Colleen Tsikira
100ABCWomen Database
Colleen Tsikira is a mother, wife, community advocate, startup / business investor, owner of several businesses and a Real Estate Investor. Growing up surrounded by entrepreneurs, it was no surprise Mrs Tsikira chose this path. When asked in a job interview once, “Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?” Her response was, “On the other side of this desk.”
Her ambition and talent to spot opportunities has made Mrs. Tsikira the success she is today. From tripling her businesses income to over 6 figures in under a year, building her Multimillion Dollar Real Estate portfolio in her mid-20’s and doubling her clients’ profits in her coaching business, Mrs. Tsikira is the perfect example of how girls run the world!
Collette Murray is a Toronto-born dance educator, performer and cultural arts programmer. She is a dedicated dance artist whose critical and creative work span over 25 years in Ontario. Her vision evolved to use leadership and innovative ways to highlight the contributions and social significance of African diasporic knowledge.
Her community arts engagement is in a socially-engaged way and through social entrepreneurship. She later developed Miss Coco Murray, a mobile, dance education business, offering cultural arts services rooted from the African and Caribbean diaspora, that are inaccessible across sectors. She is the Artistic Director of Coco Collective, an intergenerational and multidisciplinary arts team of musicians and artists where she designs and implements innovative, culturally relevant programs for children, youth and adults.
Major accomplishments include pandemic response and recovery efforts in the agrifood sector that resulted in vaccination rates of 95% amongst workers in Ontario; mandated training standards resulting in a 30% decline in workers’ death falling from heights; and changes that allow people who get financial support to get more.
Raising kind, loving, caring children who have grown up to be emotionally and socially responsible adults who are compassionate, generous, and thoughtful.
Completing my final graduate degree at the age of 55; a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology with a specialization in Leadership.
Winning a global pharmaceutical professionals award and being flown to Singapore to receive the award and represent Canada.
Cynthia holds a Diploma in Business Administration and two Event Designing Certifications. She is the owner of Dash Event Designs and Rentals and Co-Owner of Best Movers which she owns with her husband Randy. Best Movers is a relocation company that connects the North to the rest of Canada.
In 2018 Cynthia was elected to serve the residents of Yellowknife as the First Black City Councillor for the City of Yellowknife as well as being the First Elected black person in the Northwest Territories.
Cynthia also sits as a Board of Directors for the Stanton Territorial Hospital Foundation where she is passionate about the Foundation’s cause and is always excited to give back to the community and the North.
Cynthia Reyes has been blessed with a career as a creative leader and writer, and as a business leader of large, complex projects in Canada and other countries. Presently a writer of literary non-fiction, her work has been published in the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Toronto Life and in Arabella Magazine. With the spring 2013 publication of her book A Good Home, and a second book in Spring 2016, Cynthia now adds ‘author’ to her career achievements.
Cynthia is a former executive producer with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. More than a hundred episodes of her programs have been broadcast on network television. A fearless leader of complex projects, Cynthia has won several awards for trailblazing, outstanding career achievement and mentoring. Uplifting others as she has risen in her own career is something she practices. In 2000, drawing on her strengths in change management, training, writing, public speaking and organizational development, Cynthia co-founded DiversiPro Inc. with CEO Hamlin Grange. DiversiPro is privileged to consult with some of Canada’s best-known companies and agencies.
A graduate from Ryerson University, with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, Cynthia was a journalist and award-winning broadcaster at the peak of her career when, in 2005, a devastating car accident changed all that. Reyes was rear-ended and the accident injured her foot, leg and back and left her with chronic pain and other long-term impacts.
My greatest accomplishments are my four children who I was able to raise in a home that I purchased. I pursued education! I was able to complete my training as a nurse. Finally, I am so proud that I’ve lived a principled, God-filled life.
Establishing The REST Centres, addressing youth homelessness and using my lived experience to advocate for marginalized youth.
Becoming a published author, sharing my experiences and knowledge.
Overcoming infertility and being blessed with my dream babies, twin boy and girl.
Dahlia Bateman is a successful lawyer who started her own law firm in 2006 with a general practice including Criminal Law and Mental Health Law. Not long after, she won a major decision in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice involving a patient’s right to refuse medication – a decision which has been cited in several cases. Over the last nine years, Dahlia made the transition to Corporate Law providing legal services to small and mid-sized corporations.
Dahlia is now a leading lawyer in the Food and Hospitality Services Industry. As General Counsel for the Dana Hospitality Group of Companies, she was integral to the Corporation’s successful bid for providing food services at the PANAM Games in Toronto in 2015. She crafts deals with national and international brands such as Tim Hortons and Starbucks to manage and establish restaurants across Canada.
