Ralph Thornton Community Centre Announces New Executive Director
Ravi Yee Joshi steps into leadership role with deep roots in the neighbourhood and experience community organizing and advocacy.
The Ralph Thornton Community Centre has hired its new Executive Director with hopes to renew the Centre’s role as a community hub in Riverdale, Riverside, and Leslieville.
Ravi Yee Joshi was selected by the Board of Directors following the retirement of long-serving Executive Director, John Campey.
A lifelong Riverdale resident, and throughout his career across multiple nonprofits, Ravi has taken on roles that allow him to strengthen the causes of poverty-elimination, affordable housing, good jobs, and better public services for all – at every level of government.
“The Ralph Thornton Community Centre is a neighbourhood organization near and dear to my heart. It’s a true honour to have a chance to serve our community, and build upon the enormous strengths of our current staff and the hard work of our outgoing Executive Director, John Campey.”
As a community organizer, he has always been fueled by a desire to bring people into civic life, and has done this by developing rich multifaceted campaigns, harnessing modern organizing tools, face-to-face relationships, and compelling and accessible communication appeals.
Most recently he served as Executive Director of the national advocacy organization, the Council of Canadians, where he helped usher in community advocacy in support of national pharmacare, climate justice, and clean public drinking water.
“Ravi brings an energy and level of organization that will bring our Centre’s services and profile in the community to a new level”, said Heather Simpson, President of the RTCC. “He is an excellent match to the culture of our Centre and the work we need to do in the years to come”.