Leadership & Governance
Governed with accountability and independence
The Harvey Foundation for Justice & Opportunity is governed by an independent Board of Directors committed to dignified, transparent and accountable stewardship of its mission.
Board of Directors
Our Board
Chair
Andrea MacLeod
Expertise
Andrea is a decorated Veteran having served in federal law enforcement for the past 26 years; she has also worked as a Professor of Forensic Science at Humber College.
Vice-Chair
Justin Rochester
Expertise
Providing legal services in summary conviction offences as well as teaching it across several Ontario Colleges.
Director
Jess Davidson
Expertise
College professor, strategic communications consultancy co-founder, and applied researcher based in Toronto, with over 20 years of experience across government, academia, and the private sector.
Committee
Program & Impact
Director
Mohammad Ameli
Expertise
Mohammad is a dedicated and passionate advocate, having appeared before many levels of court and various tribunals. He prides himself on being a versatile and well-rounded litigator, achieving success across a broad, yet intertwined set of legal matters.
Director
Sayde Lanthier
Expertise
Sayde is a 4th-year undergraduate student majoring in Criminology at Toronto Metropolitan University while minoring in Disability Studies. She has a strong interest in human rights initiatives as well as the ripple effect of the criminal legal system and its impact on individuals, families, and communities. Her continued advocacy work is displayed through refugee rights initiatives and wrongful conviction case claims.
Board composition and biographies will be published as appointments are confirmed.
Board Representatives
Meaningful Representation. Informed Decision-Making. Positive Impact.
The Harvey Foundation for Justice & Opportunity recognizes that meaningful representation is essential to effective governance and community-centered programming.
Our Board Representatives bring valuable lived experience, professional knowledge, cultural perspectives, and community insight to the Foundation's leadership.
Through meaningful consultation with the Board of Directors, they help inform organizational priorities, guide program development, identify barriers to educational opportunity, and strengthen the Foundation's ability to create positive, measurable impacts for the individuals and communities we serve.
Their contributions help ensure that the Foundation's decisions, initiatives, and programs remain responsive, inclusive, trauma-informed, and grounded in the realities of those affected by crime and the criminal justice system.
Board Representatives serve in an advisory and consultative capacity. They contribute guidance and recommendations to the Board of Directors but do not independently exercise the Board's governing authority. Formal voting and governance decisions remain the responsibility of duly elected or appointed Directors.
Survivor Representative
Profile to be announced
Provides survivor-informed perspectives on institutional barriers, trauma-informed practices, accessibility, and the development of programs that respond meaningfully to the experiences of survivors.
Justice Representative
Profile to be announced
Provides insight into the criminal justice system and the experiences of justice-involved individuals and families, supporting programs that promote educational access, reintegration, and opportunity.
Indigenous Representative
Cassondra Barnaby
Provides perspectives on Indigenous experiences, systemic barriers, cultural responsiveness, and approaches that support respectful, inclusive, and equitable program development.
Expertise
Teluisit Cassondra aq tleawit Gespe'gewa'gi aq wigit Kjipuktuk. Born and raised in her community of Listuguj, Quebec, Cassondra is a Mi'gmaw mother of 2 and law student at the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University. As a Mi'gmaq land defender and water protector, her legal research centres Mi'gmaw legal orders as living and authoritative systems of law. She has worked as a Summer Scholar with the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF), contributing research on An Act to Amend the Criminal Code, gender equality, and Charter issues. With support from Research for the Front Lines, Cassondra is researching Bill-127 and its impacts of criminalizing Mi'gmaw land defenders. Her work examines how Mi'gmaw law and Indigenous rights can support those protecting the land, air, and water. She has also recently completed a Fellowship with Level Justice and will represent Schulich as a candidate in the 2027 Kawaskimhon Moot.
Representative profiles are published as appointments are confirmed.
Executive Leadership
Day-to-day stewardship
Cassandra Harvey
Executive Director & Founder
Leads the Foundation's day-to-day operations, programs and partnerships. As founder, she brings lived understanding of the Foundation's mission to its stewardship.
cassandra@theharveyfoundation.caAdditional executive roles will be announced as the Foundation grows.
Board Committees
Committee structure
Finance & Audit
The Finance & Audit Committee supports the Foundation's financial accountability, transparency, risk management, and responsible stewardship of resources. The Committee operates under the oversight of the Treasurer and provides recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding financial policies, budgets, internal controls, financial reporting, and audit-related matters.
Being established
Grants & Scholarships
Supports the development and review of scholarship and grant programs, eligibility criteria, application processes, and recommendations regarding educational funding.
Being established
Fundraising & Partnerships
Supports fundraising strategies, sponsorship development, donor engagement, corporate partnerships, and institutional relationships.
Being established
Program & Impact
Supports program planning, community engagement, program evaluation, outcome measurement, and impact reporting.
Being established
Committee activity will be confirmed as Board appointments and committee chairs are finalized. The Foundation does not imply that every committee is currently active.
Governance & Accountability
Built for transparency and oversight
The Foundation operates under a formal governance framework, including Board oversight, committee structure, conflict-of-interest policies, financial controls and public reporting. Our policies, reports and financial statements are published in the Transparency Centre as they become available.
Visit the Transparency Centre