CANADA RESEARCH CHAIR AND ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF GENDER, DEVELOPMENT, AND GLOBAL PUBLIC POLICY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS

CO-FOUNDER AT LADYSMITH

Tara Patricia Cookson is Assistant Professor and Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Gender, Development, and Global Public Policy at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (SPPGA) at the University of British Columbia. Tara is also an Associate Member of UBC’s Geography Department. She uses ethnographic and quantitative methods to study how power operates in development policy, with a focus on gender data, social protection, and care work. Her approach to public scholarship integrates academic research, practice-oriented publications, and direct engagement with international policy processes.

Dr. Cookson is the author of Unjust Conditions: Women’s Work and the Hidden Cost of Cash Transfer Programs (University of California Press, Open Access), winner of the Globe Book Award (American Association of Geographers), the Sarah A. Whaley Prize (National Women’s Studies Association), and a Development Studies Book Award Honorable Mention (International Studies Association). Her research has been published in Antipode, Gender Place & Culture, the International Journal of Feminist Politics, and Global Public Health. She regularly contributes commentary and analysis to outlets such as Devex, the Stanford Social Innovation Review, and the Toronto Star.

She also co-founded Ladysmith, a feminist research collective that connects academic scholarship to practitioner problem solving by helping international organizations collect, analyze and take action on gender data. She has collaborated with global development institutions such as UN Women, the International Labour Organization, UNICEF, Global Affairs Canada, USAID, Action Against Hunger, and the OECD-DAC Governance Network.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DR. TARA COOKSON:

https://taracookson.com/
https://sppga.ubc.ca/profile/tara-cookson/

Aga Khan Foundation Canada

TABLE CAPTAIN: SOPHIA MIRZAYEE

Sophia Mirzayee – Education & Youth Engagement Officer

Sophia Mirzayee, a first-generation Afghan Canadian, channels her life experiences into an unwavering dedication to human rights, youth empowerment, and education. Holding a B.A. in Human Rights, she seamlessly integrated her passion for human rights with youth engagement and education, earning a Masters in Education. Her pioneering thesis in Canada explored how NGO-school collaborations could enhance global citizenship education. Post-academia, Sophia contributed to UNA-Canada’s Generation SDG program, empowering youth in SDG advocacy. As an Education and Youth Engagement Officer at the Aga Khan Foundation Canada, she actively involves educators and youth in global citizenship. Beyond her professional life, Sophia seeks solace in meditation, tea, reading, and nurturing connections, all amid her appreciation for nature’s moments.

Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) is an international development organization and registered charity. AKFC partners with communities, businesses, and governments to find innovative, lasting solutions to promote inclusive development. Working in Africa and Asia, the Foundation invests in local institutions and systems that anchor progress over the long term. In Canada, AKFC undertakes a range of initiatives to engage and inform Canadians about global development, channel skills and expertise to support our programs overseas, and promote learning and knowledge exchange within Canada’s development sector. AKFC is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network, one of the world’s most comprehensive development organizations. Since 1980, AKFC has helped millions of people to unlock their own potential to build a better life.

Visit Aga Khan Foundation Canada→

Amnesty International

TABLE CAPTAIN: DON WRIGHT

Don Wright – Outreach and Training Coordinator  

Don Wright is the national outreach and training coordinator for Amnesty International Canada. Don has several decades of experience as an activist-educator and works to welcome and prepare new people for volunteer roles, including in leadership. The goal is to be able to respond in meaningful ways to human rights violations around the world and here in Canada. Amnesty Canada currently has a number of priority campaigns around gender equity, immigration detention, Indigenous territorial defenders, and freedom of expression, especially the right to protest. Don is based at the Vancouver office.

We are a global movement of people fighting injustice and promoting human rights. Members of Amnesty International in Canada campaign on human rights in the Americas and in a number of other countries where the actions of the Canadian government and of Canadians can have the greatest impact.

Visit Amnesty International Canada →

Canadian Mental Health Association 

TABLE CAPTAIN: MARIA WATSON

Maria Watson – Counselling Services Manager

Maria Watson (She/Her/Hers) is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with 20+ years of counselling experience, who specializes in treating anxiety and depression. She uses evidence-informed treatment approaches (including walking therapy). Maria also supervises the Steps youth program, teaches CBT to other mental health workers, and supervises practicum students who are learning to become counsellors.

