Yonge Street Mission | Hope in the City! Since 1896

Dr. Rick Tobias
President and CEO

Rick Tobias is best known for his life-long advocacy on behalf of low-income and marginalized people. His early professional experience in his native Saint John, New Brunswick introduced him to poverty that spans generations and requires a broad-based approach to change.

Rick began refining his understanding through his undergraduate degree in Sociology (B.A.) from Acadia University. He pursued a focus on urban communities, graduating from the Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education, in Chicago, and completing a Master of Divinity degree at Acadia Divinity College. In 2003 he was awarded an Honourary Doctorate in Divinity by McMaster University.

Prior to joining the staff of Yonge Street Mission in 1983, Rick primarily worked to develop programs and ministries to address the needs of low income and inner city residents in Atlantic Canada.

In 1983, he became coordinator of YSM’s Evergreen Centre, which he refocused to address needs of street youth. His innovative work at Evergreen led to the invitation to become YSM’s CEO, a position he has held since 1989.

Rick has spoken hundreds of times on Canadian poverty, urban ministry, youth-at-risk and strategies for community-wide change. He appears frequently on television and radio, and in print media, and is sought after as a consultant and coach. Since 1984 he has been a regular lecturer at Tyndale University College & Seminary, and has both taught and consulted abroad.

Rick lives in Toronto with his wife Charis, who owns a graphic design business. They have two adult sons, Jeremy and James. Apart from family and work, his key interests are motorcycling, music, and deepening his understanding of personal spirituality.

Karen Bach, B.A., M.A. Psych., M. Div.,
Mission Program/Ministry Officer

Karen is the Mission Program/Ministry Officer at Yonge Street Mission with responsibility to oversee the delivery of the vast range of services that YSM offers to marginalized people living in poverty.

Prior to moving into this position, for seven and a half years, Karen was the Director of Yonge Street Mission’s Evergreen Centre for Street Youth where she oversaw the delivery of a complete range of services to meet the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs of young people between the ages of 16 and 24 who are street-involved, including providing youth with essential life-skills education, employment search assistance, housing help and free health and dental care.

Prior to joining the staff at Evergreen, Karen, spent almost 12 years as a chaplain at the University of Toronto. During that period, in addition to responding to crises, conducting worship, leading workshops on subjects such as grief, and working with university staff to organize programmes for students, she spent many hours providing counselling to students who were struggling with personal or scholastic issues.

Karen has degrees from the University of Toronto (BA -’87), Knox College (MDiv - ’90), and Norwich University (MA - ’94). She has been an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church in Canada since September 1990.

Karen has served on numerous boards and committees. She was a member of the Board of Evangel Hall Mission for 6 years, functioning as President for 2 of those years during which time the present $13,000,000 supportive housing and drop-in complex on Adelaide Street was built. She convened a Presbytery committee that enabled a church in one of the City of Toronto’s 13 priority high-needs neighbourhoods to establish a new after-school program for marginalized children and youth. For eight years, Karen was the Presbyterian representative on the Ontario Multifaith Council on Spiritual and Religious Care and chaired the Council for two years. Currently, Karen is a member of the Interfaith Social Assistance Reform Coalition (ISARC), a multi-faith coalition that challenges the government of Ontario to take action to reduce and eliminate poverty in the province.

Karen is married to Stephen, a realtor, with whom she has two grown children.

Paul Davidson
Mission Operations Officer

Paul Davidson joined Yonge Street Mission at the beginning of 2009 in the newly-created role of Mission Operations Officer. Trained as a professional engineer, he has over thirty years of corporate leadership experience in Canada and internationally. Paul has held senior executive positions in a broad range of manufacturing and service industries and has participated as a board member on both for-profit and non-profit boards.

Paul left the for-profit sector later in his career to join the Mission to “give back”. His considerable talents and experience benefit YSM as he oversees Finance, IT, Human Resources and Property Services. He also has the lead role in business ventures such as the Double Take store and will be developing potential new business opportunities aligned with the Mission’s values and strategic direction.

Paul and his wife, Susan, have two sons and two grandchildren.

Ray Marshall, CFRE
Chief Development Officer

Ray Marshall, CFRE, is the Chief Development Officer for Yonge Street Mission (YSM). He brings to YSM an in-depth knowledge, experience and expertise in implementing capital campaigns, annual fund raising plans, and planned giving programs. Ray has worked in the philanthropic community for many years and has been involved with some of Canada’s largest charities, spanning from Toronto to Vancouver.

Ray is often called upon to share his knowledge and expertise with charitable organizations. He has taught courses and led numerous workshops and seminars on fundraising management, strategic planning and communications for the not-for-profit sector. As a volunteer, Mr. Marshall has been involved with several youth, church, community and school organizations at both governing board and committee levels. He is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). He has served on local, national and international funds development boards and committees. Mr. Marshall is a graduate of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in Business Administration, holds a certificate from the Owen Graduate School of Management (Vanderbilt University—Nashville, Tenn.) and is also an alumnus of the Athabasca University where his major area of study has been Organizational development.

Ray is married to Dorothy who also has a successful career in the not-for-profit sector; together they have 3 grown children; Joylyn—married to Kent—Joshua, and James.