Press release
19 December 2023
Diana Gallego elected President of the Canadian Council for Refugees
The Canadian Council for Refugees is pleased to announce that Diana Gallego was elected President at its Annual General Meeting on November 18th 2023. Diana has been a member of the CCR Executive Committee since last year, and comes to us from FCJ Refugee Centre in Toronto, where she serves as Senior Director. Diana is proudly the first Amina Malko Fund recipient to become CCR President.
Jenny Jeanes was re-elected for her second term as Vice-President, representing Action Réfugiés Montréal.
“As President of the CCR for the 2024-2025 period, I am looking forward to upholding our organization’s mission of advocating for social justice and transformation by challenging racism, colonialism and intersecting oppressions.” – said Diana Gallego. “Along with the rest of the CCR team, we hope to bring about attention and change to key issues such as the Safe Third Country Agreement, the regularization program, and keeping Canada as a welcoming country for refugees and migrants. I extend my thanks to all members and supporters of the CCR for the trust you have placed in me, and I look forward to beginning this journey with you all.”
Diana Gallego takes over from Aleks Dughman-Manzur, who served as President from the end of 2021, and will continue on the Executive as Past President.
Biographical notes
Diana Gallego is a Colombian-trained lawyer, with experience in advocacy, human rights and social justice. In 2002, Diana was forced to flee Colombia with her husband and son. This experience shaped a new commitment and led her into working with immigrants and refugees. Diana graduated in Community Work from George Brown College in Toronto. She is a part time professor in the Centre for Community Services at George Brown College. Diana Joined the FCJ Refugee Centre in 2015 and is now its Senior Director.
Within the CCR, she also serves on the Inland Protection steering committees of the CCR, where the social and economic integration of refugees and family reunification are two of the main focuses of her advocacy. Diana has been part of the Canadian Council for Refugees for the last 17 years and is the first Amina Malko Fund recipient to become CCR President.
Media contact
Tanja Maleska, Co-Executive Director, media@ccrweb.ca