Founded in 1918, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is a national charity that helps maintain and improve mental health for all Canadians. As the nationwide leader and champion for mental health, CMHA promotes the mental health of all and supports the resilience and recovery of people experiencing mental illness.

The CMHA, North and West Vancouver branch is a not-for-profit, charitable organization that provides a wide range of innovative services and supports tailored to and in partnership with the communities of North and West Vancouver, Bowen Island, the Sunshine Coast, and the Sea-to-Sky Corridor, offering essential programs and services such as Counselling, Peer Assisted Care Team, Social Support Groups, Youth Programs, Outreach, Housing, Peer Support, Community Wellness, Mental Health Education and Training.

Visit Canadian Mental Health Association  → 

Canadian Red Cross 

TABLE CAPTAIN: MANDANA SALIMIAN

Mandana Salimian – Systems Readiness Manager

Mandana, with a BA in Anthropology from UBC and an MPH from Simon Fraser University, joined the Canadian Red Cross in 2016 for Alberta Wildfires relief. Now a Systems Readiness Manager, she monitors program targets, strategically analyzes data, and implements unique technology tailored to the needs of emergency management programs.

The mission of the Canadian Red Cross is to help people and communities in Canada and around the world in times of need and support them in strengthening their resilience. The Canadian Red Cross Society is part of the largest humanitarian network in the world. This network includes the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and 192 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Visit Canadian Red Cross  →

Crisis Centre of BC

TABLE CAPTAIN: STACY ASHTON AND JEFFREY PREISS

Stacy Ashton – Executive Director

Stacy Ashton is the Chair of the BC Crisis Line Network and Executive Director of the Crisis Centre of BC. In both capacities, she works to make crisis and suicide prevention helplines like 1-800-SUICIDE and 310-6789 Mental Health accessible, trauma-informed, and part of a mental health and crisis care system that works for people. Stacy started her career in the non-profit sector as a volunteer on the Crisis Lines prior to completing her Masters in Counselling and working in the field as a Suicide Intervention Counsellor.

Jeffrey Preiss – Director of Development and Communications

Jeffrey (he/him) has a passion for human wellbeing and flourishing combined with an extensive professional background working in the intersections of communications and community engagement. He can often be found in the pool at a water polo practice, and he is an avid reader on topics such as deconstruction, poststructuralism, queer theory, critical race theory, and theology. Jeffrey holds a BA in history, an MA in theology, and an MA in cultural studies. He also holds a number of professional certificates in public relations, leadership and facilitation, conflict resolution, fundraising, public participation/consultation, and public policy development.

The Crisis Centre of BC is, since 1969, dedicated to providing help and hope to individuals, organizations, and communities, caring for residents living in the communities of Richmond, Vancouver, North Shore, Sea-to-Sky Corridor, Sunshine Coast, Powell River, Bella Bella, and Bella Coola located within the traditional territories of the Heiltsuk, Kitasoo-Xai’xais, Lil’wat, Musqueam, N’Quatqua, Nuxalk, Samahquam, shíshálh, Skatin, Squamish, Tla’amin, Tsleil-Waututh, Wuikinuxv, and Xa’xtsa. Spanning the spectrum of crisis support, suicide prevention, and postvention, they engage staff and volunteers in a variety of services and programs that educate, train, and support the strength and capacity of individuals and communities.

Visit Crisis Centre  →

Fraser River Indigenous Society

TABLE CAPTAIN: GINNA BERG AND LIZETTE PETERS

Ginna Berg – Executive Director

Ginna Berg has been the Executive Director for the Fraser River Indigenous Society for over five years. She has over nine years of operations management and program development in community services.
Working with specialized communities to build culturally-safe spaces, Ginna has focused on achieving holistic trauma-informed practices to support women in urban environments.

Lizette Peters – Housing Support Manager

In 2011 the Fraser River All Nations Aboriginal Society was formed to answer the needs of the urban Indigenous peoples of Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows.

Now called Fraser River Indigenous Society, we are here to serve Urban Indigenous Peoples, and so we welcome people of all nations and ages so we can foster a sense of belonging and provide space to connect and celebrate.

Visit Fraser River Indigenous Society  →

Georgia Strait Alliance

TABLE CAPTAIN: LUCERO GONZALES RUIZ

Lucero Gonzales Ruiz – Biodiversity Campaigner

Lucero moved to Vancouver from Mexico City in 2015 to study Biological Sciences, Conservation, and Evolution at SFU. During that time, Lucero served as president of the Association of Latin American Students at SFU, where she raised awareness of social issues in Latin America. Lucero is passionate about social and environmental justice, challenges that can only be solved with the inclusion of local communities.

