NANAIMO FAMILY LIFE ASSOCIATION - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Volunteer Resources Coordinator
Amber was born in Saskatchewan and made Vancouver Island her home in 2008. She has both studied and been employed in the field of Animal Behavior and Welfare for over 15 years before deciding to join NFLA. Amber's passion to help people and provide support to her community while working in not profit organizations has led her to join the Nanaimo Family Life Association. Outside the office, you can find her hiking, skiing or camping with her dogs.
Angela came to NFLA driven by a passion for diversity, personal growth, and equality for those who have been systemically and culturally disempowered. She has a diploma in Business Administration and is eager to use her education and various personal life experiences to give back to the community.
After an exciting move from the Alberta Prairies in 2020, Vancouver Island truly feels like home. She enjoys gazing into the ocean, spending time with her partner and dogs, and working in her crochet business.
Contact Angela (she/her):
Ardith moved to Nanaimo in 2017 while working on a masters degree. She left a large corporate organization in 2013 to complete her Psychology degree and pursue work in community. It was a pivotal moment of growth, and now Ardith is driven by the need to help others.
Being an administrative manager allows her to fulfill her goal of community support while utilizing her acquired skills. Ardith enjoys working on a team and assisting people to transition through challenging times.
In her spare time, Ardith enjoys spending time with her pets and friends. She has a variety of interests and hobbies that are ever changing.
Contact Ardith (she/her):
Job Titles:
- Program Coordinator
- Registered Social Worker
Carol is a registered social worker with a preference for working with older adults in non-profit settings. She has worked at several non-profits in the Mid-Island area and is happy to have found a home at NFLA. Carol believes that ethical conduct and holding hope are the keys to enable meaningful change.
She lived in Northern BC and the Cariboo region of BC before moving to Nanaimo thirty years ago. Carol loves animals, especially cats.
Contact Carol (she/her):
Cora holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and moves into her role as Programs Manager after two years volunteering with the Peer Counselling Program. She brings with her a background in education, healthcare, and retail management, and has been in love with NFLA from the moment she walked through the doors for her counselling training. She has a passion for equitable access to mental heath supports and believes that people have incredible capacity for resiliency and growth. She loves beachcombing with her family, reading, baking, and walking her adorable golden retriever.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Social Worker
Deborah is a social worker with a rich history of working with marginalized and vulnerable people and community development. She came to NFLA in 2012 with an abiding belief in resilience and healing. As such, she works to cultivate equity, to live a balanced life that is deeply connected to community, and to apply ethical values to actualize meaningful social change.
Job Titles:
- Manager of Financial Services
Donna graduated from VIU with her Associate in Commerce specializing in Accounting. She has an extensive background in both "for profit" and "not for profit" bookkeeping and financial management. Donna was born in Montreal and moved west until she found her home in Nanaimo. Loving the ocean, forests and the people, Nanaimo is the place for her.
Josh Drummond Program Facilitator - Beyond Blame Josh has a background in social work working for both Indigenous agencies and non-profit organizations. He has a Masters of Social Work from UVIC and a Bachelors of Social Work from VIU. He has lived his entire life in the Nanaimo/Ladysmith area. When not at work he loves the hiking, snowboarding, hockey, golf, and spending time with his dog. Contact Josh: beyondblame@nflabc.org 250-754-3331 ext. 767
Job Titles:
- Director
- Volunteer Resources Program Assistant
Luisa has a strong passion for working with children and vulnerable youth in her community. Being from Gabriola Island, Lu has experienced working with families and individuals from all stages of life and many divergent backgrounds. NFLA is allowing Luisa to expand her abilities in contributing to safe, accessible, healthy environments.
Outside of NFLA, Luisa is a director, actor and writer of theatre on Vancouver Island, with a goal of creating an educational, theatric space for youth of all ages to play, learn and grow.
Contact Luisa (she/her):
Maria immigrated to Canada in 2008 from Mexico, where family and community are very important pillars in life. She believes that seniors deserve to be safe and secure, and that no one should have to struggle on their own late in life. Maria's background as a hospice Care Aide in Vancouver, working with patients and their families, has inspired her to continue working in organizations devoted to making communities stronger.
Maria has been in Vancouver Island for over a year. She loves connecting with nature and photographing the many beautiful places around the island.
Contact Maria (she/her):
Mia's background is in Nursing/Psychiatric Nursing. She is a Registered Professional Counsellor. She grew up in Sweden and came to Canada when she was 23 years old. She has been involved at NFLA for 10 years and has coordinated the counselling program for almost 8 years. Her passions are personal growth, spirituality, meditation, nature, books and her awesome children.
Contact Mia (she/her):
Job Titles:
- Program Assistant for Older Adult Programming
Originally from Ontario, the mountains and rainforests brought Sarah to the West Coast which she has now called home for close to twenty years. Having studied community development, Sarah desires to effect positive change through authentic relationships with community members and organizations. With a background in client care for people of all ages and backgrounds, she enjoys discovering what makes people who they are and finding ways to assist them in their personal journeys. In her free time, you can usually find Sarah adventuring with her dog, tending to her vegetable garden, and getting lost in creative sewing projects.
Contact Sarah (she/her):
Stefan has recently graduated Vancouver Island University with a Bachelors in Recreation & Tourism Management. With a background in both public and non-profit recreation delivery, working with TAPS is a natural fit. Stefan was born on the Island and loves to connect with the beautiful scenery. He can always be found talking hockey or watching the latest Netflix has to offer.
Contact Stefan (he/him):