Leadership Team
Jamii's Mission-Based
ISORINE MARC
ALCHEMIST & FOUNDER
Isorine obtained her Masters Degree in Performing Arts Management in France and has acquired international work experience in arts organizations such as The Paris Conservatoire (France), L’École des Sables (Toubab Dialaw, Senegal), Le Centre National Chorégraphique Mathilde Monnier (France), Ausdance Queensland (Brisbane, Australia), and fFIDA-TIDF 06 (Toronto).
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Isorine was CORPUS' Artistic Producer from 2006 to 2018 and founded Jamii in 2011. The Esplanade neighbourhood is Isorine's home since 2006 and she is a passionate advocate for her community.
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MAY CHOOK
IMPLEMENTER
May is an events and project professional with a decade of experience in the arts and event industry. A proud Torontonian, they are excited to implement creative, impactful collaborative projects with The Esplanade community since joining Jamii in January 2024. Born in Malaysia, they have a BFA in Music from York University and an Event & Meeting Management Certificate from George Brown College. They are currently pursuing an MBA in Sustainable Commerce.
When May is not crunching spreadsheets, they do vocal improvisation under the moniker DawnRosa. You may have seen them featured on a TTC billboard!
IRIS UNLU
AMPLIFIER
Iris has been working in marketing for a decade, in both Turkey and Canada. Before discovering her passion for creating ideas that have a profound influence on people, Iris completed her Bachelor’s degree in Geological Engineering in Turkey and later received a diploma from Sheridan College in Advertising and Marketing Communications in Canada. Iris was thrilled to get an opportunity to engage in community-based work when she joined Jamii in 2021 as a Graphic Designer and became Jamii’s Amplifier in May 2022. Iris is excited to continue engaging with the Esplanade, especially as she has been a proud Esplanadian since 2020.
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OMELETTE
BARKER
Omelette was raised in The Esplanade neighbourhood where her natural talent for loudness led her to a passion for barketing. Omelette studied wolves via distance education (internet videos) to get an advanced degree in Howling Honours. Omelette joined Jamii as a Barker in 2023 where she lends her artistic noise to attract the community to Jamii events and The Jamii Hub. Although she volunteers at Jamii, Omelette is a working breed, which means community members can ask her to show them a trick anytime when they see her.
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OMELETTE'S WORK HOURS:
Tue & Thur from 8:30am to 4:30pm
YUSRA YACOUT
ENABLER
Yusra Yacout is born and raised in the Esplanade community. Yusra Supports Jamii's administrative operations and is a certified Law Clerk. She also has a bachelor of Arts from Ryerson university in child and Youth care.
Yusra has a wide experience ingrained in the community. Through the years, she has been a Project Coordinator with Jamii (Summer 2019), a children’s program leader with Kiwanis boats and girls (2017-2018), a caseworker with Aspire Muslim food bank, and early childhood assistant with the St Lawrence Daycare.
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Board of Directors
Jamii's Dedicated
SHARON MCMILLAN
CO-PRESIDENT
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 here in her new role as Jamii's Co-President.
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AZIZA VIRANI
DIRECTOR
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.
WALTER AZZALINI
DIRECTOR
Walter is a retired teacher with a life-long career teaching at Market Lane Public School, at the heart of the Esplanade community. Walter has taught several generations of Esplanadians.
JIM ADAMS
CO-PRESIDENT
Jim Adams is a multidisciplinary artist and educator who combines his indigenous ways of being with contemporary art and scientific principles. He has worked as an indigenous educator in schools and institutions for the past decades . Jim’s mother was a first generation Canadian, her parents having been born in Wales and Kent. He carries the DNA of the Swampy Cree and Innu from his paternal grandmother and the Mohawk from his paternal grandfather. This mix of nationalities gives Jim a great array of cultural connections to draw from. Both of his grandfathers were hunters and gatherers and knew their own respective cultural connections to the land and its inhabitants.
LINDA LEISTNER
DIRECTOR
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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ZOIE EDWARDS
DIRECTOR
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.
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AMANDA MARAGOS
DIRECTOR
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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USHA JAMES
DIRECTOR
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.