BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Brenda Abrams, Chair | LinkedIn
Prior to her retirement, Brenda Abrams was the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Vice-President, Regulatory Services. She was part of the WSIB’s Senior Management Team, responsible for strategic, legal, regulatory, and compliance advice to the Board of Directors, Executive Committee and Senior Management. Holding progressively more senior roles with the WSIB, she was ultimately responsible for legal services, privacy, investigations, prosecutions, employer audit services and collections services. Brenda has 20 years of experience in board roles in the not-for-profit and charitable sectors. She has served as Chair of Toronto North Support Services (now merged with LOFT), Chair of Children’s Wish Foundation (now merged with Make-A-Wish Foundation), and Vice-Chair of Girl Guides of Canada. She was also a committee chair or member on committees including Strategic Planning, Audit & Finance, Governance and Appeals.
She currently chairs The Children’s Book Bank and the ETFO Employee Life and Health Trust. Brenda holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science from Queen’s University and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Windsor. She holds certifications in mediation, human resources, and strategic leadership. She has also participated in coaching and enterprise risk programs. She was appointed King’s Counsel in 2023.
When as to pick her favourite book, Brenda responded, “That wouldn’t be fair to the other books!” When she joined the Board of Directors of The Children’s Book Bank, it represented a singular opportunity to fan her passion for her first love—books. Books gave her a love of learning, time to think and stretch her brain in multiple directions, to be inquisitive because the worlds contained in books offered variety, complexity, the unexpected, and the chance to be part of vastly different communities. Who wouldn’t want to travel to another world through a wardrobe or a looking glass, meet the BFG or a Hungry Caterpillar, be a smart, independent, and self-reliant young detective solving mysteries, or learn about tesseracts or visit Arrakis. Bringing books and children together builds community. The Children’s Book Bank is a community.
Laura Boudreau | LinkedIn
Laura Boudreau is Executive Director of the Canadian Foundation for Financial Planning. Her career in the charitable sector has focused on literacy and education, including senior roles with United for Literacy, Toronto Metropolitan University, and People for Education.
A bookworm, word nerd, and author, Laura believes in the power of books to spark curiosity and expand horizons. As a parent, she is especially honoured to support The Children's Book Bank, helping children explore new ideas, new worlds, and new possibilities through books.
Lauren Butler | LinkedIn
Lauren Butler is a philanthropy, communications, and community engagement leader helping organizations grow their impact through strategic fundraising, partnerships, and stakeholder engagement.
Throughout her career, Lauren has worked with leading Canadian charities, including Parkinson Canada, CNIB, Kids Help Phone, and Connected North, supporting initiatives that strengthen communities and create meaningful social change. She has led major fundraising campaigns, built transformative partnerships, and advised executive and volunteer leaders on organizational growth and sustainability.
A passionate community volunteer, Lauren has served on multiple City of Toronto boards, as well as the Board of Directors for Bikes Without Borders. She has also contributed her expertise through committee leadership and volunteer service with Young Adult Cancer Canada, the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR), and Childhood Cancer Canada. Her governance experience spans fundraising, strategic planning, communications, and community development.
Lauren holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, International Relations and Human Rights from Concordia University and a Graduate Certificate in Social Responsibility and Sustainability from the University of Toronto.
As a member of The Children’s Book Bank Board of Directors, Lauren is proud to support an organization that empowers children through literacy, fosters a lifelong love of reading, and helps ensure that every child has access to books and the opportunities they create.
Yun Cheng
Born and raised in Toronto, Yun Cheng is an educator, social justice advocate, and dedicated parent with over 20 years of experience in the Toronto District School Board. She holds a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Education degree, blending academic knowledge with a deep passion for teaching and literacy.
Throughout her career, Yun has been dedicated to addressing systemic issues affecting communities and striving to create inclusive environments where all children can thrive. Her focus on bringing a community perspective to the Board helps ensure the organization remains attuned to the diverse needs of the children and families it serves.
Yun’s connection to The Children’s Book Bank is both personal and professional. As a child who grew up without a home library, she understands the profound, transformative power that having access to books can have on a child’s imagination and learning, recalling hours spent poring over her favourite book, The Eleventh Hour by Graeme Base. This personal appreciation has fueled her active involvement; for many years, she has dedicated time to The Children’s Book Bank, volunteering with her children and consistently bringing her students for monthly visits.
Her love for the organization stems from its mission to provide books to children who may not otherwise have access. She believes deeply in the life-changing impact of giving every child the opportunity to take home their very own special book.
Aliya Kassamali | LinkedIn
Aliya is a pharmacist, entrepreneur, and board director based in Toronto. She has practised pharmacy for over 15 years in Alberta and Ontario, and holds a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD), a Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) from the University of Waterloo, and the ICD.D designation.
