Staff
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Alana Prochuk
Manager of Public Legal Education
she/her/hers or they/them/their/theirs
Alana is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to West Coast LEAF’s work for social justice as the Manager of Public Legal Education. A BC-certified English and ESL teacher, Alana brings experience in classroom-based and grassroots education, as well as communications, research, and project coordination. Most recently, Alana worked at the BC Civil Liberties Association and at WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre, where she led a campus initiative against gender-based violence in partnership with Vancouver Community College. Alana also holds an MA in Cultural Studies. When they’re not at work, you’re likely to find them scooting around town on their bike, checking out local arts events, reading, writing, or dancing with abandon.
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Basya Laye
Director of Development & Engagement
she/her/hers
Prior to her tenure as editor of a community newspaper, Basya was director of a community foundation, and worked for an organization in New York City dedicated to building collaborative relationships between national ethnic lay organizations and communities around the country. Basya has an interdisciplinary degree with a focus on identity issues in the African diaspora, and attended NYU to study humanities and social thought. With strong interests in public health, ethics, religious traditions, art, literature, music, animal conservation, public policy and equality rights, she also loves to spend time with family and friends, read, and enjoy Vancouver’s natural surroundings.
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Cait Hurley
Project Manager, Internal Strategic Planning
she/her/hers
Cait joined West Coast LEAF with an interest in experiencing an organization questioning what it means to be a decolonizing and feminist non-profit. She comes to work with pleasure to learn from the experiences of her colleagues. With commitment to connecting non-profit governance and operations into earth systems, she brings her experiences in feminist legal operations, cannabis retail operations and community organizing to the exciting opportunity of strategic planning and change management. Cait is working through building understanding into her maternal Doukhobor ancestry by questioning the ways she has inherited utopian settler ideology and how this plays out on these unceded lands. Outside of work, she is proud to serve as Board Chair of Hives for Humanity and facilitate their Community Engagement Committee.
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Caitlin Anderson
Bookkeeping & Administrative Coordinator
she/her/hers or they/them/their/theirs
Caitlin is thrilled to join West Coast LEAF as the Bookkeeping & Administrative Coordinator. Having previously worked in law and accounting offices, she brings a love of problem solving and list making to the team. An avid dragon boater, she is a strong promoter of adapted sports as a way to combat isolation for people with disabilities. To offset her participation in paddling and yoga, Caitlin knits, reads and binge watches bad dramas.
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Cat Hart
Manager of Fundraising
they/them/their/theirs
Cat is a British settler who moved to these lands over a decade ago. They join West Coast LEAF with a background in communications, outreach and fundraising from their previous work at the BC Civil Liberties Association. Cat holds a Masters in Communication from Simon Fraser University, where they focused on national security narratives and their intersection/conflict with human rights and civil liberties. Cat is passionate about amplifying marginalized voices, youth empowerment, and testing the limits of colonial law. When not in the office, they are most likely making pictures and art forms out of whatever is handy.
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Cecile Afable
Public Legal Education Specialist - Youth Programs
she/her/hers
Cecile is a Filipino-American immigrant-settler on the unceded lands of the xwməθkwəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ. She was born in the Catskill mountains of New York, and has also lived in Massachusetts and rural southeastern France. Prior to joining West Coast LEAF, Cecile taught at Lycée Marcel Gimond and researched wrongful conviction for the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism. She is an interdisciplinary thinker who enjoys facilitation, curriculum development, community engagement, and project management. Cecile holds a B.A. in Women’s and Gender Studies from Brandeis University. Outside of work, she can be found baking, gardening, and reading across genres in both English and French.
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Kate Feeney
Director of Litigation
she/her/hers
Kate comes to West Coast LEAF with a commitment to engaging in litigation informed by broader campaigns for social change. She holds a law degree from the University of Victoria and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the University of British Columbia. Since law school, Kate has worked on supporting access to justice in a variety of areas, including administrative, constitutional, human rights, and family law. She has both helped people use the law to achieve their individual goals and litigated cases with the aim of systemic law reform. Outside of work, Kate enjoys hiking, camping, and singing (sometimes in key) with her family.