Her top three accomplishments include:
**Taking the reigns of her career and starting her career coaching business.
**Being recognized by Conestoga College as an Alumni of Distinction.
**Writing a Canadian best seller that has had a profound impact the lives and career journey of thousands of new immigrants.
1. Raising 2 brilliant children who are grounded in their knowledge of self
2. Architecting the Youth in Policing Initiative, an award-winning youth employment program within law enforcement and providing job opportunities and mentorship to thousands of youth
3. Fierce advocacy within the Peel District School Board leading to a Ministry Review and subsequent Directives to address systemic anti-Black racism.
Family: I have two sons Andrew and Matt Wellington. Two granddaughter Telisse and Taija and one grandson Braylan. They are caring kind and respectful. funder and President of Windsor Women Supporting Women. Helping young Black girls in need and support.
Helping Women and Families, and meals for Refugees.
Becoming the first Black Female Principal of The Dismantling AntiBlack Racism Strategy in YRDSB, Being a Co-Lead of Black Excellence Program. Becoming a homeowner, Being a loving friend, sister and daughter
Born in a modest and militant Haitian family, Darlène Lozis was introduced early to social activism through the influence of a philanthropic mother who intervened regularly in favor of needy and abused children. These activities, although kept personal, have shaped her future professional and relational choices. Darlène works at the Public Service Alliance of Canada, as the national coordinator of oppression prevention. She lives with her family in the National Capital Region.
Her own activism, as a young adult, began consciously in Port-au-Prince, Haiti around 1997, with « les servantes de Dieu » (the maidservants of God), an organization whose goal was to guide and support street children (girls and boys) aged between 6 and 17 years old. Although she held no firm religious beliefs at the time, Darlène embraced this opportunity to help disadvantaged youths in her native city. Upon her return to Ottawa, Darlène volunteered her services with several local and national organizations: CALACS, Centraide Outaouais, Jaku Konbit and Canada Haiti Action Network, among others, while remaining connected to international organizations that work for human rights (Haiti, Venezuela, El Salvador).
Deanne Michelle A. Smith was born in Kingston Jamaica and migrated to Montréal, Canada a year after completing Wolmers’ Girls High School. She then attended and graduated on the honour roll from Dawson College/CEGEP. This made her quite elated as she was the first amongst her cousins’ generation to attend an institution of higher learning.
There were times when she doubted herself as she was now living in a new country, a new society, a new school system and a new way of being socially engaged. However, Deanne thrived and blossomed as she grew to feel that it was in this very arena of academia that she could excel, share ideas, collaborate on projects and grow intellectually.
So, she continued her studies at Concordia University, Seneca College and George Brown College. These were all places that she found support, solace and at times the necessary challenges needed for her continued growth.
She had found her footing in her new home KANATA (Canada)…
Slowly, the drive to HURRY and complete her studies and return to Jamaica started to dissipate as she regained her sense of purpose in Canada and life; she also remembered one of her maternal grandmother’s sayings: “When in Rome; do as the Romans do”. Those words served as encouragement for her to step out of her comfort zone and become a more actively engaged Canadian citizen.
Deanne currently works for Bell Canada and has completed her 20th year. She has mentored young Black youth through an after school programs and ‘Girls in Trades’ a program co-sponsored by the YWCA. She was one of the background co-founders of Black Queer Youth (BQY), an organization that supports Black queer youth in Toronto and had been part of BLOCK-O-RAMA, a group that offers an alternative space and activities for Black families and their allies, during PRIDE.
Debbie Douglas is the Executive Director of OCASI -the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, Canada’s largest umbrella organization for agencies working with immigrants, refugees and other migrant populations. Through her work in the NGO sector and particularly at OCASI, Ms. Douglas has highlighted issues of equity and inclusion including the areas of race, gender, economic class and sexual orientation within the immigration system and promoted the creation of safe, welcoming spaces within the immigrant and refugee settlement and integration sector.
Becoming a mother to my beautiful son. In addition, being a community mother through my dance students. Finally, to have the gift of creating safe and transformative spaces for individuals ( specifically women and girls) to to connect deeply with themselves and use artistic expression as a healing modality
Delores Lawrence has an MBA, RN and is the founder; President & CEO of NHI Nursing & Homemakers Incorporated since 1985. Born in Jamaica and migrated to Canada in 1969. She completed her Secondary and University education in Canada and chooses her first career as a Registered Nurse. After graduation, she worked in major teaching hospitals in critical care nursing and as a nursing supervisor. In 1985, Delores became the passionate founder of an Award winning Canadian healthcare company known as Nursing & Homemakers Inc. aka NHI Healthcare. A company that provides opportunities to close to 800 individuals comprising of temporary, permanent, casual and contract workers, with over 72 different languages and dialects spoken throughout the organization across Ontario, Canada. NHI offers health care staffing and home care services to clients in hospitals, long term care facilities, insurance companies, dentists and other healthcare companies. Delores has a passion for helping those that are needy in our society and is accountable for doing so. Ethics, accountability and compassion are practiced throughout the organization and this helps in providing the high quality of service to her clientele and employees. With her leadership, NHI is committed to continuous quality improvement. In March 2013, the organization had an organizational review and scored a 99.3% overall rating by Accreditation Canada. This is an organization that measures NHI’s standard of practice against national standards.
