OUR PEOPLE

Our success and contribution is due in large part to our board of directors, who provide the structure and leadership to our success, our executive committee, who provide the backbone to our operations, and our volunteers who make everything happen!

Board Of Directors

Michael Comisarow, Chairman,

(Managing Director, Mizuho Group)

Michael co-founded Daytrippers in Toronto and served as Executive Director from its inception until 2013. He believes strongly in the value of school trips as both an educational tool and as an opportunity to show children the world outside their classroom. Michael is an investment banker with Read More Mizuho Bank based in Toronto. He has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago and a Master of Science in Management from Queen’s University. Michael has two children who love school trips.

Victoria Bovaird

(Partner, Consulting, Deloitte)

Victoria is the National Organization Transformation Consulting Offering leader and the leader of the Private Equity Consulting sector for Deloitte Canada. She has over twenty years of experience in management consulting in Europe and North America, based out of London, U.K., and Toronto, Read More Canada. Her area of expertise lies in large transformation programs including technology implementations and she has extensive experience with mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. She focuses on the financial services sector including private equity and banking, and has experience in energy and resources, public sector, etc. In 2023 Victoria was named one of the Top 50 Women Leaders in Toronto by Women We Admire. Victoria holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University and an M.A. from the University of Sussex. Victoria is a member of the McGill Women, Leadership & Philanthropy Advisory Committee, and enjoys spending her free time with her husband and two children.

Jeff Freeborough

(Managing Partner, Caldwell Partners)

Jeff Freeborough is the managing partner of Caldwell’s Toronto office and is a member of the firm’s leader team.  He is a key member of the Financial Services and Professional Services practices, and is also an active member of the Data, Digital and Technology  and Private Equity and Venture Capital Read More practice teams. Jeff advises clients on search strategy and leads executive level mandates to bring game- changing leaders to their organizations. He specializes in building management teams and boards of directors with an emphasis on transformation – specifically surrounding growth, scale-up, ownership transition, financing/capitalization, transaction, restructuring and culture shift. Prior to executive search, Jeff spent several years as a consultant in the US and Canada specializing in business and digital strategy, and also worked for a number of early-stage companies in various management roles. Jeff attended Babson College in Massachusetts and earned a Master of Business Administration degree with a focus on finance and entrepreneurship. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Western University. Jeff is an active volunteer board member of Bay Street Fore a Cause and has been a fundraiser for Covenant House Toronto, Canada’s largest shelter for homeless youth.  He also sits on the board of Daytrippers Children’s charity which funds school field trips nationally for underprivileged children.

Krista Matheson

(Founder & CEO, Insight Capital)

Krista is an entrepreneur and executive in the financial services industry who has successfully built new businesses as well as new business lines within established businesses. Krista was a founding partner at Propel Capital and an early entrant at Markland Street, both of which had successful Read More exits to Fiera Capital and Manulife respectively. Krista has held senior positions in Fiera Capital, TMX and Brookfield Asset Management, most recently at Manulife where she launched their ETF platform. Krista has a BBA from UPEI and an MBA from Dalhousie. Krista lives in Toronto her husband and daughter spends her spare time cleaning rocks and sticks out her daughter’s backpack.

Allison Pether

(Vice President, HR, TD Insurance)

Allison joined the organization 8 years ago, serving as the third Executive Director for Daytrippers from 2016-2020 before joining the Board. Her interest in our organization was piqued after attending Battle of the Brains as a guest and being inspired by our mission and the energy and passion of our Read More volunteers at the event. She brings a passion for our cause, dedication to our volunteer experience, and advises on organizational effectiveness and operations. Allison is the Vice President of HR for TD Insurance, designing and operationalizing human capital strategies to drive business results. She currently lives in the east end of Toronto and enjoys everything the city has to offer.

James Rickert, (Partner, Power Sustainable Lios)

James Rickert is one of the founding partners of Power Sustainable Lios, a specialized growth capital platform that invests into mid-market food companies that are well-positioned against sustainability trends and tailwinds in the food industry. Prior to Lios, James spent 10 years at Brookfield Read More Infrastructure, most recently as a managing partner and member of the senior leadership team. He has an undergraduate and law degree from the University of Toronto. James and his wife, Laura, live in Toronto and are the proud parents of Livy (2 legs) and Bear (4 legs and a wagging tail). James is passionate about addressing issues that affect children and has been a long-time supporter of Daytrippers prior to joining the Board.

