TSA CONNECT 2026: Get Involved

Abel is a Development Manager, Housing Development at Waterfront Toronto and a Licensed Architect with experience delivering complex mixed-use communities and public infrastructure. He bridges the gap between technical execution and investment strategy, leveraging expertise in design, complex municipal planning, and construction to secure entitlements and drive projects from acquisition through to execution. His skillset spans master planning, architectural design, municipal approvals, financial modeling, and construction.

In his current role, Abel is a key driver in the delivery of the Quayside project, a landmark zero-carbon, mixed-use community designed to set a global benchmark for sustainable and inclusive urban development. Prior to joining Waterfront Toronto, as a Development Manager at TAS Impact, Abel managed the execution of a major mixed-use master-planned community, securing entitlements and grants to unlock affordable housing. This built upon his tenure at Broccolini, where he accelerated approvals for a mixed-use residential portfolio, and his earlier work at Diamond Schmitt delivering critical transit infrastructure. Across these roles, he has consistently aligned the interests of diverse stakeholders to create favourable outcomes and tangible community impact.

Abel holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Manitoba, is a PMP-certified Project Manager, and has completed graduate coursework in Real Estate Investment at Harvard Extension School, He is also a member and volunteer with the Black Architects and Interior Designers Association (BAIDA).

Anna Bartula (she/her) is a non-profit and marketing leader with a passion for advancing community-driven initiatives at the intersection of art, culture, urbanism, and economic development.

Through her previous non-profit work, she has led public realm improvements, arts-based placemaking, and multi-year funding partnerships.

Ashneet Sachdeva is a recent Master of Architecture graduate from the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto. She is interested in how the built environment can reflect lived experience and support more inclusive ways of belonging, with a particular focus on equity, cultural memory, and community-centered design. Her professional experience spans institutional, residential, and adaptive reuse projects across British Columbia and Ontario.

Alongside her academic work, Ashneet volunteers with SOSA Canada (Society of South Asian Architects), a national non-profit dedicated to fostering connection, mentorship, and collaboration across the architecture and design profession. As Digital Communications Administrator, she leads the organization’s outreach and communications, supporting engagement across a growing national network of students, newcomers, and emerging professionals.

Barbora (OAA, FRAIC, LEED AP) is Principal of Barbora Vokac Taylor Architect Inc., a practice focused on distinct, individualized residential design solutions for people: who they are, and what they want to do. A former RAIC Syllabus mentor and part-time professor at George Brown College, she is passionate about architectural education for young professionals and promoting the value of architecture to the public.

Barbora has been serving on the Executive since 2015 and has played a key role in leading several of the TSA’s initiatives, including our Building Tours, Home Tours, and the Architects Talk and Open Studio programs as part of Doors Open Toronto. In 2023, Barbora was elected as Vice-Chair of the Society and in 2026 she was elected as Chair.

Elizabeth Lenell Davies (B.E.D., MArch) is an architectural designer and educator and received a Bachelor of Environmental Design and Masters in Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc, 1995). Ahe has designed projects across Los Angeles, New York City, and Toronto, including the Kate Spade head office, the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences in Toronto, and a private residence on Fishers Island, NY. Elizabeth runs her own practice and is co-designing an Educational Centre for No.9 Gardens and the Kenhte’:Ke Cultural Language and Cultural Centre in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, Ontario. She is continuing facilitating design build workshops with the community for the building’s interior.

Passionate about creative learning, she co-developed Imagining My Sustainable Community (IMSC), a program connecting architecture, art, and design with the Grade 7–9 curriculum. In partnership with the Chicago Architecture Center and local school boards, Elizabeth teaches students to envision and communicate ideas that shape future Communities.

She is a co-recipient of the 2018 Community Art Educator of the Year Award from the Ontario Arts Education Association.

After sustaining a spinal cord injury in 2002, Luke Anderson was all of a sudden introduced to a world that’s not well suited for a wheelchair user. His frustration encountering access barriers led him to co-found the StopGap Foundation, which raises awareness about the importance of a barrier free and inclusive society. StopGap works with volunteer accessibility advocates all over Canada delivering education and resources that inspire societal perspective shifts, the removal of barriers in the built environment, and policy change. StopGap’s awareness raising programming helps ensure our society’s collective understanding about the importance of accessibility and inclusion continues to advance and grow. Luke is a licensed professional engineer, a nature lover, an avid meditator, a musician, and is the recipient of a Governor General’s Meritorious Service Medal.

Mélisa Audet is a licensed architect in Ontario with more than 20 years of post‑graduate experience in architectural design, construction, and project management. Since 2019, she has served as the Manager of Practice Advisory Services at the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA), working alongside the Practice Advisors to coordinate a broad range of services that support both architectural practices and the public.

Mélisa earned her Bachelor of Science (Architecture) and Master of Architecture degrees from McGill University in Montreal. In 2014, she completed a Certificate in Project Management (Construction) from Toronto Metropolitan University.

Fully bilingual in French and English, Mélisa has gained extensive project experience through her work with private practices in Toronto and Montreal, federal government agencies, and a construction management firm. She brings practical insight informed by multiple perspectives within the industry.

She was elected to OAA Council in 2017 and served as Vice President, Regulatory, from 2018 to 2019. Mélisa has also been an active contributor to the profession and her community, serving on the McGill Alumni Board of Directors in Toronto (2014–2018), McGill’s Alumni Communities Funding Committee (2023-2025) and the Toronto Society of Architects (2017–2018). She has also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity GTA.

Nicole is all about connecting people, nature, and purpose. A proud steward with Toronto Nature Stewards (TNS) since 2024, Nicole has a passion for nature, community engagement, and environmental sustainability. She has been hands-on with several environmental organizations and brings a background in learning and development, program management, and community engagement. At TNS she supports volunteers, brings programs to life, and contributes to communications, outreach, and organizational growth. She is excited to be here today to connect with others who are passionate about making a positive impact in their communities.

As Co-Executive Director of Urban Minds, Ryan Lo brings a youth-centred, community-first lens to design and planning projects. Over the last decade, he has worked with thousands of young people to shape public spaces, policies, and systems that impact their daily lives. He specializes in designing creative and inclusive engagement strategies that translate community voices into actionable outcomes. He offers a practitioner’s perspective on building trust, cross-sector partnerships, and intergenerational engagement.

Scott is a scientist, project manager and science communicator. With a passion for both economic efficiency and environmental sustainability he seeks to find money saving solutions to climate change with a focus on promoting more efficient cities.

The bulk of Scott’s professional career was spent at the Ontario Ministry of the Environment Conservation and Parks as a terrestrial effects scientist specialising in soil. A long time passion for sustainable urbanism led Scott to lead the Urban Thinkers Book Club, volunteer with Green Neighbors Network to develop their Sustainable Urban Form cluster and develop the Thriving In Place initiative to advocate for more permissive zoning reform. Scott is currently shifting his career to be a construction project manager.