Board Members

Colin Talyor

Colin retired at the end of 2020 after 21 years as a partner in a CPA firm in Saskatoon. Among other things he provided audit and advisory services to a variety of not-for-profit organizations. Before that he spent 25 years working for three different Canadian chartered banks of which the last 14, he was a business lender. Knowledge of for-profit operations and understanding the goals and objectives of not-for-profits will allow Colin to contribute to the growth of social enterprise-based businesses in Ottawa. Throughout his career and extending into retirement Colin has had a focus on giving back to the community. This will support understanding of the social impacts that are the desired outcomes.

David Spring

With a bachelor’s degree in Economics and a Masters of International Development, I worked for the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) from 1970 to 2005. I designed, planned and managed projects and programs in Africa and Asia including microfinance and small enterprise development, both at the local and national level. The experience and skills I acquired are applicable to Social Enterprise Development in Canada and I was therefore very happy to join the CSED Board.

Doug Michaelides

Doug is president of Platform Marketing, an Ottawa-based management consulting firm specializing in go-to-market strategy and performance. He is an entrepreneurial business leader with deep business management and planning experience. As a consultant, Doug has served clients in both the private and not-for-profit sectors in sales, marketing, strategy, executive coaching and general management capacities. He is committed to social enterprise and environmental causes. He also sits on the Board of Directors of EnviroCentre.

Drayton Mulindabigwi

Drayton is a 4th year health sciences student, who is on a mission to find the secret behind creativity and how we can use that to better our lives. This journey led him to create 20today20tomorrow, the biggest youth-led creative hub. This hub is at the forefront of the social innovation wave, by consulting with the big players in this field, and creating their own social innovations in the process. This led him to launch The Novas Group, an expansion on the idea of creating a one stop shop for venture creation. The Novas Group continues to run successfully today. His passion for creativity knows no bounds.

Elspeth McKay

Elspeth joined the Operation Come Home team in December 2007 with more than 30+ years of experience as a senior executive in the not-for-profit sector. Elspeth is a dedicated fund-raiser, an expert in community economic development and a leader in social innovation. She has years of experience in developing programs such as supported employment, entrepreneurship, education, and social enterprise.

Kevin Holmes

Kevin is the Founder and Managing Director of the Social Innovation Lab at Algonquin College. He oversees the Service Learning in Design & Engineering (SLiDE) initiative which supports local social enterprise and non-profits in digital technology. He is passionate about community and leveraging the significant public trust held within our post-secondary institutions towards the greater public good. Kevin also serves as the National Co-Chair of the Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) ImpAct Project Working Group on Social Entrepreneurship.

Manjit Basi

Manjit facilitates and enables individuals, teams, organizations and communities to move forward together with a shared and sustainable vision. Her foundation comes from experiences in entrepreneurship, leadership and team coaching, mentoring and consulting in the business, voluntary, and government sectors – often working across organizational and sectoral boundaries. Manjit’s facility is in creating trust, fostering generative thinking, and supporting others in finding clarity and strategic coherency. She brings a systemic lens approach that builds relational intelligence.

She has a deep commitment to community that has resulted in many board experiences ranging from The Ottawa Community Foundation to Immigrant Women Services Ottawa, along with mentorship roles in various organizations. Currently, she chairs the TELUS Ottawa Community Board, the Harry P. Ward Foundation, and is an advisor to Synapcity.

Rachael Belanger

Rachael is a lawyer at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP in the business law group. Her work focuses on debt financing across a broad range of industries, including the non-for-profit, renewable energy and governmental sectors.  Rachael’s focus is on providing clients practical and innovative legal advice to support them in achieving their economic and impact goals. Rachael received her JD from the University of Toronto and is called to the bar in Ontario. She has been a member of the Board of Directors and Secretary with CSED beginning in 2021.