For more than 30 years, Georgia Strait Alliance has been the leading advocate for the protection of the Strait of Georgia.

Grounded in environmental justice, we mobilize and support collective action for the protection of a Salish Sea teeming with life where thriving and just communities live in balance with the environment. In order to achieve our vision of a Salish Sea teeming with life where thriving and just communities live in balance with the environment, we recognize that our approach to environmental conservation must build and activate community power to foster systems transformation that is community-led. This approach centres and takes its lead from communities, and reflects that we cannot achieve healthy ecosystems without also supporting healthy communities. We recognize that the people most impacted by climate change and environmental degradation have traditionally been excluded from the conversation, and we are committed to changing that by listening and working with these communities to address the complex and cross-cutting threats to the Salish Sea region.

Visit Georgia Strait Alliance →

Hope International

TABLE CAPTAIN: SEAN BURKE

Sean Burke – Director for Overseas Programs

Sean has extensive experience in international development and good governance. He has worked in 30 countries with the UN between 2003 and 2016, with long-term postings in Cambodia, Kenya, Philippines, and Tanzania. Sean is the Director for Overseas Programs, and has been with HOPE International Development Agency for 5 years. He has a broad range of responsibilities including the strategic planning and oversight for all overseas programming with HOPE covering 15 countries and 9 SDGs; working with HOPE’s leadership team and board in organizational strategic planning; and representing HOPE on various working groups and forums, as well as with institutional donors including Global Affairs Canada

Compelled by compassion and the inherent worth and potential of every person, HOPE International Development Agency is a collective of entrepreneurial and dedicated people who are responsive to the realities of overlooked families living in extreme poverty. Founded in 1975 – in response to the Ethiopian famines ravaging the country – HOPE gathered a group of committed families, deeply compassionate and dedicated people, to act with love and Christ’s tangible compassion to address extreme need. They had one goal: help people. Today, that goal remains our firm foundation.

HOPE mobilizes resources and connects donors, volunteers and teams here in Canada with opportunities to fuel lasting change around the world.  Working in 16 countries – with a focus on clean water, food security and livelihoods – together we equip and empower possibility for families through approaches that are resilient, community-led and sustainable.

Visit Hope International Development Agency →

Immigrant Services Society of BC (ISSofBC)

TABLE CAPTAIN: REBECCA IRANI

Rebecca Irani – Director, Communications and Marketing

Rebecca Irani is a global communications strategist with over 18 years of experience in the international development/NGO, non-profit, private, and public sectors. She displays a passion for issues including education, diversity, inclusion, social justice, and sustainability.

She has worked at some of the world’s leading communications and marketing consultancies. She speaks English, French, and Spanish and has lived and worked across Europe, East Africa, the Americas, the Middle East, and Australasia. She immigrated to Canada in 2008.

Immigrant Services Society of BC (ISSofBC) provides free services to newcomers, including refugees, to settle in their communities, learn English and find work in British Columbia.

Visit ISSBC →

Ocean Wise

TABLE CAPTAIN: SCOTT BOHACHYK

Scott Bohachyk – Director, Seaforestation

With a Bachelor of Education in Social studies and English from the University of Alberta, a Master of Development Practice with a specialization in Local Economic Development from the University of Waterloo, and a Master of Business Administration from Queen’s University, Scott has dedicated his career to education, climate action, and building high-performing teams. Drawing from his previous experiences as an educator in Canada and the Middle East and as Director for the United Nations Association in Canada, Scott continues to further his understanding and application of best practices around behavioural science, experiential education pedagogy, and impact measurement at Ocean Wise. 

Scott’s passion for the environment goes beyond his professional life as he’s spent way too much time on his bike meandering around Vancouver, managing his house plants, and mapping out the next back country hike.  

Ocean Wise’s Youth programs inspire and empower youth to take actions that will help protect and restore our oceans. Leading the Ocean Wise Youth team since 2019, Scott has spent his career seeking solutions to the complex environmental challenges of our present and future and believes empowering young people is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle. Ocean Wise’s Youth initiative transforms the latest conservation research and solutions from Ocean Wise’s other initiatives (Fisheries and Seafood, Ocean Free Plastics, Whales, Seaforestation and Changing Arctic), to create a wide range of student-centered and inquiry-based programs that allow young people to design their own solutions to the challenges we collectively face.

