Staff

Ian is the President and a Director of the Graham Boeckh Foundation (GBF), a private family foundation that is dedicated to transforming mental health services. He was appointed President of GBF in June 2015 and had previously held the position of Executive Chair. During Ian’s tenure in senior management positions with the Foundation, he has overseen the development of the strategic plan and has been involved in a number of large-scale projects in Integrated Youth Services, indicators for Canada’s mental health care systems and some major collaboratives in the mental health sector in Canada and internationally.

Ian is also a former Director of the Fondation Jeunes en Tête of Québec, whose mission is to promote mental health and raise awareness through its Partners for Life program, educating secondary school students on how to recognize the signs of mental health problems and how to seek help.

Ian’s career has spanned a number of fields including mental health, natural resource management and policy, economic and financial forecasting, as well as investment management. His professional background is primarily in the area of economics and finance. He earned an undergraduate degree in economics from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario and Masters of Economics from the University of British Columbia.

Outside of work, Ian has a passion for outdoor activities including hiking, biking, cross-country skiing and canoe tripping. Ian and his wife, Karen, live in Montreal and are the parents of three young adults.

Heshma is the Secretary-Treasurer of the Graham Boeckh Foundation. She is a chartered accountant (CPA) and earned her ACCA designation and Masters in England.

Heshma has worked in several accounting firms including PWC in Mauritius (her country of origin) and KPMG in Sudbury, Canada. She also taught accounting and finance at LETU university in Mongolia.

Heshma has served on the Board of Directors of Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, the Action Coalition on Human Trafficking Alberta, and the St. Albert Family Resource Centre.

In her spare time, she loves travelling and making memories with her two young children. She is also a food enthusiast.

Raliza has over 10 years experience in developing research strategy and overseeing investments in the neuroscience and mental health research sector. As Portfolio Developer/Head of Neuroscience & Mental Health at the Wellcome Trust, she managed a £500M+ portfolio of grants and developed a number of public-private partnerships. She has provided input on the development of roadmaps for the brain health sector and worked closely with the IAMHRF over many years to increase collaboration amongst mental health research funders. Raliza holds an MA in Psychology Research from the University of the Witwatersrand and a PhD (Biology) from the University of Cambridge.

Elana Ludman is the Vice President, Youth Mental Health. In her role, she works with a variety of stakeholders, including policy makers, mental health experts, philanthropic foundations, service providers, and youth and their families to support Integrated Youth Services across Canada. Prior to GBF, Elana worked at the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation where she was the Social Innovation Advisor and worked closely with the President to develop multi-stakeholder partnerships and advance organizational priorities in child and youth mental health, early childhood development and Indigenous reconciliation.

Before philanthropy, Elana worked at the Canadian Government as a Program Advisor in the Ministry of Employment and Social Development, where she advised on their children and families portfolio and supported non-profit organizations across the country as they scaled their social innovations. Elana has also worked in the community sector, with Habitat for Humanity Argentina as a Field Coordinator, and with Santropol Roulant, a youth-run non-profit organization in Montreal, where she served as the Director of Development and Communications for five years.

In her spare time, Elana sits on the Board of Directors of Apathy is Boring, a national organization looking to engage young people in democracy through art and technology, and the Museum of Jewish Montreal, a local organization re-defining the definition of museums as it looks to engage people across cultures and generations.

Elana holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University and a Masters in Social Policy and Development from the London School of Economics.

Marni joined GBF in January 2023 after serving as an Advisor to the Pan-Canadian team for the past year.

She has extensive leadership experience having previously worked in government, academic and not-for profit settings. A former teacher, counsellor, teacher educator, researcher and policy-maker, Marni is guided by an ethic of care, a deep belief in collaboration, and a passion for child, youth and family wellbeing. Marni was a co-founder of Mentor Canada and currently sits on the Steering Committee for the Community-University Partnership for the Study of Children, Youth and Families and as a board member of the Terra Centre for Pregnant and Parenting Teens.

At GBF, Marni plays a key role in supporting the Integrated Youth Services movement, focused on transforming how youth health and social services are delivered in communities across Canada, including mental health and substance use health services.

She lives in what is traditionally known as amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta) on Treaty 6 territory.

Diane supports the Chair of the Graham Boeckh Foundation and the Executive Director of the IAMHRF.

She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Relations at McGill University in Montreal and has worked in human resources, office management and executive offices in the telecommunications and biotechnology industries.

Motivated by discovery, challenge and progress, she finds it inspiring to work for the Foundation as the team works to support the evolution of integrated youth services.