MEET OUR
TEAM
OUR FOUNDER
Tasha Chin
Lets connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tasha-chin-387519124
By day, Tasha Chin transforms conversations among community stakeholders, to assist in taking positive action that affect positive change in society. She sparks a cascade of blissful moments of successful outcomes, that align with core values such as empathy and respect for others. Tasha leverages her 16 year career in corporate finance, a degree from York University in Business and Society, the Social Economy and Corporate Social Responsibility. To humanize how we relate to one another.
She is currently pursuing her UX/UI design certification at the University of Toronto, and aims to continue to empower uncomfortable, diverse , and inclusive conversations. Tasha holds a buffet, where she supports community residents in the knowledge exchange, communication and collaboration among grassroots organizations, businesses, and many levels of government. She is a creative who enjoys spoken word to express, tap in and release her emotions. She also has the honour of raising and guiding 3 beautiful children who she adores, and brings with her, through every door that opens and closes. She is building a legacy of love, compassion, and self agency. Her advocacy will not stop until equity seeking groups get the access that they deserve, simply because they are human…too.
“SparkThat is a result of my journey and the stories of the people that I’ve met along the way. I identified a common theme of a lack of access and a desire to develop. I believe that it takes a village to serve and help others reach their potential. I want to be a part of that movement. There are great things happening in our community but many of us are working in silos. I want to provide the space to highlight the amazing efforts of others and collaborate with like minded people.”
Tasha Chin
Founder; SparkThat Inc.
Sparking Connection. Reimagining Community
Vashti (Seantelle) Ellis.
My name is Vashti (Seantell) Ellis. I love to laugh, engage in empowering conversations, positive environments, healthy relationships, nature and I am a big believer in finding out life’s purpose for oneself and walking in it unapologetically.
Vashti is the stalwart founder of Vzion United. Vzion united is an instrument that serves in three main areas. ( Worship, Vzion Casting and Community Initiatives)
Worship:
In recent years we have hosted “Worship Nights” at various locations throughout the GTA. Our goals were to create a safe space where individuals can come together and freely express themselves in worship. (Singing, poetry, playing instruments or just simply soaking up the atmosphere)
Vzion Casting:
We host transformative Vzion Board sessions where we encourage participants to dig deep and tap into their life’s purpose. From that space we provide the necessary tools to help individuals envision, formulate and plan towards their goals. Throughout the year we host accountability sessions where we get to be in spaces with like minded, driven individuals and celebrate our successes.
Community Initiatives:
Giving back to the various communities is one of the intriguing and fulfilling pieces. Our most recent initiative included providing meals to the front line workers at hospitals and long term homecare in the GTA.
Vashti is also a wife and a dynamic worship leader who has totally accepted that call upon her life and counts it joy and a privilege to lead audiences into encounters with the creator in worship.
She also is the founder of “SWEV Decor” a decorating and redesigning home decor business. As a Certified Designer, I pride myself on delivering state of the art designs ensuring that clients’ needs are met and that they are provided top notch service for their dollar.
When she is not involved with the above, she is inquisitively toying with the idea of becoming a motivational speaker. Great thought!…………or catch her journaling, relaxing, getting a massage or wondering how she can become the very best self!
Her mantra is “Live a poured out life while positively impacting those she comes in contact with”
Donneyha Ellis
“SparkThat is whatever you want it to be. There is a void – a kind of disconnect in our community. There is a desperate need to help the youth connect and engage with opportunities that foster artistic growth. SparkThat provides opportunities I never had growing up. The opportunity to turn my dreams into a reality. “
Simone
As a trained Sisterlocks® Consultant, Simone enjoys establishing and maintaining locks for beautiful black woman. Not only does she get to share their ‘loc journey, she also gets to learn and share stories amongst a unique group of event coordinators and school principals, to charge nurses and psychotherapists. Simone has maintained this hustle — creating and braiding her way through black hair, for over 25 years, but the truth is, it’s not what she’s most passionate about. Interior design is where her heart leaps.
She was first bitten by the interior design bug in 1998 when she came across the floor plans in a New Homes Guide magazine; she just couldn’t stop imagining how she would design and decorate each room. It would be some years later, but in 2011 she would begin to wet her feet in the field by taking a few design courses. Between unfulfilling employment over the next few years, Simone would head back to school to the field that called her name the
loudest.
