BBPA Board of Directors

All current Board members were first appointed at the end November 2022, and began engaging in their work in January 2023. They are not connected to the recent claims brought forward.

We are dedicated to steering the BBPA through this process, and to come out as a stronger institution. We are dedicated to our mission to celebrate and support Black excellence in Canada and will continue to act in the best interest of the organization.

Janelle St. Omer, Interim Chair:

Janelle St. Omer is a senior level global Social Impact and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion professional with over 17 years of experience in the social impact space. Janelle is a Consultant and entrepreneur who works to elevate the social impact sector and embed equitable practices into global workplaces. She has previously held roles in the Professional services, technology, financial services and non profit sectors. Janelle is a highly focused and thoughtful leader and those who work closely with her say she is the kind of female powerhouse you want to align yourself with. She is a 2021 Canada’s Top 40 under 40 nominee and was selected as a 2011 DiverseCity Fellow, a fellowship for rising city builders through Civic Action. She joined the BBPA board because she wanted to uplift the Canadian Black community and create intergenerational economic prosperity to address systemic inequity.

She is guided in her work by a favourite quote. “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can.”

Bryan Duarte, Interim Vice Chair:

Bryan is a Social Venturist, Entrepreneur, a licensed Professional Engineer and has over 30 years of experience in the Energy Industry. He’s the Founder and the Managing Partner at BlackTech Capital. He is also the Chair of the charity, the Toronto Centre for Learning and Development (TCCLD) in Regent Park. At TCCLD we equip individuals with tools for individual growth and empower them to promote positive change in their community.

Bryan has experience in creating, developing, and growing companies in the Energy, CleanTech and Sustainability Sectors with a focus on Black and other Underrepresented founders. In addition, he’s an advisor/mentor for the Canadian Black Chamber of Commerce and an Investor Advisor for the University of Toronto’s Black Founders Network. Bryan joined the BBPA for the opportunity to continue to share his over 30 years of experience to help it continue to grow and to allow him to further give back to the black community.  It was also about growing wealth within the black community by supporting the businesses that will get us there. It is an area that he is passionate about and the BBPA’s mission and vision aligns with that goal.

Bryan’s core values are Love, Integrity and Transparency.

Camille Stewart Edwards, Treasurer:

Camille is the VP Finance at Atlas Vanlines Canada, one of Canada’s largest relocation service providers. A Chartered accountant by profession, she has amassed over 20+ years of finance and accounting experience across various industries. She is a leader, mentor and motivator to many over the span of her career and a strong advocate for positive change even when it’s uncomfortable.  In addition to her contribution to the corporate world, Camille volunteers in a finance capacity at her local church. She also serves as Finance Director for Donor Drive 4 Dorothy (DD4D). This charity provides support for patients with blood cancer, especially minorities. When she is not immersed in her professional or volunteer work, Camille is pursuing her dream to travel the world. This has certainly enhanced her experience and appreciation for people with different backgrounds and cultures.

Her passion is to remain intentional in the appreciation and recognition of Blacks in our society.

Stephen Dorsey, Director:

Stephen is a senior-level business, brand, and marketing strategist with three decades of international experience engaging with Fortune 1000 organizations in Canada, the US, Australia, Europe, South America, and the Caribbean. He is the author of “Black and White: An Intimate Multicultural Perspective on ‘White Advantage’ and the Paths to Change” (Nimbus 2022), a podcast host of “Black and White with Stephen Dorsey” on the Evergreen Podcast Network, and a recognized EDI thought leader, consultant, speaker, facilitator, and moderator based in Toronto, Canada. Stephen’s articles, essays, and op-eds have been published broadly, including in the Globe and Mail and Le Devoir, and he has been a frequent interviewee on Canadian radio and television. He is a civically engaged community leader with extensive experience engaging with municipal, provincial, and federal government policymakers and agencies to help drive positive change. In addition to his board role with the BBPA, Stephen is a volunteer director on the Friends of Sorauren Park board and a founding member of Democracy House, a grassroots think tank and civic-minded movement dedicated to preserving and strengthening democratic systems and practices in Canada and around the world. Motivated by a drive for tangible change, Stephen joined the BBPA board, to transform ideas into action that will empower and uplift the Black community in Canada.

Stephen believes we can all Be Better, Do Better, and Live Better, Together.

Charles Buchanan, Director:

Charles is the Founder and CEO of Technology Helps. He spent nearly three decades in corporate technology leadership, management consulting and entrepreneurship with senior roles at Suncor Energy, Deloitte, Oracle, MNP, and Royal LePage. He also has started and worked with numerous technology companies in many areas that span online games, fintech to environment protection. As the principal of a management consultancy, has provided expert advice and implemented large scale technology solutions for clients like Bell, Enerplus, TELUS, Government of Alberta, Canada Post. Charles is a passionate contributor to the community – he does not see it as volunteering and has served on non-profit boards for the past 20 years, including being Board Chair at Centre for Newcomers. He currently serves as a founding board member of Calgary Black Chambers; a member of the GAIN Team at United Way of Calgary and Area; grant committee at Calgary Foundation; entrepreneur mentor at Venture Mentors Service of Alberta (VMSA); board member of The Common Approach to Impact Measurement; finance board committee member at Momentum; founder and advisory board member of UpRising Academy helping talented at-risk youth in Jamaica in STEM and sports.  He holds an MBA from the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University and a B.Sc. (Hons) in electrical and computer engineering.

When recharging, Charles can be found on the golf course or hiking in the beautiful mountains near his home in Calgary.

Tosin Ajibola, Director:

He is an Entrepreneur and Co-founder at Welkom-U Inc, a technology enabled start-up, established to help and support newcomers settle in a new community, leveraging technology and digitalizing the experience while achieving retention and promoting socio-economic growth in smaller communities within Canada. He earned a master’s degree in Technology Management and Entrepreneurship from the University of New Brunswick, Canada. He is a recipient of the RBC Community leadership Award 2020, Canadian Information Processing Society Award for Leadership in Innovation, 30 under 30 Innovators in Atlantic Canada in 2021, Top 25 Canadian Immigrant in 2022 & Top Youth Immigrant in Canada 2022 by the Canadian Immigrant Magazine. In 2023, he was selected to represent Canada at the G20 YEA Summit in India and is returning as a delegate to Brazil for the G20 YEA Summit 2024. Prior to immigrating, he led multiple IT project teams to deliver enterprise solutions at top banks across Africa. Tosin is also the Director, Business Intelligence at Atlantic Growth Solutions. He serves on the board of reputable organizations including the Black Business & Professional Association, Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, Tribe Network & Venn Innovation. Tosin leads the Atlantic Canada Chapter of the BlackBoysCode, a non-profit organization that aims to improve the future of young black boys through Computer Science and Technology.

Tosin is passionate about solving Problems using technology, as well as promoting social impact. He is inspired to help future entrepreneurs understand the hurdles he faced integrating into a new community, starting a company and how he navigates through them.

When he’s not working, Tosin can be found playing basketball, reading books, or playing video games.

Learn more about the work of the BBPA and our programs by going to our website bbpa.org

This is the latest communication as part of the BBPA’s efforts to demonstrate transparency in the process.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the BBPA at info@bbpa.org.