Meet the Board
Introducing the dedicated volunteers who make up our esteemed board of industry leaders at Ernestine's. With a shared commitment to our mission and values, these passionate individuals contribute their diverse expertise to steer us towards innovation and success.
Gena Argitis
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Gena is Vice President and Chief Administration Officer at Tarion, a non-profit organization providing consumer protection to new home buyers in Ontario. Gena leads the Human Resources, Strategic Communications and Stakeholder Relations departments. Previously, Gena was Assistant Vice President and Associate General Counsel in the Law department, and started her legal career in litigation at McCarthy Tetrault LLP in Toronto.
Gena graduated with a silver medal from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and also holds a Master’s Degree in clinical psychology from the University of Waterloo.
Gena is committed to advocating for women and children. She is proud to be part of Ernestine’s Board of Directors and to support the shelter in delivering its important mission of helping women and children survivors of violence.
Luma Badran
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Luma has 30 years of experience in the financial services industry and management consulting. She has held prominent global leadership roles at Manulife, Scotiabank, Royal Bank of Canada, Accenture, and Deloitte, earning a distinguished reputation as a thought leader, advisor, and subject matter expert in risk management, data analytics, and business transformation.
Luma earned her Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Jordan and immigrated to Canada in 1999.
Passionate about creating a world free from violence—recognizing it as a fundamental human right for every woman, youth, and child— Luma is deeply committed to Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter's mission and its lifesaving, transformative programs. She brings her expertise, leadership, and dedication to the board, working to empower survivors and advance the shelter’s vision of helping women rebuild their lives with resilience, dignity, and renewed hope.
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Annamaria Di Cesare is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Volkswagen Group Canada. As a member of the Canadian Management Board, she leads the development and execution of human resources strategy in support of the overall business plan and strategic direction of the organization. Prior to her role at Volkswagen, Annamaria held HR leadership roles in various industries such as Food Services, Financial Services and Hospitality. Annamaria holds a Specialized Honors BA in Philosophy, as well as a Certificate in Practical Ethics, both from York University. She also attained her Certificate in Human Resource Management from Humber College and received a Certificate in Advanced HR Law for Senior HR Executives from Osgoode Hall Law School. Annamaria has always been passionate about giving back to the community and has made it a priority to support multiple not-for-profit organizations, both within the workplace and on her personal time. She is honored to be a Board Member at Ernestine’s as well as a member of the Governance Committee, to advocate for such an important cause.
Annamaria Di Cesare
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Michelle is a business professional with broad experience in human resources and leadership coaching. She serves as a member of the Human Resources Leadership Council, Global Diversity & Inclusion Council and Sr Global Director, Human Resources with Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. Michelle helps companies build business and people capability by developing integrated strategies in the areas of human resources, leadership development and organizational culture. She is passionate about fostering environments where people feel empowered and free of barriers to living and contributing at their full potential. In her spare time, she coaches women and leaders in navigating and building meaningful careers. Advocating for women and families is of tremendous importance to Michelle, and she is grateful for the opportunity to be a member of Ernestine’s Board of Directors and contribute to the incredible support they provide to the community
Michelle Edwards
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Kathy is Director, Legal - Canada for FIFA World Cup 2026. As head of legal for Canada for the upcoming World Cup, Kathy oversees all legal and compliance matters relating to the tournament within Canada while working closely with FIFA colleagues in the co-host countries of Mexico and the United States and FIFA headquarters in Switzerland. Prior to joining FIFA in 2024, Kathy was Vice-President and Canadian Legal Director at Aramark Canada Ltd. Kathy was responsible for all legal matters relating to the Canadian Aramark business and was a member of the Aramark Canada Executive Management Team. Before commencing her in-house practice, Kathy practiced commercial litigation and corporate restructuring at Stikeman Elliott LLP in Toronto. However, Kathy’s first career was in social work. As a social worker, Kathy worked in adolescent addictions providing harm-reduction focused addictions counselling, education and professional development in Vancouver, BC. An interest in public policy led to applying to law school but Kathy’s heart has always remained in social work and the needs of women and children in the community. Kathy is proud to be a Board member of such a strong women-led organization. Kathy has a BSW from the University of British Columbia and a LL.B cum laude from the University of Ottawa.
Kathy Mah
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Julia currently works in the mergers & acquisitions tax practice of one of the Big4 firms in Toronto. Over the last decade she held various positions in other tax and assurance-focused practices in the professional services sector. Julia's expertise spans tax compliance, tax advisory, accounting, and financial reporting, and she has been exposed to working with both domestic and international clients of various sizes across a plethora of industries.
