David Crombie, born in Swansea, began his career as a lecturer in politics and urban affairs at Ryerson in the 1960s. ​

Crombie served as the 56th Mayor of Toronto from 1972 to 1978, where he played a pivotal role in shaping the city’s landscape. One of his significant achievements as mayor was the development of The Esplanade neighbourhood in the St. Lawrence area, which stands as a testament to his vision for community-focused urban planning.​

After his time as mayor, Crombie was elected to Parliament as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party. He held several key cabinet positions, including Minister of National Health and Welfare (1979-1980), Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (1984-1986), and Secretary of State for Canada (1986-1988).​

Crombie’s contributions to Toronto and Canada have left a lasting impact, particularly in urban development and community building.

Hamoon Yousefzadeh is a risk professional currently working at Scotiabank. He grew up and attended school in Scarborough and now resides in downtown Toronto, living nearby The Esplanade community.

Hamoon was introduced to the world of arts through the inspiring work of his wife, Sabrine S. Hakam, who works with the Jamii community as an academic researcher and artist. In his spare time, Hamoon enjoys running, climbing, and traveling.

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Usha James is the Executive Director of The Critical Thinking Consortium, a Canadian not-for-profit organization dedicated to nurturing critical thinking in educational spaces. She has been a secondary school teacher and an instructor at OISE at the University of Toronto. Usha has worked extensively with leaders to help them nurture thinking organizations, supporting their strategic planning and building capacity in leadership teams to think critically about their practice. She moved close to The Esplanade community in Nov 2021 and was immediately drawn in by Jamii’s work. It has been a nurturing source of light and warmth and magic and she’s thrilled to be able to contribute to the board.

Amanda Maragos is the Director of Client Services and Volunteer Programs for Philip Aziz Centre and Emily's House Hospices. A member of the Esplanade/St Lawrence Community for about 40 years, she embraces this diverse, artistic and friendly neighbourhood where she lives with her family. With hopes to balance creativity, leadership, flexibility, accountability and openness; her goal is to contribute something good and lasting to Jamii's vision for the Esplanade/St. Lawrence Neighbourhood - a special place she calls home. ​

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Linda is a neighbourhood business owner who personally knows and understands the importance of community engagement.  Linda has often volunteered with Jamii, and her business, The Berkeley Castle, has been a supporter of Jamii since inception.  In 2017, Jamii welcomed Linda to the board.

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Vanessa Bégin is an Enterprise Relations Manager at OpenTable, consulting with Canada’s largest restaurant groups on operational efficiency, marketing strategies, and reputation management. She has strong leadership experience and a passion for team optimization. A resident of the Esplanade community for over 15 years, she is devoted to  her work with Jamii in support of their mandate to foster neighborhood engagement through the arts, with a deeply inclusive spirit. Outside of work, she is a proud mom and dog-mom, an avid traveler, and a huge fan of the performing arts.

Aziza Virani is a higher education program manager focused on school-to-work transitions and international scholarships. Aziza holds a Masters degree in Education from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelors degree in Sociology and Spanish from McGill University. Aziza has over 15 years of experience in various aspects of education and learning, including coaching, teaching, workshop facilitation, program coordination, and administration. A passion for travel has led to a fluency in 2 additional languages - French and Spanish - and international lived experience abroad. Aziza works to help others craft their own paths with tools that are already their own. She values strong leadership, creativity, and life-long learning.

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A founding member of the Congress for the New Urbanism (Ontario Chapter) and a current Director of Communications in the Education Sector, Sharon McMillan has been an advocate for accessible, equitable and sustainable urban living for over 20 years.  Inspired by the diverse and inclusive Esplanade community, Sharon moved her family here in 2014 and sought a way to contribute to the vitality of this neighbourhood. She soon became President of the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association and now looks forward to continuing to help empower and amplify the voices and aspirations of residents.​

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Zoie Edwards has a Bachelor’s of Urban & Regional Planning from Ryerson University and a Master’s of Public Administration from The University of Western Ontario where she completed a MRP on “The Revitalization of Social Housing: An Analysis of Mixed-Income Housing in the City of Toronto”. From 2013 to 2017, Zoie was the Project Coordinator for Jamii and CORPUS working on various art-based community engaged projects and events in The Esplanade,Toronto. Since 2018, Zoie is Project Manager at Lura Consulting.​