Partners in Practice forum speakers
On this page you will find the profiles shared with us by the speakers for each session. To find a detailed outline of our schedule for the forum and descriptions about all sessions, you can visit our schedule page.
Keynote and Special Guests
Lydia Hwitsum
BC First Nations Justice Council (BCFNJC)
- Keynote Address
Speaker bio coming soon.
Meghan Gardiner
Writer and Director
- DISSOLVE – A one-woman play
Meghan is an actor and writer living in Vancouver, BC. In 2003 she premiered ‘Dissolve’, a one-woman show based on her experience of being drugged and sexually assaulted. After performing it nearly 850 times across the continent, she stopped touring the show in 2016 to start a family but the show continues to tour to this day. Meghan has been honoured with a citation from the American Alliance for Theatre in Education, was a nominee for the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards and won the Sydney Risk Award for emerging playwright at the 2012 Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards. She was a keynote speaker at the Toronto Police Service’s International Conference on Sex Crimes and has subsequently written three more plays that raise awareness on gender based and sexualized violence. Meghan works consistently in Canada’s vibrant theatre community and can be seen on such television shows as: The Good Doctor, Family Law, The Flash, Firefly Lane, Motherland and numerous Hallmark Christmas movies. Meghan is passionately committed to sharing her journey, hoping to not only to inspire healing and recovery but to raise awareness on bystander intervention, the definition of consent, and to celebrate the resilience of survivors.
Day 1 — Workshop presenters
Chinedum Adebomi
Prince George & District Elizabeth Fry Society
- Exploring the Intersectionality of Intimate Partner Violence within Canadian Communities
Chinedum Adebomi arrived in Canada with her family as an international student and has just completed her second Masters in Women and Gender Studies from UNBC. She has been in the non-for-profit sector for more than 18 years working with international agencies in the areas of gender-based violence, governance, peace and conflict, women in environmental justice, skills and social enterprise. Chinedum’ s interest lies in research and policy analysis, gender mainstreaming, peacebuilding, conflict management and project management as these summarize her career trajectory. She also had a stint teaching in a university.
On arrival to Prince George, she started working with women experiencing IPV and DV. She was program coordinator at a transition house before moving to Elizabeth Fry as a Victims Services Worker. She enjoys helping survivors navigate their way through their trauma and promotes approaches that empowers survivors. She has her PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies She is a mother of four girls and a wife.
Janet A. M. Dickie (she/her)
Crown Counsel, Policy and Justice, B.C. Prosecution Service
- BC Prosecution Service’s Policies Regarding Violent Offences
Janet has been a lawyer since 1996 and Crown counsel with the BC Prosecution Service since 1999. As a trial Crown for more than 17 years, Janet developed a specialty in working with vulnerable complainants, and prosecuted almost every type of serious personal injury offence, including murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, sexual offences and firearms offences. Janet was also appellate counsel for five years (BC Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada), and recently joined BC Prosecution Service’s headquarters policy group as the resource coordinator for sexual offence prosecutions. Throughout her career, Janet has taught on a variety of topics, including sexual offences, search and seizure, expert evidence, and best practices for witness preparation.
Dr. Emma Cunliffe (she/her)
Professor, Allard School of Law and Principal, Green College, UBC.
- Lessons from the work and final report of the Canada-Nova Scotia Mass Casualty Commission
Dr. Emma Cunliffe is a Professor at the Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia and the Principal of Green College, UBC. Professor Cunliffe’s research analyses the fact determination functions of courts, and particularly addresses expert scientific and medical evidence and the role of implicit stereotypes and bias in the criminal justice system. Her books include To Ensure that Justice is Done: Essays in Memory of Marc Rosenberg (2017) [with Benjamin Berger and James Stribopoulos]; The Ethics of Expert Testimony (2016); and Murder, Medicine and Motherhood (2011).
From 2020 – 2023, Professor Cunliffe served as the Director of Research and Policy for the Mass Casualty Commission. In this capacity she commissioned expert reports, convened expert roundtables and community conversations, and contributed to the Commissioners’ final report. Dr Cunliffe is frequently invited to testify before Parliament, participate in policy consultations and advise on strategic litigation regarding violence and the legal system.