Julia holds a CPA, CA designation, a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto, and has successfully completed the CPA In-Depth Tax Program. In her personal life, Julia enjoys spending time with family and friends, getting out of town with her husband, being a good dog mom, and staying true to her foodie self by trying out new recipes at home, as well as discovering new restaurants.
Julia is honoured to sit on the Board of a purpose-lead organization such as Ernestine's. She is passionate about promoting women's rights and helping provide women and children affected by violence with support needed to rebuild their lives. Julia is honoured to contribute her skills to the Finance Committee and help further Ernestine's mission.
Julia Nicoara
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Julia is a diversity & inclusion leader passionate and effective in how companies mobilize inclusion with proven results in 15+ years of experience. She is an internationally published author on Diversity with extensive experience in Diversity & Inclusion, Adult Learning & Transformative Initiatives, Culture Building, Executive & Leadership Development, Employee Engagement and Organizational Excellence. My career, in both the private and public sector, start up, scale up and M&A, spans the industries of academia, legal, finance and tech. A national award winner for Outstanding Achievement in Organizational Development, a finalist for Ally of the Year 2020 Women Tech Network and most recently CIO Views Top 10 DEI Inspiring Leaders to Follow in 2023. She taught business executives at the University of the West Indies, have guest lectured at Schulich & York U and keynotes nationally and internationally in various forums. She sits on the Board of Directors for Ernestine's Women Shelter, is Co-Chair & Strategic Advisor to UNITAR CIFAL York, EDI Committee, and is currently the Global Director of Diversity & Inclusion at Litera.
Julia has a degree in Philosophy, a Masters of Education, a Law Clerk Diploma, and Certificates in: Professional Ethics (2012), Data-Driven Decision Making (2018) and a Certificate in Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (2023)
Julia Satov
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I am currently working as an Audit manager at KPMG Canada and have been working in the field of Audit and finance for 10+ years. I am a qualified CPA (Canada), ACCA (UK), B.Sc. (UK) and B.Com. (Pakistan). My 10+ years of career involves working as an Auditor and finance professional within Pakistan, Canada and Australia.
While professionally pursuing my goals within Audit and Finance, I am simultaneously working with organizations like ACCES Employment (in the capacity of career coach), ACCA (acting as an Accountant Panel member), TRIEC Mentoring partnership (working as a mentor) and Ernestine’s Women’s shelter (As a Board Member- finance committee). I have had an honor to be invited as guest speaker by ACCES Employment to address concerns faced by new immigrants.
I am grateful to be a small part of these big organizations that help us shape our society in a positive and better way.
Nimra Syeda
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Sharlene Tygesen's 32 years at Ernestine's has been fueled by her passion to help women and children create new lives free from violence and abuse. She became a Co-Lead in 2008 and eventually was appointed Ernestine's first Executive Director in 2014. Sharlene sits on the Board of the Woman Abuse Council of Toronto and in 2013 received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of her significant contributions.
Sharlene Tygesen
Jennifer Xu
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Jennifer is the head of segment marketing at Reckitt Canada, a consumer packaged goods company with powerhouse brands across hygiene, home and health. Jennifer has spent her career leading and building beloved mega brands across an array of categories at Johnson & Johnson and Mars. Jennifer is a strategic marketer, a passionate people leader, and an avid participant in giving back to her community. Prior to joining Ernestine’s, Jennifer sat on the board for another well-respected organization based in York Region supporting youth in crisis.
Barika Gada
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Barika has over 20 years of experience in the Financial Services space. Over the past 2 decades she has worked in progressive roles for TD Bank & Royal Bank of Canada. She was also selected as a Sponsored Employee and worked at United Way one year during the Annual Campaign giving season. Most recently, Barika joined Tims Financial (a division of Tims Hortons) in 2022 whereby she was part of the startup team responsible for building and launching its first product. Barika is a passionate leader who likes to make an impact with purpose. She has earned a reputation as a forward thinker, strategic advisor and subject matter expert in customer experience and continuous improvement.
Barika first connected with Ernestine’s through her employer in 2016 and has been a volunteer ever since. She is honored to serve on the board, advocating for and raising awareness about this very important cause
Interested in joining the board?
Join Ernestine's transformative journey by becoming a vital part of our dedicated board, where your passion, expertise, and commitment can make a profound difference in saving and empowering lives
