Our Professionals

I was raised in a small, progressive community in downtown Toronto made up of educators, activists, musicians, conscientious objectors (a.k.a. draft dodgers), lawyers and Latin American refugees. Advocating for equal rights, anti-discrimination and social justice was part of our everyday life and provided the fodder for lively talks around the dinner table. I always knew I’d pursue a career with these values in mind.

I completed an undergraduate degree at University of Toronto and a graduate degree at York University. In my studies I sought to examine colonial experiences in Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America, and to reconstruct histories using an anti-oppression framework. I was fascinated in particular by the myriad forms of resistance movements, often led by women.

During and following these years, I volunteered, travelled and worked in Central and South America. I taught English in Colombia, worked as a translator and university instructor in Nicaragua and as a gender consultant at the Inter-American Children’s Institute (a unit of the Organization of American States) in Uruguay.

Back in Canada, I worked at Save the Children Canada as a project coordinator for a youth media project and as a researcher and writer for planetYou, a start-up company focussed on youth, technology and education.

I’d also begun to rethink my intended career in international development. Maybe I could have more impact at home, I thought, working to improve the lives of Canadians. A law degree would provide me with a more powerful set of tools. And if practising law ended up not agreeing with me, there were many other things I could do with a law degree. During law school at Osgoode Hall and University of Ottawa, I took advanced courses in negotiation and mediation and interned at the Canadian Environmental Legal Aid Clinic. I began to feel I’d made a good choice.

After I graduated in 2006, the first question out of nearly everyone’s mouth was "will you work with your dad? " True, it seemed liked a logical fit. The story of Iler Campbell is inspiring. Charlie and Brian followed their hearts, stuck with their ideals and found success. Over the years they’ve built an incredible network of equally inspiring clients. Nonetheless, I was determined to strike out on my own.

I did the "big firm thing" for nearly three years. I received great training, worked in several fields of law and was excited to develop an expertise in the emerging fields of international climate change regulation and emissions trading.

However it wasn’t until I joined Iler Campbell that it all began to come together for me. At Iler Campbell, we bring our values to what we do. Our clients are doing the most incredible work to improve communities in Toronto and beyond – they amaze me. Working with our clients each day I get to grow my knowledge, share my skills and help them to continue making positive change. From negotiating financing for affordable housing projects, to assisting co-operatives with governance issues, to helping new green charities get off the ground, I’ve never felt so fulfilled.