MEET THE TEAM
Organizers
Simone is a community developer, project manager and event organizer, with over 10 years’ experience working in community economic development in both Montreal and Toronto. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban, Economic & Social Geography and Caribbean Studies and a Master of Education in Adult Education and Community Development, both from the University of Toronto.
Simone’s involvement with the Black Planning Project is born from a passion to increase dialogue, engagement and understanding of the Black experience and its relation to public spaces. Simone hopes to achieve this through writing, innovative research and education.
Brianna is a passionate communications professional with over five years of experience supporting employee engagement and community initiatives. Brianna earned her BA Honours in Communications Studies and Human Rights from Carleton University and currently works as a Communications Consultant at Toronto Community Housing, where she focuses on internal communications and creating and building content that keeps employees informed and engaged.
Her areas of expertise include content management, internal communications, employee communications and social media. Brianna hopes to bring the Black planners' stories to the forefront and contribute to the changing narratives.
Photographer
Aisha is a Gambian native who currently lives in Toronto. Aisha received her Bachelor of Arts in Geography & Urban Studies at York University and recently completed her MSc in Urban Planning & Development at the University of Toronto. Aisha is one of the co-founders of the Mentorship Initiative for Indigenous & Planners of Colour (MIIPOC) and works as a planner in an Architecture & Planning firm.
Aisha has a passion for city-building initiatives and processes that create resilient and complete neighbourhoods, communities and cities through understanding and documenting the connection between urban planning, creative expression and storytelling. The Black Planning Project is a story-telling initiative about black planners and city builders in Canada and taking photos for the project has been valuable both as a Black planner and photographer.
Board of Directors
Abigail is a consultant and an urban planner specializing in affordable housing for over 10 years. She is passionate about connecting people, mentorship, creating spaces for belonging as well as building an equity focus in the field of planning. In all of her work, Abigail seeks to build bridges across sectors, where she can encourage intentional and meaningful engagement between community, practitioners and academic institutions with the goal of redefining how planning is done in communities through practice and research.
Through BPP, Abigail hopes to contribute to knowledge and practice in the field of planning and development from the perspective of Black individuals.
Simone Atungo
(She/Her/Hers), MES, ICD.D
As a highly renowned and award-winning community leader, Simone possesses over 30 years’ experience as an Executive Leader in community-based not-for-profit and public sector organizations. Simone’s expertise includes strategic and operational planning; change transformation leadership; organizational integration management; policy and program development; stakeholder engagement; community-based research; advocacy and community relations. She is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Vibrant Healthcare Alliance. Prior to joining Vibrant Healthcare Alliance, she previously held positions such as Vice-President, Resident and Community Services at Toronto Community Housing; Director, Community Development and Integration at Mount Sinai Hospital; and Executive Director at the Parkdale Community Health Centre. She was a faculty member at George Brown College in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences - Assaulted Women's and Children's Counsellor Advocate Program for nearly 20 years. Simone's experience is complemented by a Masters Degree in Environmental Studies and a Non-profit Management Certificate both from York University and an Executive Leadership Program Certificate from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. She is a recent graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors at Rotman.