Dr. Delores V. Mullings’ community based experience is located in hostels, shelters and sexual assault centres working primarily with and for women who are survivors of partner assault, street involvement and/or homeless. She was instrumental in providing leadership to implement healing programs for women who experienced trauma in their lives. Her frontline experience included advocacy, court accompaniment as well as group and individual peer counseling. Her journey of working with and supporting women and girls continued in child welfare agencies where she supported women and their children whose homes child welfare agencies disrupted. She was a Board member of a regional child welfare agency as well as the President and Vice President of the Foster Parent Association in the same region. In those capacities, she contributed to the agency’s knowledge, understanding and practice modalities of critical race social work practice specifically towards mothers and children of African descent inclusive of their lived experiences and complexities.
Archbishop Dr. Deloris Seiveright was born in Jamaica and has been in Canada since 1969. She is the Founder and Archbishop of the Shouters National Evangelical Spiritual Baptist Faith International Centre of Canada, overseeing the Canadian Archdiocese and co-founder of one of the first Spiritual Baptist churches in Toronto, St. Frederic’s Cathedral. A distinguished member of the Caribbean Religious Community, the Archbishop has not limited her time and contributions to her church alone, but has also provided a community service in Ontario and abroad. A recipient of awards like the African Canadian Achievement Award and the Racial Harmony Award, Badge of Honour for Long Service in Religion from the Prime Minister of Jamaica and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Award Medal in November 2012 from The Province of Ontario. Dr. Seiveright’s vision, enthusiasm and leadership skills are exemplified through her longstanding years of volunteer work.
Her work empowers youths and builds their future with love for the betterment of the community. She has developed and implemented youth mentorship, entrepreneurial and crime prevention programs. She serves and mentors young people, building their self-esteem respect, spiritual awareness, honesty, and humanity through her coaching. She also provides youth employment opportunities and has launched a scholarship fund to assist youths with their education.
Denise has been a member of the Ontario Public Service since 2010 and has held key leadership roles in the Ministry of Children and Youth Services and the Ministry of Community and Social Services. She joined the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in 2015 where she is currently the Assistant Deputy Minister of Health Workforce Planning and Regulatory Affairs.
Working alongside a member of the mining hall of fame and supporting his efforts in responsible exploration, obtaining my LL.M degree in Comparative International Law and being nominated for the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women!
Denise has worked, and continues to work, as a consultant in a number of private sector companies (such as Imperial Oil Limited, IBM, Sun Life Canada, Hewlett Packard, Toronto Dominion Bank, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, OMERS, Bell Canada, SOCAN, SpaMedica Cosmetic Surgery, Kasten Chase Applied Research, and Media Synergy 3D and Virtual Reality) in the area of Business Analysis, Process Analysis, Documentation Specialist, IT Service Management, Training and Train-the Trainer, Test Manager and Quality Assurance.
In 2018, she was appointed to the Advisory Committee of the TD Downtown Jazz Festival; served as VP Education and VP of Marketing of the Canadian Society of Special Event Planners (CanSPEP); the first African-Canadian to sit on the Board of Brampton Board of Trade; Member of the Black Business and Professional Association; helped to raise over $1,000,000 for Helping Hands Jamaica Foundation Canada Board, in its 12 years, and built 17 schools across Jamaica.
Dr. Denise O’Neil Green, whose leadership and advocacy have helped to establish Ryerson University’s reputation for excellence in equity, diversity and inclusion, was recently appointed Ryerson’s first Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion.
Dr. Green has a deep-rooted passion for the advancement of diverse classrooms and inclusive campus climates and has championed organizational change on university campuses, both in the USA and in Canada, for over 25 years. She is an inclusive, strategic leader, under whose direction Ryerson has been recognized as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for each of the past three years.
She migrated to Canada from the United States in 2012 and joined Ryerson as the inaugural Assistant Vice-President/Vice-Provost EDI. She holds extensive academic and administrative experience and has served as Associate Vice President for Institutional Diversity, a professor, and director for student success programs.