Samara works regularly with volunteers and we actively encourage anyone interested in our work to contact us to discuss opportunities to get involved. Click here if you would like to learn more about volunteering with Samara.
Samara is grateful to the many volunteers who have helped out with our projects over the last few years. Here are some of their backgrounds.
Sandeep Achar
Sandeep is an MBA graduate from Queen’s University. He is currently working with RBC as an HR Associate. Sandeep previously worked for several years in human resources, operations, and advertising. He has an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and has also worked for a non-profit organization in India, focusing on skill development for underprivileged youth. Outside of work, his interests include reading books on history, science and public policy, as well as listening to music and running.
Dunja Apostolov
Dunja has a M.Sc. in development studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Hon. BA in political science from the University of Toronto. She currently works at the Foundation for International Training, where she oversees the implementation of a number of programs funded by the Canadian International Development Agency. Prior to this, she was a Research Assistant at the Munk Centre for International Studies and at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Whether it be politics of development or Canadian politics that Dunja is thinking or debating about, she has an interest in studying citizenship and the ways in which citizens engage with the state and its institutions.
Kyra Augustyn
Kyra is currently completing a Masters degree in international relations at McMaster University. She is currently working on publishing her major research paper on the social construction of water and making water a human right. Kyra graduated from Sir Wilfrid Laurier University with a BA Hon. political science. Currently, she works for the Ministry of Government Services. Kyra is actively involved animal rescue in Toronto. Her other interests include professional sports, reading, cooking, and baking.
Vasiliki Bednar
Vass graduated from McMater's Arts & Science Program in 2008 and the University of Toronto School of Public Policy and Governance (SPPG) at the University of Toronto in 2010. While at SPPG, Vass contributed research to the Higher Education Project. She also works as the Managing Editor of the Journal of Hunger and Poverty, a recent initiative of the Ontario Association of Food Banks. She's also worked as a Policy Research Associate for the City of Toronto and currently works as a Research Associate at the Martin Prosperity Institute. The majority of her research is focused on innovative solutions to socioeconomic inequality in labour markets and barriers to accessing higher education. Vass is also a Student Director on Meal Exchange's Board of Directors and is proud to chair the Ultimate Fiction Club (UFC) in Toronto.
Ian Black
Ian works as a management consultant with Bain & Company and has worked in both Toronto and New York City. He has worked primarily with clients in financial services, private equity, consumer goods and retail. He received his BA in Economics from Queen’s University in 2007. While at Queen’s he was actively involved in student leadership, punctuated by a year serving as Vice-President (Operations) for the undergraduate student government. While a student, he spent summers working with National Public Relations and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. Ian has a long standing interest and involvement in public policy. He attended the Pearson Seminar on Youth Leadership, worked on federal get-out-the-vote campaigns, and presented to Canada’s Premiers at the Council of the Federation on the topic of civic engagement. His particular areas of interest include education, public leadership and engagement and entrepreneurship. Ian has also volunteered with the United Way, St. Christopher’s House and St. Margaret’s Hospital. His other interests include triathlon, outdoor pursuits and music.
Grant Burns
Grant is a student the University of British Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism. He believes that the efficacy of Canada's political institutions is central to the strength of this democracy. He previously studied history, earning a BA from the University of Guelph and an MA from the University of Victoria. His thesis work focused on the development of West German political structures, in particular the formation of the Green Party, in response to the anti-nuclear and peace movements of the 1960s and 1970s. He also really enjoys cricket, even though he hasn't known the game that long.
Jessa Chupik
Jessa has spent the last ten years recruiting talented people, leading research partnerships and acting as a mentor to new graduates. During her career in the BC Public Service, she held progressively more senior roles focusing on talent management, program development, research and evaluation. Currently, Jessa is an associate with Odgers Berndtson, an executive search firm. Jessa recruits leaders in the public and not-for-profit sectors, including senior leaders in universities, municipalities, and healthcare facilities. She holds an Honours BA in Indigenous Studies and a Master of Arts degree in Indigenous Studies and Canadian Studies, both from Trent University. She studied for a PhD (ABD) in history at McMaster University but left when she found meaningful employment in the private sector.
Alex Derry
Alex is currently the Assistant Editor at Macleans.ca. Previously, he was editor of the The Mark's Politics section. As a freelance researcher and writer, Alex has worked with Samara and the Centre for the Study of Democracy at Queen's University. He has been published in the CBA's National Section on International Law, the European Journalism Centre's online magazine, and Crossroads, an online lifestyle zine for expatriates living in Maastricht, NL. Alex has a European Studies in International Politics MA from Maastricht University and a BA from the University of King's College, NS, in Contemporary Studies and History.
