Our Staff
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Jennifer HollettExecutive DirectorJennifer has worked as the head of news and government at Twitter Canada and is the co-founder of the fact-checking Super PAC App, which debuted at number one in the App Store. As an award-winning host, reporter, and producer, she’s covered stories across Canada and around the world with CBC News, CTV News, and MuchMusic. Jennifer has a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School and a BA with a specialization in journalism and communications from Concordia University. Fun fact: her first job after Concordia involved answering emails for Céline Dion. |
Editorial
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Carmine StarninoEditor-in-ChiefCarmine was one of the founding editors of Maisonneuve magazine and a senior editor at Reader’s Digest Canada. He has published eight books, including This Way Out (2009), which was nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry, and two collections of literary essays. Leviathan (2016) is his most recent collection of poetry. He was a finalist for PWAC’s Editor of the Year in 2011. |
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Claire CooperManaging EditorClaire has worked in print and digital publishing for twenty years. She got her start at Toronto Life and then spent many years in the custom content world, writing and editing for brands such as Sobeys, CAA, and CPA Canada. |
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Samia MadwarSenior EditorSamia Madwar is a senior editor at The Walrus. She was previously an editor at Up Here magazine, based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, and has also worked as new media editor at Canadian Geographic. She has served as a judge for the National Magazine Awards, the Digital Publishing Awards, and the Online Journalism Awards, among others, and has mentored emerging journalists through the National Media Awards Foundation’s BIPOC Mentorship Program. She is currently on the board of directors at Magazines Canada. |
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Harley RustadSenior EditorHarley is the author of Lost in the Valley of Death: A Story of Obsession and Danger in the Himalayas (2022) and Big Lonely Doug: The Story of One of Canada’s Last Great Trees (2018). He has written for Outside, the Globe and Mail, and Geographical, among others. He is a faculty editor at the Banff Centre’s mountain and wilderness writing residency and the founder of the Port Renfrew Writers’ Retreat. |
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Carine AbouseifFeatures EditorBefore joining The Walrus, Carine edited news and features for the Globe and Mail. Her writing on health care, mental health, and more has appeared in the Globe and Mail, Maisonneuve, Broadview, and beyond. She has also taught professional writing at the University of Toronto Mississauga. |
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Siddhesh InamdarFeatures EditorSiddhesh is a writer and editor. Before joining The Walrus, he worked at HarperCollins India, where he acquired and edited a number of bestselling, award-winning, and critically acclaimed nonfiction books. He has also been with some of India’s leading English newspapers, including Hindustan Times and The Hindu. He moved to Canada in the summer of 2022 and is based in London, Ontario. |
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Dafna IzenbergFeatures EditorDafna has worked as an editor at Maclean’s, Chatelaine, Sportsnet, Today’s Parent and Healthy Debate. Her writing has appeared in The Fiddlehead, Hazlitt and The New Quarterly. |
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Monika WarzechaDigital EditorBefore joining The Walrus, Monika Warzecha worked at Postmedia and MSN Canada. She has contributed to the Globe and Mail, TVO.org, Vice, and CBC Radio. |
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Ariella GarmaiseAssociate EditorAriella’s writing and cultural criticism has been published in the Los Angeles Review of Books, LitHub, Catapult, and others. |
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Allison BakerHead of ResearchAllison Baker is a fact checker, copy editor, and producer based in Tkaronto. She is a recipient of the 2021 Michener–L. Richard O’Hagan Fellowship for Journalism Education. Since 2016, she has produced Mi’kmaq Matters, a podcast about the Mi’kmaw people, politics, land, and water of so-called Newfoundland. |
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Filipa PajevicPower Corporation of Canada Senior FellowFilipa Pajevic is a journalist and fact checker based in Tkaronto/Toronto. Her work has appeared in the Toronto Star, The Guardian, CityLab, and other publications. She was a 2024 Fellow in Journalism and Health Impact at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Previously, she spent over 12 years in academic research and teaching as an economic geographer trained in urban studies. Filipa holds a PhD from McGill University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto. She has taught urban development theory and research methods, and mentored graduate students on research design and ethics. Passionate about sharing knowledge, she strives to inform the public through well-researched, factual and engaging journalism. |
