Board of Directors
The Toronto Lands Corporation is governed by an independent 10 member Board of Directors, consisting of 4 Citizen Directors, 4 appointed TDSB Trustees and 2 TDSB Executive staff. The Citizen Director positions are selected by a TDSB committee after an open/public call for candidates, then approved by the TLC Board and finally the TDSB Trustees.
The Citizen Directors represents a range of seasoned professionals in the fields of real estate development, public infrastructure, municipal governance and affairs diversity & inclusion, urban development, City planning and executive leadership. All have impressive records of community involvement and support across the City of Toronto and beyond. The Trustee-Directors provide important community context in relation to TLC’s properties and the associated policy issues which impact on these properties. This combination of expertise and knowledge on the TLC Board provides an informed and credible perspective, a commitment to market analysis and a strong commitment to community building.
Payman Berjis
CITIZEN DIRECTOR
Currently is the Director of Acquisitions at Allied Properties REIT. Throughout his career Payman has been committed to developing and operating educational, institutional and office facilities, including having experience in delivering facilities to support educational organizations such as Sheridan College and the University of Toronto. As a former instructor at college and university he understands the unique needs of educational facilities and the importance of providing a healthy physical environment for learning and teaching.
His professional experience includes:
- Senior Manager, Real Estate Advisory, PwC
- Engagement Manager, Arup
- Project Manager, Infrastructure Ontario
- Co-founder, Laureleaf LTD, Toronto
- Project Co-ordinator, Walsh Construction, Toronto District School Board
He holds a Masters in Civil Engineering from the University of Toronto, is a member of the Professional Engineers of Ontario and has a NAIOP Certificate of Advance Study in commercial real estate development.
Igor Dragovic
CITIZEN DIRECTOR
Igor is the Development Manager with Republic Developments, a Toronto based city builder focused on creating transformative communities that enrich the lives of those who live, work, and play within them. He is also a lecturer in the geography department at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU).
His professional experience includes:
- 11 years of real estate development, land use planning, and entitlements experience in both the private and public sector
- 4 years as a Senior Planner, City of Toronto
- 3 years as a Senior Associate, Ministry of Municipal Affairs
He holds both a BA in Geographic Analysis and a Masters in Spatial Analysis, from Ryerson University/TMU.
John Filion
CITIZEN DIRECTOR
John is a former City of Toronto councillor and has had an accomplished public service career spanning 40 years. He has dedicated himself to good governance and working collaboratively with diverse community stakeholders in the public interest.
His professional experience is lengthy and include these highlights:
- Vice-Chair, City of Toronto Audit Committee
- Member, City of Toronto Government Management & Licensing Committee
- Director, Toronto Parking Authority
- Member, North York City Council
- Trustee, North York Board of Education
- Member, Metro Toronto School Board
He holds a BA from York University and an ICD.D, Director’s Education Program from the University of Toronto.
Aleem Punja
CITIZEN DIRECTOR
A proficient and accomplished executive leader with over nineteen years of experience in public service, including 11 years providing strategic direction and leading large-scale transformation projects focusing on outcomes, integrating equity, diversity, and inclusion into governance strategy. He is currently the National Operating Officer with the Aga Khan Council of Canada and heads the Future Ready Initiative.
His professional experience includes:
- Chief Operating Officer, Family and Children’s Services of York Region
- Senior Manager/Sector Lead, Child Welfare Operations Excellence, Reconciliation and Indigenous Services, Ontario Assoc. of Children’s aid Societies
- Sessional Professor, Centennial College, School of Community and Health Studies
- Executive Member, Emerging Leaders Network, Civic Action
- Trustee, Ward 17, Toronto District School Board (Aug.- Dec. 2022)
Aleem holds a BA from the School of Disability Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University, an Executive Leadership Development Certificate from York University’s Schulich School of Business, a Child and Youth Work Advanced Diploma from Centennial College and is completing a Professional Master’s in Public Administration from Queens University’s School of Policy Studies.
Shelley Laskin
TDSB TRUSTEE
Shelley is an experienced trustee, bringing a track record of strengthening public schools and healthy communities, active in community groups and her synagogue. She has an extensive background in project management, strategic planning, business processes and policy development in both the public and private sectors.
She has served on the executive of the former South Eglinton Ratepayers and Residents Association (SERRA) now the South Eglinton Davisville Residents’ Association (SEDRA), as a public member on the Children’s Clearance Committee of Advertising Standards Canada and on the Boards of Congregation Darchei Noam, Legal Aid Ontario and The Canadian Centre for Quality Education and Opportunity.
In 2004, Shelley joined the Ontario Public Service and put her skills to work to enhance organizational effectiveness and performance within the Ministry of Health’s Business Improvement Office. In 2006, she joined the newly created Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport where she served in a number of roles in Business Services, Policy and Program and Corporate Services. As Senior Advisor with the Pan/Parapan American Games Secretariat she developed the Secretariat’s Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) for Games-time operations and during the Pan Am Games, acted as Deputy Director in the PPAGS Coordination Centre.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree at Carleton University followed by a graduate diploma in Cartography from the University of Glasgow.
Zakir Patel
TDSB TRUSTEE
Zakir Patel is the Toronto District School Board Trustee for Scarborough-Guildwood: Ward 19. He was elected in 2018 and is the first Gujarati of Indian descent to be elected in Ontario.
For the last 25 years, Zakir has lived and worked in Scarborough. He is an award winning realtor with over 15 years of success in residential and commercial real estate. He also owns an enterprise of distribution services which has over a hundred employees.
His passion is to serve his community connecting families through resources such as delivering basic necessities and helping with navigating various government services. He has worked tirelessly for various community groups and causes across Scarborough.
Zakir’s work as a trustee has been focused on youth empowerment and maintaining safe and healthy schools. He believes access to adequate nutritional programs and extra-curricular activities are essential to student development. He consistently strives for equity in our schools and committed to speaking out in the interest of students, parents and faculty.
Manna Wong
TDSB TRUSTEE
Dennis Hastings
TDSB TRUSTEE
Stacey Zucker
Interim TDSB staff DIRECTOR
Leola Pon
interim TDSB staff DIRECTOR