Staff

AMANDA KATZ
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Amanda has always been passionate about making positive changes within her community. Whether through feeding the homeless, teaching English to new immigrants, blurring divides between disconnected communities, or fundraising for various charities, she was always eager to raise a helping hand. 

She spent the last several years in the advertising industry and working across a variety of categories within the for-profit and not-for-profit spaces – notably the LCBO, Casper, Desjardins Insurance, The Source, and Toronto Restaurant Workers’ Relief Fund. From this, she garnered the ability to build lasting relationships with clients and partners, translate ideas into operational plans, and solution-find to create the most success for her clients’ business. Moreover, she has an understanding of how to communicate and proliferate important messages. She is thrilled to be taking these skills with her to strengthen the presence of Homeless Cars and ultimately raise the most funds possible for our charity partners.

Amanda lives in Toronto but forever identifies as a Hamiltonian. She spends her spare time diving into good books, searching the city for the best coffee shops, and immersing herself into a great film at a neighbourhood movie theatre (so long as Covid restrictions permit).

Gillian Speziali
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS & COMMUNICATIONS

Gillian has always advocated for the needs of the most vulnerable members in her community. Through her work as a Girl Guides of Canada leader and member for over 14 years and through her continuous involvement volunteering with local retirement homes, Gillian has had the opportunity to provide meaningful social support to a large and variable demographic.

Throughout her career, Gillian has worked within the automotive sector, focusing on corporate operations management, client relations, and business partnerships. Most recently she has worked with Subaru Canada and Driven Brands Canada as Senior Supervisor of Franchise Services. Within this role, Gillian refined her ability to conduct critical business analysis, oversee project implementation and manage the customer experience. Gillian is humbled by the opportunity to apply her experience in the corporate automotive industry to the not-for-profit world.

Gillian, who is originally from Newmarket, spends her free time hiking with her two dogs Walter and Toby, baking, and working towards her Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology from McMaster University.

Ashley Hanna
Tow Coordinator

When you make a donation to Homeless Cars, it is Ashley that will either be on the other end of the line or coordinating with our Charity Administrators  to make arrangements to have your vehicle picked up.

Throughout her years of working in the automotive industry she has worn many hats from the customer service side to the management side,  Ashley is very well rounded in every aspect of the automotive industry. She most recently worked at a salvage automotive auction for 12 years prior to joining our group of organizations.

Born and Raised in Hamilton, ON, Ashley moved to Calgary to further herself in the Automotive industry and took on a management role for 4 years.  

In her free time she loves to spend time with her daughter swimming and go karting.

Nicole Bryck
Charity Administrator

Nicole Bryck is the Charity Administrator at Homeless Cars. When you call to make a donation, she’s usually at the other end of the line! She also manages our communications and social media pages where she posts updates on our country’s current homelessness crisis and what our seven charity partners are up to. She has a passion for helping vulnerable populations and is thrilled to be working at Homeless Cars at a time when the homeless and food insecure need our help more than ever. 

 Most recently she has worked on a social issue research and advocacy project. Previous to that she worked in corporate and non-profit social responsibility consulting projects working with clients such as Children’s Wish Foundation, the Indian Business Corporation, Home Depot, and Nestle Canada. Nicole spends her weekends exploring new hiking trails with her family and reading. 

Board Members