Board Members

Takara Small is a Toronto-based entrepreneur and writer. She is a technology contributor at CBC (Canada's national broadcaster) and North American contributor for BBC World News. In 2021, she hosted the CBC investigative podcast Death In Cryptoland, a six-part series that reached #1 in Canada, and is currently the host of the weekly history show They Did That by Sony Entertainment. Before joining CBC, Takara was a contributing editor at Fortune magazine and host/producer for the Globe and Mail podcast I'll Go First. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including the Toronto Star, Refinery29, Metro News Canada, Chatelaine, and Mic. Over the last decade, Takara has been named one of WXN’s 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, a Brand Star Leader by AdWeek magazine for her technological leadership, and a fellow of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative, a program that selects emerging young leaders from around the world to work and learn from experts in the U.S. for a summer fellowship.

Lauren Van den Berg, Vice-Chair
Toronto, Ontario

Lauren started in federal politics in Montreal and built her career in the world of association management. She has extensive experience in member relations and governance, advocacy, events, and the development of revenue-generation models for growth. Lauren knows that ‘raising our voice’ takes a village. She’s established a track record of proactively creating opportunities to engage the media and developing valued working relationships with government decision-makers. She is a trusted partner and authentic voice for industry. Lauren has an M.A. in Public Policy from Carleton University and an Hons. B.A. in Economics and Political Science from McGill University. In her free time, she has volunteered on several notable boards, and with the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee (CJPAC) Women in Politics Mentorship Program.

Irene Mukasa, Director
Toronto, Ontario

A self-professed brand and communications connoisseur, Irene has spent over a decade helping companies build impactful brands through compelling content and bold messaging. Having led integrated marketing and communications campaigns for a number of organizations in a variety of sectors such as healthcare, pharmaceuticals, transportation, consumer goods and tech, Irene has mastered the art of merging human-centered storytelling with the latest brand marketing trends.

Irene currently leads the Research Communications and Engagement team for Autodesk, serves as a DEI Communications Advisor for Say Yeah, and runs a branding and communications consultancy for tech start-ups.

Vivian Lee, Secretary
Toronto, Ontario

Vivian Lee is an education management and technology specialist, with 10+ years of experience in organizational leadership, edtech curriculum design, and course architecture in the private, public, and non-profit sectors. By day, Vivian is the Director of Education & Strategy at the Ontario Digital Literacy and Access Network (ODLAN), supporting the organization in the development and delivery of online resources for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. By night, she is an academic researcher pursuing a doctorate in curriculum policy for provincial and governmental institutions. Her thesis work and publications center on EdTech futures, STEM for multilingual learners, digital citizenship curriculum policy, digital access issues, and intersectional education frameworks.

Johnathon Nightingale, Director
Toronto,Ontario

Johnathon Nightingale is an international expert on modern management and leadership. He's worked with thousands of leaders to build high-trust and highly effective teams in everything from academic research institutions to robotics startups to fashion brands. He grounds his work in lessons he learned over 20 years in tech, where he ran engineering, security, product, and design teams–and spent a surprising amount of time making coffee. He has written two bestselling books, and co-authors the World's Best Newsletter, which is bi-weekly and completely free.