Women in Philanthropy

Wilfreda Edward is the Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience (CCNDR), where she leads national efforts to strengthen digital capacity across Canada’s nonprofit sector. With more than 13 years in the federal public service, she held senior roles advancing enterprise data strategy, governance, and digital transformation initiatives. Her work focused on building sustainable data infrastructure, strengthening privacy and accountability frameworks, and supporting evidence-informed decision-making at scale.

Today, Wilfreda brings that systems-level experience to nonprofit leadership, working with funders, policymakers, and sector partners to advance cybersecurity readiness, responsible data stewardship, and ethical AI adoption. She is known for bridging public policy and practice, helping organizations build the confidence and capability to use technology in service of their missions.

Wilfreda also serves on the Board of the Canadian Black Policy Network, and draws on her Creole heritage and love of storytelling in her leadership.

A mother, wife, neighbor, and runner, Danya (she/her) is passionate about the role of place-based collaboration. She worked first in New York City, with resettling refugees and then with people impacted by systems of criminal justice. In 2012, she moved to Utah and began a decade with Promise Partnership of Salt Lake, with school, neighborhood, city and regional partnerships accountable to education outcomes. Since February 2022, she’s served at Tamarack Institute. In her time at Tamarack, the organization has supported and amplified philanthropy’s efforts to bring their many assets into systemic transformation, has shaped foundations’ grantmaking practices, and has worked to activate funder collaboratives. Tamarack recently stewarded an open letter to philanthropy, which has been signed by 125 organizations committed to building the relationships between the organizations and funders that underlie transformational change. Danya volunteers with Future of Good, the Canadian Nonprofit Digital Resiliency Centre, Propel Impact, and a youth basketball team.   

Jo-Anne Ryan is Vice President, Philanthropic Advisory Services at TD Wealth. She develops strategies to help clients incorporate philanthropy in their overall financial and estate plans. As a certified 21/64 advisor, she works with multi-generational families to guide them along their philanthropic journey.  She has also led TD’s research efforts around Women and Philanthropy since 2014. She is the architect and Executive Director of the Private Giving Foundation, the first donor advised fund to be launched by a financial institution in Canada.

Jo-Anne is a member of Canadian Association of Gift Planner's government relations committee. She is also the Vice Chair of the Board for Bishops University Foundation and is a member of the advisory board at Carleton University’s Masters in Philanthropy and Non-profit Leadership program – the only one of its kind in Canada.

Raksha Sule is a social impact leader, cultivating self- and system-transformation globally. She is founding the Canadian Sacred Commons Foundation to establish a philanthropic movement and collaborative fund dedicated to investing in love as the transformative force for people and our planet. She co-leads the global Youth, Love & Flourishing Sub-Group within Harvard University’s Flourishing Network.

Previously, she spent a decade in the international development and humanitarian sector. As part of UNICEF HQ’s Mental Health Leadership Team, she led the strategic planning and coordination of the humanitarian portfolio spanning 70+ countries. She has been invited to consult for other international bodies including the WHO, the UN IASC Reference Group on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, and the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies.

At the heart of her work is a deep commitment to listen to and invite in what is sacred of self, others, and the Earth.

For over three decades, Lisa Trefzger Clarke, M.Ad.Ed., Ph.D. has worked in teaching and learning; nonprofit and educational leadership; communications and community development; and social justice research. Committed to bridging theory to practice for the non-profit and charitable sector, Dr. Trefzger Clarke is the post-doctoral research associate for Women in Philanthropy at Carleton University's School of Public Policy and Administration. She/they are also a sessional instructor at Trent University, instructing feminist perspectives on trauma for the Department of Social Work. As a queer and disabled advocate, Dr. Trefzger Clarke is a passionate volunteer and fundraising lead for Camp fYrefly Ontario

Sadia Zaman brings a wealth of media, arts, and not-for-profit experience to her role as CEO, Inspirit Foundation. Under her leadership, the Foundation has cemented its reputation as a bold and catalytic organization in carrying out its mission of racial, social and economic justice. Prior to joining the Foundation, Sadia held senior leadership roles at the Royal Ontario Museum, CBC, and Women in Film and Television-Toronto. Sadia began her career as a journalist, creating hundreds of hours of original, critically acclaimed content. She has won dozens of awards for her journalism and has been honoured for her leadership.