Day 2 — Workshop presenters
Sarada Bhagavatula (she/her)
Registered Clinical Counsellor, Venturous Counselling and Consulting, MA, RCC
- Grief as Resistance: Understanding Systemic Context to Forge Solidarity Amidst Mourning
Sarada is a cis, able-bodied, second-gen, racialized settler with Indian ancestry, living and working on the unceded and traditional lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, Stó:lō , Tsleil-Waututh nations. She is a practicing clinical counsellor at Venturous Counselling and Consulting and specializes in working with clients who are navigating life transitions and relationships with self, others, and the world. She supports her clients by turning this grief, loss, anxiety, depression, or stress into a rebuilding trust and compassion through art, somatic work, and play. Outside of counselling work, she enjoys laughing with loved ones and connecting to practices and activities that spark creativity and joy.
Samantha Davies (she/her)
Researcher and Social Work Program Supervisor, Rise Women's Legal Centre
- Practical Approaches to Innovate Family Law Systems in BC’s Northern, Rural and Remote Communities
Speaker bio coming soon.
Abby Chow (she/her)
Clinical Director, Venturous Counselling and Consulting, MA, RCC-ACS
- Grief as Resistance: Understanding Systemic Context to Forge Solidarity Amidst Mourning
Abby is a cisqueer, currently non-disabled settler from Hong Kong, occupying the stolen, ancestral territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, Stó:lō , Tsleil-Waututh, Qayqayt, and Kwikwetlem peoples. She is a practicing clinical counsellor at Venturous Counselling and Consulting, an adjunct faculty member, and a clinical supervisor. For over a decade, she’s had the privilege of working with folx resisting multiple systems of oppression, with 8 of those years working in STV programs and coordinating victim services. In addition to her work with folx impacted by the criminal legal system, addictions, and relational trauma, she is currently running Reflecting on Justice, an online educational platform for anti-oppressive, justice-oriented counsellors to unlearn systemic oppression together in community. Outside of work she enjoys live shows, reading, videography and storytelling.
Maggie House (she/her)
Supervising Lawyer, Centralized Legal Services, Rise Women’s Legal Centre
- Practical Approaches to Innovate Family Law Systems in BC’s Northern, Rural and Remote Communities
Speaker bio coming soon.
Ninu Kang (she/her)
Executive Director, EVA BC
- Working with Men to Increase Safety for Survivors
Ninu Kang comes to her leadership role with EVA BC with over 30 years of work experience in the areas of newcomer settlement, gender-based violence, and justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. With an academic background in counselling psychology combined with frontline work experience, she has developed key skills in clinical counselling, facilitation, and senior leadership.
She is inspired in her work by young people who are the future of change. She aspires to learn from young people and stands committed to mentorship where needed.
In her spare time, she loves to hike in the beautiful lush BC trails.
Kiran Toor (she/her)
Policy Analyst, EVA BC
- Interagency Case Assessment Teams (ICATs)
Kiran has a background working in non-profit settings to support mental health, child and youth care, and victim services. She has providing oversight to a victim services team supporting survivors of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, human trafficking, and elder abuse. She is currently furthering her knowledge and awareness of the justice system through the Justice Studies Master of Arts program at Royal Roads University.
Collaboration and coordination are at the forefront of Kiran’s work to address current justice issues and raise awareness at a provincial level.
Wendy Potter (she/her)
Director, Community Coordination for Survivor Safety, EVA BC
- Provincial Policing Standards on Sexual Assault and Third Party Reporting (TPR) for Youth Survivors of Sexual Assault
Wendy has worked in the anti-violence field for over 20 years. She supported and advocated for sexual assault survivors at the Sexual Assault Service at BC Women’s Hospital, educated service providers and supported communities to improve their sexual violence response. Wendy also held roles as an STV counsellor, transition house worker, and Community-Based Victim Services (CBVS) worker.
Wendy is passionate about advocating for survivors of gender-based violence, especially those who face the greatest barriers to access services. She brings an intersectional feminist perspective to her work and a commitment to doing the work.
Lucie Vallières (she/her)
A/Director, Standards and Training Unit., Policing and Security Branch, Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General
- Provincial Policing Standards on Sexual Assault and Third Party Reporting (TPR) for Youth Survivors of Sexual Assault
Speaker bio coming soon.
Wellness session presenters
Fatima Tajah Olson (she/her)
Trauma Informed Therapist
- Using Art for Inner healing (Self+Body image)
My name is Fatima Tajah Olson. I was born in Malawi. My Canadian father adopted me at the age of 7. I moved to Canada when I was 16 years old. I hold a BFA from Emily Carr Art & Design University.
I’ve been a professional artist since 2015 and exhibit my work in Canada and the USA. My self-portraits are based on my transition from Africa to Canada, being adopted, being a black woman and the inner struggles, I faced with my identity.
My art has been my therapy and helped me gain confidence and reclaim my identity.
In 2022, I graduated from Yorkville University with a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology (MACP).
