In addition to her professional achievements, Claudia is deeply passionate about environmental stewardship and sustainable development. She believes in the transformative power of public parks and gardens as vital hubs for education, research, and community engagement. Claudia is an avid volunteer for various charitable organizations and believes in giving back to the community.
Barbara currently serves as Director, Commercial Content & Strategy at Toronto Star, where she leads multi-platform brand strategy and oversees complex campaigns that translate business objectives into cohesive, high-performing brand experiences. She is recognized for her strategic, data-informed approach and her ability to bridge creativity with measurable outcomes, driving revenue growth while fostering strong cross-functional collaboration.
An accomplished governance professional, Barbara is a graduate of the ICD–Rotman Directors Education Program (ICD.D) and brings experience across public, nonprofit, and charitable boards. Her board work includes serving on governance, nomination, and strategic planning committees, participating in CEO search and transition processes, leading by-law modernization, and supporting fundraising and organizational transformation initiatives. She previously served as a director of GreenFirst Forest Products and West Park Foundation, and is Vice- Chair of Schools of Dreams, an international education charity focused on improving access to learning in rural Ghana.
Barbara brings to the Toronto Botanical Garden a blend of commercial strategy, governance expertise, and community commitment. She is passionate about supporting organizations that enhance quality of life through culture, education, and sustainability, and is proud to contribute her skills toward advancing the Garden’s mission and long-term impact.
Gordon is an experienced public affairs consultant that owns his own company that specializes in strategic communications. He has held senior positions in the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario working in the Prime Minister’s and Premier’s offices. He has been involved in strategic planning, communications, and government relations for a wide range of public and private companies and has served on the boards of companies listed on the TSX and others that are privately held. He is currently a director of the board of the National Air Force Museum of Canada. A graduate of UBC he has participated in gardening courses at UBC and George Brown. Gordon is ex officio to all Board Committees.
Nicholas is a retired partner of KPMG Canada, a national provider of audit, tax and advisory services, who practiced for more than 30 years in the Toronto office of the Turnaround and Restructuring Group. He is recognized for turning around financially underperforming businesses, by assisting companies to restructure their operations and capital structure, creating the foundation for new business opportunities and value creation. Engagements have covered a very broad range of industries, primarily in Canada but also internationally. Professional designations include being a Chartered Professional Accountant.
Nicholas has served on the Board of Directors of a number of charitable organizations and restructuring industry professional associations and is currently on the Board of Directors of the Kensington Health Centre. He is a long time user of the Toronto Botanical Garden and believes that gardens are an essential element for a livable and sustainable city.
Michele has been an entre/intrapreneur starting five successful businesses over 20 years. She is a strategic partner specialist and business development exec. She completed the Masters’ level Forensic Accounting program at the University of Toronto and has an undergraduate degree from Cornell University.
Michele has been a member of the TBG’s Finance and Audit Committee since 2015, and supports other local charities including Second Harvest, Foodshare and Soup Sisters.
As a TBG member, active gardener and passionate community booster, Michele believes gardens are essential in both city and community building.
Doris is a Landscape Architect who has 38 years of professional experience in a wide variety of projects and environmental works. She has worked throughout Ontario from landscape architectural firms to engineering-centric offices. Currently, she is the Landscape Architect for Hydro One Networks Inc., the largest electrical transmission company in Ontario. She provides advice, design, and technical details for environmental stewardship, enhancements, biodiversity, sustainability, climate adaptation, and mitigation. She works with various groups of professionals within the company to deliver projects and community benefits through environmental and land designs. She is involved in the planning and development of The Meadoway in cooperation with the TRCA and the City of Toronto. The Meadoway is the longest pollinator trail in Ontario and stretches from the west side of Scarborough to the east at the Rouge National Park.
Her career began as a park and public space designer developing plans for municipalities through engaging with local communities. She then worked in the planning department reviewing urban developments with an eye on the integration of vegetation and the natural environment. Her volunteerism includes serving as the president of the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects (OALA) from 2016 to 2018 and is now engaged in a committee pursuing a professional practice act with the provincial government. She volunteers as an advisor to the Grey to Green Conference as well as mentoring students and interns, advising and assuring the development of their professional skills and knowledge through the Professional Development Program of the OALA. She has also served as the Chair of the Honours Awards and Protocol of the OALA revising the award requirements and standardizing the submission process. She has served on the Board of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects and adjudicated the 2019 and 2020 Awards of Excellence and was also the Chair of the adjudication in 2020.
