Competition Judges
Meet our panel of judges! The Aviva Community Fund team has assembled a diverse group of judges who will evaluate the 25 Finalist ideas. Using the judging criteria, they will evaluate each project proposal and determine which projects will result in the greatest positive change.
Aviva is extremely grateful to these 9 judges for their time and commitment in helping us make a difference in communities across Canada.
Michael Pinball Clemons
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"Pinball" Clemons officially took over the coaching reins of the Toronto Argonauts for the second time on December 17, 2002, after guiding the team to a 4-2 record, and the team's first playoff appearance in 3 years, when he took over as head coach from Gary Etcheverry on an interim basis for the second half of the 2002 season, earning recognition as a finalist for CFL Coach of the Year honours, an honour he repeated in 2003 and 2004.
Born and raised in Florida, Clemons graduated from the College of William and Mary where he enjoyed an impressive four-year career with the Tribe, while being named a Division 1-AA all-American and the Virginia Major College offensive player-of-the-year in 1986. Upon graduation, Clemons was drafted by the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs and saw action with both the Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before going on to a brilliant CFL career with the Toronto Argonauts. On September 15, 2000, "Pinball" hung up his Double Blue jersey after 12 brilliant seasons to move directly into the position of Head Coach. In 2004, Clemons led the team to its first Grey Cup victory since 1997, his first as Head Coach.
Known for a personality that is as electric as his style of play on the field was, Clemons redefines the meaning of community involvement and has been recognized by many organizations for his tireless work with charities, schools and other community groups.
Whether in uniform, on the sidelines, or in the front office, Pinball has always been one of Toronto's favourite personalities. Clemons, who has made application to become a Canadian citizen, and his wife Diane, along with their treasured daughters, Rachel, Raven, and Rylie, are proud to call Oakville home.
Tina Daenzer
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Tina Daenzer started at Canada AM in 2000 as a story producer and in 2004 was promoted to Senior Entertainment Producer. During her time at Canada AM, she has overseen some of the biggest productions of Canada's most popular network morning program.
Tina created and produced the Canada AM Community Challenge – involving hundreds of communities across the country giving them the ability to share their spirit with the rest of the country. She has also produced Canada's favourite weather man, Jeff Hutcheson taking him across Canada and around the world.
She has put together many of the major concert events on Canada AM with guests such as Tina Turner, Shania Twain, Diana Krall and Keith Urban.
Mario Dumont
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Born in Quebec's Lower St-Lawrence region, Mario Dumont is a graduate of Montreal's Concordia University where he studied Economics. He is married and the father of three children.
Past President of the Quebec Liberal Party's Commission-Jeunesse from 1991 to 1992, he resigned from that post to found the Action démocratique du Québec, the party he headed from 1994 to 2009.
In 1994, he was elected MP for the ADQ representing Rivière-du-Loup in 1994 and went on to be re-elected in 1998, 2003, 2007 and 2008. He was Leader of the Opposition from April 4, 2007 to November 5, 2008. Having traveled extensively throughout Quebec for 20 years in his position as Leader of the ADQ, he announced his retirement from politics on the evening of the December 8, 2008 election.
Mario joined the team at TQS in March of 2009 and has played an active role in the birth of V. Armed with his vast knowledge about the issues affecting Quebec, he will be hosting Dumont 360 starting September 7, 2009. His critical eye on matters of importance and his drive to say out loud what others only dare to whisper will serve him well as he explores the issues in the news.
Marcel Lauzière
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Marcel Lauzière has worked in the charitable and nonprofit sector and in government here in Canada and abroad. Marcel joined Imagine Canada as President and CEO in November of 2008. Prior to this appointment, he served as Deputy Chief Executive of the Ministry of Social Development with the New Zealand government. His career also includes serving as President of the Canadian Council on Social Development, Special Advisor to the President of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and Founding Executive Director of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences.
Marcel has been a volunteer and has served on numerous boards and advisory committees in Canada and internationally including: the Statistics Canada Advisory Committee on Social Conditions, the Coalition of National Voluntary Organizations (NVO), the International Council on Social Welfare, and the Advisory Council on Official Statistics in New Zealand.
Ben Mulroney
Ben Mulroney considers himself a pretty lucky guy. “I love movies, television and music, so as the host of a daily entertainment show, I can say this is my dream job.”
