Tim Agg

Interim Executive Director

Pronouns: He/Him/His

[email protected]

 

Tim was the Executive Director at PLEA Community Services Society for over 30 years, retiring in 2016. Two years later, he was appointed by the Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction to facilitate the Re-Imagining Community Inclusion initiative, a stakeholder  engagement process which created a ten-year road map for the development of supports and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in BC. He was a board member of the former BC Human Rights Coalition, among other voluntary roles.

Q members and supporters with long memories may recall the days when we were known as the Vancouver Gay & Lesbian Community Centre. Tim co-chaired the board for three years. He signed the first lease for our Bute Street space in 1985, never imagining we would be here 35 years later!

Joel Harnest

Manager, Programs & Community Engagement

Pronouns: He/Him/His

[email protected]

 

Joel is a cis, queer, white settler, living and working on the unceded and occupied lands of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam peoples.  Joel joined QMUNITY in Spring 2015 as the Education & Training Coordinator before moving into his current role in May, 2018.

Joel brings over 10 years of experience in group facilitation, adult education, curriculum design and public speaking to his role at QMUNITY.  Most recently, Joel completed a Certificate in Dialogue & Civic Engagement from Simon Fraser University. Course learnings provided him with the opportunity to enhance his skills and abilities to bring groups of people together to have difficult conversations and co-create new knowledge and innovative solutions to address complex issues.

When Joel isn’t waxing poetic about queer revolutions or addressing the toxicity of misogyny, you might find him on some sports fields (oh, the irony) tossing a plastic, flying disc or kicking around a soccer ball.  His main mode of transportation is cycling, and he frequently pines for the long Vancouver summer days so he can try to survive ill-planned and under-prepared day-long bike trips.

Rana Nu

Specialist, Education & Training

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

[email protected]

 

Rana is a social activist for non-violent communication and human rights. Throughout more than 12-year of a career in civil society empowerment, peacebuilding, and community engagement, she has tailored and conducted training for civil society empowerment and social cohesion. Through these programs, she has helped to bridge the gap between people from different political affiliation, ethnics & believes, and increased their ability to lead the change and deal with the arising trauma and humanitarian crisis in the Middle East.

She is a trainer and facilitator of various thematic on peacebuilding, conflict resolution, psychosocial support, facilitation skills, negotiation and mediation, project planning and social entrepreneurship. Master trainer for two global programs developed by the British Council: “Active Citizens” and “Leadership in Community Development”. Worked with different activists and trainers worldwide (Canada, USA, Europe, South Africa, and the Middle East.

Listen Chen

Queer Competency Training (QCT) Coordinator

Pronouns: They/Them/Theirs

[email protected]

 

Listen Chen was born in the year of the rabbit under a Capricorn sun. They grew up in Hong Kong and have been living on the occupied, ancestral territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations since 2009.

They are particularly excited about exploring the relationship between education and change, and have a background in community organizing and poetry. When they aren’t thinking about pedagogy, they can be found crafting, walking their cats, or studying Buddhist ontologies from a materialist perspective.

Ziggy Schutz

Pridespeaks Administrator

Pronouns: He/she

[email protected]

 

Ziggy is a queer, disabled individual who grew up in a small town before moving to the big city, just like in all of the queer fairy tales. She has been living and working on the unceded and ancestral lands of the Squamish, Tseil-Waututh and Musqueam peoples since 2011.

Ziggy has been involved with Qmunity for over six years through the Pridespeak program, where he got to see first hand how important queer stories and history told by queer voices can be for youth who are feeling isolated. This is something he carries with him into the Coordinator role, always making sure to balance Big Picture thinking with the impact of an individual.

She is also an author, advocating for better representation in media as she writes the kind of stories her younger self had always needed. Lots of dragons, and cool monster girls, and queer kids getting happy endings.

Jennie MacPhee-Woodburn

Social Worker, Counselling & Youth Support Services, RSW (#13963)

Pronouns: She/ Her/ They/Them

[email protected]

 

Jennie first joined the Q team as a Practicum Student in the Youth Program while they were completing their BSW. They stayed on as a volunteer and recently took on additional responsibilities as the Drop-In facilitator.

