Board of Directors

Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors for CreateTO represent a diverse group of public and private sector partners who provide experienced insight and support to carry out the vision for this new organization.

Photo of Ron Carinci

Ron Carinci

Chair

Ron Carinci is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Urbacon Data Centre Solutions Inc., a provider of data centre infrastructure to global cloud computing operators.  Prior to being named CEO, Ron served as Chief Operating Officer of the Urbacon Group of Companies which constructs and develops major commercial, industrial, infrastructure and public sector projects.  Ron was the former chair of the board of the Toronto Public Library, former board member of Ontario Lottery & Gaming and board member of the Jays Care Foundation which creates lasting social change for children and youth in marginalized communities across Canada.  Ron has a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School.

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Sandra Levy

Vice Chair

Sandra Levy was the Chief People & Culture Officer with the Canadian Olympic Committee. Ms. Levy was previously a senior executive with RioCan, First Capital Realty and Magna International. Ms. Levy has extensive board experience at both the corporate and volunteer board level. She currently sits on other boards and Chairs Board Committees including Governance and Compensation Committees. Ms. Levy has over 20 years of experience as an executive in legal and human resources roles. She holds an LL.B from Osgoode Hall Law School. Ms. Levy is also a two time Olympian for Canada in the sport of field hockey.

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Councillor Paula Fletcher

Director

First elected to Toronto City Council in 2003, Paula Fletcher now represents the newly created Ward 14, Toronto-Danforth. On city-wide issues, Councillor Fletcher has focused on creating a healthy city through her involvement in health, housing, recreation, environment and community development issues. A widely recognized champion for Toronto’s highly successful film and digital media sector, she helped lead the campaign to defend employment lands in east Toronto’s studio district. She has also played a significant role in the revitalization of Toronto’s Port Lands with a focus on building a shared, accessible waterfront for all Torontonians.

Councillor Fletcher has worked with the real estate development industry, Toronto Community Housing and with local community organizations to provide a range of housing solutions in Toronto-Danforth including Toronto Community Housing’s first revitalization at Don Mount Court (now Rivertowne), WoodGreen’s First Steps to Home on Queen East and the establishment of the Red Door Shelter as part of the Harhay Condo Development on Booth Avenue – a first in Canada.

She also spearheaded the inclusion of Crow’s Theatre within Streetcar’s condo development, The Carlaw, another Toronto first.

Councillor Fletcher looks forward to bringing her real estate and city-building experience to the Board of CreateTO as the City of Toronto looks to maximize the use of its real estate assets.

Photo of Councillor Brad Bradford

Councillor Brad Bradford

Director

First elected in 2018 as one of the youngest members of Council, Brad Bradford is the City Councillor for Ward 19, Beaches-East York. By bringing a pragmatic, non-partisan approach to local government, Brad supports community-led change throughout Beaches East-York.

At City Hall, Brad serves as the Chair of the Planning and Housing Committee, Vice Chair of Toronto and East York Community Council (TEYCC), and as a member of the Toronto Arts Board and CreateTO Board. With experience as an urban planner, he has a passion for addressing local issues, advocating for those typically left out of the process and making neighbourhoods more accessible. His priorities are to increase affordability and access to housing, make our streets safer, and revitalize Toronto’s main streets.

Whether it’s through the regular community meetings or the bi-weekly newsletter, Brad wants to engage with all residents and work with local leaders to support the communities that make Beaches East-York special.

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Marni Dicker

Director

Marni is currently Executive Vice President, Infrastructure and Chief Legal Officer for the Canadian Premier League. In this role, Marni spearheads the development of infrastructure that is critical to the continued growth of the Canadian soccer ecosystem. Additionally, Marni oversees the leagues legal affairs and works closely with the League Commissioner on expansion efforts.

Previously, Marni was Executive Vice President & General Counsel at Live Work Learn Play Inc. Marni led LWLP’s corporate and organizational growth, major infrastructure projects and anchor deal making on large scale real estate projects across Ontario and North America. As a seasoned infrastructure expert, Marni was involved in all facets of mixed use community development, and the structuring of unique and innovative partnerships on mega projects. Marni was the first in Ontario to structure a private GO station at Woodbine Racetrack, under the new Transit Orient Development model.

Formerly, Marni was Chief Commercial Officer and General Counsel at Infrastructure Ontario where she was responsible for leading the Legal Services, Procurement, Transaction Finance, Commercial Projects, Business Strategy & Communications, Records Management, Insurance, Policy and Freedom of Information teams. In that role, Marni managed and oversaw the teams which were responsible for over $10 Billion worth of procurements annually; creating strategic partnerships with the private sector managing the financial risks and commercial components of financial transactions; and providing legal advice to all IO business units whether in Major Projects, Real Estate or Lending. Additionally, in her role as Corporate Secretary, Marni was responsible for all IO board governance matters, and was the Vice Chair of the Investment & Risk Committee and Alternative Financing and Procurement Steering Committee.

Amongst other accolades, Marni has recently received the following awards:

• Urban Land Institute, Hall of Champions
• Canadian General Counsel Award, Business Achievement.
• Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women Award.
• Women’s Infrastructure Network (WIN) as an Outstanding Leader.
• The Premier’s Award of Excellence from the Province of Alberta for the Calgary Courthouse Public Private Partnership Structuring.

Prior to IO, Marni was Senior Vice President, Business & Government Affairs and Corporate Counsel for SNC-Lavalin Inc. and prior that, Marni was a commercial litigation lawyer with two well-known Bay street law firms.

Marni is currently a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Toronto Metropolitan University, where she devotes her time to the Ryerson Law Practice Program and Faculty of Law.

Marni has honed her expertise in governance, leadership and direction through her extensive work on Boards. Marni is currently a member of the Board of Directors for Tarion Corporation, Technical Standards and Safety Association and CreateTO.

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Dennis Fotinos

Director

Dennis Fotinos is a performance driven thought leader with notable turnaround management achievements and leadership success in engaging and developing talent to drive strategy and profitable growth. He initiated and led the corporate reorganization that created Enwave and then led the transformation of the company into an industry leader. Notably, he developed the Deep Lake Water Cooling system and established the commercial strategy that brought the company’s capabilities to market.

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Allison Mendes

Director

Allison Mendes has over 18 years of Capital Markets experience. Most recently, she was Managing Director, Senior Portfolio Manager at Manulife Asset Management. She has served on multiple boards and has Chaired both the Audit and Governance committee.  She is a Chartered Financial Analyst and obtained her MBA from the Schulich School of Business, where she specialized in Finance. She is a certified Corporate Director.

Photo of Marcie Zajdeman

Marcie Zajdeman

Director

Marcie Zajdeman has an LL.B. and J.D. from Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1993. She practiced in national and international law firms, before joining the energy industry in the late 1990s. At Ontario Hydro and then Hydro One, Marcie specialized in real estate and secondary land use, Aboriginal law, and large project siting. In 2008, she moved to Brookfield, as VP, Legal and Regulatory, providing advice, strategy and direction for the utility platform’s sustainment and development. Marcie was also Brookfield’s representative on the APPrO and OEA boards. Marcie now works as an Energy Lawyer, Consultant, and Adjunct Professor of Law at Osgoode Hall Law School. She sits on the Advisory Board of Virelec Ltd. and is a 2017 Diversity 50 Cohort recipient.