Katherine Pollock

Having previously established herself as an Account Manager in professional services, Katherine served leading private equity and pension fund clients. She has since embraced the rewarding role of a devoted mother to her two wonderful children. Katherine also serves as the Director of Community Engagement and Read More Outreach for the Pollock Family Foundation, where she is involved in guiding and overseeing charitable endeavours that align with the foundation's primary mission of supporting children.

Mohit Talwar

Mohit Talwar is a Partner at Maverix Private Equity, a growth equity firm focused on investments in disruptive companies, where he is responsible for deal sourcing, execution, and portfolio company monitoring. Prior to joining Maverix, Mo spent almost 9 years at Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan in the private Read More equity division where he worked in various groups, including Technology, Media & Telecom (TMT), Financial Services, and Long Term Equities. Previously, Mo worked at Greenbriar Equity Group where he focused on private equity investments in the global transportation industry. Prior to Greenbriar, he worked in the investment banking division at Morgan Stanley in Toronto and New York. Mo currently serves as an observer on the board of Miovision Technologies, and formerly served on the board of directors of Fleet Complete, RATESDOTCA Group, Sovos, CareerBuilder, and SeaCube Container Leasing. Mo holds a BBA (with distinction) from the Schulich School of Business at York University and an MBA from INSEAD. He also serves on the Advisory Board of Magnet, a social innovation platform that connects Canadians to career opportunities.

Sean Werger

Sean Werger is the President of Talon Metals Corp. (TSX:TLO), a mining exploration company with nickel projects throughout the United States. Prior to Talon, Sean was a member of Tau Capital Corp., a private investment and advisory services company, where he was General Counsel and Managing Director of Read More Mergers & Acquisitions. Prior to Tau Capital, he was a litigator with Lax O'Sullivan Scott LLP. Mr. Werger obtained his LL.B and MBA degrees from Osgoode Hall Law School and Schulich School of Business, respectively. In addition to Daytrippers Children’s Charity, Sean is actively involved in a number of other fundraising initiatives, including for the Jewish National Fund (JNF), Cystic Fibrosis Canada, the Baycrest Foundation and Multiple Myeloma Research (Princess Margaret Hospital).

Sophia Khimji

Sophia is a Partner in Deloitte's insurance practice and has 18 years of consulting experience across Asia, Europe and North America. She built the Asia arm of a British consulting company based out of Hong Kong and is passionate about bringing innovative ways to solve client problems. Sophia Read More is a mother is 2 young daughters who have already been on numerous school trips and is excited to serve Daytrippers to bring more joy to Canadian children.

Executive Comittee

Stewart.Hayes_.jpeg

Stewart Hayes, Executive Director

Stewart returned to the DCC family in December 2022 in the role of Executive Director, to help realize DCC’s strategic vision over the next 3 years. He has been a friend and volunteer with DCC since its inception and is passionate about experiences that both educate and inspire. Stewart has been a longtime supporter of Daytrippers, and he chaired the Battle of the Brains in years past. Stewart brings a wealth of career experience in strategy & digital, along with a collaborative approach and a quick wit.

Fundraising Committee

Chris Kennedy, Chair

Faisal Khan

Matthew Imrie

Jessica Pang Parks

Trips Committee

Bryan Grier, Chair

Beata Fourmanovskis, Chair

Holly Cumming, Volunteer Operations

Regan Palmerio, Volunteer Operations

Marketing Committee

Stephanie Meulensteen, Marketing Support

Justine Beltran, Graphic Design

Denys Petryshyn, Web Developer

Matthew Cheuk, Web Support

Partnership Committee​

Caitlin Carss, Co-Chair

Dave Sidhu, Co-Chair

Isabelle Green

Carmen Lu

Jessica Bryson

Recruitment & Volunteer Engagement

Jennifer Conforti, Chair

Erin Pinto

Impact Reporting​

Steven Morga

 

Finance Committee​

Arjun Kochhar, Treasurer

Sapnil Mohanty

 

Battle of the Brains

Chantel Parise, Chair

Corporate Secretary

Jenny Yoo, Secretary