Board of Directors

Dr Oyedeji (Deji) Ayonrinde is a director of the Museum of Healthcare at Kingston.

Dr Ayonrinde is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario where he is also Clinical Director for Community Mental Health. His interests include trauma and substance misuse in marginalized populations, migration and youth mental health. He has supported refugee and conflict-related geopsychiatry initiatives in Africa, North America and Europe.

Dr Ayonrinde has a Diploma in the History of Medicine and was previously a Visiting Fellow to the Victoria and Alberta Museum in the UK. He currently sits on the Board of the UK's Museum of the Mind and the Museum of Healthcare in Ontario with commitment to representation of vulnerable and equity-deserving populations. 

Dr Ayonrinde has an Executive MBA from Imperial College Business School, and is also a recipient of the Freedom of the City of London, England.

Dr Samantha Nutt is an award-winning humanitarian, best-selling author and the Founder and President of War Child Canada and War Child USA. Her international humanitarian work has taken her to many countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, and Sudan. Dr Nutt is a staff physician at Women's College Hospital in Toronto and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. 

Dr Nutt is the author of Damned Nations: Greed, Guns, Armies and Aid, a #1 national beseller.

She has been awarded the Order of Ontario and the Order of Canada.

Robert Hunter is the elected leader of Kijicho Manito Madaouskarini Algonquin Nation in Bancroft, Ontario. Robert's primary role is as negotiator of a tripartite Algonquin Treaty with the governments of Ontario and Canada. His broader mission is to build legitimate self-governance, nurture leadership, pride, prosperity and harmony in the Algonquin Community.

He has worked extensively in emerging economies developing training, education, media and communications strategies in Canada, the United States, the Middle East, Latin America, China and Southeast Asia. Robert co-founded Muslim Girl Magazine in 2007, a bi-monthly fashion, beauty, and lifestyle publication with the goal of inspiring and empowering Muslim women.

Professor James Orbinski is Principal of Massey College. He was previously the international president of Médecins Sans Frontières and led the organisation's response to the Rwandan Genocide.

Dr Orbinksi co-founded Dignitas International and has co-chaired the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative. He was the inaugural Director of York University’s Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research.

He is an academic, a physician, an author and an advocate for human health and planetary health. He has been awarded the Order of Ontario, the Order of Canada, and the Meritorious Service Cross. In 1999, he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of Médecins Sans Frontières.

Estelle Lamoureux M.Ed. has taught at all levels from elementary to high school and then university in both official languages. The majority of her career has been at the high school level as a school administrator, a role that revealed the impact of the longterm societal shortcomings on our underprivileged students. 

Estelle was involved in helping establish the Canadian Commission for UNESCO Associated School Network in Manitoba and Canada. For four years, she served as chair of education for CCUNESCO during which time she organized national and international conferences in support of the network.

In 2014, Estelle established the Manitoba High School Ethics Bowl, modelled in part on the National US High School Ethics Bowl, which has now expanded in both official languages from British Columbia to Ontario. As a director of Ethics Bowl Canada, she is overseeing the expansion across Canada.

Currently, Estelle organizes events in collaboration with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and the Manitoba Association for Rights and Liberties. Examples include the Youth Nuclear Peace Summits which attracts students from across our borders and Rotary Elementary School Peace Walks which encourage our young people to raise their voices on the need for world peace.

Habon Ali is the Manager of Strategic Initiatives at King's Trust Canada. A Schwarzman Scholar, she studied global affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women, Habon is a systems thinker and connector committed to creating lasting social impact.

She holds an MSc in Global Health from McMaster University and graduated as Valedictorian with an Honours Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto. Habon has significant experience in public policy, having advised Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for over two years. During that time, she contributed to the creation of Canada’s first National Youth Policy and the development of Canada’s Service Corps.

Most recently, she has driven social innovation through her work with organizations like the Future of Canada project at MaRS Discovery District, Opportunity for All Youth, Apathy is Boring, and Grand Challenges Canada.

Ben Rowswell is Convenor of the Circle for Democratic Solidarity, a citizen’s group which incorporates global best practices to strengthen Canadian democracy. Through the Remembering Project, the Circle engages non-Indigenous Canadians in acknowledging our collective responsibility for the legacy of residential schools.

Ben’s first exposure to peace work came as a civilian contractor for the United Nations Operations in Somalia in Mogadishu in 1993. Following that experience, he served for 25 years as a Canadian diplomat specializing in peace and conflict issues. 

After the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, Ben served as Canada’s sole diplomatic representative to Baghdad until 2005. He quickly left the U.S. occupying force headquarters into which he was seconded to work with the international NGO National Democratic Institute to work among Iraqis on political party and civil society development in preparation of Iraq’s first democratic elections in 2005.

In 2008, Ben served as Canada’s Deputy Ambassador in Afghanistan, and from 2009 to 2010 he led all of Canada’s civilian efforts in the reconstruction of Kandahar province as Representative of Canada in Kandahar. He ended his diplomatic career as Ambassador to Venezuela from 2014 to 2017.

Through these experiences abroad Ben learned that Canada can only be effective in promoting peace abroad if we actively practice peace at home, bridging divides in our own land and renewing the relationships that define us.

Dr Anita Schug is a neurosurgeon and a co-founder of the Rohingya Medics Organization. Dr Schug was born in Myanmar, has lived in Bangladesh and Pakistan, and received her medical training in Ukraine. She now works internationally and in her home country of Switzerland. She has previously been the Head of Women and Children's Affairs at the European Rohingya Council.

Danika is a finance and philanthropy specialist who works as a senior analyst for the Philantra Foundation, administered by National Bank Trust. With over a decade of experience in the Canadian banking sector, Danika advises clients on taxation, charitable giving and social impact. 

Danika has previously worked in financial and human resources leadership for Médecins sans Frontières, in Nigeria, the Central African Republic, and Namibia. She has non-profit governance experience on the board of Humanitarian Partners International where she has also served as the Director of Finance.

Glenn Ogden is the Director of Creative, Development, Multimedia and Scenography for the Canadian Museum of History and the Canadian War Museum. He is also the Director of Creative, Development, Multimedia and Scenography both museums, overseeing the creation, development, and designing of exhibition experiences. Glen was previously Director of Exhibitions at the Canadian War Museum. 

Glen was an interpretive lead for Peace – The Exhibition at the War Museum. 

He has considerable experience of working with themes of conflict, especially the devastating human experience of war, and integrating multiple perspectives into exhibitions. 

Mel has a background in social work and a Masters degree with a focus on Religion, Peace, and Justice. Mel represents the Canadian Friends Service Committee (CFSC) as the Peace Program Coordinator, leading peace education and advocacy initiatives on their behalf. Mel is a proud member of the queer community, a regular tree-hugger, a donut connoisseur, and a lover of continuous learning. CFSC is the peace and social justice arm of Quakers in Canada and has existed since 1931.