Our Team
Lorna Read
Managing Director
Lorna Read
Managing Director
Dr. Lorna Read is Managing Director of LEAP. She brings more than 25 years of experience as a transformational social impact and non-profit leader to her role. Lorna is stewarding LEAP into its second decade as it fulfills its bold vision to vastly expand its impact, and reach more Canadians
than ever before. A long-time champion for social change led by communities and their leaders, Lorna is committed to scaling effective models and teams that are closest to the complex issues communities face around the world. She has a deep passion for engaging diverse stakeholders in a way that can multiply and leverage expertise and resources towards a collective goal that in term increases social impact.
Prior to joining LEAP, Lorna founded a strategic advisory that has supported and mentored entrepreneurial and executive leaders in organizations in Canada to tailor effective and measurable social impact strategies. Prior to this, she spent 15 years in global executive leadership roles at War Child Canada and Right To Play International, both based in Toronto. She has led research and development projects in Latin America for university consortia and government agencies, worked for the Institute of Latin American and Iberian Studies at Columbia University, and held consultancies for Canadian Embassies, UNICEF, INSTRAW and the MacArthur Foundation. Dr. Read has served as an adjunct professor and taught courses related to community and global development, at universities in Canada and the U.S.
Lorna holds a doctorate in Political Science from Columbia University, with a concentration in comparative politics and international relations. Having lived and worked in over 50 countries in Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, she has spent her career deeply immersed in social issues and their solutions.
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- Entrepreneurship
- Women in Leadership
Taharka Gibb
Senior Director, Portfolio
Taharka Gibb
Portfolio Director
Taharka is a Portfolio Director at the LEAP | Pecaut Centre for Social Impact. His work focuses on growing and scaling social enterprises that improve the overall health of Canadians. Throughout his career, Taharka has maintained a strong passion for social impact and dedicated much of his time to coaching students on how to solve social challenges--an endeavour that he continues to do today!
Taharka holds a MSc in Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship from the London School of Economics and a Bachelors of Commerce degree from Ryerson University.
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- Vancouver
- Toronto
Jennifer Verschraegen
VP, Philanthropy & Partnerships
Jennifer Verschraegen
VP, Philanthropy & Partnerships
Jennifer serves as Vice President, Philanthropy & Partnerships for LEAP, leading fundraising, marketing and communications functions to support impact-scaling initiatives and day-to-day operations, as well as supporting social ventures with fundraising coaching and guidance.
Jennifer is a seasoned fundraiser and non-profit strategist, with over 20 years of experience helping people and institutions create impact and foster change through the power of philanthropy. Her holistic approach to raising capital marries her passion for people, collaboration and storytelling, underpinned by a boundless pursuit of excellence through measurement, iteration, and continuous learning.
Jennifer is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and holds a Bachelor of Arts from University of Toronto.
Ask Me About
- Food Security
- Fundraising
Sophie Armstrong
Donor Relations and Communications Coordinator
Sophie Armstrong
Donor Relations and Communication Coordinator
Sophie serves as the Donor Relations and Communications Coordinator for LEAP. Sophie supports LEAP on its mission to do good, better through storytelling. Sophie is experienced in communications, research and prospecting, stewardship as well as relationship building.
Sophie is an avid equestrian and competes in show jumping on the national level with hopes of moving up to the international level in the future.
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- Social Impact
- Women in Leadership
Vicky Jiang
Portfolio Analyst
Vicky Jiang
Portfolio Analyst
Vicky serves as a Portfolio Analyst at LEAP, supporting social ventures and their teams in mobilizing
resources for organizational growth. During her undergraduate experience, she has worked in various impact sectors such as research on
conservation finance sector, impact investing, and sustainable finance.
Vicky holds an Honours Business Administration degree from the Ivey Business School and a Bachelors in
Computer Science from Western University. She completed a semester abroad at the ESSEC Business
School in France.
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- Social Impact
Lindsay Birbrager
Portfolio Manager
Lindsay Birbrager
Portfolio Manager
Lindsay serves as a Portfolio Manager for LEAP, supporting ventures in their capacity-building efforts through strategy development, implementation planning and impact measurement. Lindsay is an experienced strategy and growth manager, with expertise in project management, stakeholder engagement and analytics. She spent the last five years of her career assisting businesses in meeting their growth targets, by helping them overcome barriers and adapt to changing market dynamics.
Lindsay holds an Honours Business Administration from Ivey Business School, and completed the New Leader Course from Harvard University.
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- Social Impact
- Women in Leadership
Gina Leslie
Portfolio Director, The Equity Opportunity
Gina Leslie
Portfolio Director, The Equity Opportunity
Gina is a Portfolio Director at the LEAP | Pecaut Centre for Social Impact. She is an impact and growth leader, multi-stakeholder relationship manager, and program and operations manager, whose MBA complements over 15 years of experience in private and non-profit sectors. Her professional background spans Jamaica, Canada, and the United States, and covers the themes of: economic development, technology and innovation, startups and small businesses, and adult education for capacity building.
Gina brings that background to 'The Equity Opportunity’ initiative at LEAP - helping to scale high-impact ventures that will advance women’s economic well-being in Canada.
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- Social Impact
- Women's Empowerment
Shawn Ford
VP, Finance & Administration
Shawn Ford
VP, Finance & Admin
Shawn has worked in the charitable sector for over 17 years, spending time at United Way Toronto and the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society. He most recently served as the Chief Financial Officer at the Society where he provided leadership over the Finance and Information Technology Department. There he successfully led initiatives in NFP Mergers, Digital Transformation and Business Process Re-Engineering. Prior to his time in the charitable sector, he worked in the consulting field for 5 years implementing financial ERP systems and developing custom financial applications.
Shawn has his Accounting (CPA,CMA) designation along with his Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP) designation. In 2019, he was one of five recipients across North America to receive AICPA’s Information Management and Technology Assurance (IMTA) Standing Ovation award in recognition for his achievements in Finance and Information Technology.
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- Animal Rights
- Tech in the Social Sector
Yash Mehta
Portfolio Manager
Yash Mehta
Portfolio Manager
Yash serves as a Portfolio Manager for LEAP, supporting ventures to build capacity for scaling impact through strategy development, implementation planning, and impact measurement.
Yash also serves as the Co-Founder of a UN recognized non-profit organization in India that strives to empower children from low-income communities through quality education.
Yash holds a Masters in Business Administration from Simon Fraser University and a Bachelors in Accounting & Finance degree from H.R. College of Commerce & Economics.
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- Vancouver
- Education Technology