Board of Directors

The VWSAC Board of Directors would like to welcome you to the Victoria Women's Sexual Assault Centre (VWSAC)!

For 25 years, VWSAC has been a leader and innovator in the field of trauma counselling, and the Board of Directors has the good fortune of working alongside a dedicated team of staff and volunteers. Serving on the Board is a great way to get involved in the movement to end sexualized violence, to develop new skills and to work with a creative and energetic team. To find out more about opportunties to serve on our Board, please contact Lindsay Pomper at lindsayp@vwsac.com

Allison Beardsworth                                                                                                              Allison earned a B.S.W with a concentration in aborginal policy at Dalhousie University.  She currently works asa policy advisor for the provincial government and is completing an M.A. in dispute resolution at UVic.  Allison has previous experience with the national youth councils at the Assembly of First Nations and with the National Association of Friendship Centres.

  Kimberly Brown - Co-Chair 

  A graduate of the UVic Bachelor of Commerce Program, Kimberly has been in the financial services 

  business for nine  years and  is  as an Investment Advisor  at  Canaccord Capital. Kimberly is

  committed to contributing to the community in which she lives and passionate about women?s

  issues.  She aims  to put her financial skills to use at the Centre by assisting with the development of

  finance initiatives and fundraising.

  Originally from Vernon, Kimberly has now lived in Victoria for 14 years. She enjoys skiing,

  snowboarding, golfing, and squash.

Natasha de Klerk  
Natasha joined the Board in January 2008. With a Bachelor of Arts degree in Justice Studies and a Business Management diploma in Finance, she brings policy development and accounting experience to the Board. Natasha's interest in social issues has led to previous volunteer support roles with the Greater Victoria Police Victim Services and the Vancouver Island Crisis Centre.

Ann Evans                                                                                                                         Ann is a communications professional currently working for the provincial government.  She also has experience in book publishing and magazine writing. Ann holds a B.A. in English from the Canadian University College in Alberta.

Heidi Exner                                                                                                                         Heidi has served on the SART Team since 2006, emceed Walk-A-Mile-In-Her-Shoes and coordinated Project Respect in 2003/04. She serves as AIDS Vancouver Island's manager of health promotion and community development, is incredibly active in the community,  and somehow is also managing to work on an M.A. in anthropology.

Yvonne Haist
Yvonne teaches in the School of Social Work at the University of Victoria. She also has a private counseling practice which centres on trauma work and is deeply informed by many years of training in somatic integrative work. Her passion is to unify the political, the spiritual and body wisdom in social work practice.

In her spare time Yvonne loves to sing, to kayak, to drum and to explore new places.

Sally Gose - Co-Chair
Formerly served for many years as WSAC's Manager of Direct Client Services, retiring in 2007.  Sally received her M.S.W from Carlton University in 1986.  For over 20 years, Sally has worked toward ending violence against women through her clinical work, creating and strengthening community partnerships, and informing police and research.  Sally worked in Ottawa for 12 years as a counsellor and advocate for women who had experienced abuse, and in Victoria she worked for nine years in the field of sexualized violence.  Sally is taking a leave of absence from the Board while she is contracted to a Direct Client Services project and will return in April 2009.

Liz Morrison - Secretary                                                                                                            Liz first joined the SART team in 2005.  She has a B.A. in history from Uvic and divides her time between co-coordinating the Anti-Violence Project at Uvic and coordinating the child rights for health professionals program at Uvic's International Institute for Child Rights and Development.

Shannon Schaus
Shannon is new to Victoria having moved here in August (2007) from Winnipeg.  While in Winnipeg she was heavily involved in Klinic's sexual assault program, as a volunteer for 7yrs., casual intake worker for 2yrs. and a staff member of the crisis program as a crisis counsellor. Shannon brings to the Board a wide range of experience working and advocating with women who have experienced sexualized violence and domestic violence.  She is extremely passionate about social justice, anti-oppressive work and helping to bring and end to violence against women.

Presently working as the Coordinator of Volunteers for Meals on Wheels, Shannon does hope to eventually return to school to do her Masters in Social Work.

Shannon enjoys camping, singing, laughing, reading and most of all biking - which is made that much better by how bike friendly this city is.

Katie Shaw
Katie brings to the Board a long history of feminist commitment and community involvment.  She is currently a regional facilitator with B.C. Healthy Communities and program manager for the Lifestyes Project Society.  She has previous experience with the City of Victoria Youth Council, Volunteer Victoria, NEED and the Amelie Beaulieu Transition House for women and children in Nelson.  Katie is currently completing an M.A. in community leadership and adult education at UVic.  

Shelley Spring - Treasurer
Shelley is a relatively new Board member who returned to Victoria after completing her undergraduate degree in Commerce and Psychology in Quebec.  She is a graduate of the UVIC Law co-op Program, and is currently an associate with Dwyer Tax Lawyers.  She has been an active volunteer in her community for most of her life and enjoys a wide variety of activities such as skating, skiing and hikes with her dog.