Steering Committee
The SHIFT steering committee ensures that high-level decisions regarding our overall strategies, resource allocations and future plans are aligned with our mission, vision, values and ways of working.
Committee members
May Chiu (joined in 2023)
May Chiu is a family mediator and long-term community activist, having been involved in many social justice struggles ranging from the South African anti-apartheid movement to the fight for climate justice. In her current role at the Chinatown Roundtable (Chinatown Reimagined), she coordinates a horizontal decision-making structure that enables collaborators to work together across class lines to rebuild Chinatown from a decolonial perspective, promoting the voices and viewpoints of the most vulnerable of the community.
Constance Lafontaine (joined in 2023)
Constance Lafontaine facilitates collaborations across stakeholders from academic, community and public sectors to achieve a more equitable and inclusive digital society for older adults. In her role as Associate Director of Concordia’s ACT (Aging + Communication + Technologies) Lab, she uses participatory action research, co-design, living lab and research creation approaches to mobilize community members as powerful advocates for social change.
Shawna Moore (member since 2023)
Shawna Moore is a member of the Temagami First Nations and has ancestry in Ireland and Scotland. She is a Program Manager at Indigenous Youth Root’s Creation Funding Program, which provides financial support to Indigenous youth-led councils, and community and grassroots organizations. She is also a Board Member at the Centre for Community Organizations (COCo), and sits on both COCo and SHIFT's governance hubs.
Seynabou Ndiaye (member since 2021)
Seynabou Ndiaye is a software engineer with a strong commitment to advancing best practices for greater equity and inclusion in the STEM fields. A graduate from the Gina Cody School of Engineering & Computer Science, Seynabou has launched and collaborated on a diverse portfolio of start-ups focusing on sustainability, responsible investing, and mental wellness. She currently works with Sama, a Bcorp leader in ethical AI practices.
Danièle-Jocelyne Otou-Nguini (joined in 2023)
Danièle-Jocelyne Otou-Nguini works to create safe spaces that enable all the voices in the room to feel heard. Her background in social innovation, design thinking, strategy and communications guide how she accompanies leaders and teams to navigate organizational change through her consultancy work as co-founder of the New Room Group, as well as in her role as Board Chair at the Black Healing Centre.