Board of Directors

The Rexdale Women's Centre is governed by a dedicated and committed Board of Directors comprised of volunteers who fulfill their fiduciary duties for the good of the organization. This dedicated group of individuals manages the organization's operations through policy development and service planning. The Board of Directors also ensures organizational goals are set and met and adopts and adheres to objectives and standards for effective service delivery and fiscal management.

Their commitment ensures the future success of the organization.

Chairperson-President
Florentina Stancu-Soare, Hons. B.A

Florentina is the Director of Public and Regulatory Affairs at the Canadian Marketing Association. She manages the Canadian Marketing Code of Ethics and Standards, supporting compliance and best practice guidance, and is a regulatory lead on issues impacting the marketing profession. An experienced public affairs and communications professional, Florentina is a consensus builder with a proven track record as a public policy influencer, project manager, advocacy campaign designer, and effective volunteer and grassroots mobilizer. Florentina holds a degree from the University of Toronto.

Vice Chair and Secretary
Melanie Davies, Masters in Human Resources Management

Melanie joined the Board of Directors in 2024. Melanie is a Global Human Resources professional and has implemented best practice strategic HR solutions at a number of organizations to deliver business improvements and alignment with organizational objectives. Career highlights to date include the transformation and re-branding of HR functions and leading high-level teams through adopting an innovative thought-leadership approach. Melanie moved from the UK to Canada with her family in 2022 and can attest to the challenges faced by new immigrants to the country. She is really looking forward to bringing both personal and professional experience to Rexdale.

Directors

Jessica Bello, LL.M

Jessica is a seasoned legal and financial professional with a distinguished career spanning over two decades. She earned her law degree from Universidad Central de Venezuela in 2008, followed by a Master’s degree in Law at the University of Toronto in 2018. Jessica began her professional journey at the Attorney General’s Office in Venezuela, where she developed her legal expertise over an eight-year tenure. In 2014, she joined Royal Bank of Canada in Toronto, holding various senior management positions during eight years. Since 2022, Jessica has served as the Director, Business Supervisory Management at UBS Canada. Her diverse experience and academic achievements underscore her deep commitment to the fields of law and finance.

Anna Chang

With an empathetic lens and a belief in leading with kindness, Anna Chang has dedicated her career to helping communities overcome barriers and realize their full potential. She has recently guided a seniors’ housing organization through moments of crisis, elevated public safety awareness at Peel Crime Stoppers, and built bridges across cultures as the Founder and Chair of an award-winning DEI start-up. Her work reflects the conviction that the world is more interconnected than we often realize, and that our greatest strength lies in working together with trust, compassion, and equity. Beyond her professional achievements, Anna carries a personal connection to Rexdale, where she began her own immigrant journey. That lived experience fuels her commitment to ensuring others have access to the same opportunities to thrive. Through her expertise in strategic planning, marketing, and nonprofit governance, she is dedicated to supporting the Rexdale Women’s Centre in its mission to empower women and families with the tools, confidence, and dignity to build brighter futures together.

Samson Jinadu

Samson is a finance professional with over 12 years of combined experience spanning consulting, financial services, and public-sector regulation. He graduated summa cum laude with a degree in accounting and is a designated accountant in both the United Kingdom and Ontario, Canada. He is also a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA) in the UK and holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

He currently works with the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA), a provincial regulatory agency, where he contributes to strengthening oversight, consumer protection, and the integrity of Ontario’s financial services sector.

Nasreen Latheef

Nasreen Latheef (she/her) is a cybersecurity leader with over a decade of experience building identity, trust & safety solutions across global, regulated environments. Nasreen has worked across Government, Healthcare, Telecommunications, Retail, and Finance (IBM-TD Canada Trust, Telus Security, Great West Life, Metrolinx, CIBC). Nasreen comes to RWC with a legal background (Osgoode Law School – LLM candidate in Cyber and Privacy) and experience in Financial Accounting.

