Meet Our Team
Our Founder
Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes, C.M.
FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
An LGBTI activist and Senior Pastor Emeritus of the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto. Brent has been at the forefront of ministry to the LGBTI community for over 40 years. On January 14, 2001, he officiated at the first legal same sex marriage in the world. He received the Order of Canada, the Order of New Brunswick and three honorary degrees for his stand on social justice and human rights for LGBTI communities. In February 2019, Brent was appointed to the governing Board of Regents of Mount Allison University. He is the Founder of Rainbow Faith and Freedom, which is working to confront and decrease religious-based LGBTI discrimination around the world.
Our Board of Directors
Joe Jamieson, B.A, Dip.Ed, M.Ed
PRESIDENT
Joe Jamieson is the former Deputy Registrar of the Ontario College of Teachers retiring in 2020 after 20 years of service.
Certified to teach in Quebec in 1992, Joe began his career in education with the Halton Catholic District School Board. He has served as a teacher, writer, curriculum consultant and as a director of the Ontario College of Teachers’ Standards of Practice and Accreditation department and Investigations and Hearings department. He holds a MEd from the University of Toronto, a BA from the University of Waterloo and a Diploma in Secondary Education from McGill University.
He belongs to the Council for Licensure Enforcement and Regulation’s international relations committee and served as a publicly appointed member on the Council of the College of Nurses of Ontario.
In 2015, Joe was recognized by the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) as the recipient of its national Doug Bates Award for ethical leadership in education.
Joe speaks frequently at conferences on topics such as professional conduct, use of social media, leadership requirements, education law, and LGBTQ issues in education.
Amy Hanen
VICE PRESIDENT
Amy is the AVP, Citizenship and Community Advisory with TD Canada Trust. Previously, she worked with TD’s Diversity Leadership Council to develop and execute diversity and inclusion strategies impacting both employees and customers of TD. She is the leader of the Corporate Diversity and Inclusion team, a Centre of Excellence within the company.
Alan Mootoo
TREASURER
Alain Mootoo is the Chief Operating Officer of the CAMH Foundation. Alain is responsible for governance, strategy, risk management, business performance, human resources, development research, prospect management, customer service, operations and administration of the Foundation.
Alain has many years of leadership experience in the non-profit and for-profit sectors with organizations like Lumenus Community Services, Surrey Place, March of Dimes, Corus Entertainment, Ernst and Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Alain has leveraged his lived experience as an immigrant to Canada, a foreign trained professional and a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community to launch award winning, innovative programs and events for marginalized populations in communities across Canada. He has served as a Board Treasurer and a Board member with organizations like Dignity Network, COTA, the Sherbourne Health Centre and Dancing Classrooms (Canada).
Alain is a CPA, CGA, a Fellow of the Association of Certified Professional Accountants (ACCA) and holds a Master of Management, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MMIE) from the Smith School of Business at Queens University.
Our Leadership
Dave Fraser
COMMUNICATIONS TEAM LEAD
Dave Fraser has over twenty years of marketing, PR, communications and program management experience in the post-secondary education and not-for-profit sectors. Passionate and cause-driven, Dave has worked to promote and ensure safety and inclusion in Ontario’s schools, create meaningful career opportunities for marginalized youth, and develop safe spaces in a variety of industries and educational settings. A graduate of McMaster University in Art History and Classics, Dave reads and writes as much as he can, with a particular focus on continuous learning about perspectives other than his own.
Robert Milkovich
TECHNOLOGY TEAM LEAD
Robert is a writer, editor, trainer, public speaker and entrepreneur with clients in the software, information security, telecommunication, banking, healthcare, education, government and politics fields. He is past president of the Society for Technical Communication, Toronto Chapter and past member of the Advisory Boards for the Technical Communication and Editing Certificate Programs at George Brown College in Toronto. An ardent supporter of human rights, equality and press freedom causes, he speaks at conferences and events in Europe and North America on themes of media portrayals of minorities, societal transformation, information security and human rights, bullying and empowerment, and technology training for human rights practitioners.
Paulo Marangoni
VOLUNTEER TEAM LEAD
Paulo has years of experience managing people and teams and is constantly seeking to inspire others and create new possibilities for people to thrive. Certified Human Resources Professional by the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA) with a Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resources Management from George Brown College in Toronto. Paulo also has a Law Degree from the Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Our Staff
Stephen Low
MANAGER OF OPERATIONS
Stephen Low has studied and worked with 2SLGBTQ+ cultures and communities for over a decade. His forthcoming book, Theatricality as a Practice of Gay Culture (Cambridge Scholars Press) will be published in 2026. This work began from his research at Cornell University, from where he received his PhD in 2016. While at Cornell University, as well as at the University of Texas at Austin, and Trent University, Stephen Low has taught courses on arts and culture, with specific focus on 2SLGBTQ+ community. He continues to bring this expertise and experience to bear on his work at the intersections of 2SLGBTQ+ community, gay culture, and faith.
Dawn-Luv Charles
ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR
Dawn-Luv has enjoyed a varied career in leadership and coaching as well as project management, professional sales, and fundraising, although her passion lies within the nonprofit space, working to serve her community and to create lasting change. Dawn-Luv managed the fundraising campaign and community offices for Heart & Stroke in Northern Ontario and also in BC Interior prior to taking a long hiatus to focus on personal development and radical transformation. Dawn-luv thrives on interacting and communicating with people and has been an avid volunteer since childhood.
As a straight woman raised in the evangelical church, her allyship began in 1992 when her first boyfriend bravely confessed his secret shame of attraction to men. Since then, Dawn-Luv has learned to speak truth to power, and aspires to use her life to demonstrate compassion and empathy in the face of judgment and suffering.
The mantra that she is most identified with is this: 'I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.' ~ Maya Angelou