Board of Directors

We are pleased to share our 2022 Board of Directors. These individuals generously support Best Buddies Canada, lending their expertise and knowledge to the organization.

Jessica Zackheim

Co-Chair

Jessica Zackheim is the Founder of Jessica Zackheim Inc., a lifestyle management firm that specializes in helping individuals, families, and businesses to better manage their responsibilities and relationships.

Jessica is a graduate of Branksome Hall School and sat on the Alumnae Executive for over 5 years as in various leadership capacities. She attended Dalhousie University and York University and has a B.A. in Sociology.

Jessica has worked with Best Buddies for the last five years coordinating the Thrill of Ascot Event which runs annually every June, various shopping evenings and other fundraising initiatives for the charity.

She lives in Toronto with her husband Ken and their two children.

Joanne Fletcher

Co-Chair

Joanne Fletcher is the CEO of the Mint Green Group, a leading Canadian sports and lifestyle distributor, who partners with global brands to propel their businesses in Canada.

With an extensive background in brand marketing and business leadership, Joanne has spent 20+ years working with some of North America’s most prominent brands, including Kraft Foods, Merrill Lynch, PUMA, Nike and Barnes & Noble, in roles that took her from Toronto to Portland, to NYC, and ultimately, back to Toronto. She joined the Mint Green Group in the Fall of 2014, assuming the role of CEO in January 2018.

As a visionary and culture-driven leader, Joanne brings a strategic, collaborative, and passionate approach to her work. Beyond her role at Mint Green, she has served as a member of the advisory board of LIGHTS, a Toronto-based organization dedicated to providing housing solutions for adults with intellectual disabilities. She also spent 3 years coaching soccer with Ontario Special Olympics and continues to be involved with OSO as a parent. She is the proud Mom of two teenaged girls, one of whom has benefitted from a meaningful friendship formed through Best Buddies.

Joanne is an honours graduate of Queen’s University and continues to provide mentorship to young women transitioning from Business School to the workplace.

Daniel J. Greenglass

Board Member/Co-Founder

Daniel J. Greenglass Co-Founded Best Buddies Canada in 1994 and was Co-Chair until 2020.

Mr. Greenglass is Chief Financial Officer and Co-Managing Partner of Brennan Custom Homes Inc., Toronto’s premier luxury custom residential design/builder.

Mr. Greenglass currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Toronto General and Western Hospital Foundation and is Board Champion responsible for raising $150 million for the redevelopment of Toronto Western Hospital’s new Centre for Image-Guided Neurosurgery operating facility. Mr. Greenglass also sits on the Board of Directors of Honest Reporting Canada an organization that promotes fairness and accuracy in Canadian media coverage of Israel and the Middle East.

Mr. Greenglass has been educated at Crescent School, University of Toronto and is also a graduate of Harvard University, Advanced Management Development Program in Real Estate.

In 2007 Mr. Greenglass was awarded the Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship for his philanthropic work and specifically his work with Best Buddies Canada.

Other charitable endeavours include raising over $1,500,000 for Grand Cru Culinary Wine Festival in support of UHN; working with the 519 Community Centre Building Campaign; Patron/Chairman for the 2012 CANFAR Gala raising over $1,000,000 benefiting the Canadian Foundation for Aids Research.

Penny Shore

Board Member/Co-Founder

Penny Shore Co-Founded Best Buddies Canada in 1994 and was Co-Chair until 2020.

Ms. Shore is a graduate of Carleton University and the University of Toronto, her career experience includes being a publisher, gerontologist, and social entrepreneur.

Over the past 35 years, as President and CEO of P. Shore & Associates Inc., Ms. Shore has been an innovative and highly creative leader and business builder across Canada. She has established and developed products and organizations from concept to full operation, in both the public and private sectors. She has been a custom publisher in both business and mass-market educational programs. An experienced public speaker, she delivered North American media tours and extensive national training programs. Her custom fundraising events for numerous charity clients have created successful results, meeting fundraising targets.

Other charitable endeavors include being on the Board of the Canadian Foundation for Aids Research, Chairperson of CANFAR’s National Youth Network, Founder and Chair of the Research Centre for the Older Worker, Board President of Ariel’s Legacy Canada, and Co-Founder and Advisory Board Co-Chair of VOLT Hockey Canada. She has received the City of Toronto Access, Equity and Human Rights Award, and the International Leadership Award, Best Buddies International.

Martine Becker

Martine is the Vice President, Finance at Fiera Infrastructure Inc., an infrastructure fund investing in infrastructure assets around the world. Prior to joining Fiera Infrastructure, Martine was in the finance group at a mid-tier publicly traded mining company and at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, focusing primarily on international publicly-traded mining clients. Martine is a Chartered Professional Accountant. She holds a Bachelor of Psychology from the University of Western Ontario and a Master of Management and Professional Accounting from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

Martine has been involved in several charity events over the years, including a committee member of an intergenerational Prom for Holocaust Survivors for over 400 Survivors and Young Professionals.

Emily Ben-Haim

Ms. Ben-Haim is Vice-President, Client Wealth Management, for Gluskin Sheff. Prior to joining Gluskin Sheff in 2016, Ms. Ben-Haim was a member of J.P. Morgan’s Wealth Management team in New York and thereafter part of their Investment Bank covering Institutional Sales in London, England. Prior thereto, Ms. Ben-Haim worked for Morgan Stanley's Risk Management team. Ms. Ben-Haim holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

Ms. Ben-Haim has been a board member of Best Buddies, a global charitable organization since 2018.

Her other charitable endeavors include serving as a committee member for Art Toronto’s fundraiser for the AGO since 2016.

