Theresa Laurico, Founder / Executive Director

Born and raised in Toronto, Theresa Laurico is a passionate and experienced producer, director, and creator of various media works for high caliber clients including MuchMusic, Rogers Media, CTV Creative Agency, Zink Inc., and Planeterra/Gap Adventures.

Laurico holds Journalism degree from Ryerson University, graduated as the President of the course union and was recently nominated for Top 30 Under 30.

Her vision, creativity, and stand for innovative multimedia content has lead her recognition. Her awards include:

  • Canadian Film Centre’s NBC / Universal MMP
  • Women In Film & Television’s  Executive Media Leadership
  • TV 360 MultiMedia Program recipient for the 2009 Banff World Television Festival
  • Community Leadership Award, CSC- Lieutenant Governor of Canada
  • Laurico’s production company, e11even Productions Inc. aims to create innovative media and work that entertains, educates and inspires.

One of the shows that Laurico created is hosted by the owner of Gap Adventures, Bruce Poon Tip, and in a feature article on Poon Tip, the show was mentioned in 2009 Forbes Magazine for a show to watch for in 2010.

Aside from being a member of various organizations and groups including United Global Shift in New York City, she is a stand for empowering leaders and having people be fully self-expressed.

Love In Action is a call for action. It is more than a hot party, it’s a movement.  It’s leaders calling forward leaders. It’s looking for sustainable solutions. It’s celebrating and empowering leaders and making a positive difference.”

Jonelle Joseph, Executive Director

Born in Toronto Canada, Jonelle Joseph brings more than just a Radio & Television Degree from Ryerson University to her leadership in the entertainment industry and community.  Jonelle's passion for media and its ability to impact and tell stories that influence combined with her entrepreneurial flair is reflected on her social media site e11eFACTOR.com.

Jonelle has devoted half a decade within the television industry on high caliber productions such as, Slice Network’s Wedding SOS, and A Channel's Positive Living TV. Her work reflects her vision to build a global community where “the village” becomes more than just your family and friends but your city, country and international community.

Watching the Earthquake relief initiatives for Haiti has strengthened her resolve that no other network other than social media could have harnessed a global initiative of people putting their Love into Action as fast as they did.

Jonelle realized the need for the 2nd Love In Action event after being invited by Theresa Laurico to a 2am drive with Abbas Jahangiri (owner of the Toronto rock music landmark the El Mocambo, founder of Serving Charity, Now Magazine's Top 5 Torontonians) to hand out sandwiches and coffee to the homeless on the streets of Toronto.

She then teamed up with Theresa Laurico and Trevor Francis for Love in Action's successful second year raising thousands of dollars for new sleeping bags, hats and gloves for Toronto's homeless to survive the cold winter nights.

This life changing experience lead her to other initiatives and she founded another event with Toronto’s Boombox Saints called the “Soup Kitchen” in the February of 2008. The benefit was held at the El Mocambo to support Serving Charity’s soup kitchen initiatives. 

Through Love In Action, Jonelle is part of a larger community that impacts and inspires a whole new generation of leaders into calls of action for positive shifts.

Progress only takes place through action, and I am ALL about action. Especially putting MY Love in Action.”

Trevor Francis, Executive Director

Born and based in Toronto, Trevor Francis is an international award-winning producer/director, best known for his work on the America's Best Dance Crew2 Campaign, MuchMusic's acclaimed Black History Month spots, and the 2009 MMVAs during his career in MuchMusic's Creative Department.  He recently opened his own production company Gloss Creative: a network of some of the city’s top designers and animators who collaborate under Trevor’s Creative Direction.

It was while working closely on a campaign with Mark Kielburger, Co-founder of Free The Children, that Trevor was inspired to join forces with Theresa Laurico on Love In Action in its first year.  In the true contagious nature of Love In Action, Trevor was led to founding his own event, "T.O. Love Jay", a non-profit fundraiser for lupus research [LRA] in the name of the late great composer J Dilla.

Trevor has always had a love affair with music, and witnessed the true power of music first hand in Brazil during Rio's Carnival 2004.  Experiencing the strength, joy, beauty and love of a predominantly poor and helpless people during the thunderous spell of thousands of drummers playing in unison sent a jolt to his system.  This further strengthened his belief that nothing brings people together like music and a common cause.

Love in action gives him the opportunity to recapture and share that same experience again; to bring people together in the name of music, to celebrate a humanitarian cause - putting his love in action.


Kerri Minns

Born with a drive to excel and into a family that thrives for change, Kerri Minns is always searching for her next adventure. Sparked by a childhood in Germany and Belgium and a constant changing of cities, Kerri is on a mission to see as much of the beauty in the world as possible.

A graduate of Humber College’s Advertising and Graphic Design program and a marketer by trade, Kerri is inspired by the opportunities for change in the world and hopes to continually share and inspire others. A self professed culturephile, Kerri thrives on travel, design, music, food and technology, and always trying to keep up with the latest.

Kerri has been featured in the Ontario Prospects career guide magazine, profiled and had campaigns featured on The Ad Lounge, and been recognized with several service excellence awards throughout her marketing career. Recently, Kerri was selected for one of the coveted spots as the ‘World’s Coolest Travel Intern’ at Gap Adventures.


Taylor Hess Don't forget to vote for me as 2010 World Travel Intern!

A Texan by birth and a nomad by trade, Taylor has been trotting around the globe since 2006 developing himself in Tourism, Public Relations, Planeterra, and worldwide mischief. Taylor graduated from Texas State University with a degree in Public Relations while working at a Tech PR Agency in Austin, Texas.

In 2008 Taylor chose to place his public relations career on hold, and pursue his lifelong dream of travel. He left Texas in 2008 and has since been working as a Tour Leader with Gap Adventures in Central America. In 2009 Taylor was selected as one of Gap's Coolest Travel interns, and has recently been working with the Planeterra Foundation and Gap Adventures in Toronto, Ontario.

Taylor loves changing people’s lives, traveling, spending time with his family in Texas and throwing his Frisbee on beaches in Panama.


Bruce Poon Tip

In 1990, Bruce launched Gap Adventures with the belief that other travellers would share his desire to experience authentic adventures in a responsible and sustainable manner.They've grown from a one-man show to a company of over 850 world wide, and from a handful of trips in Latin America to hundreds of adventures spanning the globe... and beyond! Over 100,000 travellers experience the real world with Gap Adventures every year. What hasn't changed is the passion for making sure travellers get behind the scenes to experience the real world in an authentic and sustainable manner.


Our Core LIA Leadership Team

Nigel Grannum, Julz Diva, Melissa Porter, Lekhena Peou, Marcelo Pinero, Jeff Kahane, T’ameaux Brown, Caroline Akong, Ken Akong, Julie Francis, Chelsea Prescod, Chantal Prescod, Francine Joseph, Thomas Berger, Kelly Alberto, Jessica Kaya, Karlo Gabelic and our LIA, Planeterra and Gap Adventures Event Team Volunteers.

Questions? Want to join the team or volunteer?  Contact Us