Ashoka Canada Team

Celia Cruz
Director, Ashoka Canada (began in december 2008)

After five years as the Director of Ashoka in Brazil and Paraguay, with a combined vibrant Fellowship of more than 300 Fellows, and over one year as Managing Director of Global Fellowship, working from Toronto and Washington DC with a strong team around the globe, Célia is now the Director of Ashoka Canada. Before she came to Ashoka, Célia worked with the Institute for Development of Social Investment, where she was a Program Coordinator for two years, creating community foundations in a number of Brazilian cities. She founded the fundraising consulting firm Philantropics in 1994 and served as fundraising coordinator for the School of Business Administration of São Paulo, Fundacao Getulio Vargas, until 2000. Célia also served as São Paulo's representative to the Fundraising School of Indiana University's Center for Philanthropy from 2000 - 2003. Célia has a Bachelors in economics from the University of São Paulo and a Masters in economics from the School of Business Administration of São Paulo with exchange programs at York University (Canada) and ESSEC (France). She has also earned a National Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Case Western Reserve University's Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations. Célia has served on the Board of Directors of several organizations including Associação Rodrigo Mendes, the Brazilian Association of Fundraisers, the Volunteer Center of São Paulo, IMAFLORA, AISEC, and the Committee for Social Engagement of Instituto Akatu. She co-authored a fundraising book entitled, Captação de Diferentes Recursos para Organizações Sem Fins Lucrativos in 2000.

Nicolina Farella 
Ashoka Canada, Quebec, Venture and ASN

Nicolina holds a PhD in environmental sciences. Her studies in the Amazon rainforest aimed at finding strategies to reduce the impact of slash-and-burn and family agriculture on forest, soil and river degradation. While in Amazonia, she met and worked with many social entrepreneurs from the health, environment and education sector, focusing on life quality improvement and nature preservation. While a graduate student, she was a teacher's assistant in under-graduate and masters classes, did some research for an Ecohealth exhibition, assisted graduate students to apply for scholarships, and was on the board of directors of her university's (UQAM) Environmental Science Institute. Nicolina also worked within the Ecohealth team at IDRC (International Development Research Center), a non-governmental institution dedicated at empowering action research in the developing world. She was involved in the administration, support and financing of research projects in Asia and South America. More specifically, she was interested in initiatives targeting human health improvement by better environmental management. Since October 2006, she has been working for Ashoka Canada for the Venture program and for Youth Venture (GenV).

Claudia De Simone 
Ashoka Canada, Toronto, Executive Assistant and Communications

Claudia came to Ashoka after completing her thesis on environmental education initiatives with women community health workers in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Through an exchange with the University of Sao Paulo, and with local leaders and educators, she studied the socio-economic and historic challenges faced by communities who lived closest to urban rivers. She co-designed and facilitated environmental workshops in Brazil and also in Canada with community groups in the Greater Toronto Area, the designs and partnerships of which are still vibrant today. Claudia has a Masters degree in Environmental Studies, with a diploma in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from York University, and a Bachelor of Journalism from Ryerson University. At the moment she is on matternity leave, but will be back with the team from April 2010.

Elisha Muskat
Ashoka Canada, Toronto, Executive and Program Assistant

Elisha began at Ashoka after completing her MBA at the Schulich School of Business in Toronto, Canada. There she specialized in non-profit management, sustainable business and strategy. She launched a program in Syracuse, NY to bring green business practices to small local business in a neighbourhood in Syracuse’s downtown. This program was tied to a larger grass-roots community revitalization initiative, serving as the driver of the economic development arm of the project. Prior to that, Elisha worked in New York, running an after-school program for middle-school students in the Bronx and working in a health education organization, bringing knowledge and skills to teenagers in public schools across the US. She has managed and staffed a number of youth programs in diverse communities in Toronto, Montreal and New York. She has a Bachelors in Psychology from McGill University.

Thanks to our outstanding volunteers:

Dominic Ali, Alina Birsan, Katrin Burghardt, Danilo Carrillo, Vasu Daggupaty, Viswasundar Desaraju, Noha El-Sharif, Marisol Fornoni, Marcelo Hamer, Alison Herr, Fernanda Inserra, Katelyn Johns, Joana Kauer, Jake Klamka, Sheridy Leslie, Ana Carolina Marcondes, Pamela Morimoto, Camila Moura, Namrata Narayan, Oluseun Obikoya, David D. Parker, Mercy Southam, Udai Srinivan, Lorraine Sugar, Priyank Thatte, Izabella Wilczynsca, Thiffany Belda Wilmouth, Julian Wilmouth, and the list goes on and on.

We are grateful for all of our volunteers. Learn more about volunteer opportunities at Ashoka Canada and help create a world where everyone is a changemaker.