Fengwen Yu came to Canada as an international student. After graduating from the University of Ottawa with a Master of Education, she worked in the international education field, including at Toronto Metropolitan University as an international student advisor.

She’s also an entrepreneur and a translator, with five published books.

Like anyone else who came alone to Canada, Fengwen met different challenges. When she landed here, she found that social supports and resources for international students were scarce. However, after years of field experience, she gained a profound understanding of the services and supports that international students need, as well as became more aware of the barriers and gaps in community support services for them.

In 2021, Fengwen established a nonprofit organization, Open Path International Student Service Centre, to provide support services and resources tailored to international students and newcomers.

Fengwen is thrilled to be in the MPNL program, and looks forward to enhancing her nonprofit leadership skills. She鈥檚 also eagerly anticipating the opportunity to collaborate with a diverse group of peers who share her passion for making a positive impact in the nonprofit sector.

In 2025, she was one of the hosts of the program’s PhilanthroThink Podcast series.

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Born and raised in Calgary, Caroline Workman moved to Ottawa in pursuit of a Communications and Media Studies degree at 杏吧原创 University. Developing an interest in fundraising, she spent the majority of her undergraduate years working with the Telephone Outreach Program within 杏吧原创’s department of University Advancement. Her leadership grew as she took on supervisory positions, and through co-op work placements, she developed a passion for communications in the nonprofit sector.

Excited to meet new peers and faculty, Caroline is embarking on degree in the MPNL program to assist with her future goals of creating change through communications.

In her free time, Caroline enjoys walking along the canal and spending time with friends and family.

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Christine Vlaming (she/her) holds a Bachelor of Arts from 杏吧原创 University and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Ottawa. She’s worked with children and youth in various capacities in education for more than 25 years in Ottawa, Brazil and Mexico.

Christine recently retired as a teacher to pursue her lifelong dream of working in the nonprofit sector. She’d like to work in an organization addressing systemic barriers that make it harder for marginalized communities to access resources. And she’d like to participate in research that informs policy and leads to more government funding for social services that tackle child poverty and racial disparity.

She’s excited and honoured to learn from professors, experts and peers in a program, MPNL, that was developed to prepare students like her to be successful. Christine is particularly interested in fundraising and social advocacy, and she looks forward to dedicating time to research while in the program.

Christine enjoys going on outings with her two daughters, who are themselves in or about to start university. She loves reading, and usually her dog and cat snuggle up beside her. Her hobbies include painting, gardening and spending time in nature.

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Saa Michel Tolno, hailing from Guinea, embodies the spirit of positive change and empowerment. Based in Conakry, Guinea, his work is related to the sustainable development goals, entrepreneurship, mentorship and gender equality.

At the heart of his advocacy work is the Association of Children and Young Workers of Guinea (AEJT), where he’s committed to advocating for youth and children鈥檚 civil rights by securing project funds and involving youth in advocacy, capacity building and community support.

Saa Michel holds a Bachelor鈥檚 degree in International Relations from General Lansana Conte University and a Bachelor of Honours in Development Studies from the University of Johannesburg — and he’s the first Mandela Rhodes Scholar from Guinea.

Through the MPNL program, he hopes to enhance his skills in leadership, strategic thinking, financial management and fundraising, allowing him to pursue an internationally leading role in the future, such as serving as a minister in Guinea or as a United Nations representative in Africa.

Upon completing his Master鈥檚 degree, he intends to pursue a Doctoral Degree in Public Policy and Governance, focused on global change and empowering his communities, as well as advocating for the well-being of young people and children globally.

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As Graham Thomas was working on his Master鈥檚 in Neurosciences at McGill, he realized that although he loved the research and experimentation, he found it made no sense to spend his life fuelling his own curiosity while civilization continued to fuel itself with planet-warming energy sources. So, he hung up his pipettes and turned his attention to the energy transition.

Graham went on to work for solar energy and energy-efficiency project developers in Ontario, and achieved tangible impact in reducing emissions in his community, while gaining valuable business development and project-management experience along the way.

More recently, he’s had the privilege of acting as an advisor to a philanthropist, with whom he explored impactful interventions for climate and nature. He saw the crucial role of philanthropic funders with the organizations, projects and movements their money supports.

He joins the MPNL program in 2024 with a desire to expand his knowledge of the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors and to develop his impact strategies, with the ultimate goal of helping other donors maximize the potential good their funds can create.

Graham lives in Ottawa, on unceded Anishinabe Algonquin territory, with his partner and two boys in their almost entirely fossil fuel-free home.

