khawkins@womenslegalcentre.ca
www.womenslegalcentre.ca
(604) 354-7021

Kim Hawkins (JD, Mst Int’l Human Rights Law) is the Executive Director of Rise Women’s Legal Centre, a non-profit legal clinic providing free family law services to low income women in BC. Rise’s services are provided primarily by upper year law students from the Peter A. Allard School of Law. Prior to working at Rise, Kim worked in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory where she worked for many years as a full time staff lawyer at a busy legal aid clinic, practising mainly in the areas of family and criminal law; as part of her regular duties she traveled to small northern communities for circuit court. While in Whitehorse she also spent two years as judicial clerk and served for four years as President of the Yukon Women’s Transition Home Society. From 2007 to 2008, Kim worked on strategic constitutional litigation at the Legal Resources Centre in Grahamstown, South Africa. She holds a J.D. in Law from the University of Victoria, and a Masters in International Human Rights Law from the University of Oxford.

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Ethnic Origin: European
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Languages: English

andrea@trustmode.com
https://consultantjournal.com/
(604) 345-7942

Andréa Coutu (MBA) founded ConsultantJournal.com, growing it from a tiny trade publication to an entrepreneurship community with 60,000 unique monthly visitors. Originally a finance and tech marketing consultant, Andréa pivoted when her life took some unexpected turns. While quietly building Consultant Journal, she found herself applying lived experience to advocacy for education, women’s rights, and social services. She co-developed some of Canada’s first recognized CPD courses on advocacy, reflective practice, inclusion and pronouns. Aiming to democratize business practices, Andréa published Consulting Fees: A Guide for Independent Consultants, available at bookstores worldwide. In addition to her MBA and Wharton Entrepreneurship studies, Andréa has studied psychological first aid, trauma-informed practice, collaborative problem solving and Indigenous cultural safety. She has taught for UBC and Simon Fraser University, guest lectured for Vancouver Island University, Langara, SFU Masters in Publishing and Vancouver Native College, and been interviewed by Entrepreneur, CBC, Radio Canada, Business Week, CanWest, The Vancouver Sun, The Toronto Star, Business in Vancouver and other media. She has published articles for a range of media, including USA Today. A social justice advocate, Andréa volunteers extensively and was a 2020 Small Business BC Community Impact Award nominee and a recipient of a 2019 Hidden Hero award from The Hon. Joyce Murray, MLA.

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Ethnic Origin: North American Indigenous; European
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Languages: English

kchave@summitfamily.ca
(250) 489-3114

Katie Chave (BA) is currently the coordinator for the Community Based Victim Services program in Cranbrook. With 6 years of experience in the anti-violence sector, an undergrad major in the Women’s and Gender Studies program from the University of Saskatchewan, and a passion for social justice, Katie strives to support and assist those in her community who are experiencing gender-based violence, and power based crimes. Since beginning her work in the Community Based Victim Services program, Katie has been invested in implementing and participating in projects that support and serve victims of intimate partner violence, and sexualized assault, including an Interagency Case Assessment Team, Sexualized Assault Response Team, and Third Party Reporting. In addition, Katie is committed to promoting community education and awareness of services and support available to the Cranbrook area. Katie fosters an enduring passion for inclusive, intersectional, and ecological feminism, and strives to utilize language that is accurate, responsible, contextual, and demonstrative of victim resistance when discussing violence or oppression on both an individual and global scale.

Location: Cranbrook, British Columbia
Ethnic Origin: Other North American
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Languages: English

