Michaela Tokarski

I am a master’s candidate in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Carleton University. Under the direction of Dr. Patricia Ballamingie, my plan is to research the current crisis facing urban Canadian food banks through a detailed study of the Ottawa Food Bank. I am very grateful to the Maple Leaf Foods Centre for Food Security, which granted me an award to help support this research.

I hold a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering with a Management Sciences option from the University of Waterloo, as well as a Master of Business Administration in Entrepreneurship from the University of Victoria. I have also obtained the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D) designation for board governance.

I co-founded Coastal Contacts, an online optical company which was publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange and on the NASDAQ, and which was sold in 2014. I also founded Creekside Communications, a boutique web design and development company serving clients in the food, technology and not-for-profit verticals.

I have been an active community volunteer for over 20 years, most recently in leadership positions on the Board of Directors of the Ottawa Food Bank.