You can make a difference in your community by joining our board. Currently, we are not recruiting new board members. Feel free to express your interest today and become part of our leadership team in the future. If you would like to express interest in serving as a board member, click here to fill out the interest form.
Michael McMorrow
President
Michael McMorrow was a principal and Superintendent of Education at TCDSB.
Michael McMorrow has been involved as a volunteer with Romero House since 2018 including in reception, numerous community events and leading a Christian Meditation group. He is a retired educator, principal and most recently Superintendent of Education at Toronto Catholic District School Board. As principal, he recruited and supported staff and worked together with numerous community partners. As superintendent, he oversaw system processes that supported the mission and vision of the Board.and understands the importance of good governance in a non-profit organization. Recently, he has also volunteered with Kairos Canada Ecumenical Justice Initiatives and Indspire. He has a deep appreciation of the spirit of the community and a commitment to its vision to serve the needs of newcomers to Canada that celebrates the contribution of their own gifts to this community.
Anil Varughese
Vice President
Anil Varughese brings his lived experience as a former worker.
Anil Varughese brings his lived experience as a former worker at Romero House to his current role as the vice-president of the Board of Directors. He has served on the Board of a number of immigrant cultural organizations. He holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Toronto,and is currently a faculty member at the School of Public Policy and Administration, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.
Sara Guerrero
Treasurer
Sara Guerrero has over 20 years of experience in the accounting field.
Sara Guerrero has been working in the accounting field for more than 20 years and over 13 years in the Non-Profit Sector. She brings experience around payroll,human resources, investments,budgets,forecast,cash flow,and financial reporting to her role as Treasurer of the Board. She currently works as the Finance Manager at Jewish Immigration Aid Service (JIAS) Toronto. She held previous positions of Finance Manager at St. Jude’s Community Homes and Financial Reporting Analyst with Canadian Crossroads International. Sara came to Canada with her family as a refugee many years ago, and was a resident at Romero House.
Tom Abel
Secretary
Tom Abel is currently Manager of Employment Programs at Newcomer Women’s Services.
Tom Abel served as a Romero House Worker (then called ‘intern’) in 2009-2010. Since his time at Romero, he worked for Yonge Street Mission for over 8 years and is currently in a leadership role as Manager of Employment Programs at Newcomer Women’s Services Toronto. He recently completed a masters degree in Adult Education, and has volunteered in a variety of faith-based, anti-poverty, and advocacy initiatives over the years. His time at Romero House, as well as his continued connection with RH since, has made a strong impression on his understanding of community service and community life. He brings his valuable experience as a social service worker, community organizer, supervisor of helping professionals and recent graduate studies to the role.
Amensisa Neway
Member
Amensisa has over 17 years of experience working for international development organizations in Ethiopia and Sudan.
Amensisa Neway was born and raised in Ethiopia, the horn of Africa. He has more than seventeen years of experience working for international development organizations in Ethiopia and Sudan taking on several roles such as a finance officer, internal auditor and program accountant. Child Fund International, Concern Worldwide, and the Embassy of the United States in Ethiopia are just a few of the places he worked at before becoming an Accountant at Environmental Defence Canada. Amensisa enjoys being part of a team that makes a difference in the lives of people.
Amensisa came to Canada in the year 2017 as a refugee and stayed for one year at Romero house with his wife and two children. Before joining the board in 2021, Amensisa volunteered preparing donation tax receipts and serving on the worker recruitment committee.
Shahid Akhtar
Member
Shahid is a journalist and an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) practitioner and president of Conciliators Without Borders.
Shahid Akhtar is an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) practitioner and president of Conciliators Without Borders. He has practiced international corporate law and worked as a journalist, mediator and facilitator. He is the co-founder of the Canadian Association of Jews and Muslims and has been engaged in promoting a Canadian model of bridging the divides in the interfaith communities in Canada, the US, the United Nations and in the Middle East. Shahid has published “The 7Cs Compass for Conflict Resolution-A Practical Guide for Real ADR” and is currently writing “The Reluctant Cousins: Jewish-Muslim Relations in the 21st Century-Imagining the Possibilities”.
Maureen Brosnahan
Member
Maureen is a journalist with more than 40 years experience in newspapers and broadcasting.
Maureen Brosnahan is a journalist with more than 40 years experience in newspapers and broadcasting. She recently retired from CBC where she was a senior national correspondent for more than 30 years. In this role she brought to light numerous justice and refugee advocacy issues. Maureen cares deeply about Romero House and has a keen understanding of what we are about. She has been involved with Romero House in various roles for more than 20 years. For many years as a journalist preparing stories on RH and on political aspects of Canadian refugee and immigration policies (safe third country, asylum, settlement issues) and more recently with Writers in Exile and annually at the Romero camp. She brings a wealth of experience on numerous non-profit boards including St. Amant Centre Board, Canadian Media Guild, and Restorative Justice Housing Ontario. She believes effective boards need to have a clear understanding of their role and to be connected in a meaningful way to the community they serve.
Nina Solomun
Member
Nina Solomun brings eight years of strategic communications and stakeholder management experience…
Nina Solomun brings eight years of strategic communications and stakeholder management experience spanning a global CPG company and leading media and communications agencies in both Toronto, Canada and London, United Kingdom.
Throughout her career, she has led the development of internal and external communications strategies designed to strengthen organizational reputation, deepen stakeholder trust, and foster strong cultures of belonging. Her work has spanned corporate, agency, and institutional environments, supporting complex organizations through transformation and growth.
She holds a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science in Media and Communications as well as an undergraduate degree from Western University from the Faculty of Media, Information, and Technoculture.
As the daughter of refugees, Nina is deeply committed to advancing systems that support newcomer families in finding stability and building thriving lives in Canada.
Alexi White
Member
Alexi White brings a deep commitment to advancing economic and social rights to his role on the Board of Romero House.
Alexi White brings a deep commitment to advancing economic and social rights to his role on the Board of Romero House. As the director of systems change at Maytree, he works to transform government systems so they respect, protect, and fulfill economic and social rights for all, with a particular focus on poverty reduction, income security, and human rights–based public policy.
Alexi previously led the policy team at British Columbia’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner, and earlier held several senior policy roles within the Ontario government, culminating as Director of Policy to the Minister of Education. He brings strong analytical expertise alongside practical experience reforming complex public systems. He is honoured to support Romero House’s mission to offer welcome and community to refugee claimants as they build new lives in Canada.