Ocean Wise Youth has grown to reach over 500,000 people per year, with approximately 75% of youth reporting an increase in awareness, and commitment to behaviour change, after their engagement with Ocean Wise. Scott and the team partner with like-minded organizations to reach new audiences and offer an “ocean lens” to other organizations’ work.

Visit Ocean Wise →

Pacific Association of First Nations Women

TABLE CAPTAINS: SHERRI-BETH ROSETTE AND JESSICA SAKESKANIP

Sherri-Beth Rosette – Executive Director

Jessica Sakeskanip – Program Assistant

At Pacific Association of First Nations Women (PAFNW+) we envision a matriarchal community where all Indigenous women in BC are safe and respected with a sense of belonging and connection to cultural traditions.

To bring our vision into reality, we advocate for systems change and provide Indigenous, culturally safe learning and offer holistic supports to uplift Indigenous women and strengthen families.

Visit PAFNW  →

PeaceGeeks

TABLE CAPTAIN: JENNIFER FREEMAN

Jennifer Freeman – CEO

Jennifer has led the technology nonprofit’s strategy to scale, working with newcomers, policymakers, and nonprofit leaders to explore the enabling conditions for innovation and digital transformation, aiming to create more modern, efficient, and human-centered migration systems. Jen has been recognized for developing public-private partnerships that leverage technology to enhance the security and agency of human rights defenders, peacebuilders, displaced individuals, and conflict-affected populations. Before joining PeaceGeeks, Jen worked in international peacebuilding and humanitarian emergencies and is an internationally recognized expert on Women, Peace, and Security. Previously, she was a Professor of Practice at the Kroc School of Peace Studies, Director of the Women PeaceMakers Program, and a visiting fellow at the Centre for Women, Peace, and Security at the London School of Economics.

When not in front of a computer, Jen takes her family to as many places as possible. She hopes they will learn about the vastness and diversity of human experience; they hope she will learn how to lose better at cards.

PeaceGeeks is Vancouver-based non-profit organization that builds technology tools and capacities to address the most pressing challenges facing conflict-affected and vulnerable communities. Our work focuses in three key areas to make our world safer: empowering refugees through access to information on critical services; preventing and responding to violent extremism in digital spaces; and empowering community change makers and human rights defenders to stay safe online while defending human rights. We develop collaborative partnerships that recognize that we can be more effective in addressing today’s complex challenges when we bring together diverse perspectives, common purpose, and a shared sense of global citizenship.

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Plan International

TABLE CAPTAIN: VANESSA JAMES

Vanessa James – Philanthropy Manager

Vanessa has 20+ years of experience working with nonprofit and international development organizations including Plan International Canada, One Girl Can, Shanti Uganda Society, the United Nations, and the World University Service of Canada. As a consultant for six years, she focused on First Nations’ community planning, specializing in health planning, youth engagement, and women’s empowerment. Vanessa’s expertise spans major gift fundraising, corporate partnerships, grant writing, project management, and community engagement. Holding both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in international development studies, Vanessa combines passion and experience to drive positive change.

Plan International Canada is a member of a global organization dedicated to advancing children’s rights and equality for girls. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for more than 85 years and are active in more than 80 countries. We stand with children, especially girls, wherever they are oppressed, exploited, left behind or not equally valued. We’re determined optimists, and we will continue to persevere until we are all equal. We are calling on all Canadians to Defy Normal: to believe in the power and potential of every child and to take a stand anywhere children are oppressed, exploited or left behind and anywhere girls aren’t equally valued. Learn more about the organization behind Because I am a Girl and join us.

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The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)

TABLE CAPTAIN: C/SUPT DUNCAN POUND

Chief Superintendent Duncan Pound

Chief Superintendent Pound, born in Montreal and raised in Ottawa, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from McGill University. He joined the RCMP in 1996, graduating in 1997 and serving at Whistler Detachment in British Columbia. Currently, he serves as the Assistant District Officer and Operations Officer for the Lower Mainland District, overseeing 28 communities and 40 Indigenous communities to ensure public safety.

From December 2020 to April 2021, Pound acted as the Officer in Charge of CFSEU-BC in Surrey, providing oversight for organized crime strategy in British Columbia. Prior to that, from December 2021 to August 2023, he served as the Deputy – Operations for CFSEU-BC in Surrey, managing investigative teams, the Gang Intervention & Exiting Program, and overseeing the Provincial Tactical Enforcement Priority program.

