Generous Futures: Hispanic + LatinX Visibility

Jen Gonzales is the Executive Director, Student Affairs within the Office of the Vice-Provost, Students. In this position, Jen oversees several units committed to supporting student success including Student Life and Learning Support, the Career and Co-op Centre, as well as Housing and Community Care.  Jen's values are rooted in connection and relationship. She's a dedicated professional who has cultivated a leadership style that sees colleagues and staff as humans who are part of a larger collective that serves students and meets them where they are at in their paths to self discovery and empowerment.

Jen has served on the boards of several provincial, national and international Student Affairs associations including being the first person of colour to hold the position of president of the Ontario Association of College and University Housing Officers. At the university, Jen served on the Board of Governors from 2019-2021, and has been recognized for her leadership with the Larissa Allen Employee Experience Staff Award and the Make Your Mark Award. She is an active mentor in the Human Resources mentorship program and Tri-Mentoring’s Career Mentoring Program. 

A proud first-generation Canadian who identifies as Latina, Jen cares deeply about the student experience and is passionate about supporting equity-deserving students so they can flourish at our institution.

Mauricio Ospina arrived to Canada in 1991 with only a high school diploma and zero English. In the process he elevated not only himself but also the profile of an entire community across the country with achievements recognized by Prime Ministers, Universities and media. Today, he is an international market consultant with the Government of Ontario. Despite his professional success, he never forgot his Hispanic/Latin community; for the past 20 years and on his free time he’s been helping his community leave a legacy. Mauricio unlocked procurement and home ownership opportunities with the 2015 Pan American Games, founded the first four professional and business associations, created the only national awards program, helped to prove the growth of his community, contributed to three York University books and to the business bestseller Why Mexican Don’t Drink Molson. He has helped hundreds of immigrants and recently raised $230,000 in scholarships including $130,000 for his Alma Mater at Toronto Metropolitan University. Mauricio is an inductee in the Canadian Who is Who, the standard reference listing the top 10,000 Canadians selected on pure alone. He bikes daily.

Starting in 2001, he founded the first four professional and business associations in Canada – all still operational and most relevant. It started in 2001 with the Canadian Colombian Professional Associations’ two chapters, followed by Hispanotech in 2008 as co-founder, and in 2009 the Canadian Hispanic Business Alliance as founder and current director – only volunteer organization with a national presence.  In 2007, he created the only national annual program (10 most influential Hispanic Canadians) currently with 130 winners from 16 countries and 6 provinces. He also co-led national initiatives with Census Canada doubling the numbers from his community.

His non-stop community work has been profiled in Canada's mainstream media and personally recognized by two Prime Ministers and by the Canadian Parliament. He is a Fellow at York University, inaugural awardee of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Outstanding Volunteer Awards, named one of the 10 most successful Colombians in Canada, and past Chair of the Hispanic Philanthropy Conference from the Association of Fundraising Professionals Foundation for Philanthropy.

Dr. Ivar Mendez (Bolivia – Saskatchewan) is the Fred H. Wigmore Professor and Provincial Head of the Department of Surgery at the University of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Health Authority. Prior to his arrival in Saskatoon in 2013, he served for many years as Chairman and Founding Member of the Halifax Brain Repair Centre and Head of the Division of Neurosurgery at Dalhousie University. He was nominated by the Bolivian Embassy for his research in neurosciences, virtual care robotics and his humanitarian contributions.

As a Clinician/Scientist, Dr. Mendez’ research focus is in functional neurosurgery, brain repair, stem cells, virtual care and remote presence robotic technology. His research has been supported by peer-reviewed funding from a number of sources including the Canada National Centers of Excellence, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and Canada Foundation for Innovation.

Among numerous other honours and awards, Dr. Mendez was the recipient of the Royal College Medal Award in Surgery, the 2010 Canadian Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year award.

He was inducted as a fellow in to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. In 2016 he received the Government of Canada Public Service Award of Excellence for his research on brain repair and the use of Remote Presence Robotic Technology.

He is also a dedicated humanitarian, who has worked tirelessly to establish a number of programs, which feed more than 5,000 children a day and dental clinics, which now serve several thousand individuals each month. Additionally, Dr. Mendez is a talented artist in sculpture and photography. He is named one of the 10 most influential Hispanics in Canada by the Canadian Hispanic Business Alliance.

Mexico City-native and Torontonian at heart, Berenice Chavez is currently supporting students at Toronto Metropolitan University as a Student Success Navigator. Prior to joining Toronto Metropolitan University, Berenice served as a Branch Manager for a Canadian enterprise where she managed the company’s expansion project by launching the first international subsidiary in Mexico City.

Berenice holds a bachelor’s degree in Global Management from The Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University and is a Certified ILSAT English-Spanish interpreter. Her experience as an international student made her recognize that being an adult immigrant comes with many challenges but also with the opportunity to learn and appreciate the richness of Toronto’s diversity.