President

Thomas Appleyard knows the important role that the Toronto Vegetarian Association can play in supporting people moving towards healthier, greener and more compassionate living. Over 25 years ago, Thomas became a vegetarian. He remembers well that the TVA’s newsletters brought into sharp focus the personal changes he wanted to make, and how to make them well. Since then, TVA programs – especially the Toronto Veg Food Fest – continue to reinvigorate Thomas in his dedication to the movement.

Thomas draws from a wealth of experience as a board member with the TVA. He has been on the board for one year, including for part of the year as Vice President. He has also chaired the board’s Nominating and Governance Committee and volunteered at the Veg Food Fest and Vegan Bake Off. Thomas has served on several other non-profit boards as Director, Vice-President and President – including Neighbourhood Legal Services (a poverty law clinic in London), Old East Village Business Improvement Area, Camp Couchiching, and Distress Centres of Toronto. Thomas has a Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto and a Master of Business Administration in Non-Profit Management and Leadership from the Schulich School of Business at York University.

While well versed in a wide range of board members’ responsibilities, Thomas’ particular areas of expertise are human resources, governance and risk management.

Thomas is the principal consultant and coach with Appleyard and Associates, a practice which focuses on leadership development particularly in non-profit organizations.

Thomas loves to read (especially vegan philosophy and ethics lately), cook and bake vegan food, juggle, camp, cycle, scuba dive and play the autoharp. He lives in Toronto with his wife Susan, and their rescued dog Sally.

Treasurer

Inspired by the potential health benefits, I initially made the switch to a plant-based diet in the summer of 2015. Subsequently, through my time with the Toronto Vegetarian Association (TVA), I became aware of and embraced the environmental and social merits of a vegan lifestyle. Not only am I passionate about the TVA’s mission, but I am also empowered by the notion that we can create meaningful change simply by encouraging people to think critically about their consumption habits (dietary or otherwise).

My journey with the TVA began at the 2016 Veg Fest. I started off as a TVA member and volunteered for the festival, then joined the Audit and Finance committee later that year. My time on the committee provided me with both valuable exposure to the TVA’s internal financial processes, as well as the opportunity to interact with a team of hardworking board members, staff, and volunteers.

Through my diverse experience in the financial services industry, I have worked in roles spanning business strategy and, more recently, investment strategy/research. Prior to beginning my career, I achieved a Bachelor of Arts in Honours Business Administration from Western University’s Ivey Business School in 2015.

I became vegan in mid-2014 after watching the movie Blackfish, a documentary about orca whales in captivity. After seeing the film, I was haunted by the suffering these animals endure simply for our entertainment. I couldn’t help but connect this to the much larger scale of suffering we impose on so-called “farm animals” simply for our taste buds. After dwelling on this, it became clear veganism was the only path for me.

Since then, I have learned a great deal about the environmental and health implications of our dietary choices and have transitioned to eating mainly a whole-food plant-based diet to maximize my own personal health, while still remaining steadfast in the original ethical origins of my decision to go vegan. I am passionate about saving animals and accordingly, have volunteered with a number of non-profit organizations including the Toronto Vegetarian Association, Challenge 22, Mercy For Animals and most recently, the Toronto Vegetarian Food Bank.

Professionally, I have spent the last twelve years working in the financial industry in investment banking, private equity and private credit. My areas of expertise are principally in the areas of finance and business strategy with familiarity in other related areas of business such as accounting, tax, law and marketing. I have also been a board member and observer of several for-profit corporations with
revenues in excess of $100 million. I am a graduate of the University of Western Ontario with an Honours Business Administration degree from the Ivey School of Business.

With respect to my other interests, I love hiking and cooking and I am a long-time avid Toronto Maple Leafs fan. I am also inspired by the zero waste movement and am on an ongoing journey to reduce my environmental footprint. I live in downtown Toronto with my common-law partner, Steve, and our two dogs, Bailey and Kali.

I am excited by the prospect of joining the TVA’s board and I believe my diverse skill set and knowledge will complement the areas of expertise of the other board members.

I have been a member of TVA’s Board of Directors for almost nine years and was President for a full five-year term. As a Board member, I spent five years on the Nominating & Governance Committee and have been leading our strategic planning efforts since 2007. I have volunteered for the Vegetarian Food Festival for about 16 years and have been actively involved in various Outreach events for TVA. I have also been a coordinator for Veggies of Halton & Peel (a TVA social group) although I now reside in Toronto.

I have previous board experience with non-profit arts organizations. In the workplace, I’m a Vice-President at a national distributor of industrial fire, safety, and environmental monitoring equipment and services. My responsibilities include facilitation of project teams, strategic planning, training programs, and technology implementations. My specialty is supply chain management and I’m a professional member of the Logistics Institute.

My journey to becoming a vegetarian started more than 35 years ago and approximately 14 years ago I adopted a vegan diet. An early inspiration was from an environmental/political perspective, then health, and I finally awoke to the ethical perspective about 16 years ago, assisted significantly by presentations at the TVA Food Fair that highlighted the importance of compassion for animals. TVA programs have had a significant positive impact on my approach to food. It is an honour to be able to give back and help support the organization.

During 2016 we will reach the half-way point for the period covered by our current strategic plan and I look forward to working on initiatives within that plan and helping build on the success of TVA. I will work hard at further strengthening the organization and enhancing the effectiveness of our programs and the message we deliver.

I adopted a vegan lifestyle 12 years ago alongside my husband out of compassion for our planet, its beings, and our bodies. Our lives were transformed, our health improved, and we’ve never looked back.