In his role as Operations Support Officer from January 2018 to December 2019, Pound was responsible for Surveillance, CAST, UGET, Logistics, and Special Operations, integrating units from 13 different partner agencies across BC. He also served in the HQ Emergency Response Team in Special Weapons and Tactics and worked part-time as a Division Duty Officer for Protective Policing in E Division. Pound brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his current position in the RCMP.

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United Nations Associations in Canada – Vancouver

TABLE CAPTAIN: GEORGE SOMERWILL , ROSIO GODOMAR

George Somerwill – UN Department of Peacekeeping / Former Director of Communications – George is a Canadian former United Nations staff member who worked for the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) in a number of peacekeeping and other UN operational areas from 1996-2011. His work took him to Angola, Iraq (the Oil-for-Food Program), Pakistan (with UNICEF), Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, and Liberia. George has a MA in Post-conflict Reconstruction and Development in York U, UK. He started his career in the BBC Africa service and the CBC (As it Happens). As a journalist and producer, he travelled frequently to some of the world’s worst trouble spots, including Ethiopia and Somalia. He also worked for CIDA and CARE Canada in Ottawa and Africa (Kenya and Zimbabwe) in communications and fundraising programming. He is currently an honorary member and former President of the Vancouver Board of the UN Association in Canada (UNAC) and was on the board of MOSAIC, a Vancouver-based immigrant service organization, from 2015-2021.

Rosio Godomar – UNAC Vancouver Treasurer – Rosio was born in Peru and now, lives in Vancouver. She is a nutritionist and keen amateur photographer; She has worked with the UN World Food Program (WFP) for more than 20 years in humanitarian and emergency programs in Africa (Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Sudan, Ethiopia and Liberia) and the Middle East (Iraq) as well as South Asia (Pakistan and Afghanistan). She has studied nutrition in Peru and Germany and has an MSc in Human Nutrition from the Federal University of Rio da Janeiro, Brazil. In 2013, Rosio started the “Educate Girls Network” (EGN) – initiative to sponsor girl students from underprivileged rural families in Liberia, West Africa to complete their higher education and become educators (www.educategirlsnetwork.org). This initiative was created based on the challenges facing African girls who want a higher education. From 2011 to 2017, she worked as a food service supervisor with Fraser Health. Currently she is doing a volunteer job as mentor with MOSAIC Workplace Connections Program in Vancouver, supporting new immigrants and refugees in BC,. Rosio also volunteers with the United Nations Association in Canada (UNAC), Vancouver branch.

UNAC-V aims to inform, inspire, and engage with people in Metro Vancouver through local partnerships, to accomplish the vital work of the UN. Some of the many issues UNAC-V addresses, include poverty, gender inequalities, human rights, cross-cultural understanding, environmental degradation and threats to peace and security. This is all brought together under the umbrella of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our affairs are guided by our volunteer Board of Directors, who are responsible for advising local policy decisions, planning, and implementing activities, and the management of general branch operations.

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Vancouver Foundation

TABLE CAPTAIN: VINCENT TOM

Vincent Tom – Manager, Community Learning and Engagement

Vincent is a queer Chinese settler residing on the traditional and unceded lands of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples. His experiences have inspired a critical examination of power dynamics, shaping his career in international development, community engagement, and evaluation. In his current role, he connects community insights and actions to influence philanthropy’s impact on fostering equitable and inclusive communities. Outside of work, he is pursuing a Master’s in Community Development and a Certificate in Evaluation at the University of Victoria. Any free time left is spent stress-baking and taking his Nikon out on hikes across BC. 

The Vancouver Foundation is Community Inspired. We connect the generosity of donors with the energy, ideas and time of people in the community. Together, making meaningful and lasting impacts in neighborhoods and communities since 1943. Our purpose is to bring together community assets to address current and emerging community needs. To do this we take a broad view of philanthropy: we recognize that raising funds to tackle an issue is only part of any solution. We also engage citizens, organizations and governments, and invite them to work together and contribute their time, ideas, expertise and energy to an issue. We believe this is the most meaningful and effective way to make lasting improvements. Our vision is to build healthy, vibrant, and livable communities across British Columbia. Our mission is to harness the gifts of energy, ideas, time, and money to make meaningful and lasting impacts in communities.

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