dturner@kelliher-turner.com
www.kelliher-turner.com
(250) 812-1765

Diane Turner (BA, BEd, LLB, LLM) practices law at the firm of Kelliher & Turner in the areas of of personal injury litigation, criminal law and victims’ advocacy. She taught international criminal law and ethics at the University of the Hague for 6 years. She was the Chair of the Disciplinary Board of the International Criminal Court and is currently its Disciplinary Commissioner. She was called to the Bar of British Columbia, Canada in 1984 and obtained an LL.M at King’s College in London in 1986, after which she commenced work as Crown Counsel in Vancouver and Victoria. From 1990 to 1996 she provided policy and legal advice at the Criminal Justice Branch of the Ministry of Attorney General, particularly in regard to violence against women, prostitution, gender equity, and sexual assault. She served on the British Columbia Task Force on Family Violence and was instrumental in the development of a comprehensive province-wide justice system policy on Violence Against Women in Relationships. She served on a number of B.C. Law Society and Canadian Bar Association Committees, including the Discipline Committee, the CBA Judicial Advisory Committee and the Provincial Court of British Columbia Judicial Council. She acted in a Coroner’s Inquest involving the deaths of five family members in Victoria and co-authored, “Keeping Women Safe – April 2008”, which prompted the government of B.C. to launch an action plan to address domestic violence in a more coordinated and effective fashion. She became Queen’s Counsel in 2011.

Location: North Saanich, British Columbia
Ethnic Origin: European
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Languages: English

kklehal@lehallaw.com
www.lehallaw.com
(604) 596-1321
(604) 721-4529

Kamaljit Lehal (BA, LLB, mediator) studied law at UBC and was called the bar in 1990. She has a legal practice focused on immigration, personal injury and mediation. She has successfully represented many vulnerable women in immigration proceedings. Kamaljit has also served as supervising lawyer on a three year project with EVA BC and MOSAIC pertaining to immigrant women fleeing abuse. She was a member of another project pertaining to Forced Marriages. She has actively advocated for immigration policy reform, in particular, for out of status women in abusive relationships. She also led a one year project pertaining to mediation and domestic violence. She is Chair of a Options Community Services, a non-profit organization in Surrey BC. She also a board member on SALC BC, the first of its kind South Asian Legal Clinic in BC.

Location: Delta, British Columbia
Ethnic Origin: Asian
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Languages: English, Punjabi, Hindi

mairahssn@gmail.com

Maira Hassan (BA, LLB, LLM) is pursuing a PhD in Law at Peter A. Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia, where she also completed her LLM as a recipient of the Allard Scholar Graduate Fellowship. She obtained her LLB (Hons) from Queen Mary University of London and completed her undergraduate degree in Media, Information and Technoculture (MIT) and French literature from the University of Western Ontario. Her previous research work and publications include topics such as women in international policing, women in Canadian peacekeeping, and legal perspectives on extraterritorial policing. Currently, her research focus is on aspects of consent in sexual assault law and how it might impact marginalized and racialized women in Canada

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Ethnic Origin: Asian
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Languages: English, Urdu, French

n.moghadami@gmail.com
(604) 551-7591

Nazanin Moghadami (MCP, RCC) is a feminist and registered clinical counsellor, living and practicing in Vancouver. Nazanin’s work is informed by social justice and anti-oppression values, and she is open to the work that her values take her. In addition to practice trauma-informed, healing-centered counselling and working primarily within the queer and immigrant communities, Nazanin wears a few different hats. Nazanin is the Regional Council Chair for BC Association of Clinical Counsellors, she serves the Rainbow Refugee as a board member and is a contractor of Ending Violence Association of BC. Equity, accessibility and inclusion are the informative principles of Nazanin’s portfolio.

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Ethnic Origin: Other
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Languages: English, Farsi

barbarajharvey@gmail.com
(604) 313-5560

Barbara Harvey (RN, BSc, MScN, JD) is a registered nurse with Vancouver Coastal Health, Provincial Health Services Authority, and Doctors Without Borders (MSF). She has experience working in a busy emergency department in a provincial trauma centre hospital; a leading HIV/infectious diseases unit; a specialized sexual assault response team; a nursing outreach team for shelters and single-room occupancy hotels; and a dedicated refugee primary care clinic. She has also lived and worked in lower resource settings domestically and internationally, including a remote village on B.C.’s North Coast, refugee camps in Nepal and Jordan, and rural villages in southern Mexico. In 2018, she worked at a field hospital in South Sudan with Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

Barbara has a Bachelor of Science Honours in Biology and Environmental Studies, a Juris Doctor from the University of Victoria Faculty of Law, a Master’s in Nursing from McGill University, and a Diploma of Tropical Nursing from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Prior to becoming a nurse, Barbara was a practicing lawyer in the area of Aboriginal rights and title.