Robert Furtado
Robert is a consultant at Pilot PMR. His communications experience includes journalism, speechwriting and public relations consulting for start-up companies, small and medium-sized businesses and executive directors from a variety of non-profit organizations in Victoria, Vancouver and Toronto. He holds a B.A. (Honours) from Queen’s University, and M.A. in Political Science from the University of Victoria, where he was a Teaching Assistant in Canadian politics.
Eric Gent
Eric is a recent graduate of the Master of Public Policy program at the University of Toronto School of Public Policy and Governance. He also holds a BA (Hons) in History and Asia-Pacific Studies from U of T's Victoria College. His policy interests are varied, but with particular emphasis on the environment, incentive structures and Canada's changing role in the world. Eric is currently a policy advisor with Ontario's Ministry of Government Services.
Shira Honig
Shira has experience working on public policy issues in Canada and internationally. Most recently, she was an Adviser to the UN Mission to Micronesia in New York, where she worked on agricultural, water and climate change issues and was a member of the small island developing state’s delegation at the COP15 in Copenhagen. She is a published writer and editor, and also served as a co-chair of the Toronto chapter of Canada25. She has an MPA from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service.
Jennifer Hove
Jennifer Hove is a SSHRC doctoral fellow in political science at the University of Toronto, and Research Director for Vote Compass Canada. Her research areas include foreign policy attitudes, women and politics, and political behaviour. Recent collaborations include two articles exploring Canadian attitudes towards the mission in Afghanistan, published in the Canadian Journal of Political Science. Jennifer’s dissertation focuses on changes to political attitudes and behaviour in Afghanistan as a result of international intervention, with emphasis on gender dynamics. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, Jennifer contributed to research projects on Aboriginal education in Canada (supported by the CD Howe Institute) and BC energy policy. Internationally, she has worked for the BRAC University Institute of Educational Development, as part of a CIDA-funded program in Bangladesh.
Myna Kota
Myna Kota is a stakeholder relations professional with a passion for advancing social justice through strategic alliances. In her current role at Girl Guides of Canada, she leads the program partnerships and government relations portfolio, building and managing relationships with federal government stakeholders and national non-profit organizations to create and enhance programs that empower girls and young women. Prior to Girl Guides, Myna managed stakeholder relations at Goodwill Toronto where she engaged government and community partners to create work opportunities for youth facing employment barriers. Myna holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
Elaine Lam
Elaine is a Senior Consultant at Deloitte and Touche LLP in the public sector practice. As a former tenure track professor, she led the International Education degree program at Bath Spa University (UK) and remains a research fellow at Bath Spa and a Visiting Scholar at OISE, University of Toronto. With experience advising the UK government's international school partnerships and currently advising Ministry of Education's Gap Closing Strategy for Intermediate Mathematics, Elaine has an affinity towards large data sets and public policy research. Previously Elaine co-led the Toronto and London (UK) chapters of Canada25, and managed all programs related to children's work as the member of the board of directors for SPACE Trust (UK), a charity working with homeless families. Elaine holds a Ph.D, M.Sc., B.Ed and B.A Hons.
Matthew Lombardi
Matthew lives in Toronto, where he works for the Ontario Liberal Party. He is a recent graduate of Queen's University, where he earned a BA (Hons) in Political Studies with a minor in History. His public policy interests are varied, and include citizen engagement and international relations. In his spare time, he serves on the Board of Directors at Breakaway Addiction Services, a harm reduction and addiction treatment centre.
Rasha Mansoor
Rasha graduated in 2010 with an MA in Political Science from McMaster University, focusing her degree on comparative politics and public policy. Rasha has volunteered as an ambassador for McMaster's ombuds, participated in various inter-university conferences, and assisted her local MPP in organizing community events and campaigns. Rasha's main research interests lie in migration and settlement issues, a topic on which she researched extensively for her undergraduate thesis. She is currently working on publishing her work. Her other research interests include global affairs, transnationalism, and combating socioeconomic inequality in OECD countries.
Lisa Rae
Lisa is a 2010-2011 Sauve Scholar. She is currently conducting research on mental health services in Canada's North. She is a graduate of the School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Toronto where she pursued a Masters of Public Policy and of the University of King's College in Halifax, NS, where she completed a combined honours BA in Contemporary Studies and International Development. Lisa worked for three years as a Research Analyst in the Strategic Initiatives Department at the Council of Ontario Universities. As a member of this team, she worked on a variety of social files relating to the university sector, including access programs for under-represented groups such as Aboriginal students and students with disabilities, as well as students' mental health.
