Jean-Marc Mangin

President & CEO

Jean-Marc has been President & CEO of Philanthropic Foundations Canada since 2019. He currently sits on the Government of Canada’s Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector, the Advisory Council for Carleton University’s Master of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership (MPNL) program, and the management committee of PhiLab, the Canadian Philanthropy Partnership Research Network.

Prior to PFC, Jean-Marc led a renewal process of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, the largest national organization of Canadian researchers and scholars as its Executive Director.

He also has had a long career serving in international development with the UN, NGOs, and the Canadian Government in responding to global humanitarian disasters and development challenges. As CUSO Executive Director, he led a merger with VSO-Canada, and he was the first Executive Director of Global Call for Climate Action, a cross-sector civil society initiative supporting transformational change to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

Born in Manitoba, raised in Quebec, and educated in BC and Ontario, he holds an MA in Political Sciences and Environmental Studies from the University of Toronto.

Sara Krynitzki

Associate Chief Executive Officer

Sara has spent over 20 years leading non-profit initiatives across Canada. She began her career in fundraising, has worked on Parliament Hill, and for over eight years managed community initiatives and granting for one of Canada’s largest community foundations, allocating millions of dollars annually, and connecting philanthropy to the greatest needs to tackle inequity. 

As Associate Chief Executive Officer, Sara works closely with the President & CEO overseeing thought-leadership, organizational management, and operations, while guiding PFC’s public policy and advocacy agenda, research, and public relations activities to foster good public policies for the sector and to advance impactful, forward-thinking philanthropy. 

She has a BA in Political Studies from Trent University and a Master’s in Public Policy and Public Administration from Concordia University. She sits on the board of directors of Sustainability Network, and in 2024 she was appointed to the CRA and Finance Canada’s Technical Issues Working Group, advising on charity regulation. 

Having lived across Canada and internationally, Sara is now based in Toronto with her husband and three children. 

The land that Sara and her family live, learn and work on has been home to many Indigenous communities throughout time, including the Wendat, Anishinaabe, Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Haudenosaunee. The area is covered by Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and it is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.  

Abra Rissi

Director, Member Engagement & Communications

Abra is the Director of Member Engagement and Communications where she has the pleasure of working alongside an active and enthusiastic team. In this role, she leads the network’s engagement and communications strategies and activities in support of PFC’s convening, collaboration, and learning goals.

Abra joins PFC’s community of advocates and leaders with 15 years of experience in public affairs, operations, and public engagement. She has worked with not-for-profit leaders, elected and government officials, and within civil society – with a focus on partnerships, collaboration, and community-building in service of the public good.

A cyclist and crossword enthusiast, Abra has lived in Geneva, Paris, Vancouver and currently Toronto. A purpose-driven professional, she believes in the value of strong and inclusive civic engagement in advancing a more prosperous, equitable, and just society for all.

André Pawan Vashist

Director, Learning & Collaboration

A multi award winning social innovator, André has 20 years of experience in community wellbeing and transformations and is a facilitator of multi-stakeholder collaborations that are working towards social and ecological justice.

At his core, he is a dedicated family member with two children, a lover of the land with joy for being outdoors, a poet who expresses openly about life’s journey, and a collaborationist who currently sits on the Board of Libro Credit Union and is Advisor to Carolinian Canada’s conservation finance project.

Co-designing solutions to shared challenges is where André likes to infuse his magic by weaving identities with a healing centered approach - connecting the inner and outer work as we attempt transformations to solve societal challenges. Watch this TEDx Talk to learn more about André.

Aviv Milgram

Director, Member Engagement & Communications (on leave)

Aviv joined our team in January 2023 to lead PFC’s integrated member engagement and communications strategies and activities, in support of its advocacy, collaboration, and learning goals.

Coming from a background in both the philanthropic and non-profit sectors, Aviv’s experiences range from grants management and operations to directing strategic initiatives and stakeholder engagement. Her involvement has spanned from national philanthropy addressing community resilience, Indigenous reconciliation, and climate change, to local Montreal-based arts, culture, and heritage work in the museum sphere.

Aviv holds a BA from McGill University and an MA in Religion in Global Politics from SOAS, University of London.

Andre Williams

Programs Coordinator

Andre has six years of experience in social innovation. His expertise lies in qualitative data analysis, strategic storytelling, and driving social justice initiatives.

Andre Williams took on a program support role during his time at inPath, a training hub dedicated to empowering Indigenous youth through the arts. He spearheaded publications, engagement strategies, and research projects for nonprofits, showcasing his ability to lead and deliver results.

