Dr. Panwar has over 25 years of experience in health care and business sectors. He has served people at large through Rotary Club in Kenya, Canada and on International basis. He organized several free medical camps and Diabetic Awareness walks, and Heart Walks, fundraising wheel walk, Rotary Family Health days.

Zafar has over 20 years of experience in qualitative and quantitative research. He holds a Master in (Eco & Social Studies) from University of Wales (U.K) and Research Analyst Program from Humber Institute (Canada).

Mervat Youssef is a demographer, researcher, statistician and data analyst. She is fluent in Arabic and English, creative, able to work independently or as part of a team. She has a master’s degree in population studies from Cairo Demographic Centre (CDC). She also has a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture. Mervat is certified in Advanced Computer Studies (Brian J. Fleming Centre, Mississauga, ON) and SPSS (statistical package for analyzing data) (Hi Tech Institute, Toronto, ON). Her master’s degree thesis included adaptation of “European child feeding scoring and socioeconomic indices, to suit Egyptian children, which were applied in (CDC) for the first time and assisted students in their research papers”. Working for “Statistics Egypt”, she shared in various Egyptian surveys through gathering and analyzing population data.

Santosh has over 7 years of experience in Community Development. He holds a master’s in education and Postgraduate in Research Analyst Program.

Dr. Vidya Sagar Hasija, Ph.D. (Electrical Engineering), ME (Power System), MBA (Operation Management), has more than 30 years of experience in defense R&D projects of strategic importance and spin-off projects for societal mission. He has been associated with major projects of the Defense Research Development Organization (DRDO), India as Senior Scientist for design & development of power and control systems and won prestigious technology awards for the development of Laser Technology projects. Presently, he is based in Brampton, Canada and is instrumental in consultancy projects on Renewable Energy sources and community development programs. Dr. Hasija is a goal-oriented and hard-working professional who thrives in a team-oriented environment. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Life Member, Laser Society of India and Senior Member IEEE for the last 20 years

Vivian currently hold a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from York University, and pursuing a Post-Graduate Certificate in Human Resources Management from Humber College.

Brett Xavier graduated from the University of Toronto, with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and criminology. Brett resides in Mississauga and is dedicated to improving the social well-being of individuals living in disadvantaged communities. He is currently applying for a Master of Social Work with a specialization in Indigenous trauma and resiliency.

Srimanta has over 20 years of experience in research and project management in Canada, Asia and Africa (e.g. Ontario Public Health, Rotary, UN Migration Agency – IOM Sudan, WHO Fellow - China, Anhui University, Canadian Universities & Non-Profits, etc.). Srimanta is the CEO at the Social Planning Council of Peel, an adjunct professor at York University, professor (Part-time) at Sheridan, a Field Supervisor for graduate students in several Canadian universities, the past president of the Rotary Club Mississauga-Airport and a member of various associations. Srimanta has published one book (a comparative analysis of the gender inequality in India and China) and implemented more than 160 community research projects over 10 years. In addition to his doctoral degree, Srimanta holds a M.A. from the University of Western Ontario (Canada), a Master’s Certificate in Project Management from the Schulich School of Business at York University (Canada), a Master of Law in Population Sciences from Beijing University (China), a Master of Population Sciences from the International Institute for Population Sciences (India), and a M.A. in Statistics from Utkal University (India)

Christopher McLeish is a research director with the Social Planning Council (SPC) of Peel. He holds a Ph.D. and master’s degree in educational psychology (University at Buffalo). Christopher is the author of the 2016 Peel-Halton Workforce Characteristics Report, and the subject of his dissertation was the social context of engagement with learning among seventh-grade students. Furthermore, he has taught psychology and research methods to Humber College and University at Buffalo (UB) students. Christopher proposed, developed, and led a seminar for UB freshmen titled “Stereotypes, Emotions, Quality of Life”. Christopher possesses an abundance of skill and experience in student outcomes, quantitative research methods, qualitative research methods, inclusive learning environments, and organizational development.

Suresh Subramaniam is a PMI certified Project Management Professional and an experienced senior management professional with newly acquired skills, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to mine invaluable insights from large sets of data be it structured, semi-structured, or unstructured. He is able to leverage mathematics and applied statistics with visualization for in-depth exploration. Suresh is a technical and innovative person with the ability to quickly and aggressively identify, develop, and execute opportunities for growth and improvement.