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia; various international postings
Ethnic Origin: Other North American
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Languages: English, intermediate French

fmoslem@mosaicbc.org
(778) 680-2100

Farahnaz Moslem (MA) started to work with women when she found that her rights as a woman were limited in her country, especially if she wanted to work as a women’s rights activist. She couldn’t be useful in her country because working as a women’s rights activist could send her to jail. Lack of laws cause a lot of damage on women, even death. So, Farahnaz moved to Canada with her family to use her knowledge and courage to help women and empower them by teaching and giving their rights. She is sure that the women are the core of the family, and a healthy family needs a healthy woman. Violence against women and girls is a grave violation of human rights. Its impact ranges from immediate to long-term multiple physical, sexual and mental consequences for women and girls, including death. It negatively affects women’s general well-being and prevents women from fully participating in society. Violence not only has negative consequences for women but also their families, the community and the country at large. At the present time, Farahnaz works with refugee families. She helps them to settle in their new country and to learn how to advocate for themselves. It is her dream to be woman activist working with the UN and the Government to end violence against women in this country, and trying to help their voices to be heard.

Location: Burnaby, British Columbia
Ethnic Origin: Asian
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Languages: English, Farsi, Dari, Azeri

cicely@cicelyblainconsulting.com
www.cicelyblainconsulting.com
(604) 245-0772

Cicely Belle Blain is a diversity and inclusion consultant, activist and writer; they are one of Vancouver’s fifty most influential people of 2018, as awarded by Vancouver Magazine, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter – Vancouver, one of CBC’s 150 Black Womxn Making Change in Canada and BC Business 30 Under 30 2019 and has served as a member of the Canadian Youth Delegation to the United Nations. Cicely Belle runs Cicely Blain Consulting – a social-justice informed diversity and inclusion consulting company with over 50 clients across North America, Europe and Asia.  Their work is informed by their professional and academic background at the University of British Columbia, their lived experience as a Black, queer artist, a community builder, an intersectional feminist and a Black liberation activist. Cicely Belle is also an instructor in Executive Leadership at Simon Fraser University and their first book debuts in 2020.

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Ethnic Origin: Caribbean, African
Pronouns: They/Them/Theirs
Languages: English

karintischler@emilyspath.ca
www.emilyspath.ca
(604) 838-3135

Karin Tischler received an M.Phil in Economics from the University of Oxford, and has gained research expertise throughout her professional life. She worked first as a management consultant in England, Germany, and the USA on various projects ranging from airport management to retail (3 years). As the head of the Competitive Intelligence Department for a Fortune 500 company, she provided research and data information for investor calls as well as senior executives and board of director meetings (5 years). After experiencing being a stay-at-home mom for 11 years, Karin has used her research skills for the past 14 months to conduct international best practice research about professionals trying to return to paid work. She has interviewed and met best practice leaders in Europe as well as North America, and was invited to the largest North American returner conference by its founder. She also received a bursary to attend the Women Deliver 2019 conference further learning and advocating about professionals returning back to paid work. Karin has been a guest on podcasts, Facebook live chat, published a blog, presented and organized an event to raise further awareness about this often forgotten but very important part of the workforce. She is very well connected (10k LinkedIn connections) in the flexible job/ job sharing/ returners/ gender equality community in Europe, North America and the rest of the world. Karin’s mother tongue is German and thus she is aware of the latest European industry trends very early.

Location: Surrey, British Columbia
Ethnic Origin: European
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Languages: German, English

Jennifer@peak-resilience.com
www.peak-resilience.com
(604) 833-6140

Jennifer Hollinshead (BSc, MA) is the Founder and Clinical Director of Peak Resilience, which she created with a vision to provide easy-to-navigate, high quality, trauma-informed services for clients motivated to feel better and live their best lives. Outside of her client work, Jennifer provides consultation, support and supervision to the team at Peak Resilience and can’t believe how lucky she is to be surrounded by such strong, compassionate, and authentic women.

