O.N.E. Community - For Black Business Leaders & Professionals

April Franco is Chair of Management and a Professor of Economics and Strategy at the University of Toronto Scarborough, with a cross appointment to the Business Economics area at Rotman. Her research focuses on the transfer, creation, and use of knowledge within organizations. Her work on spin-outs is considered ground-breaking. Prof. Franco has received several awards, including the Rector’s Award for the most innovative paper from Aalborg University in 2011, and the Roger Martin and Nancy Lang Award for Excellence in Research in 2010. Prof. Franco teaches undergraduate courses in Organizational Strategy, Economics of Management, and Industrial Organization, and MBA courses in Strategy.
 

Phani Radhakrishnan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Management at the University of Toronto Scarborough. She taught at the University of Illinois, Texas, and Windsor before she came to the University of Toronto in 2000. She obtained her PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and worked as a trainer for the US Army Environmental Research Laboratories. She was also an associate at Catalyst, a not-for-profit research and consulting firm on the advancement of women in the workplace. Prof. Radhakrishnan's research on racial harassment was funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health in the United States. She has over 25 publications in top-tier, peer-reviewed journals and 80 presentations at peer-reviewed conferences. She teaches courses in Negotiation, Team Building, Leadership Development, Managing Diversity, International Leadership, Compensation, Selection, Labor Relations, Training and Development, and Human Resources at the University of Toronto. Prof. Radhakrishnan researches how students develop their critical thinking skills with experiential learning activities, virtually, and with problem-based team projects.

Sischa Maharaj is the Assistant Director of External Relations and Communications in the Department of Management at U of T Scarborough. For more than 30 years, she has led efforts to build communities of support and professional networks that create pathways to employment and education for the Black community, students with disabilities, and newcomers to Canada. Here at U of T Scarborough, Sischa managed the Imani mentorship program for Black students as well as programs supporting incoming African refugee students. In her current role, she leads marketing and business development to build mutually beneficial external relationships with industry professionals and alumni who support student learning and employment. Prior to joining U of T, Sischa has over 10 years of industry experience managing global equity-based recruitment programs for financial services. She is a passionate volunteer and advocate for inclusion who has helped over 3,000 students and newcomers to Canada find quality employment.

David Taylor is the Academic Coordinator in the Department of Management at the University of Toronto Scarborough. He joined UTSC in 2018 and brings more than 17 years of industry experience in both private and public post-secondary institutions. His portfolio includes coordinating and facilitating the annual timetable process, managing and supporting the roster of Sessional Lecturers, and providing key administration functions as part of the Department’s Curriculum Committee. Most recently, David along with other Black administrators formed the Private Space Group, who work to promote Black excellence and belonging within the Department of Management.
 

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Stephanie Perpick is the Director of Operations and Library Services in The BRIDGE at U of T Scarborough. She joined UTSC in 2013 managing the UTSC Library Finance and Trading Lab. Prior to joining UTSC, Stephanie worked at BMO Capital Markets for six years in the Investment and Corporate Banking division as a research consultant. Stephanie holds a Masters in Library andInformation Science from the University of Western Ontario and an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto, Victoria College.
 
 
 

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Dave Fenton is the Industry Partnerships, Innovation, and Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Lead in the Department of Management at the University of Toronto Scarborough. With the team at The BRIDGE, he develops multidisciplinary WIL projects in collaboration with faculty, industry, and community partners. He also supports entrepreneurs in the New Venture Program and the African Impact Challenge, among other innovative projects. Dave was selected to present some of the team's work at the 2019 and 2021 World Association of Cooperative Education (WACE) World Conference. He is currently pursuing a Master of Education in Leadership, Higher and Adult Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. In 2022, Dave co-authored a chapter in The Practice of Co-op and Work-Integrated Learning in the Canadian Context e-book. Dave has over 10 years business development experience as a corporate account manager, and territory sales manager in the medical technology field working for both publicly traded, and start-up companies. In his spare time, he teaches Scottish drumming at St. Andrew's College, Aurora, Ontario.