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Raji Mangat
Executive Director
she/her/hers
At the core of Raji’s wide-ranging legal career is a commitment to using the law as a tool for positive transformation. Her recent work has focused on access to justice, the impact of detention on women, and family law. Raji holds a law degree from the University of Victoria, a master’s degree in international affairs from Carleton University, and a bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations from the University of British Columbia. After completing law school, Raji clerked for Justice Frank Iacobucci at the Supreme Court of Canada. She was called to the Ontario bar in 2004, to the New York State bar in 2005, and to the BC bar in 2011. She has practiced administrative and constitutional law since returning to the West Coast in 2012. Raji serves on the boards of Health Justice and the Vancouver Public Library. Outside of work, Raji likes to make paper crafts, binge on Netflix, and meander along city streets in search of coffee.
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Sharnelle Jenkins-Thompson
Manager of Community Outreach
she/her/hers
Sharnelle Jenkins-Thompson is of Welsh, Jewish, Metis, Scottish and Irish ancestry. Sharnelle is passionate about addressing the impacts of colonialism and injustice through relationality and reciprocity. Sharnelle grew up in Nanaimo (Snuneymuxw Nation) but has been living on xwməθkwəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ homelands since 2008. She holds a Masters of Social Work-Indigenous Specialization from the University of Victoria and worked in the Neighbourhood House movement prior to joining West Coast LEAF. She often can be found hanging out with her tortoise and cat, kicking a soccer ball and enjoying these beautiful, unceded homelands.
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Sharon Xia
Manager of Donor Support
she/her/hers
Sharon is the Manager of Donor Support at West Coast LEAF. She coordinates the Annual Equality Breakfast and manages the donor database. Prior to joining West Coast LEAF, she worked with international organizations and education institutions in China and Australia to implement training and research programs. Sharon has an academic background in Labor Economics; she loves knitting and also likes to spend time exploring new places.
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Victoria Chen
Operations & Finance Manager
she/her/hers
Driven by a passion for social justice, Victoria brings her experience in community organizing and non-profit work to West Coast LEAF, as well as her joy in well-organized systems. She has a BA from SFU with a triple minor in Dialogue, Sociology, and Psychology, in addition to a Certificate in Social Justice. She is inspired by the resilience of migrant women like her mum, and spends her days chasing after a very active toddler and singing everywhere she goes.
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Whitney Vicente
Articling Student
she/her/hers
Whitney Vicente is an Anishinaabe woman from Manitoba. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication in 2015 and graduated from the University of Victoria Faculty of Law in 2020. Whitney is very passionate about Indigenous law and Indigenous issues, specifically regarding social welfare involving Indigenous women and children, as well as the intersection of Indigenous law and Environmental law. She spent her 3L summer working at West Coast Environmental Law. When she is not working, Whitney enjoys volunteering with Indigenous youth, camping, baking, and spending time with family.
Board
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Clea Parfitt
Vice-President Internal, Legal Committee Chair
Clea was called to the bar in May 1992. She articled with Victory Square Law Office, a union-side labour firm, and then worked for the BCGEU doing arbitration and labour board cases. Since October 1993, Clea has practiced privately, from 2000 onwards as a sole practitioner. She works primarily in the areas of human rights and employment law. Clea was co-counsel in a historical abuse case against the Crown involving a former child ward at Woodlands School. Clea was active for more than a decade with the West Coast Domestic Workers’ Association, a non-profit organization which provides legal advice and advocacy for domestic workers in British Columbia, was a Board Member of P.A.C.E. (Prostitution Alternatives Counselling and Education Society), and has sat on the West Coast LEAF Legal Committee for more than a decade. She is currently the chair of that committee.
