Staff

Quentin assumed the role of Managing Director at Capitalize for Kids in March 2018. Quentin brings a unique background to the not-for-profit sector with his 30-year career in the financial services industry. Along with his wife Dianne, he has had a continual focus on issues facing children and families, using his time and donations to support a number of causes. It was the opportunity to make a significant impact with the full dedication of his time in leading Capitalize for Kids that drove his career change.

Prior to joining Capitalize for Kids, Quentin was Head of Equity Sales at CIBC, where he led his team to the BWI #1 ranking in equity sales in Canada. With an MBA from McMaster University, Quentin‘s career has spanned several functions within financial services including: Human Resources, corporate banking, investment banking, equity research and equity sales. The past 17 years of his ‘for-profit” career was spent with CIBC, where he also served on the Board of CIBC World Markets and chaired the CIBC pension investment committee.

Quentin is a member of the Michael Garron Foundation board and has been an active member of the major individual giver campaign committee of the United Way Toronto and York Region. For 12 years, he was a member of McMaster University’s Board of Governors, chairing their endowment fund’s investment committee and was a member of the executive committee. He and his wife live in Toronto and have three children, all of whom have plotted their own unique career paths. He is a ten-time Ironman, and completed the iconic Norseman Extreme triathlon, and has completed numerous cycling races and marathons.

Justin is the Director of Consulting at Capitalize for Kids. Justin came to Capitalize for Kids from Accenture where he was a Management Consultant in the Financial Services practice. His work spanned across multiple functions such as product strategy, innovation strategy, and org structure design.

In 2013, Justin founded the Jack Summit, a student-led mental health innovation summit which has evolved into Canada’s only national network of young leaders transforming the way we think about mental health.

Justin received an Honours Bachelor of Science degree from Queen’s University with a major in Life Sciences and minor in Economics.

Outside of Capitalize for Kids, Justin is a member of the Board of Directors for Progress Place. He also loves photography, traveling, and hiking.

Rebecca is the Director of Business Development at Capitalize for Kids. Rebecca joins the team after having spent three magical years at The Walt Disney Company in Orlando, Florida where she was the Managing Producer of the Disney Data and Analytics Conference (DDAC). In this role, her work encompassed sponsorship management, creative management and design, event services, project management, organizational and business strategy. Rebecca is a natural connector and is enthusiastic about bringing people together to make meaningful and organic partnerships.

Rebecca received a Bachelor of Arts (Hon) in Theater and Music (2012), a Masters of International Business with a specialization in luxury brand management (2015), and an MBA (2016) all from Queen’s University. Rebecca’s unique background gives her a fresh perspective on “the street”.

Outside of Capitalize for Kids, you can find Rebecca catching up on the latest movies, trying to break out of an escape room, exploring the great theme parks of North America, or belting out her favorite showtunes.

Deb joined Capitalize for Kids in April 2019. She came from East Metro Youth services, the lead agency for children and youth mental health transformation in Toronto where she was CEO. At East Metro, Deb led a variety of change management exercises which brought in new leadership and supported the implementation of their new governance model. She advanced sector transformation through her strengthening of the lead agency model which included the development and implementation of a three-year roadmap for continued delivery of quality service in collaboration with over thirty agency partners and other key stakeholders in education, health, City of Toronto and with children, youth and their families.

Prior to that, she was the Senior Vice President, Community Impact at United Way Greater Toronto and has a long history, and proven track-record, of delivering transformative social programs to improve the lives of people in the community. At United Way, Deb led the implementation of its strategic plan. Working with a staff of 40 and dozens of volunteers to allocate and oversee United Way’s $88 million annual investment in the community.

Before United Way, Deb spent five years as Executive Director at University Settlement and spent more than fifteen years in New York City working in a variety of positions across the social services sector. This included working for Safe Horizon, the largest crime victim assistance organization in the United States, where she led the organization’s response to the events of September 11.
Deb holds a Master of Social Work from New York University and has trained as community mediator and executive coach. She has also served on boards in a volunteer capacity for both Victim Services Program and Sistering in Toronto.

Deb brings her innovative ideas, transformational leadership and commitment to inclusivity to Capitalize for Kids. In her spare time, Deb takes cooking classes, reads and spends time with her family.

Anneliese joined the Capitalize for Kids team after spending six years at York University providing Knowledge Translation services to a pan-Canadian Federally funded Network of Centres of Excellence called Kids Brain Health Network. Through these services, Anneliese provided research teams and their industry and community partners with the tools, skills, coaching and hands-on support to maximize the impact of their research projects for society. The “Guide of Guides” series she co-authored has been recognized as much-needed resources, with thousands of views online. Anneliese also supported KBHN’s strategic planning process by conducting an in-depth needs assessment and prioritization project with its diverse stakeholders across Canada. In a previous role, as project manager for the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases, she facilitated national stakeholder consultations, and designed and developed stakeholder- and evidence-informed products and tools to improve public health practice and policy.

Anneliese has a diverse skill set including: project/program/business planning and evaluation; process and product co-creation and improvement; tool development and adaptation; systems mapping/analysis; qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis for informing decision-making; presentations, coaching and training; knowledge translation planning, dissemination, implementation, evaluation, stakeholder engagement. Anneliese is passionate about maximizing the usefulness of outputs and potential for individual and organizational behaviour change through needs assessment and co-creation of solutions.