I currently work as a clinical counsellor at Peak Resilience and my own practice. I combine art in my therapy as I believe art is a powerful tool for healing.
Kendra Coupland (she/her)
Spiritual Wellness Coach
- Gentle Adaptive Yoga
Kendra Coupland (she/her) is a Yoga Grandmaster, who was initiated into the yogic tradition and lineage by Swami Vidyanand in 2017 while residing in Tamil Nadu, India. As a queer, neurodivergent yoga teacher, a survivor of childhood sexual violence, and person of mixed Afro-Caribbean and Romani-Hungarian heritage, Kendra brings a compassionate, trauma-informed, and intersectional framework to her practice.
Her body of work includes creating programming for survivors of sexual violence at UBC and Capilano University; she is the founder of Spiritual Wellness for Black Bodies and the Dark Before the Dawn Retreat for Black community healing. Kendra also teaches free-to-the-public, trauma-informed classes three times a week at The Gathering Place Community Centre – a space which centres marginalized communities.
Her aim is to create safer spaces for folks who experience marginalization and systemic violence to practice self-liberation within the yogic community.
Carolyn Schmidt and Cian Dalton
Breathwork Facilitators and Wellness Professionals, The Stretch Space
- Breathwork for Self-Regulation and Self-Care
Carolyn and Cian are experienced practitioners in Stretch Therapy, Breathwork and movement. The husband-and-wife team have many certifications under their belt, including Fascial Stretch Therapy, Myofascial Release, Conscious Connected Breathwork and Wim Hof Method. They have been running a busy studio in Vancouver since 2018 and have worked with 1000’s of clients through 1-1 sessions, retreats and workshops. Cian and Carolyn are passionate about sharing the healing technologies of Mother Nature, including breathwork, movement and cold-water therapy, to help people remember who they truly are. Cian has a background in engineering and professional boxing and Carolyn was a professional dancer and dance educator. Their diverse backgrounds along with vast life experience make Cian and Carolyn a dynamic duo of embodiment and healing.
Eljiah Zimmerman (he/they)
Executive Director, Center of Mindful Self Compassion
- Cultivating Resilience and Compassion: Mindful Self-Compassion Tools
Elijah Zimmerman is the Executive Director for the Center of Mindful Self Compassion. He has extensive experience in non-profits and academia with a focus on leadership, collaboration, and facilitation through a lens of compassion. He has volunteered or worked in social services for 20 years with his most recent role as the Executive Director with the Victoria Sexual Assault Centre.
Elijah integrates mindfulness into his leadership, enhancing resilience, compassion, and well-being within teams. His Ph.D. in Communication Studies and skills in Interfaith Studies enrich his approach, fostering inclusive and compassionate environments. Elijah emphasizes the importance of mutual care, believing that our collective efforts and support for one another are what truly make a difference.
Rianne Svelnis (she/they)
Artistic Associate / Facilitator
- All Bodies Dance
All Bodies Dance Project (ABDP) is an inclusive dance company located on unceded Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səlílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) territories (Vancouver, BC, Canada). ABDP offers free and accessible dance classes for people of all abilities, genders, sizes, and backgrounds in addition to making opportunities for diverse artists to practice, research, and create innovative, inclusive dance.
In ABDP’s work, differences are regarded as creative strengths as we explore the choreographic possibilities of diverse ways of moving and perceiving. Our work blurs the boundaries between community-engaged and professional practice. We prioritize new cultural practices and move beyond traditional ideas of dance training to value the lived experience of movers both with and without disabilities. Our practice aims to dismantle assumptions, biases, and default notions around contemporary dance, the theatre, and the dancing body.
We want to expand the possibilities of who dances and what dance can be.
St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program
- Therapy Dogs
St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program was established in 1992. Along with their handlers, Therapy Dogs do just what pets have been doing for centuries – offering companionship to those in need of comfort or emotional and physical support. Dogs are non-judgmental. They are undeterred by human frailties. Dogs will be accepting of those with physical or mental illness, or those presenting with confusion or tears. Dogs calm the distressed, distract those in discomfort, and comfort the lonely. Our mission statement is “To Spread Moments of Joy.”
The St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program reaches out to thousands of people across Canada on a daily basis bringing comfort, joy and companionship to members of the community who are sick, lonely, reside in long-term care and mental health facilities; are in hospitals, schools and library settings. Program participants reap the therapeutic benefits of the unconditional companionship of a four-legged friend. Through petting, affection, and regular visitation, many people benefit both physically and emotionally from the unconditional love of a dog, while also providing the volunteer with a unique and rewarding volunteer experience.