In 2017, Simone became a Certified Ultimate Stager and Redesigner, and she’s currently finishing up her online Interior Design studies. With excitement, she looks forward to registering her Interior Design and Staging business heading into 2021.
Mic Truth
Michael aka; Mic Truth is a multi-disciplinary artist with a specialization in writing, poetry, and music. As a multilingual recording artist, of 6 languages, his live performances connect to diverse communities worldwide.
Mic encompasses a variety of experiences such as an event planner and curator for cultural programs and events, that enable artists to tap into their creative realm.
He is the founder of The Dark Room Sessions & Beyond the 5 minutes talk show and Co-founder and host of African diaspora focused radio show Flight 6ix54. Through these events, he aims to empower melinated communities by making space to create, express, heal and advocate for positive and equitable outcomes for Africans worldwide.
Chantel Riley
Chantel Riley is a Canadian-Jamaican singer, songwriter, and actress known for her lead role as “Trudy Clarke” in the Canadian hit series, Frankie Drake Mysteries. She also starred as “Angela Cooke” alongside Suits veteran Gina Torres in the Suits spin off series Pearson.
Chantel kicked off her acting career after attending an open call in Toronto and landed her first gig playing “Nala” in Disney’s The Lion King in Hamburg, Germany. For this, her first major role, she learned the entire play and lyrics in German. After a successful one year run, Chantel returned home to Toronto and was immediately offered an opportunity to play this role on Broadway. In the summer of 2012, she made her debut in New York City and spent four years bringing this well-loved character to life. While performing on Broadway, Chantel also landed her first film role playing “Quincella Nickerson” in the critically acclaimed Jesse Owens biopic, Race.
Chantel is also known for her recurring role on the SyFy series, Wynonna Earp, and appears as “Layla Hassan” in the Assassin’s Creed Origins video game. Chantel recently released her new EP called “I AM” and has officially launched her upcoming kids boutique called Sweet Riley!
Tonya Burke
Tonya Burke, also known as “Ms. Tee” to her students, is a certified Canadian Dance Teacher’s Association (CDTA) Associate member. She began her dance career at the age of 4. Early dance years focused on the study of Jazz, Tap, Acrobatics, Lyrical, Musical Theatre and Cecchetti based Ballet.
Competitively she danced in Canada and the United States in disciplines such as Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Hip-Hop and Musical Theatre. While obtaining her degree as well as her CDTA certification, her focus has been to grow as a choreographer and instructor in Musical Theater, Jazz /Jazz Funk, Contemporary and other urban styles such as Dancehall.
In addition to her works with the dance community, Ms. Burke is a Social Service Worker with a focus on couselling. As a counsellor, her desire to support females through artistic development has played a role in various community funded projects created by A New DAEI (A New Dance Academy for the Entertainment Industry), which Tonya Co- Founded and Co-Owned with Tré Armstrong of So You Think You Can Dance Canada from 2010-2017.
Tonya continues to choreograph and teach for competitive dance teams, recreational classes and workshops at various studios. Currently Tonya is focused on developing safe spaces to foster female empowerment through sensual movement. Stay tuned, 2021 will see the launch of After Ascension, a company focused on Tonya’s love for creating art expressed through a variety of mediums. Her motto is Live. Love. Dance, and she spreads this message everywhere she goes!
Shantay Dominique
Media and Communications. Website Designer
“My name is Shantay Dominique and I am the founder of my independent brand entitled “With Tay” and Black Creative Alliances (#BCA). I strongly believe in helping disenfranchised and marginalized creatives reach their fullest potential of success. I am a firm believer that education through creativity is most impactful. “
Shantay Parsons is recognized to be a creative coordinator specializing in A&R (marketing), Project Management, and Digital Creating. She holds a BA in Cinema and Media Studies (York University) and a graduate degree in Creative Industries Management (Sheridan). She is the founder of Black Creative Alliances, a grassroots organization that aids the elevation of artists from all art disciplines through workshops, mentorships and opportunities. This organization will be in its second trial mid-2021. She also runs With Tay which focuses on freelance work, youth connectivity and podcast discussions. This organization focuses heavily on the knowledge and education of social justice topics, spirituality, and mental wellness. This organization is home to Spiritual Sister Sunday. A movement that connects women internationally to connect every last Sunday of the month to heal and release. This movement also includes events and additional resources for healing tools.