Doris is also interested in the revitalization of Ontario Place and was part of the advisory committee overseeing the development of the William G Davis Trail and Trillium Park on the east edge. Her interest in landscape architecture and our natural environment lies in the belief that we are gifted the stewardship of the land. Knowing and understanding our natural systems and environment will enhance our lives and sustain our future growth while encouraging healthy living for all species.
Adeline is currently an Associate Partner and National Lead - Regulatory Compliance Canada with EY and formerly the Vice President, Banking and Wealth Management Compliance at RBC. She has deep experience in financial services including regulatory and enterprise risk management, finance, strategy, and management of large, multi-year projects and transformational change initiatives.
Adeline’s board experience serving as a board member of RBC Investor Services Trust Company. She is keenly aware of the important role boards play in the stewardship of the organization’s strategic and growth plans. She has also served as an executive cabinet member of RBC’s Employee Giving Annual Campaigns which gave her an appreciation for the complexity of corporate fundraising.
As a lifelong visitor to the gardens throughout her childhood followed by frequent visits with her own children, Adeline believes that natural public spaces are critical for the well-being of our community.
Previously, Ben founded Cullen’s Foods, a nationally distributed brand of Canadian-grown organic beans and pulses, which he successfully built and sold in 2024 to Yorkshire Valley Farms. In addition to his work in horticulture and agriculture, Ben has appeared in media with his father, Canadian gardening expert Mark Cullen.
Ben has a deep family connection to Edwards Gardens and the Toronto Botanical Garden. As a child, he explored the gardens, gathered there for family picnics, and celebrated important milestones—including his sister’s wedding. More than 70 years ago, his grandfather began his horticultural career there as a landscape gardener for Rupert Edwards.
Ben believes strongly in the public value of public gardens and their potential to connect Canadians back to the natural environment. He serves as a board member for the Organic Council of Ontario and Communities in Bloom.
Tony retired in 2022 after 33 years as Executive Director of Landscape Ontario, where his leadership helped transform the organization into one of the world’s largest and most active horticultural associations, representing thousands of professionals and businesses across the province. Throughout his career, he has championed collaboration, professional development, and public awareness of the vital role that gardens, landscapes, and green infrastructure play in healthy, resilient communities.
He remains deeply committed to advancing horticulture, environmental stewardship, and the connection between people and plants.
Lucie is a former Royal Bank Canada senior executive in the RBC Law Group. During her tenure at RBC, she has provided strategic and thoughtful leadership to senior management on banking matters in Canada and the Caribbean. Lucie was also responsible for enterprise-wide strategic legal issues relating to payments, data, data protection, AI, financial crimes, privacy, etc. She has deep expertise in financial services including the management of related legal, regulatory and reputational risks. Lucie has strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
Lucie believes in the benefits that the garden provides to the community. She enjoys walking the grounds of the garden for its beautiful flowers and its serenity.
Susan Grundy is a retired partner of Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, a major national law firm, where she practiced business restructuring and insolvency law for many years. Most recently she was a member of the firm’s senior management team as the firm’s General Counsel. She has served on the boards of a number of professional and non-profit organizations and is currently a member of the board of VHA Home Healthcare. Susan has an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and is a Fellow of the Insolvency Institute of Canada.
Margareth has been a TBG member and volunteer for several years, working in various areas including volunteer screening, gardening and special events.
Following a leadership career within the provincial government and human resources she has turned that experience and her horticultural knowledge into self-directed community work. Margareth is the founder/curator of the Karma Garden, a City of Toronto community garden on The Kay Gardner Beltline.
She recently joined her ventures with AppleTree Markets, acting as a horticultural and design advisor to the June Rowlands Park community garden, donating Karma Garden-grown produce to the pay-what-you-can community table at the Davisville Farmers Market.
Margareth is finishing her studies at Ryerson University Landscape Design Program and is working towards diplomas in horticulture and landscape design at the University of Guelph.
She believes that gardens and gardening are key links in the chain of food sovereignty, as well as a driver of societal health.
Justin Hanna currently serves as the Director of Client and Business Services with the City of Toronto—Parks and Recreation Division. Justin is a seasoned leader with over a decade of experience in customer experience, stakeholder engagement, and partnership development. Justin previously served as Director of Bike Share Toronto at the Toronto Parking Authority. Under his leadership, the program had undergone transformative growth—tripling revenue and ridership, forging a major strategic partnership with Tangerine Bank, and consistently achieving customer satisfaction scores above 90%.
Prior to joining the TPA, Justin was Manager of Passenger Engagement at Toronto Pearson International Airport. There, he led the Customer Experience, Research, and Service team, developing and executing a three-year customer experience strategy that helped earn Pearson the distinction of Best Large Airport for Customer Experience in both North America and Europe.
