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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Jessica JohnsonEditor-in-ChiefBefore joining The Walrus in 2016, Jessica held senior editorial roles at a number of national magazines and newspapers. From 2009 to 2015, she was the head copywriter behind the rebranding of Hudson’s Bay, Canada’s historic department store. Jessica has worked as a reporter, editor, and columnist for the Globe and Mail and was the books editor at Saturday Night magazine. An award-winning writer, she has contributed to a wide range of North American publications, including Lucky, Elle, and The New Republic. In 2019, she co-founded #MeToo and the Media, a media-studies class at the University of Toronto, with journalist Anne Kingston. Jessica has served on the boards of the National Magazine Awards and Magazines Canada and is a frequent public speaker on writing and editing. |
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Carmine StarninoEditor-at-largeCarmine 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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Samia Madwar (on leave)Managing EditorSamia previously worked at Up Here and Canadian Geographic magazines. In her spare time, she specializes in impromptu travel.
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Erin SylvesterActing Managing EditorSince joining The Walrus in 2016 as an editorial fellow, Erin has served as the copy editor and head of research and is now acting managing editor. Previously, she was the deputy editor and a history columnist at Torontoist. She always has too many books on hold at the library and, in her spare time, enjoys trying new recipes. She’s a graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University’s journalism program and also holds a degree in history and medieval studies. |
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Daniel ViolaSenior EditorBefore joining The Walrus, Daniel was the editor-in-chief of Maisonneuve, which, during his tenure, won Magazine of the Year at the National Magazine Awards. His writing has appeared in the Toronto Star, Azure, Motherboard, Chatelaine, and more. He lives and reads in London, UK. |
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Harley RustadFeatures 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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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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Nicole SchmidtAssociate EditorNicole is an editor, writer, and fact checker. Previously, she worked as an assistant editor at Toronto Life, where she produced the magazine’s city and culture content. Her writing has appeared in Maclean’s, the National Post, Yahoo, and Vice. She is based in Berlin, Germany. |
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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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Ariella GarmaiseEditorial AssistantBefore joining The Walrus, Ariella worked at Canadian Journalists for Free Expression and as an editor at the McGill Tribune. |
Emma Wilkie: Power Corporation of Canada Senior Editorial FellowMashal Butt: Chawkers FellowLeila El Shennawy: Cannonbury FellowAysha White: The Walrus Editorial Fellow |
Art
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Paul KimDesign DirectorPaul is originally from Winnipeg, where he graduated from the University of Manitoba’s school of art. He joined The Walrus in 2005 as an art intern and subsequently held the positions of senior designer and deputy art director. He currently oversees the design direction at The Walrus, including many of the magazine’s memorable covers.
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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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Celina GallardoDesignerWhether it’s through journalism or design, Celina loves storytelling. Previously, she was a reporter for the Toronto Star’s city hall and general assignment desks. She was also the 2019 editor and chief visuals editor of the Review of Journalism and is The Pigeon’s design editor. |
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 is the TV/movies feature writer at Collider. |
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 CooperHead of EventsCailin 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 HillierEvents 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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Alice Stratford-KurusEvents ManagerAlice enjoys bringing together diverse ideas and audiences. Her work in the cultural sector encompasses event management, fundraising, and community engagement at a range of organizations including the Gardiner Museum, Luminato, Seneca College, and Artscape. |
Digital
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Simran SinghDigital ProducerSimran comes most recently from the Toronto Star, where she worked in the radio room, and has also worked at the Globe and Mail. |
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Dmitry BeniaminovDigital ConsultantDmitry is a web guru and technology consultant specializing in digital transformation, technology education and all things web. |
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Angela MisriDigital Director EmeritusAngela is an award-winning journalist and novelist and the author of seven books including the Portia Adams Adventures and the Tails from the Apocalypse series. She writes about technology for the Globe and Mail, CBC Radio, Global TV and many others. |
Yasmin Duale: 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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Tina Love ChoHead of Logistics and ProductionTina is a native Torontonian and an experienced tour manager who has travelled Canada with the Vinyl Cafe, Paul Brandt, and many more. |
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Jacqueline FaucherOffice ManagerJacqueline is captivated by all things writing—from proofreading to screenwriting. |
Development
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Laura LavieDevelopment DirectorLaura 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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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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Erin JonesDevelopment Officer, Annual GivingErin has worked as a professional fundraiser for over a decade. She has helped raise revenue and build relationships in support of education at organizations such as Breakfast for Learning, Havergal College, and York University. Erin has an unhealthy obsession with historical homes and a goal to stay in every historical hotel in Canada. |
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Sahar GolshanDevelopment Research OfficerSahar has worked as a fundraiser and a program manager in the nonprofit sector. She is a writer, language learner, and the director of the award-winning short documentary KAR. Her writing has appeared in Room, The Puritan, and Tongues: On Longing and Belonging through Language. |
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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Amirah El-Safty (on leave)Project ManagerAmirah has worked in almost every role imaginable at The Walrus. Her latest challenge has been growing The Walrus Lab to help financially support independent, fact-based journalism. She loves to garden and has a tiny dog named Paris. |
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Alana HamiltonProject ManagerBefore joining The Walrus, Alana worked on the agency side of the media sector for over a decade, with global brands such as Apple, Coca-Cola, and more. |
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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. |
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