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Frances Rosner
Frances Rosner is a Metis lawyer working as a sole practitioner in Vancouver, recently called to the bar in March 2016, practicing primarily in family and prison law. For the past several years, Frances has been working as a Gladue report writer for all levels of the court in BC, and co-authored a report filed in support of a leave application to the Supreme Court of Canada. She is passionate about social justice and has taken a special interest in advocating for persons with disabilities in all areas of her law practice. She has always been highly focused on legal issues involving Indigenous peoples—this lifelong passion stems from her own personal experience with racism and discrimination having grown up in Winnipeg on both sides of Portage Avenue (Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities). In her professional life, she has had the privilege of working closely with Indigenous peoples and communities across Canada. She is now more determined than ever to advocate for change and work towards reconciliation. Generally speaking, she finds herself drawn to legal issues that involve arbitrary state action, power imbalances, and the marginalization of any person or group. In her experience, these issues are most prevalent in prison law and child protection and so these areas of her practice are quickly growing.
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Elin Sigurdson
President
Elin is a lawyer at Mandell Pinder, LLP, where her practice focuses on Aboriginal and constitutional litigation and dispute resolution. Elin has had the opportunity to work on cases directed at social change, environmental protection, access to justice, equality, and Aboriginal and treaty rights. Elin came to practice law because of her dedication to using all available tools to improve social justice and equality. Elin lives in Vancouver and surrounds herself with family and friends who inspire her with their diverse and interesting work and interests. Elin was called to the Bar in British Columbia in 2007. She received a Bachelor of Arts from UBC in 1999, a Bachelor of Laws from UBC in 2005, and a Master of Laws from the University of California at Berkeley in 2010.
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Iman Baobeid
Iman Baobeid is a Yemeni artist, researcher, and communications specialist based on the unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səlil̓wətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh). She is currently the Communications and Outreach Manager at the BC Civil Liberties Association. She brings a background in communications and outreach from her previous work at the Equity and Inclusion Office at the University of British Columbia, UBC Go Global, and as a graphic designer with the “Yemen Speaks” Conflict Testimony Campaign. Iman holds an MA in Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice and a BA in Sociology and Law from the University of British Columbia, where she examined post-conflict nation-state transformation, Islamic legal history, and gender relations in Yemen. Her art and writing are embedded in the archives – living, oral, and written – as she seeks to unpack the impact of successive wars in Yemen on its people from intersectional feminist and post-colonial lenses. Iman is committed to transformative justice as a path towards our collectively liberated futures.
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Joana Thackeray
Joana Thackeray is a Vancouver-based lawyer with expertise in litigation, judicial and appellate review, administrative, constitutional, and human rights law. She has appeared in all levels of court in British Columbia, in the Supreme Court of Canada, and before a variety of administrative boards and tribunals in British Columbia. Prior to her call to the bar, she was a law clerk for the Honourable Mr. Justice Thomas Cromwell of the Supreme Court of Canada and for justices at the British Columbia Court of Appeal. She received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Victoria in 2008, and a graduate degree in law from the University of Oxford (Wadham College) in 2017. While in private practice, Joana acted for a broad range of clients in the private and public sectors, including non-profit advocacy organizations such as West Coast LEAF. She has a strong interest in comparative human rights, equality and constitutional law. Joana currently practices as legal counsel in the Legal Services Branch of the Ministry of Attorney General.
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Julia Kwinter
Treasurer
Julia Kwinter is a Chartered Professional Accountant and Chartered Business Valuator. Since 2003, Julia has provided financial advisory support to clients, primarily related to valuation and dispute resolution. With a clear understanding of the distinct roles of board and management with respect to governance and operations, Julia creates practical solutions to complicated problems. She brings expertise in accounting, finance, and strategic planning with industry specialization in real estate and consumer products. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Victoria and is a member of the BC Association of Women in Finance.
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Manjot Parhar
Manjot Parhar is a lawyer at Dolden Wallace Folick LLP in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her practice encompasses a wide range of areas including personal injury, medical malpractice, and employment and human rights law. Manjot obtained her J.D. from the University of Alberta and was awarded the Honourable Justice Cecilia Johnstone Equality Award for her commitment to gender equality and social justice. She has been a proud member of West Coast LEAF since 2016 and has also been a volunteer for organizations such as Landscapes of Injustice and the YWCA High School Mentorship Program. Manjot enjoys exploring new cities and cuisines, both local and international, in her spare time.
