Linsey Sherman-Zekulin, Vice Chair of the Advisory Council
Linsey Sherman-Zekulin is a lawyer and nonprofit leader with more than a decade of experience working with families in conflict. In 2019, she co-founded Happy Roots Foundation, an Ottawa-based charitable organization dedicated to doing philanthropy differently and with a specific focus on infant and early childhood mental health. Since 2020, through relationship-building and trust-based partnerships, Happy Roots has invested over $2 million into early childhood mental health in Ottawa, supporting community programming, research and the launch of an infant and early childhood mental health clinic — the first of its kind — at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.
As a writer and speaker, Linsey is a long-standing advocate for gender equality, family justice reform and innovative approaches to philanthropy. In 2023, she spoke about personal and observed experiences of women philanthropists during an MPNL panel, The Power of Women in Philanthropy.
Linsey also co-founded Sororal, a femme-focused social enterprise with a mission to use the power of travel to advance gender equality and fight gender-based violence; she exited the company in 2024 but remains an ardent champion of its work and leadership. She holds a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management from Columbia University, a law degree from the University of Ottawa, and an undergraduate degree from Carleton University. She’s a Member of Forward Global, a global network of philanthropic funders across 22 countries, and Co-Chair of the Board of Directors at Lanark County Interval House and Community Support.