Our Board

John David Ashworth joined the Board of Directors for CLCYR in May 2019.

He has lived in York Region (mostly) since 1994, when he moved to Canada. John David has a B.A. in Religion & Comparative Area Studies from Duke University and a Master of Laws degree (in Dispute Resolution) from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University.

Prior to becoming a mediator and conflict resolution specialist, John David had a career in legal publishing, and before that he taught adult literacy and worked with adults with developmental disabilities in Richmond Hill. John David has been a member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute of Ontario since 2012, and a Qualified Mediator through the ADR Institute of Canada since 2014.

John David is deeply committed to helping organizations, including businesses, non-profits, and government entities, navigate conflict in ways that leave them in a stronger, healthier position to continue work on their stated vision and mission. John David’s work in conflict management is relentlessly hopeful and rooted in a desire to build relationships that are based on respect and trust. Whether through mediation, coaching, facilitation, or training, he is focused on helping organizations make their conflicts less painful and more purposeful.

Alykhan Suleman graduated with a Master of Social Work Degree in Community Development and Social Planning from Wilfrid Laurier University. He brings 20+ years of experience in the not-for-profit sector, of which he has worked on projects that have bridged across 21 countries globally.

Alykhan currently manages Social Services Network for York Region as their CEO, where he oversees staff and volunteers to empower, support and encourage seniors to live an independent and enriched life through programs, services, and advocacy work.

His previous role as the Executive Director with New Circles Community Services allowed him to build a rich network within the diverse communities living in the Don Mills corridor to support newcomers, refugees and those living in poverty.

Alykhan is extremely passionate about community engagement. As a seasoned leader he understands the significance of investing in people as being the most valued asset to any organization. His measure of a successful manager is capitalizing on people’s diverse skills, expertise, and life experiences to contribute to a common vision.

Reza Rajabiun (MA, LLM, PhD) is a competition policy and telecom strategy expert with research interests in expanding Internet access infrastructure, assessing the quality of broadband networks, and improving rural connectivity.

Dr. Rajabiun’s work on the design of competition regulation and the development of broadband Internet infrastructure has appeared in various peer reviewed scholarly journals, including Competition Law and Economics, Indiana Law Journal, Telematics and Informatics, Information Policy, and Telecommunications Policy.

Dr. Rajabiun works with a variety of public-sector entities evaluating economic and financial aspects of broadband infrastructure development initiatives and with non-profit organizations trying to improve Internet connectivity in under-served rural communities and accessibility of affordable communications services available to people with disabilities.

Timothy (Tim) Houlahan is currently retired after having been engaged in two very successful careers , initially with IBM Canada Ltd. as a sales, marketing and product management professional and secondly as a Financial Services executive with State Street Corporation. 

Tim completed his B.Sc. in Chemistry and his M.B.A. in Finance and Management Information Systems at McMaster University and successfully completed the requirements for and was awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation during his career in the Financial Services Sector

Since retiring Tim remains active with his family, travelling extensively with his wife of over 30 years and remains focused on community through engagement in a number of not-for-profit boards.  

Gari is a community builder, global advocate, and public speaker. Gari previously worked with the United Nations (UN), the Canadian House of Commons, Ontario’s Queen’s Park and the Canadian Cancer Society. Gari was recognized as York University’s 2023 Top 30 Alumni Under 30 for his work as one of the Top 100 leaders under the age of 25 in Canada, for which he received the community development award for supporting third-world countries and completed a fellowship with CanStudyUS that aimed to equip young leaders with the tools and knowledge for a future in change-making. During law school, he was selected as one of the five students to represent the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, amongst young leaders across the United Kingdom for a UN award-winning leadership program to advocate for matters of creating real social change for members of parliament to bring into their communities. Gari is the co-author of a forthcoming children’s book to inspire young people to discover their ancestral roots.

Brad is a lawyer with Building Trades Workers’ Services, a non-profit organization committed to providing affordable legal services to workers and unions. He represents injured workers in their appeals for disability benefits. He also presents to workers and unions on workers’ compensation and health and safety issues. He previously worked and volunteered with the IAVGO Community Legal Clinic while a law student at the University of Toronto and has been involved in the injured worker movement since 2013. He is passionate about workers’ rights and improving access to justice.

Myuran has had 20 years of public services in progressive financial capacities including 12 years with the Ontario Public Service. Myuran has always looked for roles in government, not-for-profits or charities where he can make a positive contribution to his community – even though he may work in finance and/or corporate services. Myuran lives with his wife and young son in Stouffville.  He’s a huge Montreal Canadiens fan and loves playing ball hockey.

Josie holds a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) designation and has over 15 years of experience in legal and professional services industries. She currently holds a senior financial position at a leading Canadian law firm in Toronto. Previously, Josie was a Manager with a global accounting firm.

Paniz obtained a B.Sc. (Hons) in Psychology and a JD from Osgoode Hall Law School. She is currently a lawyer for a prominent national association in the financial services industry in Toronto. Her primary focus is providing legal advice on matters concerning non-profits, securities, privacy, and capital markets. As a first generation immigrant, she is passionate about advocating for equality and advancing access to justice within the York Region community. She has previously worked in legal clinics in the GTA serving low-income families and new immigrants. She is also fluent in Persian and French.

Helene Rampersaud is retired after a 30 year career at the Canada Revenue Agency. During the last twelve years she served as an Informal Conflict Management Practitioner. She graduated from York University in Humanities and from Ryerson Polytechnic in Business Administration. She holds designations as a Chartered Mediator and a Workplace Fairness Analyst. 

Batool is a corporate sustainability and ESG professional with over 10 years of experience in the field. She currently works as a Senior Manager, Social Impact and Sustainability at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada where she manages the firm’s corporate social responsibility and sustainability initiatives. Prior to her current role, she has worked in social impact and environment related roles at RBC and TD Bank. Batool completed her undergraduate degree from York University, a Masters degree from the University of Alberta and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business. She is currently a member of the Corporate Steering Committee at Imagine Canada.

Kamilah is an Associate at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in Toronto. Prior to joining BCG she completed a Master of Information in Human-Centered Data Science at the University of Toronto where she focused her research on detecting bias in public sector algorithms. She has also worked with various federal government and UN agencies, including UNHCR and UN ESCAP. In 2020 Kamilah graduated as class valedictorian from the University of Waterloo with a B.A. (hons) in Economics. Kamilah has lived and worked across multiple cities including Dar es Salaam, Beirut, Ottawa, and Bangkok. She is passionate about community building and community work for equity deserving groups.