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Board of Directors

Danika Brisson

Danika Brisson

Erin Sirett

Jacob Pollack

Melissa Valencia

Sam Hersh

Yohan Mathew (Treasurer)

Danika Brisson

Danika is a community activist with a particular interest in labour rights, economic justice and solidarity work. She is involved in the Overbrook Community Association and the Ottawa Vanier NDP riding association as well as her union at work, the Canadian Staff Union. Danika is particularly interested in the internal health of the organization, working on member engagement and empowerment, internal communication and decision making.

Erin Sirett

Erin Sirett has called Ottawa home for over 7 years. She works as a Negotiator with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), a national public sector union. While she advocates for unionized workers in her job, she is also a member of the Fight for $15 and Fairness, to achieve justice for all workers. She has been a member of Horizon Ottawa since January 2021. She believes strongly in the power of people to collectively make change from below, and she has found a welcoming place in Horizon Ottawa to build a socialist city that will benefit all who live here, respect Indigenous rights and care for the earth.

Jacob Pollack

Jacob lives in Hull and works as a social worker in addictions and mental health in Ottawa. He supports people who are often unhoused, marginalized and with low incomes to access increasingly scarce housing, community programs / services and employment. Jacob is a graduate from Dalhousie, University of Ottawa and Carleton University. Originally trained in developmental biology, Jacob became involved in student organizing and union work at the University of Ottawa then began working with adults with intellectual disabilities to obtain employment and grow meaningful social connections. From organizing charity concerts featuring local musicians, community BBQs in the park to promote Community Health services, and educational seminars featuring climate scientists, Jacob understands the emergent power of organized communities. Jacob is excited to be part of an integrated movement that will push Ottawa city hall towards more inclusive and fair policy decisions.

Melissa Valencia

Originally from Mississauga, Melissa Valencia settled in Ottawa in 2016. Since then, she’s lived in various neighbourhoods across the city, now residing in Riverside South. A graduate of Algonquin College, she currently works in the federal public service. Her work includes designing client services and Melissa can proudly say she puts people first, ensuring they are central in the decision-making process. Melissa joined Horizon Ottawa because she believes in their inclusive approach to addressing local issues by amplifying the voices of residents from all across the city: urban, suburban, and rural. Melissa is active in her community and volunteers with other grassroots organizations, such as the public servants’ Anti-Racism Ambassadors Network and the youth-led ONCANADA Project. Melissa is fluent in Spanish, English, and French and is a child of Colombian immigrants.

Sam Hersh

Sam lives in Hintonburg and is an activist and political organizer. Originally from Montreal, he has lived in Ottawa since September of 2016 when he moved to the City to pursue his Master's degree at Carleton University. Since then, he has been involved in several electoral and issue-based campaigns, having worked to elect two City Councillors to City Hall. Outside of electoral politics, Sam has also been involved in different movements that support social, environmental and economic justice that fight for systemic change at different levels of government. He's involved in Horizon Ottawa because he thinks that the only way to change Council is to bridge the gap between electoral and movement-based politics.

Yohan Mathew (Treasurer)

Yohan Mathew is an Indian immigrant who's strongly believed in progressive grassroots organizing for over a decade now, and has been actively involved in many initiatives and protests in the areas of civil, digital & environmental rights since 2012. Among other things, he is a long-term consultant for a non-profit fighting disinformation on social media, was part of multiple Covid response support teams, and has led volunteer street & beach clean-up drives in Mumbai. He also happens to enjoy the administrative aspects of organizations like legal, finance & IT.

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