Aleem R. Punja

Aleem R. Punja

Toronto, Ontario, Canada
4K followers 500+ connections

About

Aleem Punja is a Registered Social Worker and a strategic senior leader with over 20…

Activity

Join now to see all activity

Experience

  • Toronto Lands Corporation Graphic
  • -

    Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  • -

    Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  • -

    Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  • -

    Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada

  • -

    Newmarket, Ontario, Canada

  • -

    Toronto

  • -

    Toronto

  • -

    Toronto, Ontario

  • -

    Toronto

  • -

  • -

    Cobourg, Ontario

  • -

    Oshawa, Ontario

  • -

    Aurora, Ontario

Education

  • Queen's University - School of Policy Studies Graphic

    Queen's University - School of Policy Studies

    Major Focus:
    Public Sector Leadership
    Governance and Management
    Stakeholder Relations
    Truth and Reconciliation
    Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility
    Policy Development, Implementation and Analysis
    Principals of Economics

  • Sector leadership within disability and equity studies. Intense focus on intersectionality, diversity, inclusion, gender identities etc. Thesis titled: “Journeying with a Learning Disability”.

  • -

    Strategic Thinking
    Governance
    Organizational Leadership
    Decision Making
    Strategic and Operational Planning

  • -

    Instructor: John Stapleton
    Professional certificate on public policy development and analysis in addition to government relations and advocacy.

Licenses & Certifications

Volunteer Experience

  • Toronto District School Board Graphic

    Co-Chair, Equity Policy Advisory Committee

    Toronto District School Board

    - Present 7 years 8 months

    Education

    EPAC will “provide advice to the Board on matters concerning the implementation of the Equity Policy, and to identify issues of broad community interest regarding equity in education, for the consideration of the Board and staff” (PR.558).

    Member: May 2017 to January 2021
    Elected Co-Chair: January 2021 to present

  • Toronto Lands Corporation Graphic

    Vice Chair

    Toronto Lands Corporation

    Education

    The Toronto Lands Corporation is the wholly owned subsidiary and exclusive real estate, leasing and land use planning services provider to the Toronto District School Board. With specific and professional expertise in these disciplines, TLC’s mandate is to provide opportunities that ensure the well-being of TDSB students in modern and innovative schools, preserve public assets and collaborate to build complete communities where people live, learn, work and play.

  • CivicAction Graphic

    Emerging Leaders Network Executive Committee Member

    CivicAction

    Civil Rights and Social Action

    The CivicAction Leadership Foundation’s Emerging Leaders Network (ELN) connects, develops, and activates rising leaders from across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). Created in 2006, the ELN is now 2900+ rising leaders strong, including DiverseCity Fellows alumni, and represents a wide range of ethno-cultural backgrounds, communities, and sectors throughout the GTHA.

    https://leadership.civicaction.ca/eln/

  • Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers Graphic

    Appointed Member - Standards of Practice Committee

    Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers

    - Present 3 years 4 months

    Social Services

  • VeriStell Institute Graphic

    Member Of The Board Of Advisors

    VeriStell Institute

    - Present 4 years 3 months

    Education

    Global Research Institute
    Pushing the boundaries of Corporate
    Purpose & ESG

    The VeriStell Institute is a globally focused Not-For-Profit – a Think Tank dedicated to MAINSTREAMING new Corporate frontiers for Sustainability and publishing consensus positions – recognized worldwide. Corporations positively impacting society and driving Competitiveness. The VeriStell Institute leads global projects that enable the adoption of the Sustainability agenda in the Corporate Sector –…

    Global Research Institute
    Pushing the boundaries of Corporate
    Purpose & ESG

    The VeriStell Institute is a globally focused Not-For-Profit – a Think Tank dedicated to MAINSTREAMING new Corporate frontiers for Sustainability and publishing consensus positions – recognized worldwide. Corporations positively impacting society and driving Competitiveness. The VeriStell Institute leads global projects that enable the adoption of the Sustainability agenda in the Corporate Sector – providing BLUEPRINTS for meaningful action in partnership with others.

    A Not-For-Profit affiliated with Goodman
    Sustainability Group

    goodmansustainabilitygroup.com

  • The Ismaili Canada Graphic

    Chair, Aga Khan Social Welfare Board for Ontario

    The Ismaili Canada

    - 3 years 1 month

    Social Services

    Chaired the Ontario Board and responsible for policy, budget, staff, program and social service delivery to a community of Ismailis living across Ontario. In addition, held a formal role on the Aga Khan Ismaili Council for Ontario as an Ex officio Member and the Aga Khan Social Welfare Board for Canada.

