Staff Biographries
NPCC staff members are talented, energetic and dedicated arts professionals who are here to serve the needs of our community!
Ghena Abed
Ghena started as a placement student at NPCC in late 2023 and joined as a CSR (Customer Service Representative) momentarily after. During her time at NPCC, she broadened her knowledge of art and refined her interpersonal skills, promoting a deeper understanding of how creativity can be utilized in her interactions with children and families. She is committed to applying her learning from her program and practical experiences to make a positive impact on those she helps, integrating her love for art with her passion for helping others.
Liha (Lee-Ah) Ahmed
Toia Allen-Daniels
Toia Allen-Daniel is an illustrator who specializes in painting and ink drawing, as well as digital paintings. She currently resides in Toronto, Ontario studying the arts at Humber College.
Toia has studied many forms of art in the Art Foundation program at Humber College, where she obtained a college certificate exploring different mediums such as drawing, painting, photography, graphic design, animation, and illustration. She now is currently studying in the Visual and Digital Arts program at Humber College, where she participated in various exhibitions such as the Toronto Biennial of Art show in the Art in Access exhibition at the Art Commons in 2019.
She looks forward to learning more about the members and community that makes NPCC a creative melting pot!
Sum Duff, Customer Service Representative
Sum Duff (he/him) is a visual artist and soon to be graduate of Silverthorn Collegiate Institute. He is actively involved in the arts at his highschool as a member of the SHSM (Specialist High Skills Major) Program, which has allowed him to become involved in projects such as Silverthorn’s annual Arts Showcase as a graphic designer and curator.
Sum’s major interest lies in painting, however he also explores digital media, sculpting, and drawing with many other mediums. The SHSM program has also provided Sum with the opportunity to take part in a co-op position here at the NPCC, which has continued into his work as a CSR and Summer Camp Counsellor.
He is excited to continue studying and expanding his knowledge in arts and culture during his post secondary education, as well as gaining experience, building connections, and contributing to the community here at the NPCC!
Julia Farrant, Program Manager
Julia Farrant is a designer, project manager and team leader with a business development and creative concept and brand development background in marketing and communications.
She has supported the identity and growth of companies from across a number of sectors and has launched and managed programming and events for not-for-profit projects as well as construction and build projects for developers. Julia holds a degree in Design and Communications, BODC from Toronto Metropolitan University, a Creative Fashion Design Diploma from George Brown College as well as a Facility and Property Management Certification with a focus on space planning, sustainability, operations and ROI.
Julia is the winner of a number of fashion design and art direction awards including the Toronto Fashion Incubator Award, Best Collection. She has had the pleasure owning and operating a small design and sewing school for all ages and abilities in Toronto with a focus on sustainability, textile recycling and the environment. Julia has designed daywear, specialty costume, art installations and most recently through in-depth research, developed supporting clothing for children with sensory processing issues. Julia is very excited to be a part of the NPCC team.
Matthew Summers is an Illustration student at OCAD University.
Art has been a lifelong interest to Matthew and he has been drawing for as long as he can remember. He continues to practice and improve through his classes and is currently learning more about analogue and digital painting. He’s painted a few murals, one of which is in his old high school Etobicoke Collegiate Institute.
Music is another passion that was pursued in middle school with his participation in the band program where he learned to play the trumpet. As his interest in music grew he started taking piano lessons as well. However, what really captured his attention was a small music class in high school that introduced students to electronic music and production. He has continued creating music electronically outside of school and this has allowed him to draw upon many genres for inspiration for his own music.
Matthew was introduced to NPCC when he started working as a summer camp counselor and this last summer he worked as an instructor for the summer camp. He enjoyed working at NPCC over the summer and so when the opportunity arose to continue throughout the year as a Customer Service Representative he gladly took it.
Cory Therrien is an administrative and marketing professional with a diverse range of professional experience in areas such as office management, purchasing, event coordination, and product and brand analysis and departmental budgeting.
Cory is a believer in life-long learning and strives to acquire new insights, knowledge and skills through her work and classes in college continuing education, art and calligraphy.
She has a Bachelor of Administrative Arts in Office and Administrative Studies and a Certificate in Marketing from Ryerson University.