Alison

Acting Chair

Alison

Acting Chair

Alison has worked in training and facilitation and project management in non-profits and the public sector in Canada and the United Kingdom, and is currently a PhD candidate in Political Science at UBC, where she is involved in research, writing, and teaching.

Alison has seen and is grateful for the incredible work Umbrella does with people living with addictions and mental health issues, and is thrilled to be joining the board in 2017.

Cindy

Secretary

Cindy

Secretary

Cindy’s career in health research is diverse and spans 30 years.  In 2017 she became a certified health executive and is currently the Director of Research at Island Health, where she’s responsible for leading positive change through the generation and use of evidence to improve the health and well-being of residents of Vancouver Island.  
 
Being a member of the Umbrella Board is strongly aligned with her values  of compassion and caring for people living with mental health and substance use issues and their families.

Nancy

Director

Nancy

Director

The Reverend Canon Nancy Ford is the Director of Deacons for the Anglican Diocese of British Columbia and currently works out of Victoria’s Christ Church Cathedral. Nancy’s passion for the community is exemplified in her collaborative approach to eliciting change at the street-level with supportive agencies and individuals. She was directly engaged with residents of Victoria’s Tent City during the eleven-month encampment in 2016 and continues to support campers in their transition.

Nancy was a counsellor for 25 years and taught Pastoral Care and Counselling courses. She works tirelessly on the board of the Community Social Planning Council, is Vice President of the Association of Anglican Deacons in Canada and co-chair of the Social Justice Committee of the Diocese.

Jen

Director

Jen

Director

Jen is a facilitator and educator with a passion for supporting the success of youth, youth workers and their programs. For eight years, she coordinated The Pathway Project, aimed at building employment and life skills for marginalized young people.  She is currently a coach and facilitator for the Youth Program Quality Initiative, supporting local youth-serving agencies to achieve and maintain high quality programming.

Jen is involved in community development projects with the creation of medical clinics in the high schools in Victoria’s School District 62 and in the organization of parent support groups. She is also working with the City of Victoria in the development of their Youth Engagement Strategy. 

Kelly

Director

Kelly

Director

Kelly is a Registered Clinical Counsellor and has recently retired from Island Health, where he spent 20 years working in substance use and mental health services in a variety of capacities as both a clinician and leader.  He has worked alongside The Umbrella Society for many years, and in his last role, he was proud to be the co-creator and Team Leader of the SAMI Team, the first of many successful team-based collaborations between Island Health and Umbrella.   He has always attempted to bring the principles of collaboration, flexibility, compassion and creative problem-solving into his work, and is very excited about contributing to the future path of Umbrella.  Kelly is an avid outdoor enthusiast and can often be found trail running and mountain biking in the local hills.

Kate

Director

Kate

Director

Kate is a strategic, collaborative leader who is passionate about public service and the transformative power of community.
She has over fifteen years of experience leading the implementation of priority initiatives and strategic operations in the BC justice sector. Kate is an advocate for greater investment in mental health and addictions services to address ‘symptoms’ such as criminal justice system involvement and homelessness, and to enable the full potential of each person.
Kate was on the Board of the Dallas Society from 2000 until its amalgamation with VIHA in 2003. She has been engaged as a Board Member of the Victoria Hope Society since 2004, and is honoured to join the Umbrella Society Board in 2019.

Guy

Director

Guy

Director

Guy has over 30 years of experience working in the public service in the UK, Vancouver and here in Victoria. In that time Guy has worked in a variety of sectors including economic development, fisheries, agriculture and transportation. The last ten years he spent with the BC Ministry of Health managing major outsourcing contracts. Guy retired in 2020.

Guy has a long term interest in the challenges of those facing issues related to mental health and addictions. Guy was previously a board member and seeing all the impressive work that Umbrella has accomplished, he is excited to be returning to the board.

Guy is married with two adult children, a ten year old son and a puppy. He loves hiking and being out on the water any chance he gets.

Cyndi

Director

Cyndi

Director

Cyndi comes to Umbrella with over 30 years experience as a Chartered Professional Account CPA, CGA. During her professional career she has worked with both Government and Public Practice. Now that she is semi retired she is ready to commit more time to the activities and organizations that align with her personal values.

Cyndi is the happily married mother of two adult children. When not working or volunteering she enjoys fostering rescue dogs, trail running and hiking.