As host of eTalk, Mulroney delivers entertainment news from the studio in Toronto, but also travels the world to interview the biggest stars and reports from the hottest red carpet events, including the Oscars, Golden Globes and the JUNO Awards. A veteran of entertainment reporting, Mulroney is an expert in his industry and is regarded by many Hollywood stars (north and south of the border) as a friendly face, a respected journalist and a pro at his job.
Mulroney got his start as the Quebec City correspondent for talktv's The chatroom, where he beamed in weekly via Web cam to rant and rave about television. He became a co-host on the interactive show in July 2001. He then moved to a new role of entertainment reporter for CTV’s Canada AM in October 2001.
Off-camera, Mulroney is the National Ambassador for UNICEF Canada. Mulroney also hosted the six seasons of the astoundingly successful Canadian Idol on CTV.
As the son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, it was assumed that Ben's life would head in the direction of politics. Even with a law degree from Laval University and a history degree from Duke University, Ben found his calling in show business. But he insists there is a method behind his madness. "My dad has had five or six careers. Like him, I don’t plan to stick to one gig my entire life. I can have a flexible career because of my diverse background, but a career in politics is not part of my grand plan."
Bruce Sellery
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Based in Calgary, Alberta, Bruce Sellery is the Founder of Moolala, a personal finance training company focused on inspiring people to get a handle on their money. He is a sought after keynote speaker on issues related to money, in addition to appearing frequently in the media. His book "The Moolala Method" will be published by McClelland & Stewart in late 2010.
Sellery spent the last decade as a financial journalist with CTV's Business News Network (BNN), both as an anchor based in Toronto and as BNN's Bureau Chief in New York City. Prior to his move to broadcasting, Sellery worked as a Brand Manager at Procter & Gamble.
Sellery places a high value on community involvement. Since 1995 he has volunteered his time to coach a 12-week community leadership training program where participants take on projects designed to make a difference in their neighborhoods, workplaces and schools. He was also a member of the Nunavut Study Group for the Governor General's Leadership Conference in 2008 and founder of the "Friends of Adoption Options" Board. Sellery’s other activities have included serving on the national Alumni Association of Queen's University, peer counseling for a distress hotline, and being on the board of a contemporary theatre company.
Julie Toskan-Casale
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Julie Toskan Casale, Canadian business success story, and committed philanthropist, believes that as an individual if you have the ability to recognize an inequity, you have a responsibility to address it.
After being actively involved in the success of M.A.C Cosmetics, and its charitable arm, M.A.C AIDS Fund, Julie wanted to practice an engaged form of philanthropy and was determined to build a philanthropic venture with a strategic underpinning. In 1999, Julie became the first Canadian to graduate from the renowned Rockefeller Foundation's Philanthropy Workshop. In 2001, Julie founded the Toskan Casale Foundation, and through the creation in 2002 of the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI), has applied her resources to making positive change for individuals in local communities across Canada, and internationally. To date, YPI has provided over 79,000 high school students with a reality experience through a school-based, community-focused philanthropy program. Since its launch, the program has enabled young philanthropists to donate over $3.6 million to local, grassroots social service charities.
Julie lives in Toronto with husband Victor, and their three sons.
Sally Turney
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Sally Turney, Vice President, Corporate Affairs at Aviva Canada Inc. is privileged to represent the Aviva senior team as a Judge for the Aviva Community Fund. As head of Corporate Responsibility (CR), Sally brings eleven years of international CR experience and knowledge to the role. At Aviva, she is also responsible for internal and external communications, as well as PR and media relations.
Sally is active in the community and is on the Steering Committee of the Lew Dunn Charity Golf Classic (over $3m raised in ten years for colorectal cancer research). She is a past Board member of Cottage Dreams Cancer Recovery initiative and volunteers for the Canadian Cancer Society. She believes passionately in mentoring new communications professionals, and emphasizes the importance of volunteering in the community.
Michael Kehler
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Michael Kehler, Intermediate Commercial Underwriter at Aviva Canada Inc., is the lucky winner of our internal competition to join the Aviva Community Fund judging panel. For many years, Mike has been involved with numerous organizations with a broad range of philanthropic focuses. In his local community, Mike has volunteered his time mentoring inner city youth as part of a work experience program, and has coordinated summer activities for troubled youth. In the broader, global community, Mike has traveled as far as Central America where he worked to improve living conditions for those less fortunate.
Michael comes from a family of philanthropists and considers himself privileged to help decide the outcome of the Aviva Community Fund competition.
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