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Lauraine Ramazani Buledi is a determined second-year student at the University of Toronto Scarborough who is driven by her passion for social change. She aspires to achieve a degree in the Bachelor of Arts, and she majors in Women’s Studies and minors in Public Policy and Public Law. Determined to pursue socially transformative work, she worked with Citizen’s Climate Lobby (CCL) to advocate for Bill C-12 (Accountability Act) in the summer of 2021. This Act was successfully passed in the House of Commons the same year. Altogether, Lauraine’s education and advocacy work has taught her the importance of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in societal institutions. Outside of school and work, Lauraine is enthusiastic about learning new languages, embracing all kinds of music, and watching soccer.

Amadou Kienou is a master drummer, ngoni player, and singer from Burkina Faso based in Toronto. He is recognized as one of the top djembe players in Canada.
 
 
 

Alia Francisco is the creator of the holistic lifestyle brand, Manifest With Alia (MWA), that caters to women and their households.  She is an essential oil educator, mindset coach, yoga instructor, inspirational speaker certified in hypnosis & runs a birth support agency with a roster of doulas.  She is on a spiritual quest to create a life of love, joy and abundance and to inspire others to do the same. Family oriented and fun, she loves paddle boarding and socializing with friends. When she’s not practicing yoga, she’s finding herself through nature, connecting in femme empowerment spaces, teaching essential oils or running her multi-faceted business.  Alia is here to integrate the spiritual with the human experience and to master her leadership in this realm.  You can find her mostly hanging with her 3 girls, Kennedy, Spencer and Bennett,  hubby Ry and their beloved Bernadoodle, Bear.  She’s a long time resident of the beach and loves entertaining her big, extended family in her home. Find her online at www.manifestwithalia.ca

Dwayne Morgan is a two-time Canadian National Poetry Slam Champion, the 2022 winner of the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Celebration of Cultural Life award, the 2018 winner of the Sheri-D Wilson Golden Beret Award for Career Achievement in the Spoken Word, and a 2016 finalist for the Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. Morgan has received both the African Canadian Achievement Award and the Harry Jerome Award for Excellence in the Arts. He has performed for the former President of the United States, Barack Obama; the former Governor General of Canada, Michaëlle Jean; the late leader of the NDP, Jack Layton; and, he has shared the stage with many of Canada’s top artists including Russell Peters while opening for international artists Alicia Keys and recording with Canadian artists including Drake. He has published fourteen books has nine albums of his work to his credit. Morgan is the producer and host of two TV shows, Poetically Speaking and Write in Toronto. In 2012, he performed at Super Bowl 46, and in 2019 he founded and co-produced the inaugural Toronto Spoken Soul Festival. As a member of the Spoken Soul Collective, Morgan was a 2021 curator for ArtworxTO, responsible for the public art inside of the Scarborough Town Centre. His photography has been featured in ArtworxTO and the Contact Photography Festival.

• 12:15pm—Welcome and Land Acknowledgement (David Taylor, Academic Coordinator, U of T Scarborough Management)

• 12:20pm—Opening Remarks (Prof. April Franco, Chair, U of T Scarborough Management)

• 12:25pm—Presentation on Scarborough Charter and O.N.E. Community (Lauraine Ramazani, EDI Programming and Administrative Co-op, U of T Scarborough Management)

• 12:30pm—Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the University of Toronto: Challenges and Best Practices (Prof. Phani Radhakrishnan, Associate Professor - Teaching Stream, U of T Scarborough Management)

• 1:00pm—Lunch with Djembe drums (Amadou Kienou, Master Drummer)

• 1:45pm—Breathwork and Guided Meditation (Alia Francisco, Manifest with Alia)

• 2:00pm to 4:15pm—Group Networking and Entertainment

  • 2:45pm—Drums (Amadou Kienou)

  • 3:35pm and 4:15pm—Spoken Word Poetry (Dwayne Morgan)

• 4:35pm—Closing Remarks