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Arthur Dennyson HamdaniCanadian Race Relations FellowArthur Dennyson Hamdani is an early career journalist based in Toronto. Alongside writing, copy-editing, and fact-checking, he has experience as a photographer, illustrator, and graphic designer. His works have appeared in blogTO and Ricepaper Magazine. He was a mentee at a journalism mentorship program for BIPOC called Shared Bylines. Before The Walrus, he worked as a design editor at the University of Toronto’s student paper, The Varsity. He holds an honours bachelor’s of arts in journalism, English literature, and migration studies from U of T. |
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Mihika AgarwalCannonbury FellowMihika is an Indian cultural journalist who writes about mental health, South Asian diaspora, film and television, and digital culture, among other things. She has worked in newsrooms in India, U.S., and Canada and her work has appeared in The New York Times, Hyperallergic, Chatelaine, The Georgia Straight, Architectural Digest, Vice, and more. |
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Dhriti GuptaChawkers FellowDhriti is a journalist and fact-checker based in Toronto. Before joining The Walrus, she spent a year reporting on education, culture, urban affairs and business for the Toronto Star. You can find more of her work in Maclean’s, The Local, Exclaim! and This Magazine, among others. |
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Sheima BenembarekContributing WriterSheima Benembarek is a contributing writer for The Walrus. She is a Moroccan Canadian journalist who has written for Broadview, Maisonneuve, the Literary Review of Canada, and Vogue Arabia. She is the author of Halal Sex: The Intimate Lives of Muslim Women. |
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Rachel BrowneContributing WriterRachel Browne is a contributing writer for The Walrus. She is an investigative journalist and documentary producer who has written for Vice, Maclean’s, the CBC, and Texas Monthly. |
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Michelle CycaContributing WriterMichelle Cyca has written for Maclean’s, the Vancouver Sun, and Chatelaine. |
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Toula DrimonisContributing WriterToula Drimonis is a Montreal-based journalist, writer, and news producer. Her first book, We, the Others: Allophones, Immigrants, and Belonging in Canada, was released in 2022. She will be demystifying Quebec’s politics, language, and social issues as a contributing writer for The Walrus. |
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Philippe J. FournierContributing WriterPhilippe J. Fournier is the creator of 338Canada, a statistical model of electoral projection based on historical trends, opinion polls and demographic data. He teaches astrophysics at Cégep de Saint-Laurent in Montreal. |
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Connor GarelContributing WriterConnor Garel is the Justice Fund writer in residence at The Walrus as well as a contributing writer. A contributing editor for Dazed, he writes about culture, and his work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Canadian Art, Fashion, Vice, Dazed, and the Globe and Mail. |
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Tajja IsenContributing WriterTajja Isen is the author of Some of My Best Friends: Essays on Lip Service. She has edited for Catapult, The Walrus, and Electric Literature. |
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Pat KaneContributing WriterPat Kane is a visual storyteller based in Yellowknife, on the traditional land of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation. His work has been published by the New York Times, The Atlantic, the Globe and Mail, and other media worldwide. Pat is of Irish-Canadian and Algonquin Anishinaabe ancestry, and is a member of the Timiskaming First Nation. |
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Arno KopeckyContributing WriterArno Kopecky is a contributing writer for The Walrus. He is the author of the 2014 Governor General’s Literary Award–nominated The Oil Man and the Sea: Navigating the Northern Gateway and The Environmentalist’s Dilemma: Promise and Peril in an Age of Climate Crisis. He has written for the Globe and Mail, Maclean’s, and The Tyee. |
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Justin LingContributing WriterJustin Ling is an award-winning investigative journalist who specializes in stories that are under-reported or misunderstood. He is also the author of Missing From the Village: The Story of Serial Killer Bruce McArthur, the Search for Justice, and the System That Failed Toronto’s Queer Community. |
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Rhiannon RussellContributing WriterRhiannon Russell is a freelance journalist and fact-checker based in Whitehorse. In addition to her work as a contributing writer at The Walrus, she’s written for Chatelaine, Maclean’s, Canadian Geographic, Up Here, and Hazlitt. |
