BWSS Staff Directory & Board of Directors

CRISIS + INTAKE LINE
Toll-free: 1-855-687-1868

Business Phone: 604-687-1868
Counselling Phone: 604-687-1867

My Sister’s Closet – 3958 Main St: 604-687-0770
My Sister’s Closet – 1830 Commercial Drive: 604-251-7229

Angela’s impact includes development of empowerment and advocacy-based program and service delivery models that address gender-based violence and violence against women that are grounded in strong theoretical frameworks that include feminist trauma-informed analysis that integrate the role substance use and mental wellness. Angela Marie MacDougall has edited and/or written ten manuals on addressing gender-based violence and violence against women from an intersectional anti-oppression feminist framework and has spoken to hundreds of groups throughout Canada, the United States and in China.

An ever present theme and focus of her work has been the range of social inequities and environmental problems associated with colonialization and the generalized criminalization of communities of colour that are most affected by poverty and racial discrimination. Her work grows directly from her own experiences as a bi-racial Black woman who grew up amongst violent racist misogyny both at home, at school and in the larger community. Her parents met in the Black community known as Hogan’s Alley that in the seventies was razed by Vancouver City Hall, so her work grows directly from her own experiences as a bi-racial Black woman who grew up amongst violent racist misogyny both at home, at school and in the larger community and she became politicized to end violence against women after her high school friend was raped and murdered while on a date. She credits the birth of her daughter as a galvanizing event. She also has conducted extensive participatory action research on numerous aspects relating to gender, race and violence.

Angela Marie MacDougall is a founding member of Feminists Deliver, a provincial organization dedicated to shedding a light on the urgent issues facing marginalized communities in British Columbia and the grassroots struggles leading the way for transformative change while building transnational connections between grassroots intersectional feminist movements; and re-envisioning the global women’s agenda as one that centers a diversity of grassroots intersectional feminist voices.

Grounded solidarity organizing, grassroots activism and frontline service delivery, Angela is committed to taking action on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada. She is a long standing member of Vancouver’s February 14th Women’s Memorial March, the first women’s memorial march held since 1992 in response to the murder of a woman in the Vancouver neighbourhood named the Downtown Eastside.

Angela is founding member of Intersectional Feminist Justice Research and Organizing Collaborative bringing together researchers, academics, data and policy analysts, students and community organizers to provide critical research, data, policy and strategic support for the ending violence, gender equity and social justice movements.

Ms. MacDougall was named a Remarkable Woman by the City of Vancouver and Vancouver Magazine named her one of Vancouver’s most powerful people.

Cecilia has also dedicated many years to cultural preservation in the field of Aboriginal cultural and eco tourism. She currently holds the position of Director of Finance and Administration for the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada.

She is a facilitator for reconciliation workshops with the Bright New Day organization, and has been designated a public speaker for her nation.

Cecilia holds a Certificate in Business from UBC, supplemented with courses in First Nations studies, including hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (the Musqueam language).

Jennifer has held key leadership positions with organizations such as the Vancity Community Foundation, Battered Women’s Support Services, the Vancouver Status of Women, and Ballet British Columbia, Canada’s pre-eminent contemporary ballet company, where she focused her efforts on building a sustainable non-profit dance company grounded in artistic excellence and community relevance.Jennifer began her career in the non-profit sector as the founding program coordinator with the Whistler Centre for Business and the Arts in the late 1980’s. Jennifer has also maintained a successful private consulting practice in fundraising, organizational and strategic planning, and workshop facilitation and is an instructor in the Fundraising Certificate Program in the Faculty of Business at BCIT. Jennifer holds a BA Hons. in political science from Queen’s University and pursued graduate studies at the Institute of Soviet and East European Studies and in Women’s Studies at Carleton University.

Jennifer remains passionately committed to social justice and community investment and, throughout her life, has served as a volunteer in many capacities with various organizations at the local, provincial and national level. She is a founding member of the Vancouver Women’s fund and most recently has served on the Boards of the Alliance for Arts & Culture, Battered Women’s Support Services, Yaletown House Foundation, Westcoast LEAF and the Aurora Institute. She also volunteers as a trainer with the Leadership Development Program of Volunteer Vancouver.

Jen is currently a PhD student focusing on the intersection of the criminalisation of Indigenous women, miscarriages of justice and health policy.

Jen joined the Board of BWSS in 2017 and is grateful to be living on the unsurrendered territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

Maira Hassan is a doctoral candidate at the Peter A. Allard School of Law. Her current research centres critical race feminism, investigating the challenges marginalized and racialized complainants might face in sexual assault law in Canada. She is a recipient of the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships-Doctoral (SSHRC) and the Four Year Doctoral Fellowship (4YF).