Nasreen is currently on the Community Advisory Panel with Toronto Police (Race and Identity-based Data Collection Strategy) — to help address police reform, systemic racism, and strengthening relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve. Nasreen previously served as Vice-Chair at Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention (ASAAP) from 2014-2019 and Treasurer at Dandelion Initiative from 2020-2021. In 2017, ASAAP’s advocacy campaign resulted in successful partnerships with Toronto Police and Mayor John Tory to establish an Independent Civilian Review into Missing Person Investigations. Nasreen is an active member in her community (including but not limited to, Scarborough Women’s Centre, UTSC Women’s Center, TRCC and The Redwood). As a visible minority, immigrant and member of the LGBTQ2+ community, Nasreen has lived experiences and deeply understands the need for community activism, proactive change and the impact of genuine allyship.  

Nasreen is dedicated to fostering and building a safe digital world for those most at risk of being exploited online. 

Rehan Mamdani, CPA, CGA

Rehan is a seasoned finance executive with over 13 years of experience in financial leadership, governance, and operational transformation across nonprofit and private sector organizations in Canada and internationally. He has held senior finance leadership roles at leading nonprofit organizations in Ontario in recent years, where he has overseen national finance operations, strengthened financial sustainability, and supported strategic decision-making.

Rehan brings extensive experience managing complex, multi-entity environments and large-scale funded programs, with a strong focus on financial transparency, internal controls, and board reporting. He has worked closely with executive leadership and Boards to align financial strategy with organizational mission and community impact.

He is committed to using his financial expertise to support strong governance and contribute to organizations that create meaningful, lasting impact in the communities they serve.

Dinojah Patkunarajah

Dinojah is the Manager of Global Youth Advocacy at Plan International Canada, where she leads programs and advocacy initiatives that elevate youth voices in national and international policy spaces. With more than eight years of experience across the public and non-profit sectors, she has contributed to government, politics, and civil society through roles with Environment and Climate Change Canada, the New Democratic Party of Canada, and Engineers Without Borders.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts and Business from the University of Waterloo and a Master’s in Development Economics from the University of Queensland. At Plan Canada, Dinojah has advanced flagship programs such as The Power Within’s Systemic Change Fellowship and Girls Belong Here, while also supporting Canadian youth to influence global advocacy priorities at the United Nations.

Her connection to the Rexdale Women’s Centre is deeply personal, having grown up in the neighbourhood and relying on the Centre’s services with her family as newcomers to Canada. These early experiences with RWC shaped her commitment to equity and inclusion and inspired her career in the non-profit sector. She is passionate about ensuring that underrepresented voices, particularly those of marginalized youth, are not only heard but actively embedded in the decision-making processes that shape their futures.

Stacey Reilly

Stacey brings more than 15 years of dedicated experience in the violence-against-women sector to her role with the Rexdale Women’s Centre. Throughout her career, she has held a range of frontline and leadership roles across the non-profit sector, including shelter support, housing support, counselling, and management. Her work has focused on strengthening services that support women experiencing violence and helping them access safe housing, resources, and pathways to long-term stability.

Stacey leads with the firm belief that all women possess the strength and capacity to achieve their goals. She is deeply committed to creating supportive environments where women can build confidence, develop skills, and realize their full potential. She is also passionate about facilitating workshops that educate and empower women, equipping them with practical tools to move forward in their personal and professional lives.

In addition to her professional work, Stacey contributes to the broader community as a mentor in the Scarborough Women’s Centre Mentorship Program, where she supports women in their career and personal development.

Stacey holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Toronto Metropolitan University and a diploma from the Assaulted Women and Children’s Advocate Program at George Brown College.

Sheba Yusufzai, Hons. B.A

Sheba joins the Rexdale Women’s Centre with over 12 years of experience in a wide range of areas, including Immigration law, Government Relations, Project Management, Policy Development and Research, Managing Stakeholder Relations, and Political Canvassing. She has honed her expertise through her professional engagements with Canada's Federal and Provincial governments, significant non-profit organizations, and prestigious law firms in Toronto. Notably, Sheba facilitated the resettlement of thousands of refugees into Canada, including the Syrian Refugee Arrival project at Pearson International Airport, demonstrating her commitment to humanitarian causes. She has also been instrumental in advocating for governmental actions in Afghanistan as part of the Canadian Campaign for Afghan Peace in 2021. In addition to her professional work, Sheba is committed to legal research and volunteers with organizations that help newcomers integrate into their communities. Outside of her professional and volunteer work, Sheba enjoys spending quality time with her family. Sheba holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) degree in Political Science from York University and a diploma in Canadian Immigration from Herzing College.