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Laakkuluk Williamson BathoryContributing WriterLaakkuluk Williamson Bathory is an award-winning filmmaker, performance artist, poet, actor, storyteller, and writer based in Iqaluit, Nunavut. She is known for performing uaajeerneq, a Greenlandic mask dance that involves storytelling and centres three elements: fear, humour and sexuality. Laakkuluk describes uaajeerneq as both a political and cultural act and an idiosyncratic art form. Upon giving her the 2021 Sobey Award, the award jury said that her “performance practice courageously defies preconceived notions through embodied lived experience.” |
Art
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Zoya ShepherdDesign DirectorZoya Shepherd founded her design shop Studio44 in 2022, was for many years one of the top art directors at Harper Collins, charged with spearheading strategy and production of cover designs, brand campaigns, and marketing material for Harlequin books. She is a graduate of OCAD University, where she specialized in Inclusive Design. |
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Meredith HoligroskiSenior DesignerMeredith has previously worked for the Globe and Mail and Toronto Life, and as a contributing designer on publications for the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Vancouver Art Gallery, and many others. |
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James Lee ChiahanDesigner-at-LargeJames Lee Chiahan is an award winning graphic designer and visual artist based in Montreal. He has contributed his art to publications like The New Yorker, Emergence Magazine, and The Washington Post. |
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Brian MorganDesigner-at-LargeBrian Morgan ended up in graphic design by way of bookselling. Although his mother, both her parents, and her grandfather were all commercial artists, when he was at RISD and Emily Carr he resisted the family trade and studied printmaking. Maybe it wasn’t a bad idea to have waited, for when he did eventually start his design career, the digital revolution was over and every studio had transitioned from waxers and bluelines to Macs and Zip 100 drives. Since then, he has worked for (or on) Maclean’s, Saturday Night, C, Dose, and The Walrus, where he was fortunate to be the art director for nine years. He has also designed for House of Anansi and Véhicule Press. Brian lives and works in Montreal and as well as helping out at The Walrus co-art directs Maisonneuve with Rachel Wine. |
Audience
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Bryan MaloneyDirector of Audience EngagementBryan has worked in book and magazine publishing for fourteen years. |
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Monita MohanMarketing ManagerMonita is a marketer by day and an entertainment writer by night. Previously, she was a copywriter at an ad agency working with brands like Microsoft and BlackBerry. She has also worked as a public relations professional at an international literature festival and a marketing writer at a Canadian nonprofit. She enjoys pop culture and champions diversity, inclusivity, and representation through her writing at Women Write About Comics, HuffPost, Tor.com, Collider.com, Vocal, Bam Smack Pow, and Show Snob. |
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Stephanie WattersonTD Fellow on Disability and InclusionStephanie Watterson is a newly published children’s book author and edits BIPOC stories at home on Vancouver Island. She has always had a love for literature, words and puns. She knows words matter but how we use them matters more. In her spare time, she volunteers with Editors BC on their executive board and as an editor/host of Blue Pencil sessions. When she’s not reading, writing or editing, you’ll find her smashing stereotypes or eating typos (read: vegetarian food) for breakfast. This fellowship will be building on her publications experience while showcasing her amazing skillset in a professional capacity. |
Production
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Maria MusikkaProduction DirectorMaria joined The Walrus in the fall of 2016. Her previous work experience includes Toronto Life, Fashion, Inside Entertainment and IAD. |
Events
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Tracie JonesDirector of Partnerships & SponsorshipsTracie is a passionate revenue driver dedicated to developing collaborative partnerships. Prior to joining The Walrus, Tracie led conference sponsorship for The Conference Board of Canada for many years. She most recently spent a year working with Invest Ottawa as their sponsorship lead, serving the entrepreneurial community in Ottawa. |
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Cailin CooperSenior Events ManagerCailin works to bring people together and create accessible platforms for artists, journalists, scientists, and other compelling thinkers to share their ideas with curious audiences. Prior to joining The Walrus in 2015, she worked in book publishing and literary festival event marketing and programming. |