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Anna Taverna, a resident of Toronto, is currently engaged with two nonprofit organizations, The Down Syndrome Association of Toronto and The Centre for Accessible Sport and Play.

With more than a decade of experience in serving the disability community, Anna is focused on a career within the nonprofit sector and working for organizations that foster inclusive environments where individuals with disabilities can flourish.

She completed her studies in Kinesiology at McMaster University in 2020 and went on to complete the Recreation Therapy
program at Mohawk College in 2021, with a focus on disability, health and recreation.

After joining a nonprofit organization, Anna recognized the importance of continuous learning to effectively support her organization and advance as a leader. Learning about the MPNL program, she felt it aligned perfectly with her aspirations, providing her with the ideal platform to learn and progress towards her goals.

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Linda Sumbo鈥檚 decision to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector was influenced by the positive impact of charitable and nonprofit organizations on her family鈥檚 quality of life while growing up in a rural community in northern Ghana. These organizations provided crucial services that significantly improved their well-being, motivating Linda to dedicate herself to serving others and positively impacting people鈥檚 lives.

After completing her Bachelor鈥檚 degree in Development Studies in Ghana, Linda worked as a project coordinator for more than six years at World Vision International, an international organization engaged in humanitarian aid, development, livelihoods, and social justice advocacy.

She moved to Canada in 2018 and studied a postgraduate program in Project Management at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. During her studies, she volunteered with various immigrant-services organizations, assisting newcomers in settling and integrating into Canadian society. Her research interests revolve around exploring how community perceptions of immigrants and the available services in the local communities can enhance the overall immigrant integration experience.

Linda hopes the MPNL program, through its unique blend of theory and practicum, will enable her to gain knowledge and hands-on experience, especially in the governance, leadership and policy environment of Canada鈥檚 philanthropy and nonprofit sector.

On a bright sunny day, Linda likes riding a bike with her three kids.

In 2024, Linda Sumbo received the MPNL Award for Black Emerging Fundraising Professionals.

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Riddhima Sharma (she/they) is currently a Communications Coordinator at Mothercraft Ottawa, a nonprofit based in Ottawa. She has over eight years of experience working in the nonprofit sector in multiple countries.

Riddhima started her nonprofit journey in Nepal after the 2015 earthquake. She gained experience about various issues, such as child and forced marriages, reproductive and maternity health, education, gender justice, and disaster risk reduction, with a focus on the Indigenous population.

She’s eager to expand her knowledge about how nonprofits operate and bring measurable changes. She hopes
to focus her research on highlighting tried-and-tested methods that often go unnoticed in nonprofits and use her innovative and creative skills to make them more efficient.

In her free time, Riddhima loves to travel, and enjoys trying and replicating new cuisines. She considers herself energetic and is always eager to learn new things.

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Katie McKenna is a nonprofit leader with two decades of experience working at the intersection of storytelling and social change. She’s the co-founder and former Executive Director of The Leap, a climate justice organization dedicated to building
a more powerful climate movement through connections to struggles for Indigenous rights, and racial, social and
economic justice.

Prior to The Leap, Katie worked as an impact producer, connecting documentary and academic projects to real-world social change. She also co-produced the Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein documentaries “The Take” and “This Changes Everything,” and directed “The Year Before” for the National Film Board.

Katie holds an MSc in Global Politics from the London School of Economics and an Honours B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Toronto. She’s the former Board Chair of the Documentary Organization of Canada, and a graduate of the Rockwood Leadership Program.

She’s looking forward to deepening her knowledge of emerging and best practices in the philanthropic sector as part of the MPNL program. A bilingual Montrealer, Katie has studied and worked in Argentina, England, Japan, Nicaragua, Toronto and Panama. She
lives in the Laurentians with her husband, Matt Thompson, and ten-year old son, Leo.

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Adrian Malcolm was born and raised in Toronto. He holds an Honours BA History/Law and Society from York University and an LL.B. from Osgoode Hall. Adrian was influenced by his father and mother to pursue charitable interests as a young child and continues to do so, volunteering for many local charitable organizations. He’s particularly involved with City Outreach, a nonprofit organization providing food, clothing and necessities to the homeless community in downtown Toronto.

Private practice has allowed Adrian to provide pro bono work and services to various charitable sectors. He has also sat on numerous boards and foundations.

The MPNL program is a personal pursuit for him that he hopes will assist with his professional and personal endeavours. He’d been searching for a further educational opportunity and was delighted to have discovered this program to further his goals and knowledge.

Adrian enjoys sports, reading, writing, cooking and walking his beloved but excitable dog Charlee. He has two wonderful children of which he’s immensely proud.

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