Steering committee members

Two things that have always been near to Alysa’s heart; education and exposure for under privileged youth - especially to STEM.  Through her passion for Inclusion & Diversity and women's empowerment, Alysa has actively established various initiatives in these focus areas within the Canadian workplace.  She has been involved with non-profits for 20+ years working to remove barriers to success for underrepresented groups so when the opportunity arose to get involved in this special and impactful grassroots initiative within her community she knew she had to be part of it.

Darryl is a professional artist, husband, and father of two. Coming from a large family, he always had a strong sense of community. His involvement in the Black Education Fund began at its inception with a phone call to friend, David Bosveld, where they discussed how they could affect real change in the Black community. From that call, the Black Education Fund was born.

Darryl’s ‘why’ is simple.  He sees his own kids in the faces of the Black youth who struggle to survive and thrive because the institutions of power and education are failing them. He has watched our Black youth be stereotyped, victimized, and cast aside for too long.  Black youth want more for themselves and their communities, but the barriers they face are too great for them to overcome alone. If the BEF can help even one Black student achieve their education goals, it can carve a new path which was never an option before. It has been said it takes a village to raise a child. Darryl’s hope is that the actions here will return to that notion, because our Black youth need us to lead them, support them, and BELIEVE in them.

David is a Founder of the Black Education Fund, a fundraising organization dedicated to providing Black students with scholarship money for post secondary studies.  He is a Field Services support worker at Bell Canada who has previously worked as a trainer during a career that spans 25 years.  David was the first elected President and served in a variety of roles within CEP Local 6006 now known as UNIFOR. He also spent 3 years as Organizing Director at Communications Workers of America (CWA-SCA Canada) advocating for workers in the media and communications sector. Most important to David are his children Tristan and Gabriella.  David is a community and worker advocate fighting for Black equality, an end to anti Black racism and white supremacy. David is committed to holding the Peel District School Board (PDSB) accountable for its egregious treatment of the Black community.

Shinade is from London, Ontario and has a B.A in Sociology.  During her time as a student she experienced the financial struggles that come with being a post-secondary student. Shinade believes that the experiences we get out of life should not be based on the colour of our skin, but is aware as a Black woman, the colour of our skin very much determines our experiences.  She is the first Black President of Unifor Local 6005 and has been involved in the union work since 2009.  Since being President Shinade has created an Aboriginal & Workers of Colour Committee, a Women’s Committee and is currently in the process of creating a LGBTQIA2S Committee. It is Shinade’s hope that the Black Education Fund will help more Black students attend post-secondary to pursue their goals, strive for great things for themselves and the Black community. She is proud to be a founding member of the Black Education Fund and is excited for the positive impact it will have for future students.