Dr. Rattansi was born in Tanzania, and he completed his Ph.D. in Islamic Studies at McGill University. Before Dr. Rattansi attended McGill University, he taught logic and critical thinking in Karachi, Pakistan. Dr. Rattansi is the founder and president of the Sherwood Group (digital printing services). The basis of Dr. Rattansi's business philosophy is equal opportunity and creativity. Dr. Rattansi is a past president of the Rotary Club (Mississauga-Airport) and has conducted humanitarian work in Guatemala. Through the Sherwood Group, Dr. Rattansi has provided many employment opportunities to recent immigrants and people with disabilities. It is Dr. Rattansi's view that businesses should empower individuals and improve social conditions.

John possesses over 30 years of experience in addiction counselling, drug abuse prevention, group facilitation, and mental health assessment. John is a co-founder of the African Canadian Youth Substance Abuse Prevention (ACYSAP) Program. The most distinctive aspect of John Hopkins’ work is that he attunes his practices to the cultural and racial identities of the youth. In other words, the focus is placed on the youth and not on a curriculum, institution, or program. One of John and the ACYSAP’s greatest achievements was improving academic and mental health outcomes among at-risk youth in Peel high schools (e.g., Bramalea Secondary School). A crucial insight derived from this achievement was the importance of finding ways to connect mental and behavioural changes with students’ identities. John Hopkins and the ACYSAP team discovered principles for supporting all youth as they worked to promote favorable life outcomes among at-risk youth. The purpose of John’s work is to support the development of racialized and Black youth in the areas of self-esteem, academic engagement and social engagement.

Dr. Agnihotram is an accomplished healthcare researcher with over 15 years of experience working in high-profile global organizations such as the World Health Organization, McGill University, and Analysis Group, a consulting company. Having been exposed to academic, industry, governmental, and non-governmental and community research settings, he has expertise in socio-demographic surveys, biostatistics, epidemiological methods, health economics, statistical software, data analysis, research design, and dissemination of results to peer-reviewed journals. He has 85 high quality peer-reviewed journals to his credit.

Obie Agusiegbe is the CEO and Founder of EnvironFocus, a sustainability consulting firm. Obie has over 18 years of background experience and education in environmental management and climate change. Her experience spans across different sectors that include oil and gas, manufacturing government, non- profit, pharmaceutical and consulting in Nigeria, Canada and overseas. She collaborates with organizations to provide African communities with access to clean technologies that are climate resilient and meets their basic human needs in an equitable manner. She designs, develops and implements projects and programs that meet organizational goals.

She is an Environmental Professional certified by ECO Canada (CECAB) as an Environmental Manager. She has a M.Sc. in Clean Technology from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom, a B.Sc. (Hons) in Chemistry from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, a Post Graduate Certificate in Environmental Management from the University of Toronto and a Certificate in Adult Education/Training and Development from Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology, Canada.

Obie is a Sustainability Advocate, passionate about getting individuals, organizations and nations to shift their perspectives and practices towards creating a sustainable world.

Coming Soon

Computer Science Student, passionate to learn and foster growth in himself and the community around him.

Madison is a Social Work student at Ryerson University working in partnership with the Social Planning Council of Peel as a research associate through her program practicum. Given Madison’s experiential knowledge working in senior care facilities in addition to her social work theoretical knowledge gained through her time at Ryerson University Madison has been focusing her efforts on the supports and barriers surrounding the senior demographic in Peel Region particularly during COVID-19. During her time working with the Social Planning Council of Peel Madison has found the organizational culture to be very congruent with her social work background. This can particularly be seen in the organizations attention to anti- oppression, focus on decolonization and an inclusivity to seek social justice for all forms of oppression that individuals face within the Peel Region. Madison is thankful for the opportunity to learn and grow within the Social Planning Council of Peel both personally and professionally through the work that she is doing.

Natasha Dixon has several years of experience in policy research, government relations, and community outreach. Natasha supports the Social Planning Council of Peel’s Research Department by conducting social policy research, policy analysis, contributing to their grant proposal process, and community outreach initiatives. Her contributions to the research endeavours of the SPCP operate from an anti-oppressive approach to social policy analysis. Her objective is to promote the development of policies, community programs, and research, that centers the lived experiences and narratives of the breadth of low-income communities in the Peel Region.

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