# Dara Parker

> Dara Parker is Toniic’s chief executive officer, bringing more than two decades of nonprofit and social-change experience to a global impact-investing community. Previously she led grantmaking at Vancouver Foundation and served as executive director of Social Venture Partners Vancouver and QMUNITY; she also co-founded Lezervations and serves on the boards of Rugby Canada and Forward Global.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at Toniic
- **Organizations:** Toniic, Vancouver Foundation, Social Venture Partners Vancouver, QMUNITY, Lezervations, Rugby Canada, Forward Global, UN-Habitat, United Nations Association in Canada, Cuso International, City of Burnaby
- **Nationality:** Canadian
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts, Honours, Politics, Queen’s University, Master of Planning, Urban Planning, University of British Columbia, Executive Certificate, Nonprofit Management, Duke University, Transition to General Management Programme, INSEAD Executive Education
- **Known for:** QMUNITY’s private and public funding increased 61% during her four-year tenure., Helped secure a $10-million City of Vancouver partnership for a new QMUNITY community centre., Led a Vancouver Foundation team of 26 responsible for $50 million in annual grants, according to Rugby Canada’s biography.

## Career timeline

- **2012-05** — Became executive director of QMUNITY.
- **2014** — Co-founded Lezervations with Isabelle Swiderski.
- **2016** — Left QMUNITY to become executive director of Social Venture Partners Vancouver.
- **2019** — Joined Vancouver Foundation; became vice-president of grants and community initiatives.
- **2024-07** — Left Vancouver Foundation to build a coaching and facilitation practice.
- **2024-11** — Joined Toniic as CEO; appointment was announced October 15.
- **2025-04** — Elected to Rugby Canada’s board for a three-year term.

## Achievements

- QMUNITY’s private and public funding increased 61% during her four-year tenure.
- Helped secure a $10-million City of Vancouver partnership for a new QMUNITY community centre.
- Led a Vancouver Foundation team of 26 responsible for $50 million in annual grants, according to Rugby Canada’s biography.
- Consulted with UN-Habitat for three years on its inaugural Youth Advisory Board.

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Listed on Rugby Canada’s 2026/27 board following its annual general meeting.
- **2025-04** — Elected to Rugby Canada’s board and commented on Toniic’s T100 Cruising Altitude research release.
- **2025-03** — Listed as a speaker for Toniic’s Melbourne member gathering.

## Links

- Website: https://www.daraparker.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daraparker
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/DaraNParker
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/daraparker1

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/dara-parker
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-08