YDC Appoints New CAO
Canada (October 6, 2026) — Young Diplomats of Canada (YDC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Gontina Fatima Lévêque as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). She succeeds Jacky Fung, who stepped down from the role earlier this summer, with YDC extending its sincere gratitude for his service to the organization.
Gontina is a public policy and administration professional with broad experience spanning the federal public service, politics, research, and the non-profit sector. She currently serves as an Acting Senior Program Advisor at Canadian Heritage, where she focuses on official languages and multiculturalism programming.
Since joining YDC in 2024, Gontina has played a key role in ensuring the organization's work remains data-driven, grounded, and representative of the diverse youth communities YDC serves across Canada. Bringing deep institutional knowledge and a sharp operational mindset to the Leadership Team, she holds a background in Business Administration and International Affairs and was awarded the Sami-Aoun Medal in 2024 in recognition of her outstanding community involvement.
“It is an honour to step into the role of Chief Administrative Officer at Young Diplomats of Canada,” said Lévêque. “My priority is to build streamlined, accessible systems that make day-to-day operations seamless and collaborative for our volunteer team. By strengthening our internal structures and knowledge-sharing, I look forward to fostering an environment where every young leader at YDC has the support and tools they need to thrive.”
“Gontina’s background in public administration, project coordination, and research makes her uniquely suited to lead YDC’s administrative operations into its next chapter,” said Ahdithya Visweswaran, Chief Executive Officer. “Her vision to cultivate a culture grounded in inclusion, collaboration, and continuous improvement aligns directly with our commitment to empowering our volunteer executives. We are thrilled to welcome her to the Leadership Team as we build a more sustainable and structured foundation for our organization.”
YDC’s executive team, including the CEO, COO and CAO, serve on a fully volunteer basis—contributing their time and expertise alongside their professional careers to advance youth participation in international decision-making spaces.
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About YDC:
Young Diplomats of Canada is a national, non-partisan, nonprofit organization composed entirely of young volunteers aged 18 to 30. Since 2007, YDC has been a trusted partner of Canadian youth, facilitating access to international decision-making spaces with the goal of enabling meaningful influence on public policy, both nationally and globally.