Anneliese completed her PhD in Social Science at McMaster University, and a concurrent diploma programme in Health Services and Policy Research through McMaster’s Ontario Training Centre. Anneliese’s PhD research explored the challenges of decision-making within organizations that must incorporate different types of academic and non-academic sources of information (e.g. financial, environmental, technical, regulatory) as well as stakeholder input. Anneliese finished her MA in Health Geography at McMaster University where she studied the relationships between neighbourhood environments and health. She earned a BA in Geography from the University of Western Ontario. She continues to advance her knowledge through ongoing education.

Outside of Capitalize for Kids you can find Anneliese reading a book, kayaking, experimenting in the kitchen, or travelling to new places.

Sarah is the Event Manager at Capitalize for Kids. She came to Capitalize for Kids from having worked in Event Management and Hospitality at Beacon Hall Golf Club. At Beacon Hall Golf Club, Sarah managed food & beverage and golf based events for private membership, as well as companies such as PC Financial, Mercedes, Agnico Eagle, Southlake Regional Hospital and CIBC. Sarah’s work varied from daily floor operations, event planning, creation and execution to managing the club’s food & beverage department.

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Child Development from Seneca College’s department of Early Childhood Education, where she received the Walker Wood Foundation Early Childhood Education Award, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Youth Justice and Interventions from Durham College’s Faculty of Justice & Emergency Services. Sarah’s passion for children’s mental health began at a young age when she volunteered with the Special Needs classroom at her elementary school. Following this, she spent time volunteering with York Region Children’s Aid Society, Victim’s Services Toronto, Students Crossing Boarders and Kennedy House Youth Shelter, gaining front line experience working with children and adolescents facing mental health challenges. Sarah has always gravitated towards leadership roles and collaborative team environments that focus on innovation and making the world a better place.

Outside of Capitalize for Kids, Sarah can be found training for marathons and attending yoga classes. She has a strong commitment to giving back to the community and building capacity in others to contribute and support those in need. Sarah loves to be active and enjoys the simple things. You’ll often find her enjoying a nice glass of wine, walking her dog in the park or reading a good book.

Diana is the Community Development Manager at Capitalize for Kids. Diana came from True Patriot Love Foundation where her focus was revenue generation from third party events, cause marketing initiatives, and event fundraising. Working with ambitious partners with the goal to raise funds and awareness for military families, she developed strategies to execute successful events with big impact.

Diana’s passion for giving back originated when she was attending Fanshawe College, from where she graduated with a diploma in Financial Planning Services. During a project in her second year, she discovered Sunshine Foundation, a wish granting organization for kids living with severe physical disabilities or life-threatening illnesses. This sparked her desire to play a small part in a bigger purpose. Diana has spent time volunteering at SickKids Hospital, with Capitalize for Kids before its consulting program was built out, and now volunteers for Jays Care Foundation in their community clubhouse and sits on various fundraising event committees.

Outside of the office, Diana enjoys watching and playing soccer and baseball, and spending time outdoors, ideally by a body of water.

Jeffrey Gallant is Co-Founder of Capitalize for Kids. Jeff manages a wealth management partnership external to Capitalize for Kids alongside Kyle MacDonald. He was previously an Associate Portfolio Manager at Alignvest Capital Management, a Toronto-based alternative asset manager. Prior to joining Alignvest, Jeffrey worked as an Investment Analyst on the North American equity long short mandates at Gluskin Sheff + Associates. He has also held internship positions as an Analyst with CIBC World Markets.

To date, he has obtained the Chartered Investment Manager and Certified International Wealth Manager designations, and is currently a candidate for the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Beyond these, Jeffrey has also obtained his options license and has completed the Canadian Insurance Course.
In 2013, Jeffrey was presented with the One to Watch Award by Queen’s University and was recognized as a Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum in 2012. He has served as a volunteer at The Hospital for Sick Children for the past three years and is a founding member of the SickKids Innovators program.

Jeffrey received an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree from Queen’s University where he majored in finance. During his studies, he served as Chief Strategy Officer of the Queen’s University Investment Counsel, a student-run investment fund managing $500,000 of Queen’s endowment funds. He was also educated at the Stockholm School of Economics in Sweden through an international exchange and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania through a leadership program.

Kyle Co-Founded Capitalize for Kids alongside Jeff Gallant in 2013. Kyle’s also established a wealth management partnership with Jeff that serves as their primary responsibility. He previously led the Financial Services practice at Veritas Investment Research, an independent equity research firm headquartered in Toronto. In the 2014 Thomson Reuters StarMine analyst awards, Kyle ranked 1st for Banks and Insurance coverage in the country and 2nd for stock picking across all sectors. Prior to Veritas, Kyle began his career at Ernst and Young where he was awarded National Honor Roll status for his performance on the 2012 Uniform Final Exam (UFE). Kyle has obtained the Chartered Profession Accountant (CPA, CA) designation, and is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). Kyle received an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree from Queen’s University where he concurrently played for the Varsity Football team. He was also a member of the 2009 Vanier Cup winning program.

Kyle was recognized as one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2019 for his business and philanthropic achievements. Beyond Capitalize for Kids, Kyle sits on the Board and Finance & Investment committee for the IWK Foundation, as well as the Board of the Ontario Brain Institute. He was recognized as a Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum in 2013.