With a background in urbanism, his passion for creating inclusive public spaces was evident in his contributions to design, research, public engagement, and creative direction in collaboration with project managers and local communities.

Additionally, his work as a steering committee member with Concordia University’s Shift Centre for Social Transformation has been instrumental in supporting philanthropic initiatives. He has an eye for reviewing grant applications, budget allocations, and overall governance.
Land acknowledgement:

Andre Williams has called Tiohtià:ke (Montreal) home for the last 10 years. Tiohtià:ke has long been a meeting place for various Indigenous nations, including the Kanien’kehà:ka (Mohawk) Nation, who are part of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

Tiohtià:ke (Montreal) is also home to a diverse urban Indigenous population, including members of the Anishinaabeg, Huron-Wendat, and Inuit communities, among others.

Andre remains committed to systemic change and holds himself accountable to continue learning from and serving Indigenous communities.

Benoît Charlebois

Senior Coordinator, Communications & Member Engagement

As a professional communicator trained in North and South America, Benoît has built an exceptionally diversified and international career spanning 35 years in private, public, governmental and non-governmental organizations—in over seven countries—in the fields of education and public engagement, telecommunications, humanitarian and international development.

Between 2012-2022, he held several positions at the Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific of which he is an alumnus and a former Board Director. Before that, he held senior management and strategic corporate communications positions with TELUS Québec and Bell Canada, as well as the Canadian International Development Agency, the Canadian Red Cross, and the Canadian Commission for UNESCO.

Previously, he was in charge of program management, customer operations and marketing in several telecom start-ups with Telesystem International Wireless, helping to launch successful cellular phone companies in Romania, Brazil, and France.

Earlier in his career, he worked in communications with United World Colleges International in the UK and Italy, as well as in Development Support Communications with Club 2/3-Oxfam Quebec in Montreal and as a volunteer cooperant with Canadian University Services Overseas in Colombia.

He has served on the Board of the Space for Life Foundation and Initiatives of Change Canada. He is married with a Colombian woman with whom he has two children. Benoît is fluent in French, Spanish and English.

Bruce Lawson

Senior Advisor to President & CEO

Bruce is the Senior Advisor to the President & CEO at PFC, as well as a Special Advisor at The Counselling Foundation of Canada, working part-time on a project-basis, as well as undertaking contracts for other organizations. He previously served as the Foundation’s President & CEO from 2008 to 2023, as well as the Executive Officer of CERIC and an ex-officio member of the CERIC Board of Directors.

Bruce is a co-founder of Foundation House, a collaborative workspace housing three foundations and several charitable & non-profit network organizations in Toronto. He was a part of the steering committee that co-authored the Philanthropic Community’s Declaration of Action presented at the Closing Event of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission. In 2019, he was appointed for a two-year term to the federal government’s Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector. In Spring 2020, he helped create the Indigenous Peoples Resilience Fund, which was designed to support Indigenous communities and Indigenous-led organizations with immediate needs in the face of the pandemic.

An active volunteer, Bruce is serving on the Board of Trustees of the Arctic Inspiration Prize. He is a past Board Chair of both Philanthropic Foundations Canada and Casey House.

Bruce has a BA (Economics) from McGill and an MBA from the University of Toronto.

Erin Matheson

Executive Coordinator

Erin has spent her career working in philanthropy and government. Passionate about working with community-based organizations, she managed an Irish cultural non-profit for many years, which allowed her to support the community in which she was raised. More recently, she worked with healthcare and education non-profit groups.

As Executive Coordinator, Erin supports the team in achieving the goals identified in its strategic framework by developing and implementing crucial structures for collaboration within the organization.

She is a proud mother of three daughters, dedicated friend and family member, and enjoys sharing her love of baking with those around her.

Michele Fugiel Gartner, PhD, CAP®

Lead Researcher

Michele is a philanthropic researcher, educator, and advisor. She holds a PhD from the University of St Andrews, School of Management, where she studied the experiences of CEOs in UK family foundations and conceptualised the foundation professional role. She instructs nonprofit management and social innovation at Mount Royal University (Calgary, AB). Michele’s philanthropic experience includes the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Social Venture Partners Calgary, Trico Charitable Foundation, and the Centre for the Study of Philanthropy & Public Good. She obtained her Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® designation in 2016 and is a member of the Global Philanthropy Advisory Group with the Society of Estate and Trust Practitioners (STEP). Michele has an MA from the University of London, SOAS, in international studies and diplomacy and a BA from Arizona State University in intercultural and organizational communication.