The tante Collective

Terrilyn Kunopaski, Principal at tante consulting inc., boasts more than 15 years of working in project management, strategic planning, community engagement and storytelling, primarily in the tourism sector. 

She began her career in publishing as the editor-in-chief for travel publications, where she developed her aptitude for team leadership, project management, engagement and storytelling. She then took the skills and expertise gained through that time to the consulting world as Director at Bannikin Travel & Tourism. Terrilyn led and supported tourism strategic planning efforts and projects with local and international destinations & destination management companies.

In May 2022, Terrilyn launched tante, and has since applied her skills in strategic thinking and engagement with communities across Ontario and beyond.

As you can see by this ‘Collaborators’ page, Terrilyn is keen to work with good people who are values-aligned and not afraid to think outside the box.

Marveh Farhoodi is a visionary designer, planner and community economic development strategist. With 20 years of experience, she is an idea architect celebrated for orchestrating community-centric planning and development projects and advising grassroots ventures across diverse settings, including rural, urban and Indigenous contexts.

Through her Ethnomad brand, Marveh leverages her background in architecture and urban design to confidently blur the lines between space, people and experience in arts, culture and tourism projects. Her well-researched expertise in sustainability and equity-centered practices has been honed through collaborations with private companies, local businesses, and grassroots, public, and non-profit organizations on local, provincial, national and international scales.

Marveh's portfolio is a vibrant tapestry of participatory planning, strategic planning, community-based tourism development, and sustainability assessment. She is well-versed in accessibility and inclusion, with particular proficiency in AODA Inclusive Design. Her journey has led to numerous tourism and cultural-focused strategic planning, design, development, and pilot projects with a diverse range of organizations and grassroots initiatives. Among her notable collaborations are tante consulting inc., Canadian Ecotourism Services, Fifth Wheel Toronto, Domari Society of Gypsies in Jerusalem, Culture Routes Society, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and East Anatolia Project Management.

As a project lead, Marveh has played a pivotal role in participatory planning and stakeholder engagement projects with community grassroots and non-profit social organizations, including St. James Town Co-Op, Toronto Community Housing, Open Architecture Collaborative Canada, and Black Urbanism Toronto. Her leadership extends to her roles as a board member and director of programs with Open Architecture Collaborative Canada.

In her spare time, Marveh dedicates herself to her social start-up, Plates Without Borders, a platform for storytelling and networking among rural and Indigenous women-led initiatives in the tourism and hospitality sectors. A passionate cat lover, she is also a devoted guardian to orangutans and polar bears. Her life and work have taken her to five different countries, where she has engaged with over 50 diverse communities and grassroots groups. Her extensive travels have led her to more than 125 local and rural destinations around the globe.

Leni has over 20 years of experience across many sectors in hospitality and tourism. She founded Brem Consulting Inc. (‘BCI’) in 2017 as a way to work with organizations and on projects that aligned with her values.

Driven by a vision of a tourism industry that authentically represents the diversity of the people who live in a place, and the belief that everyone has a role to play in bringing that vision to life, BCI helps organisations put these values into practice. Leni’s career path has spanned restaurants, hotels, events, sales, agri-food, and operations, finally bringing that breadth of knowledge to tourism. Starting a role with Indigenous Tourism Ontario (ITO) six weeks before the pandemic in 2020, her leadership skills and diverse experience contributed to the growth of ITO through its reach and impact during a critical time. She has since contributed to the success of other provincial not-for-profits including Ontario Culture Days, Ontario Restaurant Hotel and Motel Association and the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario.

She sits on the boards of Central Counties Tourism (RTO 6) and the York Region Arts Council, and recently finished a term on the Culinary Tourism Alliance’s DEI Advisory Committee. Additionally, she co-founded and is co-chair of Central Counties Tourism’s Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Committee.

Prior to working in tourism, Leni held front-line and management positions in a variety of hospitality, foodservice, and event settings, ranging from multinational corporations to family-run independent businesses. Her career diverged slightly to agri-food (always food!), working with locally produced natural meat distributors and industry associations, a local food manufacturer in the grocery-retail sector, and for the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair where she produced a brand-new, Metro-sponsored agri-food feature, and managed partnerships and logistics for more than ten participating RTOs and DMOs.