AITO Board
Amnesty International Toronto Organization’s Board of Directors help shape the organization's mission, strategy, and overall direction. Composed of dedicated individuals with diverse expertise and a shared commitment to advancing human rights, the board serves as the guiding force behind the organization's activities.
AITO Board Members
Shahin Hirji - Chair
Duncan Garrow - Vice Chair
Patricia Grenier - Treasurer
Corey Smith - Secretary
Lisa Swainston - Director at Large
Saba Abbas - Director at Large
Micah Molina - Director at Large
Board MEMBER BIOGRAPHIES
Shahin Hirji
Chair
Shahin has been involved with Amnesty International for over 30 years. During this time, she has worked on various issues and specialized teams including business and human rights, Indigenous rights, refugee rights, and climate justice and corporate accountability. As an engineer and sustainability consultant, Shahin works to promote and embed sustainable and responsible practices across various industries, with a special focus on climate change, human rights, and equity.
Duncan Garrow
Vice Chair
Duncan has been an active member of Amnesty International in Toronto for 14 years, and has served on the AITO Board for the last 10 years. In his professional life, Duncan has been a working actor for over 20 years and has had the good fortune to have toured through almost every city, large and small, in North America.
Patricia Grenier
Treasurer
Patricia Grenier joined Amnesty International in 1988. With management and organizational skills from her professional background and employment she brought these skills to the position of Chair, Group 18 in Toronto, and eventually Treasurer of the Group. From 1989-1992 she was a director on the National Board of AICS. Throughout that time always heavily involved in AITO. After stepping down from the Board, she became treasurer of AITO and eventually also assumed the bookkeeping functions. In the nineties and early 2000, AI undertook two international mandate reviews. Patricia chaired both of the Toronto teams. The mandate statement drafted by the Toronto team was adopted by AI Canada and then served as the basis at the international level for a revised Mandate statement. In the ensuing years Patricia took on the role of New Members’ Orientation Coordinator and Volunteer – Merchandise Coordinator.
Corey Smith
Secretary
As a long-time Amnesty International member and supporter, Corey has played a variety of roles throughout her 15 year tenure with the organization, including leading the Reel Awareness Film Festival team from 2011 - 2019, volunteering for various events including Write for Rights and Pedestrian Sundays in Kensington Market, and as an Activism Support Assistant. Corey joined the AITO board in 2018 and is particularly passionate about Indigenous rights in Canada and abroad. Corey holds a certificate in Public Administration and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University and a certificate in Fundraising Management from Seneca College. She currently works in fundraising and partnership development in the non-profit sector.
LISA SWAINSTON
Director at Large
Lisa has been a member and volunteer of Amnesty International for over 20 years. She served as Secretary of AITO from July 2012 to May 2024, and is currently the Chair of Group 18. She has served on the organizing committees for the past seven AITO Regional Meetings (from 2011-2024), and three AICS(ES) AGMs in Toronto (2008, 2010 & 2019). Over the years Lisa has participated in various human rights campaigns, writing letters, tabling at events and concerts, helping Amnesty monitor the Ipperwash Inquiry, participating in marches, and helping to plan and coordinate events like the Bowlathon and Write for Rights in Toronto. She has a particular interest in Indigenous rights, women’s rights and corporate accountability.
saba Abbas
Director at Large
Saba has been volunteering for Amnesty International since 2014. She began as a member of the Action Network for Women’s Human Rights (ANWHR) then had the opportunity to serve as one of ANWHR’s co-chairs in 2020. Saba was also part of Amnesty International’s I Welcome Refugees Team and Toronto’s Francophone group; Group 50. She currently co-chairs Amnesty International Canada’s Gender Rights Specialized Team where she advocates for women’s human rights and takes part in Amnesty International’s campaigns against gender-based discrimination and violence.
In her professional life, Saba works in the field of research and quality assurance. Her research interests include the embodiment of Muslim femininity, sexualities in Islam, transnational feminisms and anti-racist feminisms.
Micah Molina
Director at Large
Micah has been involved with Amnesty International since 2013. Her interest with Amnesty International began in high school and she has joined local chapters and networks since, including the Queen’s University club, Toronto's Action Network for Women’s Rights, and the I Welcome Refugee Committee. Today Micah serves as a co-chair for the Gender Rights Specialized Team since 2020, which aims to uphold the rights of women and gender-diverse people. In her professional work, Micah works as a construction project manager for a financial institution, and works towards applying skills and learnings from her volunteer and professional spaces to champion human rights.