In her practice, Jennifer brings over twenty years of combined counselling experience and education. She likes to uncover how clients have changed and been resilient in the past, and what motivates them to be resilient and inspired in the present. Jennifer also practices from an intersectional feminist approach, meaning she is curious about how living in a patriarchal, capitalist and colonialist society can impact mental health.

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Ethnic Origin: European
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Languages: English

lawreform@westcoastleaf.org
(778) 682-3522
(604) 684-8772 ext 112

Elba Bendo (BA, JD, LLM) comes to West Coast LEAF following years of work with communities directly impacted by systemic inequality. Prior to joining West Coast LEAF, Elba practiced labour, employment and human rights law at a Toronto-based social justice firm and volunteered with the Worker’s Action Centre where she assisted workers in situations of precarious employment in enforcing their rights. Through this work, Elba saw first-hand the challenges the most marginalized communities face in accessing the law. In 2016, she returned to school to receive an LLM from SOAS, University of London during which she researched how transnational coalition building can facilitate feminist law reform efforts. Following her LLM, Elba led a public legal education program at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law for newcomer youth. Most recently, she acted as a legal advisor to a number of women-led grassroots community organizations working on indigenous land rights in Myanmar. Elba loves traveling, reading (particularly post-modern fiction) and trying out new fitness classes.

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Ethnic Origin: European
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Languages: English, Albanian

chastityontheweb@gmail.com
www.chastitydavis.com
(778) 251-0444

Chastity Davis (MA, BA, DiplT) is a mixed heritage woman of First Nations and European descent. She is a proud member of the Tla’amin Nation. Chastity strives to keep her sacred First Nations culture, traditions, and values incorporated into her modern-day life. She feels it is her life purpose to facilitate the building of bridges between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and has dedicated her professional and personal life to do so. Chastity is sole proprietor to her own consulting business, Chastity Davis Consulting and has been a successful award-winning entrepreneur for 8 years. She is the Chair of the Ministers Advisory Council on Indigenous Women and co-founded the Professional Aboriginal Women’s Network. Chastity is also Chair of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s Indigenous/Reconciliation Council.  She is also a certified Yin Yoga Teacher and is passionate about weaving Indigenous knowledge/ways of being/worldview into this ancient practice and co-creating pathways for women to reconnect with the true essence of who they are as a radical act of individual and collective reconciliation.

Location: Vancouver/Williams Lake, British Columbia
Ethnic Origin: North American Indigenous
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Languages: English

lrupert@ywcavan.org
www.ywcavan.org
(604) 734-5722

Lisa Rupert is VP of Housing Services and Violence Prevention with the YWCA and Chair of the Board of Directors of the BC Society of Transition Houses. With 25 years of frontline experience, Lisa has created programs, influenced policies and been a vocal spokesperson on violence prevention.

Location: Metro Vancouver, British Columbia
Ethnic Origin: European
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Languages: English

(250) 592-6073

Gisela Ruebsaat (BA, LL.B.) is an independent legal analyst, writer and scholar. She has played a lead role in key justice reform initiatives throughout her career. As an analyst for EVA BC, Gisela worked with police, corrections and community advocates to design and implement provincial anti-violence programs to improve access to justice for marginalized women. Many of these BC-born initiatives are now being adopted by other Canadian provinces and territories. Gisela also worked at the Ontario Ministries of Attorney General, and Citizenship and Culture, developing race relations, human rights and multiculturalism policies. Gisela received the Silver Medal Award from the Ontario government and the BC Building a Safer Future Award for her anti-violence work. In 2006 Gisela co-authored the groundbreaking unfounded study which documented police misclassification of sexual assault cases, ultimately leading to a national review of police practices. Gisela is an accomplished poet and scholar whose work has appeared in both literary and academic journals. Her writing investigates the role of legal and literary language: how it can help us unearth memories and histories associated with social injustice. Her debut poetry collection, Heart Mechanic, was published in 2016. Gisela is Associate Editor of the Canadian Review of Art Education.

Location: Victoria, British Columbia
Ethnic Origin: European
Languages: English, German