Last updated Monday June 24th, 2024
University Advancement is led by a team of senior professionals in the areas of philanthropy, legal and business affairs, alumni relations, marketing and communications, strategic planning and operations.
The Division of University Advancement comprises seven departments that work together to harness the generosity of our global community in support of U of T’s top priorities.
Tad Brown is the Counsel, Business Affairs and Advancement. He provides legal, business and strategic advice to the University. Tad is responsible for Corporate and Foundation Relations and the Office of Gift Planning within the Division of University Advancement. Tad also serves as Vice-President, University of Toronto (Hong Kong) as well as Secretary, Associates of the University of Toronto Inc., a volunteer-run organization that helps American alumni and friends stay connected with U of T, and for those who wish, make donations that comply with international tax law.
Prior to joining the University, Tad practised Corporate, Tax, Trusts and Estates law at the Toronto law firm McMillan. He is a member of the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association, and the Association of Fundraising Professionals. He also served as Chair of the board of directors of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Ontario Division, and Chair of the National Government Relations Committee of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. He is a member of the Minister of National Revenue’s Charities Advisory Committee, a member of the Executive Committee of the Ontario Bar Association, Charity and Not-For-Profit Law Section, and a director of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Canada Council.
Barbara Dick is Assistant Vice-President Alumni Relations at the University of Toronto and leads the University’s efforts to engage the University’s more 680,000 alumni worldwide in support of the University’s mission and the Defy Gravity Campaign’s ambitious alumni engagement goals.
Barbara is a sought after volunteer and frequent presenter in Canada and around the world. A leader in professional service associations, she served as the first Canadian President of the Council for Alumni Association Executives (CAAE) – a U.S.-based organization comprised of leading research universities with significant alumni populations.
Currently serving as Chair of the CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) International Commission on Alumni Relations and as a member of the CASE Board of Trustees, Barbara is recognized as an industry leader in integrating Alumni Relations within Advancement and in establishing and implementing Alumni Engagement Metrics models.
A longstanding mentor to both colleagues and students, Barbara was also a member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Governance Committee of the Young People’s Theatre, Canada’s largest and longest standing children’s theatre company.
In 2019, Barbara was recognized with the Chancellor’s Award for Influential Leaders as part of the University of Toronto’s Awards of Excellence program.
With an impressive record in both the private and non-profit sectors, Steve Hoscheit is a senior advancement executive with over 35 years of experience in advancement in both the higher education and healthcare sectors.
Steve joins the University of Toronto Advancement with a significant track record of achievement in fundraising and as a leader of advancement organizations. Steve has established a widely admired reputation in our field for his collaborative and consultative approach to leadership, his strong management and mentoring skills, his ability to connect with academic leaders, donors, and volunteers, and his knowledge of best practices. In this stage of his career, Steve is keen to give back and bring forward his extensive experience in support of a new generation of leadership at Canada’s leading University.
Prior to his appointment to the U of T, Steve launched Hoscheit Consulting Services Inc. (HCSI) focusing on governance, strategic planning, organizational design and effectiveness, executive coaching, interim leadership, and project support and management. The University of Toronto engaged Steve as a near full-time consultant to provide coaching services for advancement staff and to provide interim leadership to divisions going through leadership changes. Steve also provided executive coaching services to Kids Help Phone, Microsoft Canada, and Epiphany Group.
Previously, as President and CEO of Trillium Health Partners Foundation (THPF), Steve successfully led the merger of two legacy Foundations to form THPF, established novel ventures for commercial revenue generation benefitting the Foundation (including seven Tim Horton’s franchises folded into a separate, affiliated corporation whose profits were invested back into the Hospital), and played an integral role in the establishment of the Institute for Better Health. In his 11-year tenure, Steve led a team of 40 individuals raising over $250 million for THP, Canada’s largest multi-site hospital system.
He joined Trillium Health Partners Foundation in 2008 from the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation (ACHF) where he served as President and CEO, leading a team of 40 individuals and surpassing the $30-million mark in net revenue and over $100 million in investments.
Steve enjoyed a 13-year career with Ketchum Canada Inc, Canada’s foremost consultancy serving the NFP sector. As Senior Vice President, he was responsible for the management and growth of the firm’s activities in Western Canada and effectively collaborated with over 75 clients in strategic planning and campaign management, including over fifteen post-secondary institutions.
A graduate of the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction in Economics, Steve continues to enhance his skills through professional development with the Rotman School of Management, the Centre for Creative Leadership (Leadership at the Peak program) and the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). He is also a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) through AFP, a Certified Executive Coach (CEC, Royal Roads University) and an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) with the International Coaching Federation. Steve is also certified in EQ-i 2.0 & EQ 360 - the world’s leading assessment tool for measuring emotional intelligence. Steve is pursuing his Master of Arts, Executive and Organizational Coaching, with Royal Roads University.
In addition to serving as Executive Director, Advancement, for the Faculty of Arts & Science, Kim Hunt-Rao is Assistant Vice-President, Advancement College Relations, working with four colleges: Innis College, New College, University College, and Woodsworth College. In this role, Kim provides senior fundraising staff and other university leaders with advancement advice about strategies to support student success at the college and faculty levels.
Kim joined Arts & Science in 2020, where she provides direction and mentorship to a large team of advancement professionals building the faculty’s capacity in major gifts, stewardship, annual leadership giving and alumni engagement. As part of the Defy Gravity campaign, Kim is leading the largest fundraising and alumni engagement effort in the faculty’s history. Kim is a graduate of the University of Waterloo.
