Meet the Executive Team

At REST Centres, our leadership team combines lived experience, professional expertise, and a shared commitment to ending youth homelessness in Peel Region. Guided by the belief that safe and dignified housing is a human right, our executives provide the strategic direction, governance, and community partnerships that make our work possible.

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  • Founder & Executive Director

    Dagma is a humanitarian and visionary social entrepreneur, speaker, educator, leader, life coach and author. Her 10+ years’ experience includes both front line and managerial experience in the nonprofit sector, with post-secondary certifications in Social Work and Non-profit Leadership. Dagma’s passion and drive to help homeless and at-risk youth began as a new Canadian herself, when she struggled to secure housing, employment and access public services. In 2015, Dagma founded REST Centres, to fulfill a promise she’d made to herself many years earlier and follow the purposeful work that was calling to her.

A man with glasses smiling, wearing a light-colored plaid blazer and a white shirt, sitting outdoors with green foliage and umbrellas in the background.

  • Director of Operations

    Dr. Ben Bempah is a public administration and development planning expert. He has over fifteen years of experience in health system strengthening, community development, and poverty reduction program design and implementation. He is currently a professor at the Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology, School of Marketing. Ben has a strong commitment to being a conspirator to end youth homelessness and will continue to provide unrelenting support to rally to achieve the vision of REST. Specialties: Proficient in program monitoring and evaluation, public financial management, statistical analysis, and sustainable development project planning and management.