Meet Our Board

I have been active in the community for many years, including serving on the board of directors of Niagara Pride Support Services as both director and treasurer. In 2000, I founded Niagara’s first GSA at Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School in St. Catharines. I continued his community service as president of Brock Pride, where i advocated for all-gender bathrooms at the university in 2003. During my time as treasurer of Niagara Pride Support Services, i became involved with the Pride Network of Niagara, which was the working title of the steering committee that eventually became OUTniagara, when it was founded in 2006. At that time, I became the inaugural vice-chair of OUTniagara. I served for several years as vice-chair and eventually chair before moving out of the region. I recently moved back to Niagara, and re-engaged with the board trying to revive OUTniagara. I served as director, before being elected chair in July 2019. I seek to provide an environment where the sexual- and gender-diverse community can thrive and be celebrated in Niagara.

I have worked with the 2SLGBTQ+ community through my work as a Youth Outreach Worker for the Niagara Falls Community Health Centre, as well as teaching Rainbow Flow yoga classes. I identify as queer and genderqueer. I live with my partner, dog, and three cats.

As an interim board member and now an elected board member, I have helped to revitalize OUTniagara, including in the areas of finance, membership, fundraising and community partner support. My experience and dedication have led to my appointment as vice-chair on the 2SLGBTQ+ Advisory Committee with the City of St Catharines, and an appointment to the City’s Equity and Inclusion Committee. My role on these committees will help to educate and direct the City to become inclusive and supportive for all who live here. I am a positive figure within the community, volunteering at different events and engaging in peer support for transgender adults and youths.

As a member of the interim Board of Directors, I played an integral part in reviving OUTniagara, including its governance structure, website, social media presence and the establishment of the Community Fund. I bring 12 years of experience working with boards of directors in the not-for-profit sector through both my work in the HIV sector and serving on the Positive Living Niagara board since 2016. I am an openly gay woman and a single mom of two children.

As an active member of the Niagara running and triathlon communities, a volunteer opportunity at a local running event introduced me to a group of volunteers from OUTniagara. A shared desire to support and advocate for the 2SLGBTQI+ community brought me to the board of directors where I hope to share my experience, energy, and enthusiasm to contribute to the efforts of OUTniagara and our community partners.

I am a wife and mother of three children who keep my life interesting. My passion for creating social change that empowers women led me to a career with Positive Living Niagara where I have worked for more than 18 years. I am currently the Women's Community Development Co-ordinator, a role that provides me an opportunity to work with the community towards improving the lives of women living with HIV and those facing greater systemic risk factors for HIV. I am also the past president of OUTniagara and I’m excited to continue working with the vibrant 2SLGBTQ+ community in Niagara as it evolves.

I am a current member of the board of Community Artists of Niagara, and I have been a minister with Churches of Christ for 32 years. I was ordained as a Reverend Deacon in September 2018 with the Anglican Diocese of Niagara, with a focus on ministry with the 2SLGBTQ+ community. At the 2019 Dunnville Pride in the Park, I was a special guest speaker.

As a parent and partner in the LGBTQA community, I understand what Niagara needs. With 17 years of not-for-profit board experience, I have worked with organizations that include past director to Pride Niagara, past secretary and treasurer to OUTniagara, the Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, and volunteering for the Lincoln County Humane Society. My dedication to the record-keeping and development of OUTniagara and Pride Niagara were crucial in the early stages. I am a financial security advisor by trade and I contributed a wealth of experience to the organizations. I continue to be a strong voice in our community.

A longtime ally of the sexual- and gender-diverse community, I bring to the board a solid professional background in communications and marketing. I believe an ally must first listen and then support the direction that is determined by the diverse and intersectional 2SLGBTQI+ community. I have come full circle, having served as a director on the inaugural OUTniagara board. In 2006 I founded a peer support group that garnered international attention and that is now run out of Hamilton. I’ve also served in various capacities on PFLAG Niagara, PFLAG Canada, Pride Network of Niagara, the former Transgendered of Niagara, the LGBTQ Sexual Health Committee for Niagara Region’s Public Health Department, and Brock University’s Positive Space Campaign.