Tanya Kreinin is Assistant Vice-President, Brand Strategy and Chief Marketing Officer. Tanya leads the development and implementation of marketing and communications strategies designed to lift the profile, reputation and relevance of U of T among key national and international stakeholders and position the University effectively to secure alumni engagement and philanthropic investment locally and globally.
A senior brand strategist and integrated marketing communications professional, Tanya brings deep Canadian and international experience to the role. She heads a centralized team of marketing and communications professionals in an in-house consulting/agency model and acts as a university-wide advisor to senior leadership on brand strategy, marketing communications and local and global reputation building.
Tanya graduated from Haifa University with a Bachelor of Arts and Conservatory of Music (piano and vocal) in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Darina Landa drives the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s ambitious advancement impact as Executive Director, Advancement. In her additional role as Assistant Vice-President, Advancement Relations with Health Care Institutions, she leads the university’s philanthropic collaborations within the Toronto Academic Health Science Network. Darina provides leadership and advice to senior U of T advancement staff and other university leaders to strengthen engagement strategies and relationships with hospital partners.
Darina has provided the highest standard of support and leadership to Temerty Medicine since joining the faculty in 2010. She became Executive Director, Advancement, in 2016 and since then, has led large and complex gifts involving the university and partner institutions. As part of the Defy Gravity campaign, Darina is leading the largest fundraising and alumni engagement effort in the faculty’s history. Darina holds a BA and MEd from the University of Toronto.
Mila Miller is Executive Director, Strategic Planning and Advancement Organizational Development, supporting the overall leadership of University Advancement in the development and communication of strategic plans and initiatives.
Mila leads advancement strategic planning, project management for key initiatives and targets, the operations of the Vice-President, Advancement’s office related to fulfilling advancement goals, and the organizational and professional development needs of the advancement community.
During her time at U of T, Mila has been instrumental in the development and introduction of a best practice prospect management program, and supporting continuous improvement of the University’s fundraising efforts with particular emphasis on principal gifts, major gifts and gift planning.
Mila has worked in the not-for-profit sector for over 25 years and holds a BA from Queen’s University, an MA from the University of Toronto, and is a Certified Talent Management Practitioner. Mila currently serves on the Board of Directors for The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery in Toronto.
Gillian Morrison provides leadership, strategic direction, and priority setting to the University’s centrally managed fundraising programs, enhancing their performance, their support of divisions, and their effectiveness in support of the University’s highest strategic priorities. Her portfolio includes Principal Gifts, Annual and Leadership Giving, Corporate and Foundation Relations, Stewardship, Campaign Planning, and International Advancement.
Gillian joined the University of Toronto in 2009 in the role of Assistant Vice-President, Divisional Relations and Campaigns. In this portfolio, she played a key role in the success of the Boundless campaign, which raised a historic $2.4 billion.
Prior to joining the University of Toronto, she served as a Vice-President with a national consulting firm, providing fundraising counsel to a broad range of universities, hospital foundations, and charities across Canada. She began her career with the Government of Ontario where she held positions with the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Colleges and Universities.
Gillian holds a B.A. (Honours) and a Master of Public Administration from Queen’s University. An active volunteer, she is the current President of the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education and serves on the board of the Junction Farmers Market in Toronto.
Nikki Samuel is an advocate of Antiracism education who has a keen interest in the topics of diversity, equity and inclusion in educational institutions. She attained her (Hon) Bachelor’s degree in Sociology & Psychology at the University of the West Indies, and a Masters of Arts in Social Justice Education at the University of Toronto. Her graduate thesis is titled, ‘Race, Representation and the Commodification of Poverty: A Pathways Case’. Nikki has spent over ten years, working in community development and post-secondary settings; training, advocating, and developing culturally-appropriate programming and services for marginalized youth and adult learners. Additionally, Nikki has provided strategic planning, consultations and training to community service providers on topics related to EDI & Anti-Racism. Currently, Nikki holds the position of Director Equity, Diversity & Inclusion within University Advancement.
Chief Operating Officer Raj Sharda provides leadership, strategic direction, and sound management to advancement operations and business administration, enhancing their impact on advancement strategy, fundraising performance, and relationship management, improving business practices across the board, instilling best practices and processes that support the strategic objectives of the Division of University Advancement, and helping achieve its objectives for transformational growth.
Prior to joining the Division of University Advancement, Raj had a distinguished career with the Ontario Public Service, where he held leadership roles in various organizations including Management Board Secretariat, Office of the Corporate Chief Information Officer, Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and most recently the Office of the Treasury Board.
During this time, Raj provided executive leadership on key initiatives including multi-year business planning and budget narrative, the 2018 Pre-Election Report on Ontario’s Finances, improving enterprise-wide infrastructure planning and reporting publicly in Ontario's Budget on the province’s 10-year infrastructure plan, and more recently leading the response to legislative officers including the Auditor General of Ontario and Financial Accountability Officer on various audits and engagements. Prior to the Ontario Public Service, Raj conducted policy development and program delivery with the British Columbia Ministry of Health and consulted on international health sector reform projects with the World Health Organization.
From his time at the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Raj brings a wealth of experience in leading diverse multifunctional and geographically dispersed teams in the delivery of corporate and financial services, multi-year fiscal planning, and business operations. Raj is known for being a forward-thinking, strategic and collaborative leader who demonstrates a client-focused, results-oriented approach. He has a strong commitment to modernizing service delivery and creating a workplace that embraces diversity and inclusion.
Raj holds a Master of Health Sciences from the University of Toronto and completed both the Director’s Education Program at the Rotman School of Business and the Leadership Enrichment and Advancement Program, Executive Education, at the Schulich School of Business.