Who We Are

Our goal is to to bring awareness and empower gender equality by balancing the economic, political, social and employment conditions for gender equality in Canada.

Empower

Gender

Equality

About Us

The Gender Equality Coalition of Ontario was founded in 2019 to work to create communities where all individuals have equal access to every opportunity, unbiased by gender. We are committed to diversity and inclusion, valuing individuals from all intersectionality’s including, genders, cultures, ages, races, orientations, locations, and abilities. Community representation is essential in the collaborative efforts towards gender justice. We believe that gender justice can only be achieved when all intersectional genders are included.

Our Mission is

Achieve Gender Justice

Our Vision is

A community where all genders equally share the burdens, responsibilities and rewards of our institutions and systems to have equal status in our society

Our Goals are

Challenge gender related systemic barriers
Confront sexist thinking, internalized oppression
Practice critical self reflection
Raise consciousness and expectations
Identify and challenge exclusions and stereotypes
End sexism, exploitation, and oppression in all its forms

We Value

Equal access
Collaboration and community engagement
Intentional inclusion
Active participation in positive social change

Linda Davis

Executive Director – Programming

(She/Her) feminist, equality advocate, change maker.

What Gender Justice means to me: I believe in a world where individuals have equal value regardless of their gender.

Dani Bartlett

Executive Director – Advocacy

(She/Her)

Activist, Advocate & Mom

Dani Bartlett is a tireless activist and has been fighting for the rights of others since 1994.
Dani was trained as a women’s advocate dealing with violence against women for her union. She found her voice fighting for workers rights. She was an elected Trustee, Women’s Committee Chair and Co-Chair for the Human Rights Committee.

She is Co Chair for London Coordinating Committee to End Women Abuse, a steering committee member on the Central Planning Table for the Local Employment planning council, a member of All Our Sisters steering committee and she sits on both London and District and St Thomas and District Labour Council.

Advocacy is an important part of Dani’s life, from lobbying to direct actions to creating equitable policy, she believes in fighting for Gender Equality.

Our Board of Directors

Dr. Amanda Zavitz

Leadership chair

(She/Her) Professor of Sociology, feminist, equality advocate, Marxist, change maker.

What Gender Justice means to me: What Gender Justice means to me: For me, gender justice means equality for all humanity.

M.Tracey Whiteye, BSW., MSW

Leadership Vice chair

(She/Her) Educator, Wholistic Indigenous Researcher, Wholistic Practitioner, activist and advocator. I am currently working at N’Amerind Friendship Centre as Ceremony and Transition Coordinator in Cultural based approaches to Violence Prevention.

What Gender Justice means to me: “That all human beings are valued and treated equally. And, that all human beings have the freedom of choice in developing their own personal abilities and wholistic well-being without limitations caused by stereotypes and gender roles”.

Cindy Marks

Advocacy Chair Board Member

Engineer, Mother of 3 female engineers, advocate and mentor.

What Gender Justice means to me: representation, inclusiveness and strength.

Darius Cox

Board Youth Committee Chair

(He/Him)

What Gender Justice means to me: Confronting deep rooted inequities and inequalities within our societies to ensure everyone has access to the safety and prosperity they deserve.

Aiden Buchanan-St. Gelais

Finance Committee Chair

(He/Him/They/Them)

What Gender Justice means to me: It means a world where gender is only an expression and gender roles would be a thing from the past.

David Billson

(He/Him) Co-Founder rTraction & RHA, Husband, Father

What Gender Justice means to me: Gender Justice to me means equity. A fair and just society should value contributions from its members equally without prejudice to gender.

Alexander Pershai, Ph.D.

(They/He) Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Specialist, educator, social activist, and agent of change.

What Gender Justice means to me: Gender justice mitigates invisible barriers in relation to a person’s intersectionality, enhances opportunities for equity-seeking groups, and reduces gender-based violence for all.

Joseph Pazzano

(They/He), Director, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (Fanshawe College), Sessional Faculty, Human Rights, (St. Paul’s University College)

What Gender Justice means to me: Gender justice is the pursuit of removing gender barriers and supporting people and communities most harmed by gender barriers. It means embedding an intersectional anti-oppression lens to every facet of our lives to break down power imbalances, inequitable access, and obstacles to full and empowered participation.

Joni Nelson

Membership Committee Chair

(She/Her) Professor, Instructional Designer, Scholar-practitioner, Equity Advocate

What Gender Justice means to me: The ability for ALL humans to enjoy the same rights, resources, opportunities, protections, and sense of belonging.

Shannon Maheu

Programming Committee Chair

(She/Her) Professor of Psychology, Fanshawe College

What Gender Justice means to me: Ending the inequality that is perpetuated between men and women within the family, among the community and in the workplace. This includes ending the additional barriers in society for LGBTQ2S+, and those who identify as non-binary.

Rachel Morrison

Board Secretary

(She/Her) Humanitarian nonprofit manager, domestic abuse support practitioner, socialist, equity advocate

What Gender Justice means to me: A world where real conversations about mental health and human connection are accessible to us all, and where we are judged on our kindness and honesty over our adherence to the concepts of masculinity or femininity.

Mojdeh Cox

Advocacy Co-Chair

Mojdeh Cox is an award-winning and nationally recognized voice in the work of anti-oppression, anti-racism, human rights, justice, equity and belonging. She aims to evolve as a transformational leader rooted in human-centred approaches to organizational leadership and people management.

Communications

Jaclyn Swinkels

Lakeside Web – Webmaster & Editor

Jaclyn is the current webmaster for the Gender Equality Coalition of Ontario. She has been creating and maintaining websites for over a decade. In early 2019 she started her own web development company, Lakeside Web. This allows her to have a closer affiliation with her clients and their projects. She loves working in this industry as she has many opportunities to work with a variety of interesting organizations like the Gender Equality Coalition of Ontario.

https://lakesideweb.ca