Staff Members

Permanent staff are assisted by contract staff, who are occasionally hired, as funding permits, to guide specific projects, and by interns and volunteers. (There are between one and five full-time interns and dozens of volunteers working with the SJC at any given time.)

Derek MacCuish
Executive Director & Editor, Upstream Journal

Derek has been with the SJC since the early 1990s, editing the Upstream Journal and coordinating our programs on economic policy and international institutional reform. Former adjunct professor at Concordia University (2000-2007) teaching seminars on global governance.  MA in public policy, BA in international development, Associate  of Arts in audio visual production.

Leah is responsible for developing and implementing  the SJC's human rights public education programs. Trilingual, Leah has been involved with the SJC since 2003. BA in International Development Studies and French.

Other human resources:

Ernie Schibli
Popular Education and Outreach

A sought-after public speaker, Ernie is one of the founding members of the SJC. A frequent visitor to Central America for decades, he guides our Mesoamerica program and is also engaged in campaigning on Third World debt cancellation.   Though he recently retired, Ernie is still involved in many projects with the Social Justice Committee. He co-founded the SJC in 1975 with the goal of promoting discussion about international development issues. The goal set for the Committee by the founders was simple: to gain a better understanding of global poverty issues and to encourage Canadians to act at the local level in order to make a global difference. With more than thirty years of experience, Ernie is a frequent visitor to Central America, head of the Central America/Mexico subcommittee, a sought-after public speaker, and a leader of Third World debt cancellation campaigns.

Elvira Truglia
Project Coordinator, "A Different World" education project

A writer, broadcaster and consultant in communications and development, Elvira has worked for the SJC since 2003, writing, researching and coordinating the production of  “A Different World: An Educational Tool Kit for Building Global Justice” (2005) the 250-page multimedia resource for Canadian high school teachers and students, and the web-based version. In 2005-2006, Elvira helped agricultural producers in Costa Rica develop their knowledge and skills in media and communications. From 1996-2002, she worked for the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) as the Public Education Programme Director.