Aliya is the founder of The Health Aisle Media, which provides educational health content and content strategy for digital health solutions, along with other health education tools. She served on the boards of Green Shield Canada, Springboard Performance, and the Aga Khan Foundation of Canada Health Board, and guest lectures at the University of Alberta Faculty of Pharmacy, where she teaches students to research and write evidence-based consumer health content to ensure health literacy.
Aliya and her family frequent the Book Bank. It's rare to find a place so welcoming, somewhere anyone can walk in and leave with a book, no cost and no questions asked. Many children lack access to owning books, and she deeply believes in the impact it has on a child to have a shelf of books to call their own.
Rosina Mete | LinkedIn
Rosina grew up in downtown Toronto, in a community of immigrants, shaped by hardship and quiet dignity. At seven years old, she walked into a bookstore with a quarter and came home with Charlotte's Web — a stranger's quiet act of generosity that changed the course of her life. She still has that book today. It is why she is here.
Professionally, she is a transformation executive with 20 years of experience modernizing financial institutions from the inside out – technology, operations, and people. She has launched two Schedule 1 Canadian digital banks, directed a zero-incident wind-down returning $1.6 billion in client deposits, and built governance, risk, and compliance frameworks to Canadian regulators’ standards. She holds an Executive MBA from Ivey, an AI Strategy Certification from Cornell, and completed the Board Diversity Network Executive Board Readiness Program in 2025.
She currently serves as an Independent Board Director at The Children's Book Bank — the intersection of where she came from, and what saved her.
Christen Mikhael | LinkedIn
Christen Mikhael is a seasoned investment professional with nearly a decade of capital markets experience. Having built a career across large and mid-sized institutions—including Wealthsimple, Ernst & Young, TD Bank, and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan—Christen brings a strong foundation of strategic planning and financial stewardship to his role as Director and Treasurer at the Children’s Book Bank.
In his most recent role at Wealthsimple, Christen worked closely with high-net-worth individuals and families to develop personalized, long-term investment strategies. Just as he has helped hundreds of families take step toward financial freedom, he is deeply committed to investing in the next generation. Harkening back to fond early memories of helping organize story time at his mother's daycare, Christen is proud to support the Children's Book Bank in its mission to improve children's literacy and unlock lifelong opportunities.
Christen is a CFA® charterholder and a member of CFA Society Toronto. He graduated with distinction from the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree.
Michael Ondieki
A senior executive with over 15 years of experience across financial services and telecommunications, he brings strengths in strategic planning, governance, performance measurement, stakeholder engagement, risk management, and data-driven decision-making.
He currently supports the development of the Chief Operating Officer (COO) Group's strategy, Monthly Operational Reviews, and Board updates across one of Canada's largest financial institutions. He holds an Executive MBA from Ivey Business School and degrees in Economics and Electrical Engineering from the University of Western Ontario.
Growing up, books gave Michael the world. They showed him that far beyond his own small corner in Africa lay a world filled with deep, vast, and rich experiences. His connection to The Children's Book Bank is deeply personal. He has been a donor, volunteer, and partner for years, even celebrating his son's first birthday at the Book Bank to carry the joy of reading in his family into the next generation. He wants to share that same joy, love, and wonder with every child.
Madhu Rupasinghe | LinkedIn
Madhu Rupasinghe is a seasoned social impact leader with over a decade of experience designing and leading sustainability and social impact programs across both corporate and non-profit sectors. She currently leads Indigenous engagement and sustainability initiatives at Hydro One and has previously held key roles in social impact marketing, fundraising, and corporate partnerships.
As a Board Member of The Children’s Book Bank, Madhu draws on her fundraising expertise to help grow the organization’s reach and expand access to free books and literacy programs for children across Toronto.
Outside of her professional and volunteer work, Madhu enjoys exploring Toronto’s diverse neighbourhoods, curling up with a good book, and working toward her Culinary Arts Certificate.
Safa Zaki | LinkedIn
Safa Zaki is a senior public sector leader with over 15 years of experience leading complex policy, strategy, and system transformation initiatives focused on advancing social and economic inclusion. She has worked across multiple Ontario ministries and agencies, including as Strategic Advisor to Ontario’s first Chief Diversity Officer, where she helped shape province-wide strategies to remove systemic barriers and improve equitable access to public services.
Safa has spent more than a decade at the Ontario Ministry of Education, fueled by her belief that education is the foundation of shared prosperity and sustainable development. Her work has focused on advancing educational equity, education transformation in an increasingly digital world, and system-level change to improve outcomes for students and families across Ontario.
Safa holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in History and Global Development Studies from Queen's University and a Master of Arts in Public Policy from Toronto Metropolitan University.
As the child of immigrants, Safa deeply values the power of books to both transport and transform worlds.