Tom Rand - Project Manager
Tom Rand is the founder of an interactive voice response (IVR) software company, Voice Courier Inc. (VCi). He led its expansion to 100 employees in three countries, with revenue in excess of $12 million US annually. In 2004, he founded Voice Courier Mobile Inc. to move into short message service (SMS) software. The VCi Group of Companies was profitable for each of the 12 years it was under Tom’s control. He sold both companies in 2005. Tom holds a BSc in electrical engineering and applied mathematics from the University of Waterloo, a MSc in philosophy of science from the London School of Economics and a MA in philosophy from the University of Toronto, where he is now also pursuing a PhD in philosophy. In 2005 Tom founded VCi Green Funds to provide angel and venture capital to companies developing emission-reduction technologies. He is vice president of environmental science at Canadian Hydrogen Energy Company and sits on the board of Clean Energy Developments Inc., a geo-thermal energy provider.

Ben Fine - Project Planner
Ben Fine is co-founder and executive director of STAND Canada, a national student organization dedicated to mobilizing a critical mass of Canadian students, citizens and decision-makers to end the crisis in Darfur and respond to future threats of genocide. The organization is represented on 25 university campuses and 40 high schools, and its voice continues to grow. Ben learned about Darfur’s plight in summer 2004. It reminded him of the Polish concentration camps he visited in high school and he decided to act, founding STAND in February 2005. In his advocacy for Darfur, Ben has met with MPs, cabinet ministers, senators and former Prime Minister Paul Martin, authored op-eds in the Toronto Star and National Post, spoken at rallies and appeared on MTV Live. Ben completed his first-year of medicine at the University of Toronto in 2007. In 2006 he earned a MSc in chemical engineering practice from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He recently began summer work in provincial planning at Cancer Care Ontario, and previously worked on engineering projects at Cabot Corp. near Boston and Novartis in Basel, Switzerland. In 2005, Ben received a gold medal from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Western Ontario, where he earned his undergraduate degree. In 2004 he was a semi-finalist in Magna International’s As Prime Minister competition. While in Boston, Ben rowed for MIT’s lightweight crew and now keeps fit with morning runs. Ben says he enjoys nothing more than a good laugh.

Oliver Madison - Research Director
Oliver Madison is president of Me to We Style Inc., a social enterprise committed to providing ethically manufactured, quality apparel for socially-conscious consumers. It also financially supports a charity partner, Free the Children. Oliver was previously a principal at Octavian Capital, a Toronto-based, boutique corporate finance firm specializing in small to mid-size enterprises. His responsibilities included business development, raising equity and debt capital, and advising management on growth opportunities and business strategy. Prior to Octavian Capital, Oliver worked in corporate finance at Brown Brothers Harriman's New York office, where he advised the principals of private and closely held public companies about mergers and acquisitions and analyzed potential investments for the firm’s mezzanine and private-equity funds. Oliver graduated cum laude from Harvard College with an AB in economics and a citation in German. He completed his Level III Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exams in 2004.

Emily Paddon - Head Writer
Emily Paddon is a graduate student in international relations and Trudeau Scholar at St Antony's College, University of Oxford. Her interest in international relations, and specifically, Canada's role in the world, stems from a concern for human security and its relationship with social, political, and military power in the modern world. Her current research explores the limits and validity of the principle of impartiality in UN-authorized interventions. Emily is the former managing director of The St Antony's International Review, Oxford's graduate journal of international affairs, and a tutor of international relations at Exeter College's Oxford Academy. She holds a BA from Brown University where she concentrated on the history of art and architecture, and international relations. In addition to her studies, she has worked at Goldman Sachs, the International Crisis Group, The Watson Institute for International Relations, and World Affairs Television. Her interest in human security and development also led to research projects and volunteer work in West and North Africa. In September 2007 Emily will begin a year at McGill University in Montréal as a Sauvé Scholar.

Andrew Sniderman - Communications Director
Andrew Sniderman co-founded the Washington-based Genocide Intervention Network (GI-Net) to provide citizens with tools to prevent and stop genocide. GI-Net aims to change the way the United States and the international community respond to genocide by creating an active and powerful political constituency. While working for GI-Net, Andrew delivered speeches across the United States and helped oversee a national lobbying, mobilization and fund-raising effort. In the fall of 2005, Andrew interviewed executives of private military firms and researched the option of private intervention in Darfur. Andrew was born and raised in Montréal and graduated with a BA (highest honours) in philosophy and political science from Swarthmore College, Philadelphia. Andrew is also a two-time provincial badminton champion, an avid Argentinean tango dancer, and a balloon artist. In 2007/08 Andrew will work in Ottawa as a Fellow in the Parliamentary Internship Programme.

Rae Hull - Advisor
Rae Hull is currently Director of Partnership and media Programming for the Cultural Olympiad, of the Vancouver 20100 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Rae is responsible for the development of broadcast, new media and film festival programming for the Cultural Olympiad, and for ensuring that strong relationships are forged with all provinces and territories to maximize participation in the cultural celebrations. Rae’s interest in fostering national and inter-provincial relationships has been prevalent throughout her career. In senior leadership roles at CBC Television she worked at a policy and program level to create more regionally-based voices, and in 2002, led the Vancouver team that produced Zed, one of the first cross-platform, user-generated content models in the world, nominated for an International Emmy. Rae has a broad media background in the private and public sector with experience as a senior administrator, programming executive, journalist, producer and director. Within the broadcast industry she has played a leadership role in ensuring that it more accurately and consistently reflects the new face of Canada – drafting policies for CBC to enhance its level of divcersity both on-screen and behind the scenes.