are critical to creating a just and inclusive present and future.
With over twenty years of experience in various leadership roles, both in Canada and in Asia, Leena has worked in non-profit, consulting, education, philanthropy, and supplier diversity spaces.
Leena has a Masters in Conflict Analysis & Management from Royal Roads, achieved her Canadian Certified Inclusion Professional (CCIP) designation with the Canadian Centre for Diversity & Inclusion, has received her Pride at Work certification, completed the 4 Seasons of Reconciliation program via First Nations University, and recently completed an Embodied Social Justice Certificate with Transformative Programs (led by Rev. Angel Kyodo).
As a part of her personal commitment to this work, Leena has been working with fellow South Asians to examine tensions between the ways Brown bodies, caste-privileged bodies, and northern Indians are both privileged and impacted by systems of oppression, and also perpetuating anti-Black racism, and to work intentionally to disrupt anti-Black racism and to collectively heal from the harmful impacts of colonization, patriarchy and white supremacy.
Her work in community-building has been recognized by MP Karina Gould with the Sesquicentennial Citizenship award, the Women’s Centre of Halton - 150 Years of Exemplary Women award, and the 2021 Mayor’s Community Service Award, Burlington Chamber of Commerce.
Leena is raising two social justice warriors with her partner Sanjay and is proud to call Burlington, Ontario home.
Harleen Kaur Panesar (She/Her), associate
Harleen is an uninvited settler who is privileged to have been born and raised on the ancestral lands of the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples, including the Seneca, Huron-Wendat, Chippewa, the Mississaugas of the Credit—lands which are also home to many diverse First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and urban Indigenous communities. Harleen’s ancestors are from Panjab and she lives on Treaty 13 territory.
She brings 10+ years of systems change and advocacy experience in the non-profit, academic, and public sectors engaging, influencing, and working constructively within multi-disciplinary/multi-stakeholder environments to advance innovative equity-based research, evaluation, and policy initiatives.
Harleen has 10+ years of community-based experience advancing the interests and priorities of equity-deserving communities in Ontario. She is trained and experienced in trauma-informed and harm-reduction approaches that prioritize community wellbeing. She has also supported organizational governance and strategy execution by building strong relationships grounded in mutual trust and respect in order to advance anti- racism, anti-oppression, reconciliation, and equity-based vision/mandates.
She holds an HBA and an MSc Urban Planning (Social, Community, and Environmental Planning) both from the University of Toronto. Harleen continues to actively centre learning, humility, kindness, creativity, and growth in her work and life.
Willow J. Anderson (She/Her), associate
Willow is a consultant, trainer, and researcher who combines her profound belief in the importance of diversity with her need for meaningful inquiry and for quality processes and outcomes for her clients. Willow has an M.A. in Conflict Resolution from the University of Bradford (England) and a PhD from the University of New Mexico. Her dissertation focused on the cultural changes faced by individuals and communities as a result of immigration to rural Newfoundland.
In addition to her research experience, Willow has a strong background in training development and delivery. She achieved Professional Facilitation Certification at the Centre for Management Development at Memorial University in 2005 and in 2013 completed a University of British Columbia course entitled Training for Intercultural and Diversity Trainers. She has been developing and delivering intercultural- and diversity-focused training for over a decade.
Kale Black (He/Him), Associate
Kale is an award-winning Environmentalist and Community Organizer, with over a decade of experience working as a Youth Network Facilitator within the eco-conscious movement. Over the years, Kale’s efforts and community gathering skills have resulted in the activation and mobilization of thousands of local citizens who have in turn, diverted a whopping 61+ tons of organics and recyclables from landfills, and planted over 10,000 native trees, plants and shrubs in Burlington.
An inspiring, honest, funny, and enthusiastic speaker and facilitator, Kale has a knack for connecting with audiences of all ages, and is committed to creating safe spaces needed for community-transformation & engagement.
Kale’s Awards include:
The Conservation Halton Award of Excellence (Citizen Category) in 2011
Two nominations for the Starfish Blog’s Top 25 Environmentalists Under 25 (2011 placing 23rd, 2013 placing 14th)
The 2016 Burlington’s Best Award in the Environment Category
Anna Kiani (She/her), Associate
Anna is a leader in community-building with nearly two decades of international and local experience working in various roles in the non-profit sector. Anna’s past roles include: Consultant, Shine on Sierra Leone, Program Manager, Open Doors Burlington, Manager, Community Development at the Halton Poverty Roundtable, and Program Manager, University of Washington (India).
Anna recently completed her Masters in Disaster and Emergency Management at Royal Roads University. Anna also completed her undergraduate degree in International Studies (with a focus on Rural Community Development) at the University of Washington.
Anna is a passionate community change agent and believes in the inherent wisdom of communities. She is a trained facilitator with a specific expertise in creating inclusive and collaborative environments. Her goal as a facilitator is to create safe spaces that support engagement from all participants. Anna currently lives in Hamilton, Ontario and is raising her two small children with her husband.