Meet Our Board

meet our current board

MARYAM HASSAN, Chair

Maryam is a lawyer and a long-time resident of St. James Town. She previously completed a summer research fellowship and Pro Bono Students Canada placement at NLS.

Maryam is passionate about serving her community and advocating for equity-seeking groups. She is interested in pursuing a career in criminal defence to protect the liberty and human rights of marginalized groups from the abuse of police and state powers.

Maryam is also a visual artist who leads youth arts programming in St. James Town, helping strengthen the social well-being of her community. Her advocacy work has been recognized by the Women’s Law Association of Ontario, Mayor John Tory, the St. James Town Service Providers' Network, and several other legal and community-based organizations.

KEVIN LAFOREST, Vice-Chair

Kevin is a lawyer at Scarborough Community Legal Services where he works in the housing and immigration teams. Kevin has worked in and with Community Legal Clinics since law school where he began as a student at Parkdale Community Legal Services. Following his Call to the Bar, Kevin entered private practice where he continued to work on tenant-side landlord and tenant matters as well as on immigration and refugee work. Kevin’s work in private practice took him across the GTA including working directly with shelters in the NLS catchment area. These experiences gave Kevin insight into NLS community, and their unique legal needs. Since moving to the Clinic system in 2018, Kevin continues to work with tenants across the city of Toronto, organizing against issues such as evictions, rent increases, and harassment by landlords. Kevin is a passionate advocate for safe, affordable housing and is excited at the opportunity to support the incredible work at NLS.

NATHANIEL BALAKUMARAN, Secretary

Professionally, Nathaniel is a lawyer with a
wealth of experience in technology,
intellectual property, IT outsourcing, and
procurement. His career at leading law firms in Toronto has fostered a comprehensive understanding of governance, non-profit, and charity law, equipping him to offer tailored strategic advice. His expertise is instrumental in helping organizations navigate complex challenges to reach their goals.

Beyond his legal career, Nathaniel is deeply involved in community development, serving as a charity Board Director. This role reflects his strong commitment to effective governance. His academic background in Non-Profit Leadership, Strategy, and Change from the University of Toronto underscores his dedication to fostering leadership in the non-profit sector.

KUMSA BAKER, Treasurer

Kumsa is a community organizer and the Director of Campaigns at the Toronto Community Benefits Network, a 120 member community-labour coalition whose goal is to negotiate Community Benefits Agreements as part of new urban infrastructure and development projects in Toronto. During his spare time, Kumsa enjoys playing sports and supporting various community and youth initiatives

DEBBIE HILL-CORRIGAN, Director

Debbie is the Executive Director of Sojourn House, a refugee shelter and transitional supportive housing program in Toronto. Prior to Sojourn House Debbie was the Executive Director of NOAH Reception Centre which supported both sponsored refugees and refugee claimants. She brings a wealth of organizational management experience having been an ED for over 30 years in the not for profit sector, the last 30 working with refugees.

She is a former co chair of the Inland Protection Working group of the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) and completed two terms on the CCR Executive over the years. Debbie also brings valuable governance experience having sat on the Boards of the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture, CultureLink and AURA (Anglican United Refugee Alliance) and The Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) in Toronto. She is the past chair of the Toronto Shelter Network of which she remains active on the Board.

AMBARO GULED, Director

Ambaro is a deeply experienced Community Health Worker at the Regent Park Community Health Centre. She has an expert understanding of the many barriers newcomers to Canada face.

Ambaro is a longstanding Member of NLS. Her volunteer experience is rich, having contributed her time and skills to the Toronto District School Board & Frontier College. She has also served on the Boards of the Somali Immigrant Aid Organization, African Community Health Services, and Midaynta Community Services

Amna is a lawyer committed to equalizing access to justice. During law school, Amna spent summers working at Amnesty International and the Indigenous Justice Division of the Ministry of the Attorney General. She completed her articles at a
Toronto law firm that specializes in providing legal services to charities/not-for-profit organizations and individuals with disabilities. She is interested in pursuing a career in civil litigation, and completed a
judicial internship at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in her final year of law school.
Amna is passionate about giving back to the community and the legal profession, and is a current member of The Advocates' Society and the Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association. Her work has been published by the United Nations and the Queen's Faculty of Law Global Justice Journal.

AMNA FAROOQI, Director