Meet the Team

Florestan Fillon

Interim Executive Director

Flo has lived in more than 20 countries throughout five continents and has substantial experience in international and community development. He has worked with organizations in policy development, communications, climate resilience, gender equity, donor recruitment, grant writing, monitoring and evaluation, and a host of other areas. His formal education includes a Masters in Community Development (International Development focus) from UVic, a bachelor of Commerce and Business Administration from the University of Ottawa, and a Bachelor of Management from NEOMA Business School in Reims, France.

Born in France, Flo makes his home in Ottawa. He is passionate to learn and come alongside World Accord staff, partners, donors and the Board as we all strive to make a difference through partnership and collaboration. Flo is excited to be part of the excellent work World Accord’s staff and partners have pursued for over 40 years.

Flo loves to spend time in nature, and above all, he loves people and getting to know their unique perspectives. A lover of all the arts, including writing poetry, singing and playing multiple instruments (guitar, piano and mandolin), Flo is equally comfortable on a soccer pitch, having coached the sport for over 10 years.

Stephen Thompson

Treasurer

Stephen Thompson is a long-time supporter of World Accord, dating back to the early to mid-1980s. Stephen’s support for World Accord is driven by its emphasis on working with local organizations to determine and direct the community supports they need. Stephen brings to the Board his 30 years of experience in municipal government in both community development and in city council support functions such as meeting management, and election and census management. Following early retirement from his municipality, he served his church, the Community of Christ, as its administrator for the congregations in western Canada for 7 years. Stephen holds masters degrees in Public Management and in Religion.

Mary Pearson

Director

Mary Pearson is an entrepreneur running a small business that provides bookkeeping and other business services to her community. This experience serves her well in the role of Director within the Board of World Accord. As an individual, Mary is dedicated to personal evolution to becoming one’s best so she is right at home in an organization that seeks to help individuals and communities develop and evolve into Communities that Thrive.

Leah Christensen

President

Leah Christensen was introduced to the idea of international development by Terry Fielder, the founder of World Accord when she was 10 years old. Since then, she has been a supporter of the organization and its ideals of social & economic justice. After years of studying and living abroad, she has committed herself to public education as a force for social change. As a teacher and administrator, Leah’s professional focus has been the creation of authentic, just, and compassionate school communities at both the elementary and secondary levels. Currently a principal and teacher educator in the Surrey, BC school district, she holds a Master’s degree in Canadian cultural policy and outdoor education. A passionate camper, walker, and baker, Leah also values yoga and music to keep her body and spirit going.

Juhi Hiren Shah

Vice President

Juhi Hiren Shah has spent the last year working for Canadian Red Cross’ Mobilization team and International Operations teams after graduating from the University of Waterloo with a Master’s Degree in International Development. She is a young professional working towards the sustainability of emergency response measures through domestic and international teams at Red Cross. She is motivated by her passion for reducing gender-based violence in developing countries and her deep interest in environmental justice. [read more] Apart from Development Practice, she has demonstrated experience designing and implementing interventions focused on women empowerment in rural regions across India with the government. She is passionate about partaking in roles that will further enhance the role of women in society. In her spare time, you will find Juhi dancing to Indian music, traveling, and trying new cuisines.

Scott Murphy

Director

Scott Murphy has served as a member of the First Presidency of the Community of Christ since April 2013. The First Presidency provides primary leadership to the international body of the Community of Christ. In his role in the First Presidency, Scott functions as the chief operating officer for the operations and mission of the church in the 59 different nations where the church is present. Community of Christ International Headquarters is located in Independence, Missouri. Scott’s past assignments with the Community of Christ include director of human resource ministries at International Headquarters, president of Lamoni-Heartland USA Mission Center; Des Moines Stake president; Lamoni Stake acting president; and Advanced Leadership Studies. Scott also served 19 years as a school principal, counselor, and music educator. A native of Washington, Scott received a bachelor of arts in music education and a master of education in counseling from Eastern Washington University. He pursued advanced education in school administration at the University of Washington in 1991-1992. He further received a master of arts in religion from Community of Christ Seminary at Graceland University, Independence, Missouri in 2003.

Stephany
Ospina-Coral

Director

Stephany Ospina-Coral is a Colombian lawyer, specialized in public law, with experience in legal defense, human rights, and international law. Her experience working for the Colombian government and in different international organizations in the United States, Australia and Canada have allowed her to develop different perspectives to address social issues that impact the development of countries and across the world, such as social justice, gender, poverty, climate change, among others. She is currently based in Toronto, where she is pursuing a postgraduate degree in International Development.

Tristan Downing

Director

Tristan is a data scientist with several years of experience in the humanitarian and development sectors. He has worked with a range of organizations, including small and large NGOs, research groups, USAID, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. He currently works for the UN OCHA Centre for Humanitarian Data. He has a background in engineering and has private sector experience as well. He is passionate about World Accord’s mission and committed to helping it navigate an ever-changing world.

Daniel Geleyn

Secretary

Daniel served in the Canadian Armed Forces as an Aerospace Engineer, retiring in 2015 at the rank of Colonel. He is originally from Montréal, Québec but his career has taken him and his family to a number of Canadian provinces as well as in Europe. Daniel is a long-time supporter of World Accord. He participated in two school building expeditions in Honduras as well as a number of fundraising events. He also contributed significantly to other community and international development projects through his Rotary involvement. The focus on grassroots sustainable projects that empower community members is what he finds exciting and enriching about World Accord. Daniel currently lives in Elora, Ontario with his wife Sharon. They have three daughters and three grandchildren.