Board of Directors

As the Chairperson of A Rose for Grandma (ARFG), Girmalla Persaud provides strategic leadership to grow this brand new organization.

Girmalla brings a great deal of experience as she served as the Executive Director of Malvern Family Resource Centre (MFRC) for 35 years before retiring in 2021.  Girmalla also has over 30 years of Board experience by being on several Boards including Centenary Hospital, TAIBU Community Health Centre and Toronto Arya Samaj.  She is a skilled facilitator for nonprofits with core competencies in effective nonprofit management, strategic planning, and board development.  

Girmalla has been a strong pillar of support in Malvern and grew Malvern Family Resource Centre in tandem with the community.  Challenges of the Covid 19 pandemic did not stop her as she mentored and encouraged her staff to develop and implement on-line programs for the community.  She also has a passion for Food Security and was instrumental in launching an Urban Farm during the pandemic creating space for farmers to grow their vegetables and increase sustainability by having them sell their produce at the Farmers Market.

Girmalla is always looking for new opportunities to expand programs for children, youth, women and seniors and developed a robust business plan when she embarked on acquiring a building for Malvern Family Resource Centre.  She was successful in achieving a 20,000 square foot state of the art building to deliver programs and services for the community.

An experienced business professional, Johnny has an in-depth knowledge of formulating strategic business strategies and developing improvement plans to provide appropriate growth to business. 

Since 2010, Johnny has been with Ronco (Canadian manufacturer of PPE) in various roles in Canada and the US where he currently holds the position of Director of Business Development for their Health Care Division.  

Living with MS, Johnny is passionate about creating awareness and empowering positive change to improve care and support for those in need in underserved communities.

Andre has over 10 years of marketing and branding experience in delivering integrated marketing strategies and working with various types of businesses including B2B/B2C, small family-owned businesses and large global businesses across various industries.

He strives to simplify complex marketing problems by leveraging data along with marketing best practices to develop breakthrough and compelling campaigns.

Currently, he is the Director of New Platform Marketing at Corus Entertainment and oversees the marketing for the company's streaming products including STACKTV, TELETOON+ and the Global TV App.

I currently reside in the traditional territory of the Anishnabek, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), Ojibway/Chppewa peoples. This territory is covered by the Upper Canada Treaties.

I am a Caribbean-born, Canadian trained educator and artist with over twenty years of experience, certified by the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) and the Ontario Principals Council (OPC) in Primary, Junior and Intermediate/Senior Education, Visual Arts, First Nations, Metis and Inuit Education and Special Education with a focus on Problematic Disorders. I specialize in teaching, coaching, working with “high risk” students who may be racialized and /or marginalized students, Indigenous students, students with exceptionalities and / or combinations thereof. My professional experience consists of teaching at the elementary and secondary levels, lecturing at a Visual and Performing Arts College for five years, living and teaching at a Federal, First Nations school in an isolated Indigenous community in northwestern Ontario for over a year and working internationally and locally as a Visual Artist / Art Educator, Special Educator, Principal and Author of the upcoming book, Steps to Yes, Transforming Behaviors, For Kids of All Ages.

I have a passion for developing appropriate intervention processes for students with at risk concerns through mediation and coaching: using Visual Arts and Music as Expressive Arts Therapy. I practice inclusion and equity by providing support and time for collaboration with the students and families within their communities. I believe that sharing leadership, creating a shared vision and trusting relationships will ensure successful outcomes.

Currently, I am a founding member of a non-profit advocacy group, Youth Empowerment Support (YES), specifically dealing with Indigenous communities. In the past I have been a Vice President of the Black Women’s Congress of York Region. Now I live, paint, write and teach music in Oakville, Ontario.

Malcolm Ponnayan is a distinguished health and social service leader who has dedicated his career to improving the wellbeing of seniors and the most vulnerable population in our society. He has served seniors, young adults, Indigenous people, mental health and addictions, child and family services and adults with physical challenges. 

Malcolm has developed a deep sense of compassion and a desire to make a positive impact on people's lives by being a strategic partner and collaborator in the community. Malcolm continues to drive the meaningful change in the field of health and social services.