A TEAM DEDICATED
TO BUILDING
AFFORDABLE
HOUSING

Jennifer Keesmaat

Partner

Jennifer is the former Chief Planner for the City of Toronto, where she led a team of planners overseeing unprecedented growth and urban development. As a founding partner of Dialog and the Office for Urbanism, Jennifer has worked in municipalities across Canada and around the world on urban design guidelines, official plan reviews, and strategies for creating resilient, 21st-century cities. She is a recognized expert in transit planning, heritage preservation, strategy development, sustainable economic development, and the creation of walkable, complete communities. A Distinguished Visitor in Residence Emeritus at the University of Toronto, Jennifer serves on the Advisory Board of the Urban Land Institute, Toronto, and is on the International Panel of Experts at the Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority. Jennifer holds a Combined Honours degree in Philosophy and English from the University of Western Ontario, and a Masters in Environmental Studies, Politics and Planning, from York University. As a Registered Professional Planner, her work has been repeatedly recognized by professional associations, including as the recipient of the 2016 President’s Award of Excellence, from the Canadian Institute of Planners.

Jason Marks

Partner

Jason served as CEO of Shiplake Properties, where he oversaw the acquisition and development of over 1,000 purpose-built rental homes, as well as the management of an existing rental building portfolio. Formerly, as the CEO and CIO of an asset management company and Vice Chair at TD Securities and a Senior Vice President at TD Bank, Jason oversaw credit risk and market risk management, international proprietary trading, equity and interest rate derivatives, and structured products. Jason began his career as Director of Development for Markborough Properties, where he was responsible for managing commercial projects in the GTA, and has an M.B.A. from Harvard University and a B.E.Sc. from the University of Western Ontario.

Alex Mather

Vice President

Alex has driven positive change with progressive institutions across Canada, the United States, and Europe. Over the past 15 years in London, New York, and Toronto, Alex has played a central role in the development of strategies and implementation of projects that focus on the integration of 21st-century city building within evolving economic development and planning policy landscapes. Alex has extensive experience in policy, politics, and planning, having run the communications department on Jennifer Keesmaat’s Toronto Mayoral campaign, following his work as a Senior Advisor to the former Premier of Ontario and the Ontario Minister of Economic Development and Infrastructure. Prior to that, Alex was a Senior Director at New York City-based Blue State, which made its name through its leadership of the digital fundraising, communications, grassroots activation, and community organizing efforts on President Obama’s presidential campaigns. Alex led Blue State’s work with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and the Climate Reality Project, UNICEF, the United States Olympic Committee, and the Edward Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate, among others. Alex previously worked at CIBC World Markets, and holds a Master’s Degree from the London School of Economics.