Janet Rodriguez
Janet Rodiguez is a translator, interpreter, and radio host. She managed the Spanish translation department of P&G, and has managed multilingual translation projects for Tucows.com, and worked as the Latin American export sales manager for a local manufacturer. She also ran her own interpretation service. Janet hosts the program "Sin Barrerras" ("Without Barriers") on Toronto's CHHA 1610 AM. The program promotes the integration of people with disabilities to social, economic and democratic life in Canada through information and the participation of the community. Listen online at www.voceslatinas.ca.
Natasha Sawh
Natasha is the Program Manager, Global Citizenship at the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation. She has worked in both the not-for-profit and public sectors and has a strong interest in working with youth and diasporic/transnational communities. She was previously the Director of Programs at the Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation, and has also worked at the Policy Research Initiative of the Privy Council Office in Ottawa and in the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation's research department in Montreal. Natasha's volunteer commitments have included organizing community events as part of a women of colour collective, fundraising for a freedom school to build community organizing skills among Aboriginal youth and youth of colour, and working on a crisis and referral line for a sexual assault centre.
Tyler Sommers
Tyler is a recent graduate of the University of Toronto, having specialized in Political Science and Criminology. He maintains a keen interest in political science and political behaviour, regularly volunteering and consulting for research projects while exploring potential careers. He co-founded the Canadian Youth Assembly and participates in youth-focused research in order to pursue his belief that youth need to be engaged and hone their leadership skills as early as possible in order to make the best contribution to society.
Sarah Somerton
Sarah has spent over four years conducting social and psychological research with various programs and academic institutions. She believes in the potential for research to affect both governmental policy and social change. After completing her undergraduate degree at Queen's University, Sarah spent time working with the research team at a province-wide prevention/intervention program for disadvantaged children. During this time she became concerned with the effects of community disadvantage on youth and families. In order to fortify her understanding of this issue, she chose to pursue a social policy MSc with a specialization in criminal justice policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Sarah is now back in Toronto and currently working on a program targeting youth at risk of gang involvement.
Jayme Turney
Jayme graduated from the University of Toronto, specializing in political science. He was a compliance analyst for the G8 research group and a member of the Academic Appeals Board for the Faculty of Arts and Science. He is currently pursuing an MA in political science at York University, where he is focusing on political economy and comparative politics. Turney also volunteers as a campaign coordinator for the Toronto Public Space Committee, and as a palliative care team volunteer for Hospice Toronto.
Sean Verigin
Sean is pursuing a specialist degree at the Trudeau Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Toronto with a focus on democratization and deadly conflict. He is currently an intern at the Mosaic Institute, a foreign policy think tank that collaborates with Canada's diaspora communities. Sean's research interests are interdisciplinary in scope and include comparative public policy, political economy, and polemology. He is currently interested in competing models of market-oriented reform in newly-industrialized and emerging economies. Sean has worked as a Research Assistant on a "Smart Map" report for the Sudan Task Force of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) as well as on a cross-national policy report for the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation.
Ellis Westwood
Ellis is a senior consultant at Ascentum, a consultancy focused on public participation and social media. There he specializes in research, tool design, analysis, and project management. Ellis has a background in public affairs, policy research and public participation. He has a BA (Hons) from Queen’s University and an MA in Public Policy and Administration from Carleton University.
Noah Zon
Noah is an intergovernmental affairs specialist with the Government of Ontario's Cabinet Office, Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs, where he focuses on energy and environment issues. He was previously a policy analyst with the province's Climate Change Secretariat. Noah is a graduate of the London School of Economics in political science, where he earned an MSc in Global Politics, and of McGill University where he studied political science and international development.
Tamara Zur
Tamara works as the Policy and Issue Analyst in the Deputy Minister's Office at ServiceOntario, the Government of Ontario's service delivery organization. Tamara has also worked in the non-governmental sector, most recently for the Canadian International Council (CIC) a non-profit, non-partisan research council established to strengthen policy discussions and research on Canadian Foreign Policy issues. Tamara has a n Honours B.A. in Media Information and Technoculture from the University of Western Ontario, Faculty of Information and Media Studies and an MA in Transnational Communications and Global Media from Goldsmiths College, University of London, England.