Rana Florida

As Chief Executive Officer of the Creative Class Group, Rana Florida manages new business development, speaking events, marketing, consulting, and research serving such diverse clients as Facebook, BMW, Converse, IBM, Cirque du Soleil, Audi, Zappos, and Starwood Hotels. In this role, she helped found and launch, CityLab, a new digital platform for The Atlantic where she also worked on events and programming for The Aspen Ideas Institute and Bloomberg Philanthropies.

As former Vice President of Marketing for HMSHost, the world’s largest airport developer, she brings to this leadership role more than two decades of experience in corporate strategy, communications, and marketing.

Well known as a writer on business and leadership – for Fast Company, Inc.com, the Huffington Post, and the Miami Herald – Rana has also served as a guest business analyst on The Today Show and MSNBC’s, The Cycle. Her one-on-one high profile business interviews have covered notables – from President Bill Clinton and First Lady Michelle Obama to Andre Agassi, Nelly Furtado ,Tory Burch, and many more.

Rana serves as a Board Member for the New York based Silver Art Projects, a non-profit organization that provides artists with free studio space and career development. She is also an Ambassador for GEM, the Toronto based girls’ mentorship program and on the Board of the New York based nonprofit, LetGrow.

Rana has served as a chair or on committes for The United Nations Global Network on Digital Technologies and Sustainable Urbanization for UN Habitat, The Olympics Committee, Canadian Freestyle Ski Association, Silver Art Projects, The National Ballet of Canada, St. Mike’s Hospital Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit, Luminato Festival, Travel & Leisure Rebel Awards, Le Miami, The Design–Exchange, Isabella Blow Foundation, Girls E Mentorship, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Airports Council International, Council for International Visitors, and The Founders Junior Council of the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Rana holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications and an MBA in marketing and management. Her book, Upgrade—Taking Your Work and Life From Ordinary to Extraordinary was a ‘Business Best Seller,’ by Tattered Cover, the largest independent bookstore retailer in the U.S. and The Globe and Mail, Editor’s Pick.

Jacqueline M. Harper

Jacqueline M. Harper obtained her law degree from the Université de Moncton and a Bachelor of Science from St. Francis Xavier University. She returned to Toronto and has practiced law for over 25 years, providing services in both official languages. She is currently in private practice, focused primarily on administrative law and civil litigation matters. In addition, Jacqueline is a Deputy Judge in Toronto and Certified Adjudicator. She is a past member of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board and a current member of the Law Society Tribunal and Licence Appeal Tribunal. Her work has taken her across the Province, including attending to matters on the First Nations’ reserves of Moosonee and Attawapiskat. Jacqueline is an elected member of the Toronto Council of the Ontario Bar Association, as well as a member of the Society of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators. She has been a frequent speaker on various legal issues. She is involved with a number of local charities and has been a life-long volunteer with various groups for people with intellectual disabilities.

Chris Marsh

Treasurer

Chris is the President of Blockchain Foundry Inc., a software development firm focused on the blockchain space. Prior to Blockchain Foundry, Chris worked for GMP Securities and Richardson GMP in corporate development and investment banking. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Queen’s University, a Masters in Finance from London Business School, and is a CFA charterholder.

Chris lives in Toronto with his wife and three daughters.

Rene Pantalone

Mrs. Pantalone is Director of a number of family-owned real estate and development companies in Toronto, Canada, including National Homes, a major residential homebuilder, and Living Life Group, whose interests include developing and managing retirement residences as well as commercial development, infill housing neighborhoods and land development.
Mrs. Pantalone also sits on the board of The Institute for International Urban Development and is a current member of the Toronto Real Estate Board. As past Chair, and long-time Board Member of Montcrest School, an independent non-profit school in Toronto, Mrs. Pantalone directed overall growth, acquisition of land and campus development. Rene is a past Governor of the Canadian Olympic Trust, and a past member of the Canadian Olympic Association. Representing the Canadian Alumni, she was a board member of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design Alumni Council. Mrs. Pantalone has sat on the board of a number of charities in Toronto including The Sunnybrook Foundation, the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, the Canadian Cancer Fundraising Committee and Rosalie Hall Home for Unwed Mothers. Rene was past chair of the TFSC for Ovarian Cancer which raised monies for both Toronto General Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital Ovarian Cancer Research and clinics. Rene was instrumental in establishing the Ovarian Cancer Clinic at Princess Margaret Hospital as well as establishing The Heart of Fashion for North York General Hospital Breast Screening Clinic. Mrs. Pantalone's education includes both B.A. and B. Ed. degrees from York University in Toronto and she recently graduated from Harvard University Graduate School of Design, AMDP '05.

Deborah Robinson

Deborah is the Founder and President of Bay Street HR, an outsourced human resource and board governance consultancy.

Deborah’s work is primarily within the financial services, media and technology sectors.

Deborah founded Bay Street HR in 2001 and since then has worked with many leading boutique firms and assisted in start-ups and mergers/acquisitions. She has leveraged her insights garnered through her consulting work to invest in several of her client companies. She recently ended her term on the board of VIA Rail, Canada’s national railway as Director, member of the HR Committee and Governance Risk and Strategy Committee. She is a Director of Best Buddies/ Vrais-Copains Canada, chairs the Human Resources Committee and co-chairs the Best Buddies Foundation. In addition, she is Director, Chair of the Governance and Compensation Committee for Park Lawn Corporation (PLC-TSX) and Canada Jetlines (JET-TSXV). Deborah was born and raised in the Boston area and moved to Toronto in 1995.

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