Sarah has worked in the IT sector for more than 10 years and focused on digital transformation and helping businesses transition to the cloud. To date, a large part of her roles have revolved around working with large technology companies to create go-to-market strategies specifically for Canada.

Sarah was a member of the Cloud team for a large international software distribution company that grew from less the 1 million in revenue to a multi-million dollar department, in a few short years.

One of Sarah’s personal goals has always been becoming a caregiver and adoptive parent. Through her research and experience, going through the application process, she was made aware of some glaring truths. One is that children in the communities she belongs to are overrepresented within the system, and two, the process is outdated and culturally inconsistent.  With her background in tech, she became focused on making things better and more efficient. Sarah believes innovation and better race-based analytics will create more inclusive and transparent child welfare for this and future generations.

Devin has worked in IT for over 10 years. While predominantly a technical writer, Devin has also filled the roles of process manager, business analyst, sales coordinator and account manager. Working alongside multiple teams and lending assistance to the highest levels, he understands companies' business and technical needs of all sizes, including startups. He has managed teams of accomplished professionals, recent grads, and fresh-faced interns, Devin is also a published author and mentor.

To date, for Alo Solutions, Devin has delivered the initial product offering at 11 percent under budget, reduced development costs by 26.6 percent, and instituted enhanced security protocols for increased end-to-end network and data encryption. In addition, to all of the above achievements.

For Devin, as an indigenous person, the legacy of residential schools and the foster care system weighs heavily on his family. As the world was discovering children's bodies at residential schools, my mother was privately identifying members of our family who had been subjected to them, explaining how the stories I had been told since my youth was defined and shaped by those crimes and traumas. My grandparents fostered children to shield them from the abuses they knew they might otherwise face and were ostracized from their church for not tithing from the funds provided for the care of those children. Rather than give in, they left the church to focus on the children they'd be trusted to care for. Devin is dedicated to creating better outcomes for children in care for all of the above-stated reasons.

With an award-winning career in wealth management at Desjardins, Melissa Allen began her professional career as a digital marketing expert, first interning at Foreign Affairs Canada in Paris, France, and then working with major technology brands, such as Torstar Digital and Google. 

Combining her passions for tech and finance, Melissa entered the Venture Capital space in 2018, graduating from the Female Funder’s Angel Academy accelerator program. After becoming a first-time VC investor and Limited Partner in 2019, Melissa began lending her expertise as an advisor to startups and investment firms before joining the Founder Institute VC Lab cohort #4 and charting her path in venture capital.

Alo is a start up that Melissa feels passionately about because of its vision and mission. She is excited to support such a revolutionary player in the tech and child welfare space. 

Amar Nijhawan is a policy specialist, experienced researcher, and strategist - with specific expertise around gender equity and feminist economic policy, global affairs, international economic policy and development, entrepreneurship, and sustainability across Canada and internationally.  

Amar currently works on the Policy and Campaigns team at Oxfam Canada. In her role, she collaboratively advocates for feminist economic policy within governments, multilateral agencies, and international financial institutions - focusing on the care economy. Amar has had the opportunity to work on projects in government and intergovernmental organizations, donor agencies, global trade and investment spaces, social enterprises, higher education and academia, community organizations, and nonprofits across Canada, South Asia, South-East Asia, the UK and Latin America. 

Amar is always looking for new ways to support women-identifying South Asian’s and feels that Alo is in line with her beliefs, experience and interests.

Art Proctor is an Afro-Métis neuro-diverse Artist, Activist, technologist, and community builder. He is a retired performer, seasoned international arts and corporate management professional, digital transformation analyst, award-recognized arts and creative industries veteran, startup survivor, and social enterprise advocate. 

He is a well-travelled, outspoken cultural catalyst and socio-political unwilling profit and futurist. His focus and passion are exploring the intersection between art and technology, specifically Film, digital and immersive media through the lens of the underrepresented diverse voices of Black, Indigenous, and people of colour.

He feels his deep ties with the Afro-Canadian and Indigenous communities in Canada will be of value to Alo. He is excited about creating a step-change in the Canadian child welfare system. 

Fiona Moar is an educator with a passion for advocacy. As an indigenous person and parent her entire adult life, she has over 20 years of personal experience with the Canadian child welfare system. This has driven her to speak out on the need for change.  

Fiona’s strength and no-nonsense approach to Child Welfare, Politics, Social Justice and the inequalities of living as an indigenous person in North America has captivated audiences and amassed over 50 thousand followers on TikTok.

She has been a huge supporter of Alo since its inception and now lends her unique perspective and experience to Alo’s Advisory board.

Lindsay Eberts is a British-Canadian film producer based in Quebec. Inspired by her filmmaker family and time spent at film festivals worldwide, Lindsay believes a great story well told can change perspectives rapidly and create a lasting emotional impact on global audiences. 

She recently executive produced a feature documentary, ‘For Love,’ which connects residential school trauma with the overrepresentation of Indigenous kids in Canadian foster care and celebrates incredible people doing something about it. Lindsay feels that her knowledge, experience and passions intersect well with Alo’s mission and vision.