Deborah is currently vice-president of the Garden Club of Toronto, of which she has been a member since 2015. Most recently, she co-chaired the GCT’s 75th anniversary symposium on sustainability. She has also previously served on the GCT as chair of the horticulture committee. Deborah has a background in museum studies and has worked in that capacity in both Ontario and Alberta, most notably at the Royal Ontario Museum and the Glenbow-Alberta Institute. She subsequently spent many years in the adoption field as executive director of Open Arms to International Adoption.
Deborah has been actively involved in volunteer activities with numerous other non-profit and charitable organizations, including Rosedale-Moore Park Association (Mooredale), the Junior League of Toronto, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Canadian Federation of University Women and the Costume Society of Ontario. She has been president of Mooredale, the Junior League of Toronto and the University Women's Club of Toronto. Deborah recently became a horticultural judge through the Royal Botanical Garden School program, and enjoys experiencing all aspects of gardening which have been instilled into her by past and present family members. She is pleased to continue the legacy of the Garden Club of Toronto which established with other supporters the Civic Garden Centre in 1958 which later became the Toronto Botanical Garden.
Mark is a highly accomplished legal and compliance professional with over 30 years’ experience with several of Canada’s largest financial institutions. As a senior executive, he has acted as an advisor to public company and subsidiary boards with respect to strategic business development, M&A and corporate governance. Mark was responsible for regulatory relations, regulatory change and regulatory risk management matters in Canada, the US, the UK and the EU. He has also been a member of several for-profit and not-for-profit boards in the financial services industry. Mark has been a part-time lecturer in Administrative & Regulatory Law at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law at the Toronto Metropolitan University.
Mark is an enthusiastic amateur gardener who is proud of the rooftop terrace garden at his condo in Toronto, as well as the developing gardens at his country home in Dufferin County. He regularly seeks out beautiful parks and gardens to visit on his travels and is thrilled to be a member of the Toronto Botanical Garden board.
Haig Seferian has been Principal Landscape Architect of Seferian Design Group since 1992. Haig has demonstrated strong industry leadership, participated in government affairs advocacy groups, and provided industry leadership. He has designed and built tens of millions of dollars worth of public space community projects and he continues to provide public and industry education in the field of landscape architecture throughout North America.
For the last 30 years, he has been involved with municipal and provincial governments working to promote landscape architecture. Haig was past chair/co-chair of the Industry Advisory Committee (IAC). This was a position appointed directly by the Minister of Education for the Province of Ontario.
Haig is constantly promoting the profession at public events as well as teaching and guest speaking at Sheridan College, Humber College, Fanshawe College, Toronto Metropolitan University, University of Guelph, University of Toronto, The Royal Botanical Gardens, and Landscape Ontario.
As the first television show to appear on HGTV Canada, Haig hosted “Garden Architecture” for 65 episodes followed by authoring a book, “Hardscaping: High Style, Low Maintenance Outdoor Spaces”. The show and the book have since been translated into numerous languages and presented internationally. These accomplishments have led to hundreds of public and industry presentations throughout North America which he continues with today.
Martin is a communications and public affairs executive based in Toronto. Retired after a 30 year career with the Ontario Public Service he held a number of senior roles at the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance, Cabinet Office and Office of the Premier. He was most recently the Director, Corporate Policy and Public Affairs at the Financial Services Commission of Ontario ( Ontario's financial services regulator). He was responsible for a team of staff providing strategic communications, policy development, issues management, media relations and contact centre services.
Martin has also served on the Board of Directors for several not-for-profit organizations. He was Board Chair of Davenport Perth Neighborhood and Community Health Centre, a multi-service agency located in Toronto' west end. He was on the Board Public Affairs Committee of the Ontario Arts Council. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Theater Museum Canada and the Palmerston Area Residents Association. Martin is an active urban gardener and volunteer with Scadding Court Urban Agriculture Program in Alexandria Park in downtown Toronto. He is passionate about architecture, theatre and gardening. Martin believes strongly in investing in the public realm to promote and expand access to nature.
Pat is a Graduate from the University of Western Ontario and a retired elementary school teacher. She joined Milne House Garden Club and the Toronto Botanical Garden in 2001. She served on the Board of Milne House for ten years with two years as Club President. She has taught in the TBG’s Certificate Programme in Floral Design since its inception.
Pat is an active Horticultural and Floral Design Judge, and has taught, demonstrated and judged Floral Design locally, provincially and internationally. She attended the World Association of Floral Artists’ Seminar in Pakistan in 2006 as a delegate from Canada through the Garden Clubs of Ontario. In August of 2025, she is scheduled to be a GCO delegate representing Canada at the WAFA Seminar in Perth, Australia.