Our Team

Public Interest builds unique teams for each new project with members of our staff and our frequent collaborators. We frequently partner with other not-for-profit organizations and consultants, ensuring that the right mix of experience and knowledge is brought to each new endeavour.

Partners

Sean Meagher

Sean Meagher has been President of Public Interest since 2002. During that time, he has managed a host of innovative projects for the not-for-profit and public sectors. Sean has also developed public policy in areas as diverse as food security, child poverty, seniors’ services, tax policy, employment programs, youth services, and recreation.

Katrina Miller

Katrina Miller joined the Public Interest Team in 2011. Prior to Public Interest, she worked in the environmental non-profit sector where she developed and advocated for local environmental policies and programs by engaging stakeholders from the NGO sector, relevant communities and neighbourhoods, and local government.

She has in-depth experience managing multi-sector collaborations, developing grass-roots campaigns, guiding policy initiatives through government decision-making processes, and crafting media and communication strategies.

Tony Boston

Tony Boston has built a reputation as a respectful, thoughtful communicator and connector across multiple settings and sectors. He facilitates processes that maximize inclusion of all relevant voices in decision-making, from development of neighbourhood associations to instructing public policy.

Effie Vlachoyannacos

For the past six years, Effie Vlachoyannacos has worked on diverse community engagement programs and campaigns across Toronto, with particular focus on Scarborough.

With Public Interest, Effie has worked extensively with tenants in Toronto Community Housing on a variety of housing, environmental, and children’s program projects, including Save Our Structures, Building Stronger Futures and the Anti-Ableism Committee. In addition, Effie has also contributed to Toronto Community Housing policy reviews, organizing the LeSage review into the tenant eviction process and assisting in the development of a partnership framework for the organization.

Alissa Von Bargen

Alissa Von Bargen is a Health Policy Project Manager at Public Interest. She has a broad range of experience in government policy, media, communications and advocacy. She has experience in both provincial and municipal governments, and brings her knowledge of government decision-making, budgeting and legislative processes to projects.

Heather Fussell

Heather Fussell joins Public Interest with a background in public policy research and a focus on collective action. Over the past 15 years, Heather’s interest in how communities can mobilize for change has taken her to Ghana, Montreal and Vancouver. Her most recent position with the Centre for Civic Governance in Vancouver allowed her to research and write on a number of issues affecting communities and municipal governance. Heather holds a Masters in Public Policy and Public Administration from Concordia University.

Angela Lee

Angela Lee has been involved with social and economic justice issues for over 10 years. Over the past 10 years, Angela’s work has taken her to Montreal, New York and Toronto. Prior to Public Interest, Angela worked in the labour movement, immigrants rights movement and building city-wide coalitions to fight for social and economic justice. Angela’s work has been primarily focused on building better policy and legislation through research and consultation with the community. Angela holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Social Work from McGill University.

Julia Drydyk

Julia has over five years experience in volunteer coordination, administration and event management within the non-profit arts sector. While working at the Ottawa Fringe Festival, Julia coordinated hundreds of volunteers each year. She also has experience as a researcher for the African Canadian Social Development Council where she studied the impacts of the ten-year residency requirement for social security benefits regarding recently immigrated seniors in Canada. Julia holds a B.A. in Political Science and Women’s Studies from York University.

Charlotte Ireland

Charlotte has been working at Public Interest since 2011. Charlotte Ireland brings to Public Interest seven years of graphic design experience and has worked extensively with NGOs and not-for-profits developing communications and campaign materials including final report designs, brochures, logo development, and website designs. Past and present clients include the Foundation Fighting Blindness, Parkinson Society Canada, Ontario Nurses Association, Canadian Doctors for Medicare and the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care.

Ellen Bayley

Ellen joined the Public Interest team in August 2011. Ellen has over 7 years of experience working as an administrator in the arts and non-profit sector for such organizations as Volcano Theatre, Peggy Baker Dance Projects, Gateway Theatre, and Hart House Theatre, and in the health sector with the Department of Anesthesia at the University of Toronto and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Ellen holds a Bachelors of Arts Administration from the University of Toronto and is a certified group fitness professional with CanFitPro.

Laura Buccioni

Laura has three years of administrative, event management, and volunteer coordination experience from working in the environmental non-profit sector. Aside from administrative work, as Office Manager at the Toronto Environmental Alliance Laura managed the organization’s major annual fundraiser and other events throughout the year, and supported a re-branding process by co-ordinating implementation, streamlining their on-line brand, and designing internal and external materials. She also introduced and helped build database infrastructure that improved data tracking and the coordination of resource development, membership management, and outreach.

Larissa Gregorovich

Larissa has 10 years experience in program administration and an extensive background in systems solution design. She has worked on health related projects as a part of the Public Interest team, such as the Flemingdon Health Centre Satellite and the City of Toronto pesticide use prevention project.

Prior to working at Public Interest, Larissa worked at Casey House Hospice where she gained tremendous experience, particularly in engaging with community members as well as with community partners. Larissa holds a BFA from Concordia University.

Rebecca Price

Rebecca has been actively engaging and challenging communities for over 10 years. Her vast experience working in various communities has taken her to communities in Montreal, Jamaica, Toronto and Washington D.C. While in Washington D.C she worked as a researcher for TransAfrica Forum, researching the impact of American foreign policy and its impact on Africa and the Diaspora. In Toronto, Rebecca has worked with The Learning Partnership and Pathways to Education helping society’s most vulnerable youth to see, be and reach their potential.

Jill Marzetti

Jill started working with Public Interest in 2007 and works as a consultant on progressive issues and campaigns. She is also currently chair of The Four Villages Community Health Centre in Toronto’s west end.

Chris Watson

Chris Watson has an extensive background in communications and strategic analysis. Working largely in the field of politics, his experience includes federal, provincial and municipal election campaigns over more than 20 years. He was the Federal Secretary of the New Democratic Party in Ottawa from March 2002 until November 2004. Chris worked for a senior Ontario cabinet minister during the 1990s and later worked with the Ontario NDP in Opposition. He also worked for a number of years in the trade union movement and with NGOs.