  • Ismaili Council for Canada Graphic

    Implementation Lead - Quality of Life Office

    Ismaili Council for Canada

    - 1 year 1 month

    Poverty Alleviation

    Lead Ontario's implementation of the poverty reduction strategy. Reporting directly to the Ontario President and National Vice-President.

  • Lead Commissioner - Ontario

    Canadian Commission on Suicides

    - Present 9 years 9 months

    Civil Rights and Social Action

Projects

  • Equitable Access to Health Services - Organization Strategic Consulting and Advisory Services

  • Child Protection Information Network (Liaison)

    Fulfill the role of a liaison on a short term project basis between the child welfare sector and ministry with respect to the deployment and sustainment of the Child Protection Information Network. Support four Children's Aid Society GO LIVEs (Simcoe, Renfrew, Toronto and Toronto Catholic) and provide executive level briefing to CPIN Advisory and OACAS Executive and Leadership Teams.

  • Co-Presenter/Speaker - North American Council on Adoptable Children 39th Annual Conference

    Matching Children with Their Forever Families: The Personal Touch
    (Adoption Resource Exchange, Ontario Perspective)

  • Executive Advisory Services - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Organizational Audit

    -

  • Human Trafficking of Minors

    -

    I led the Human Trafficking of Children and Youth Program which was a joint initiative between YRCAS, Simcoe-Muskoka Family Connexions, York Regional Police and York University. This program was profiled as one of the most innovative joint initiatives within child welfare, law enforcement and academia in Ontario and was awarded the largest provincial grant of over $300,000 to provide a unique child welfare response and care to children and youth vulnerable to and victims of human trafficking.…

    I led the Human Trafficking of Children and Youth Program which was a joint initiative between YRCAS, Simcoe-Muskoka Family Connexions, York Regional Police and York University. This program was profiled as one of the most innovative joint initiatives within child welfare, law enforcement and academia in Ontario and was awarded the largest provincial grant of over $300,000 to provide a unique child welfare response and care to children and youth vulnerable to and victims of human trafficking. It included a strong research component led by York University’s School of Psychology. The program yielded positive results and established Ontario’s first ever Risk Assessment and Service Model.

    See project
  • York Region Youth Homelessness Stabilization Project

    -

    “It is our civic and moral responsibility to address the mental health of youth in our community,” said Aleem Punja, chair of the Youth Strategy. “Youth continue to fall between the cracks and it is up to us to work collectively to enhance the quality of life of our most vulnerable. It is through partnership, leadership and collective action that we have come together to develop our very own York Region Youth Homelessness Prevention and Housing Stabilization Strategy — a strategy that will…

    “It is our civic and moral responsibility to address the mental health of youth in our community,” said Aleem Punja, chair of the Youth Strategy. “Youth continue to fall between the cracks and it is up to us to work collectively to enhance the quality of life of our most vulnerable. It is through partnership, leadership and collective action that we have come together to develop our very own York Region Youth Homelessness Prevention and Housing Stabilization Strategy — a strategy that will prevent and shorten the amount of time a young person experiences homelessness,” Punja said.

    See project
  • Openness in Adoption Education Services Project (Project Champion)

    -

    Provide project management and support to the Openness in Adoption Project which consisted of revisions to the OACAS curricula on adoption (Child Welfare Professional Series), creation of a practice note in both English and French and Questions and Answers document, support documents and presentations for front line workers and resource managers, and led a field wide webinar (Child Welfare, Ministry, Bench and Bar) consisting of a technical briefing on amendments to the Child and Family…

    Provide project management and support to the Openness in Adoption Project which consisted of revisions to the OACAS curricula on adoption (Child Welfare Professional Series), creation of a practice note in both English and French and Questions and Answers document, support documents and presentations for front line workers and resource managers, and led a field wide webinar (Child Welfare, Ministry, Bench and Bar) consisting of a technical briefing on amendments to the Child and Family Services Act and a multi-disciplinary panel related to Openness.

    See project

Languages

  • Kutchi

    Native or bilingual proficiency

  • Hindi

    Professional working proficiency

  • Urdu

    Professional working proficiency

  • Gujarati

    Limited working proficiency

Recommendations received

More activity by Aleem R.

View Aleem R.’s full profile

  • See who you know in common
  • Get introduced
  • Contact Aleem R. directly
Join to view full profile

Other similar profiles

Explore collaborative articles

We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI.

Explore More

Add new skills with these courses