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Emma Mackenzie HillierSenior Events ManagerEmma enjoys creating events that engage, challenge, and delight audiences. Prior to joining The Walrus, Emma worked in the performing arts as a producer and dramaturge. She supported the development and production of numerous award-winning plays and acted in a few of them as well. She has worked with such esteemed companies as the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Harbourfront Centre, Soulpepper, Factory Theatre, and more. |
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Tina Love ChoHead of LogisticsTina is a native Torontonian and an experienced tour manager who has travelled Canada with the Vinyl Cafe, Paul Brandt, and many more. |
Digital
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Christopher WangDigital DirectorChris has led digital projects for some of Canada’s best and biggest brands. He was previously an editor at McGill’s arts-and-culture magazine and has also contributed articles to South China Morning Post and Time Out. |
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Makda MulatuDigital Production ManagerMakda Mulatu is a multi-disciplinary creative producer based in amiskwaciwâskahikan or Edmonton, Alberta. Her poetry, interviews, and culture writing have appeared in publications like Contemporary Verse 2, filling Station, and This Magazine, and from 2020-2023, she hosted and produced the literary podcast Glass Bookshop Radio. She previously served as the 2023/2024 CIBC Digital Fellow for Emerging Black Journalists. |
Operations
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Karl PercyChief Financial OfficerKarl is a professional accountant (CPA-CGA) with over twenty-five years of experience in the media and entertainment sectors. |
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Ally LuOffice Operations ManagerGalvanized by ideas and conversation, Ally is a pro at organizing chaos and building bridges as a steward of non-profit operations for Toronto’s cultural institutions. She comes to The Walrus from the production and events teams at Luminato Festival Toronto and Toronto International Festival of Authors (Harbourfront Centre). |
Development
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Laura LavieHead of PhilanthropyLaura has been fundraising for a diverse range of nonprofits in the Middle East and Canada since 2005 and loves connecting individuals and organizations to causes they care about. Laura is formally trained in fine arts and completed her CFRE in 2017. She has led several fundraising efforts and campaigns at organizations including the Peres Center for Peace, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto, Child Development Institute, Luminato, and the Aga Khan Museum. |
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Kris-John KucharikSenior Manager of PhilanthropyKris-John is a fundraising professional with over a decade of experience in the non-profit industry, completing his CFRE in 2023. Kris-John has specialized in cultivating, initiating, and growing a wide variety of partnerships, events, and campaigns of all sizes across Canada and has a passion for connecting people to essential causes. He has previously worked for such organizations as: Second Harvest Canada, Canadian Cancer Society, and MS Canada. |
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Vilayath AliDonor Relations OfficerVilayath enjoys helping writers, musicians, and other artists create. He has worked as a grant writer and arts organizer and cofounded an artist collective that provides arts education to learners from around the world. |
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Rose DanenDevelopment Officer, Annual GivingRose is a purveyor of community building—whether that be through reporting the news or forwarding important causes and issues. Rose previously worked as a journalist and her work has appeared in CBC North, the Globe and Mail, CTV Ottawa, the Ontario Grain Farmer, and the Wimot-Tavistock Gazette. She has contributed to initiatives to promote and fundraise for organizations she’s passionate about, including the Canadian Cancer Society and 4-H Ontario. |
The Walrus Lab
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Mihira LakshmanDirector of The Walrus LabMihira is the director of The Walrus Lab, the client-services division of The Walrus. Mihira has nearly twenty years of experience in media, having worked at large and small companies in web, mobile, social media, television, radio, and print platforms. He has performed a variety of roles including editorial oversight, sponsor integration, custom content and partnerships, staff management, digital strategy, and investigative journalism. |
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Alana HamiltonCreative Lead & Project ManagerBefore joining The Walrus, Alana spent over a decade in the media industry on the agency side, collaborating with global brands like Apple, Coca-Cola, and others. Her experience includes leading strategic campaigns that effectively connect with audiences. |
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Paul JaramilloAdvertising & Sales ManagerPaul has worked in the media sector for sixteen years, both on the agency side as the print buyer at the Procter & Gamble print agency of record, and on the sales side as a national account manager for Canadian Living, Elle Canada, and Style at Home. |