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Martina Zanetti
Martina Zanetti is a trusts and estates lawyer with the Vancouver office of Norton Rose Fulbright. Her practice focuses on estate planning, estate administration, and incapacity matters. She received her J.D. at UBC, and holds a B.A. from the University of Toronto with majors in Women and Gender Studies and International Relations. Martina has volunteered with West Coast LEAF in numerous capacities including on the CEDAW Report Card Subcommittee and at the Equality Breakfast. She currently serves as Treasurer of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada. In her spare time Martina loves live music, cooking, knitting, and hanging out on Commercial Drive or at the edge of the world in Tofino.
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Mélanie Power
Mélanie is a Vancouver-based lawyer practising in public and constitutional law, primarily advocating for minority language rights. She advises educational institutions, including school boards across Canada, and not-for-profit organizations on language rights protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Mélanie holds a law degree from the University of Ottawa (Programme de common law en français) and a bachelor’s degree in languages and literature (French and Spanish) from the University of Alberta. Mélanie currently serves on the board of Réseau-Femmes Colombie-Britannique, a francophone organization advocating for gender equality and raising awareness about the realities faced by francophone women living in minority groups. Mélanie practises law in both French and English. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, listening to music, cycling, and improving her Spanish-speaking skills.
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Naomi Moses
Naomi Moses is a lawyer at JFK Law in Vancouver, where they are privileged and humbled to practice law on behalf of Aboriginal people. Naomi also practices class action litigation, criminal law, and constitutional law, and works to meet the legal needs of LGBTQ+ people. Naomi has been involved with West Coast LEAF since 2012, and has worked for the organization as a communications assistant, copy editor, and volunteer. As a non-binary trans person, Naomi looks forward to supporting West Coast LEAF as they evolve into a non-profit working tirelessly towards equality for all people who are marginalized because of their gender.
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Nina Purewal
Nina was called to the Bar in 2006. She has worked primarily in civil litigation with private firms. However, her interest in human rights pushed her to become involved with West Coast LEAF as a volunteer, which ultimately led her to work with Pivot Legal Society & LLP in 2009. In August 2010, Nina went with the CBA Young Lawyers Program to Tanzania where she interned with their Law Society. She has a Masters in International Human Rights Law through the University of Oxford and has worked with the Representative for Children and Youth in Vancouver. She currently practices as Crown Counsel in Smithers, BC.
Indigenous Advisory
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Doris Fox
Ms. Fox is a Musqueam Elder. Throughout the year, Ms. Fox works at different wellness days as a Life Coach, Spiritual Advisor and healer using various traditional healing methods taught to her by her Elders and by various other Indigenous healers. Doris sits on several advisory boards, committees, Elders Circles, etc. As well, Doris works at several Health Clinics as an Elder and healer.
Doris Fox teaches various traditional arts and crafts such as, traditional Salish Weaving, Cedar-bark Weaving, beading, etc., that was taught to her by her Elders. During her classes, Ms. Fox ensures that the students know about the history, traditions, values and beliefs behind the ancient knowledge that she shares. Doris also shares her knowledge of intellectual property and the importance of artists knowing how to protect themselves and their work. Doris is an artist and clothing designer, as well, and has taught sewing classes too.
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Dr. Jenny Morgan
Dr. Jenny Morgan is from the Gitxsan First Nations. Clan member of the Lax Gibuu fr Anspayaxw + Gitwangax. Daughter of late Am Bax Gan and Simoget Tsu, and from the House of Wii Muk’willixw. She is grateful to reside on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations for nearly 20 years, also known by the colonial name of Vancouver. Her day to day work is as the Director for Indigenous Health at the B.C. Women’s and Children’s Hospitals. Her post secondary educational endeavours include a BSW from UBC, MSW from UVic, and EdD from Western University. Her passion and hope remain with decolonizing systems and upholding the rights of Indigenous peoples for the greater good of all.
