Chair: J.R. Richards is an adjudicator with the financial services regulator of Ontario.  J.R. has acted as a staff lawyer and acting director of Legal Services within the Ontario Legal Aid Clinic system and has been a policy advisor for the Ontario government utilizing his mediation and facilitation skills in several government initiatives. J.R. is also currently a faculty member in the continuing education department at George Brown College, where he teaches Commercial law. Outside of his work, his passions include all facets of the arts and at one time he co-hosted an education and community affairs program on CIUT Radio.

Mariane Araleh is an entrepreneur and founder of The Canadian Conversation. Prior to starting her business, she worked as an investment banker in the MENA, MIKT and BRIC Markets. Her experience spans mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, corporate growth strategy and debt structures with Merrill Lynch, Citibank, HSBC, The World Bank and Government of UAE. She is passionate about many things, but advancing the development of business in immigrant communities is at the top of the list. Mariane is an active participant in many international fora including Davos, World Economic Forum, the Asia Business Council, The African Development Bank and Private Equity Africa.

Karen Carter is the Executive Director of Heritage Toronto, an arms length agency of the City of Toronto responsible for the education and promotion of Toronto’s Heritage. She has over fifteen years of management experience working in a variety of arts and cultural settings in Toronto.

Lisa Hill was born and raised and continues to stay rooted in the Malvern community she loves.  Early in life she discovered her passion for the development of people, social-economic and family issues as she attained a degree in Sociology from York University. The same enthusiasm can be found in her dedicated career at TD Bank Financial Group which spans over 16 years. She a Member of the Direct Channel Diversity Council and in her spare time has voluntarily participated in various community orientated organizations such as the Steven Lewis Report, participating and speaking at the U of T Black Student’s Association High School Conference.  Lisa’s most rewarding challenge is being an active and engaged parent in both her children’s lives and can be found attending various events around the city in support of their varied interests.

Earl Modeste brings a strong corporate governance perspective to the BAND Board of Directors. His experience in regulatory compliance and finance brings direction to the organization’s strategic planning objectives. A Branch Manager with one of Canada’s largest mutual fund companies, Modeste combines his professional experience with his passion for the Arts.

Andrew Morrison emigrated from Jamaica in November, 2007. He was called to the Jamaican Bar in 2007 and to the Ontario Bar in March, 2012. He is a Barrister and Solicitor and holds a Masters of Law from the University of Toronto. He formerly worked with a Civil law firm in Jamaica and the Criminal Law firm of The Mcleod Group Toronto. He has had extensive involvement in cultural/heritage organizations including the Marcus Garvey Liberty Hall Multimedia Museum-the first multimedia museum in the Commonwealth Caribbean.

Breanne Mounter is currently the Business Development Manager at Best Doctors. Breanne is passionate about recruiting motivated and driven individuals and helping them build successful careers. Breanne's professional expertise also includes keynote speaking, business coaching and planning, market development, financial planning, career coaching, marketing, and public relations. Breanne also had a successful career as a professional singer and is passionate about the arts.

Carlotta A. Thomas is a Community Recreation Supervisor responsible for overseeing the youth portfolio with over 21years of experience in facility management, project management and delivering municipal recreation programs and services, within the city of Toronto. Thomas has built her career around youth engagement and development through publicly accessible programming. Her interests also include travelling, reading and spending time with friends and family.