Spread between different industries (Entertainment, Social Work, and Education), Shantay has made it her duty to create and produce projects with meaning that aid to the ultimate agenda collaboration, representation and unity.
Nya Abel
Nya Abel has always been determined. Where others see obstacles, she sees opportunities. At the age of 5, she conquered the English language within 8 months of moving to Canada from Ghana. She overcame a debilitating fear of public speaking and graduated from post secondary school specializing in public relations and corporate communications.
When Nya started her corporate career in 2004, she turned what was supposed to be a 3-month contract in to a permanent position and became the youngest and only black regional manager of an international company with revenues of nearly $1 billion per year. At the age of just 25 she was nominated as one of Ontario’s Top 30 Under 30 in the hospitality industry.
In 2010 Nya faced her biggest challenge yet, she became a mother of twins. As a full-time career women, wife and mother she continued to succeed in these new areas of her life. As each year passed, she spread herself pretty thin and continued to give more of herself away. Then one day in the Spring of 2020, she realized she had nothing left to give herself.
That is when Nya Plus Life was born. Nya decided it was time to take control of her life and start the journey of finding herself again. She created a YouTube channel to document her journey. She started the channel in an effort to help other women struggling with similar challenges. Through weight loss, self care, sharing new experiences and having some uncomfortable conversations, Nya is helping women around the globe unapologetically put themselves first.
Makesha Miles
After a 10 years career in fraud mitigation within the financial industry, Makesha said enough was enough and decided to chart her course to her creative self. Makesha is best described as a lover and connector of people and is known for turning ideas into memorable impactful experiences. Her attention to detail, visionary mindset, ability to see beyond what is said, and infectious personality has made her a key staple in her industry. In 2017, Makesha decided to go back to school and completed a post-graduate program in Event Management at Humber College. Not only was she top of her class, while being a wife and mother of three, she was the honoured recipient of the 2017 – 2018 Event Management Award. In addition, to her role as a Corporate Event Manager at the Bank of Montreal, she has curated many experiences – notably, Single Mingle, a networking series for singles to meet other singles and SHE BOSS: Let’s Talk Business, an intimate showcase of successful women in business.
If you ask her, Why do you do what you do? Without hesitation, she will reply, Nothing beats the joy brought on to others from pursuing what I love to do!
Sabrina Morrison
Sabrina has a history of serving her community as: a Case Manager for Municipal and provincial Governments, Support Counselor for Corrections, Nurse Assistant, supporting many other social-profit / for-profit organizations, President of her own non-profit, program developer for youth and adults and Crisis Prevention Intervention – Co-Facilitator. Currently Sabrina is one of the Elders/Member of the National USHAURI Advisory Council to Canadian Institute for People of African Descent (CIPAD), the Lead for the African Caribbean and Black (ACB) Caucus of Alberta and a Mental Health First Aid Certified Instructor (with Mental Health Commissions of Canada).
Using her formal experience, education along with her personal experience with challenging adversities, Sabrina has developed a keen ability to discover why people become “Stuck”, how to heal from one’s mental health trauma and how they can truly take “Action” to live their best fulfilled life – from an Indigenous and decolonized perspective. Most importantly, for almost two decades, Sabrina connects people with various pathways to do the same for themselves.
As Sabrina utilizes her skills, education, African Spiritual guidance while leveraging her life experience, love for Mental Wellness, Healing ones Trauma and the community. She has committed herself to continue to the healing within the African Canadian community and other communities.
If anyone knows about healing from mental health, trauma and adverse childhood it is Sabrina. As she leverages her expertise from Toronto, Ontario and Central Alberta and her personal experiences.
Highlights and Core Competencies:
• Certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor – from an African lens
• Intuitive Counselor – energetic readings / channeling
• Facilitator / Trainer – Personal, Professional and Spiritual development
• Program development – for healing
• Sacred Healing Women Circles – a safe space for women of African descent to share and learn
© SparkThat 2020