Leadership & Human Rights Expert

Dr. Tanya (Toni) De Mello is a human rights lawyer with a unique background in economics, finance and operational management. With experience working in both the private and nonprofit sectors, she has co-founded two NGOs and worked for the United Nations in humanitarian aid. Tanya is an experienced coach and mediator. She completed her doctorate at the University of Toronto on bias in hiring in 2020, and she is a leading expert in equity, diversity and inclusion in Canada. She works at Ryerson University (soon to be renamed) as a lecturer and was the Director of Human Rights there. She is currently opening Canada's newest law school, Lincoln Alexander Law, as the Assistant Dean of Students.

With over 20 years of experience coaching and consulting on diversity, equity and inclusion, Tanya moves conversations beyond the basics to dig deeper. She explores the nuances of everyday experiences and challenges in the workplace and in our communities. By moving past definitions and handouts to help folks wrestle with the material in their daily lives, her trainings move beyond transaction to transformational. When participants leave, they have strategies that will work for them and take into account their current situations and limitations. 

Tanya’s keynotes and trainings focus on personal narrative, weaving together her work at the United Nations on three continents, in local and international big business and government services, and arguments at the family dinner table. In doing so, she creates an intimacy that allows participants to move forward in their learning. This style has led to praise for Tanya’s ability to give a keynote or training that all people can digest and apply almost immediately.