I am now a naturopathic doctor who practices plant-based medicine in Aurora, ON. My approach to healthcare is plant-focused and includes whole foods, herbs, strategic supplementation, and acupuncture to support menstrual, thyroid, and hormone health. I teach my patients about their bodies, their hormones, and how to be advocates for themselves and their families. I bring to the table the insight I have gleaned from my patient population in their journeys to adopt, renew, or transition to a plant-centred lifestyle. And that’s in addition to my passion for and experience with plant-based living!

I am on the board of directors for the Aurora Community Band, an expert contributor to The Whole Family and Naturopathic Currents publications, a supervising clinician for Naturopaths Without Borders Thailand, and run a variety of local community events. On a different note, I also love spending time in nature, eating chocolate, reading, drinking tea, and playing the saxophone with my local concert band.

I’ve been a member of the TVA for many years. I love attending the Veg Food Fest and seasonal markets as well as reading Lifelines and TVA updates with my husband. I also love the resources, advocacy, and community that the TVA provides to residents of the GTA – I look forward to the opportunity to contributing more to the TVA community.

Vice President

Nital has been volunteering with the TVA for over twenty years and has been a member of the Program Reviews Committee since 2015, a role he has continued since recently joining the Board of Directors. Raised with a strong belief in the Golden Rule, Nital was a lifelong vegetarian before going vegan five years ago.

Twenty-five years ago, Nital’s father, a plant-based physician, introduced him to medical research and clinical practice that convincingly demonstrated the power of whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) lifestyles and opened Nital’s eyes to veganism beyond ethics. He has since been increasingly active in researching and raising awareness about how plant-based living can be a swiss-army knife solution to many of today’s challenges. Currently, his research is focused on nutrition economics, evaluating what would happen in Canada if everyone transitioned towards a plant-based diet.

After completing a M.Sc at Queen’s University, Nital worked in strategic policy in Ottawa for five years (initially at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) and pursued a MSc/PhD in food and agricultural
economics at the University of Guelph. He was excited to return to Toronto after a decade and now looks forward to helping the TVA in its mission to inspire people to choose a healthier, greener and
more compassionate lifestyle. Nital is also a level 3 reiki practitioner and certified ashtanga yoga teacher. He enjoys spending time with his family, reading, basketball, chess and volunteering at the Toronto Vegetarian Food Bank.

Having participated in green initiatives at a young age in Europe, with environment protection and endangered animal conservation at its core, I have always felt connected to those causes from an ethical perspective. As I started getting older, I lost that touch. It is only within the last 10 years that I have felt drawn to it again. I switched to a vegetarian diet about 7 years ago and shortly thereafter, became fully vegan.

In today’s times, I see the need to promote the vegan/vegetarian lifestyle more than ever. I am proud at a chance to be part of the TVA as I respect and love what it stands for: teaching, empathy and inclusion. I have already started to inspire my family and friends with the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle. My goal is to lead with a positive example and help do that on a larger scale.

As a proven sales, marketing & business development professional with over 12 years of experience, I love all things marketing, strategy and project development related. I have a passion to grow and lead teams to maximize output and create a positive & healthy work environment. Skilled in establishing and leveraging strategic partnerships to maximize sales and to develop brand identity in highly competitive markets, I bring passion and a leadership development edge to everything I do. Currently, I am the Assistant Director of Digital Content for a small media company that specializes in biometrics and digital identity.

I have served TVA for many years as a director, outreach volunteer, President two times, as a committee chair in the past, and currently as a member of the Marketing and Development Committee. In addition to my local experience, I also have contacts in the wider North American and international vegetarian/vegan movement. Furthermore, I have strong connections with the very active Toronto animal rights scene. In my youth, I was active with several environmental groups and still am knowledgeable about the environmental movement. My profession is teaching. For several years I have been a special education teacher but previously worked in business and government. My business studies help me understand financial statements, strategic planning, human resources, and marketing.

In the 40 years since I became vegetarian and the approximately 25 since I became vegan I have witnessed and contributed to the amazing growth in veg*n resources in our city, the country, and many parts of the world. TVA has also grown and changed over our 70-year history. Our Veg Food Fest, Veggie Challenge, directory, and discount program have inspired countless groups and individuals. I wish to continue to serve this truly wonderful organization in whatever way I can. My values and TVA’s strongly align. I believe in our inclusive, welcoming approach. Our diversity, both in our membership and in our programs, is our strength. We need to continue to build on that diversity by reaching into diverse communities and by encouraging meat reduction as a step towards vegetarianism and veganism. I look forward to contributing to our strong team of staff, directors, committee members, other volunteers, and members in moving TVA forward.

Krista is a communications professional who is passionate about protecting the environment and promoting a plant-based lifestyle. She has volunteered with the TVA for over two years in communications roles. During this time, she has contributed to the development of a comprehensive social media strategy, promoted TVA events through social media, and led the refresh of the Veggie Challenge website. She currently manages the TVA’s Instagram account (follow us @TorontoVeg!) She loves hiking and spends her weekends exploring nature across Ontario.

Varun is a business strategy and digital transformation leader, and has worked with companies across manufacturing, retail, consulting and banking domains. He is an expert in processes restructuring, putting projects on track and establishing governance structures in organizations. Varun has been associated with TVA since April 2018 and volunteered for events such as Veg Food Fest, Word on the Street, Bake offs and many others. He is excited about exploring new avenues that contribute towards the vegan cause.