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Lillian Howard
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Lorelei Williams
Lorelei Williams is an Interior Salish/Coast Salish woman from Skatin Nations/Sts’Ailes, Vancouver (Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh), BC. She is a single mom raising two beautiful and amazing children. Lorelei is back at Capilano University to finish her Bachelor’s degree in Tourism and Business Management. She is also the Program Manager with The Restoring Circles Project which is an Indigenous Ally Transformative Justice Project where they seed community talking/healing circles/workshops to prevent/end violence. They also collaborate with other programs and trainings that specialize in practice-specific teachings such as Land-based Trauma Healing and more. Lorelei is raising awareness and advocating for victims and families of MMIWG through Butterflies in Spirit – a dance group she founded in 2012. The group is comprised of family members of MMIWG and was formed with the goal of empowering Indigenous women in her community, and raising awareness about her missing Aunt, and her cousin Tanya Holyk who was murdered in 1996. “As a family member of both missing and murdered Indigenous women, I do what I can to raise awareness of this issue so this doesn’t happen to more families,” Lorelei says. As a Research Assistant at Sovereign Bodies Institute (SBI), located on Wiyot and Ohlone territories, in Northern California, Lorelei is developing “Butterflies in Spirit: Dance, Healing, MMIWG” – a project aimed at producing an understanding and awareness of how dance can be utilized as healing practice for both Indigenous survivors of violence and their families, as well as those impacted by the MMIWG crisis, through research, skill-building, and public awareness. She is also part of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Coalition, a diverse group of more than 25 urban community and political advocacy groups and family members of MMIWG. “My wish is that violence would end for women and girls around the world.”
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Owen Ballendine
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Summer Rain Bentham
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Frances Rosner
Frances Rosner is a Metis lawyer working as a sole practitioner in Vancouver, recently called to the bar in March 2016, practicing primarily in family and prison law. For the past several years, Frances has been working as a Gladue report writer for all levels of the court in BC, and co-authored a report filed in support of a leave application to the Supreme Court of Canada. She is passionate about social justice and has taken a special interest in advocating for persons with disabilities in all areas of her law practice. She has always been highly focused on legal issues involving Indigenous peoples—this lifelong passion stems from her own personal experience with racism and discrimination having grown up in Winnipeg on both sides of Portage Avenue (Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities). In her professional life, she has had the privilege of working closely with Indigenous peoples and communities across Canada. She is now more determined than ever to advocate for change and work towards reconciliation. Generally speaking, she finds herself drawn to legal issues that involve arbitrary state action, power imbalances, and the marginalization of any person or group. In her experience, these issues are most prevalent in prison law and child protection and so these areas of her practice are quickly growing.
Volunteers
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Alex Nicassio
Equality Breakfast Intern
she/her/hers
Alex is an aspiring teacher with a passion for inspiring change. Upon graduating from UBC this spring with a degree in Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice, she hopes to continue to explore activism in youth-led spaces. In her “spare” time, Alex likes to keep busy, over-consume coffee outdoors with friends, and re-watch Seinfeld episodes.
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Chandrika Manjunath
Equality Breakfast Intern
she/her/hers
Chandrika joins West Coast Leaf as a second-time volunteer for the annual 2021 Equality Breakfast after having joined us at the 2020 Breakfast. She completed a BSc in Medical Science and Political Science, and recently spent a year at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota focusing on community-based participatory research to address cardiovascular health disparities among African-Americans, particularly women, in the state. She is currently working with children and trying to figure out what’s next! As a potential medical student and beyond she hopes to espouse the values and pursuits shared by West Coast Leaf and advocate for the rights of communities she will serve.
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Eden Katz
Equality Breakfast Intern
she/her/hers
Eden joins West Coast LEAF as a practicum student from UBC. She will be graduating this year with a BA in Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice and a minor in Law and Society. As an aspiring law student Eden hopes to become an advocate for change by continuing to engage in community driven social justice work as she deepens her understanding of the legal system. These days in her spare time you’ll probably spot Eden walking her dog Daisy around one of both of their favourite spots, Trout Lake!
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Genevieve Varelas
Equality Breakfast Intern
she/her/hers
Genevieve is elated to be joining the West Coast LEAF team. She is a fifth-year student at the University of British Columbia, double majoring in Political Science and Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice with a specific interest in human rights. Gen has volunteered with many social rights organizations and hopes to pursue a career within the human rights realm. In her spare time, Gen can be found hiking, volunteering and playing with her dog Gigi.