Aside from their educational achievements and volunteer history with QMUNITY, Jennie brings a great deal of warmth, a calm, reassuring presence and a remarkable desire to help improve the lives of LGBTQ/2S people – not to mention a love for Tegan and Sara that is second to none

Han Hugessen

Specialist, Youth Programming

Pronouns: They/Them/Theirs

[email protected]

 

Han grew up in Australia and moved from a desert wasteland to a frozen one in 2017; they have been living and working on the unceded and ancenstral lands of the Squamish, Tseil-Waututh and Musqueam peoples ever since. Han has worked with youth for over 10 years in teaching and youth working capacities, working with culturally and linguistically diverse youth, youth experiencing homelessness and youth with disabilities. Han is passionate about providing safe spaces for LGBTQ2S+ youth where their unique strengths and resilience can be recognised and celebrated.

Han has a trio of Bachelor’s Degrees in Social Science, Film and Performance and strongly believes in the importance of a diverse range of experiences being represented by, for and about young people. In their free time Han can be found going for long runs without appropriate rain gear, reading feminist dystopian fiction and inflicting affection upon ambivalent cats.

Tamara Touma

Visual Communications Designer

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

[email protected]

 

Tamara has been working in graphic design since 2012, what started as a hobby and a desire to alter her favourite images of long-time crush Johnny Depp, ended with her self-teaching and developing her skills in design and visual graphics, taking on a more professional turn into her career as a designer in 2014.

Her experience includes both digital and print media, as well as social media coordination and strategy, content development for social networks on various channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter).

Tamara was born and raised in Syria, before moving to Vancouver to the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations in 2018, she lived and worked in Dubai as an Architect. She is happy to be putting use to her skills set and experience for the benefit of the local LGBTQ2S community, that she now calls her own.

Driven by her love and passion for design, Tamara enjoys the creative process of interpreting ideas and concepts into creative visuals. She takes it even further outside the work place where she often practices sketching and drawing, creating unique tattoo designs drawn by the beauty and complexity of the art of tattooing.

Courtney Dieckbrader

Specialist, Seniors Programming

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

[email protected]

 

Courtney comes from Vancouver Island but has been living and working in Greater Vancouver for the past 6 years. Her passion for working with seniors comes from the friendships she made working as a front desk concierge at a retirement facility in Victoria and the strong relationships she has with the older generations in her family. When she isn’t hiking around the unceded Indigenous territories her family settled on, she enjoys watching her Aunts play Hockey ‘Go Boda Go’ and working in her garden.

Courtney strongly believes that seniors program development starts with a conversation and becomes something truly special with strong input from the community we serve. She has the utmost respect for the experience each older adult and senior brings to the table and wants to hear from you! Drop her an email or give a call anytime. She loves a good chat.

Kris Meier

Volunteer Coordinator

Pronouns: They/Them/Theirs

[email protected]

 

Kris is a colourful nonbinary human who grew up on the occupied territories of the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm, xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, and səlil̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ Nations.

They are happiest when creating art, digging in dirt or daydreaming of a future full of binary-breaking unicorns. They have been called many things over the years, but you may call them Kris, or Boots!

Jason Hjalmarson

Fundraiser

Pronouns: He/Him/His

[email protected]

 

Jason began his non-profit career as a door to door fundraiser in 2009. Since then, he’s spent over a decade using his fundraising skills to support different progressive causes. He’s passionate about social justice and working to create positive social change. Jason loves watching horror movies with his friends, taking care of his pet cat, and talking about politics. You can often find him reading on his balcony in East Vancouver.

Jeylan Bishop

Administrator

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

[email protected]

 

Jeylan is a queer mixed person of white and west Indian ancestry. She has spent a significant amount of time on the territories of the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples, living and working on various Southern Gulf Islands. Jeylan is interested in community planning and building relationships; She brings to her role lots of experience in community care from years of small-town living. If she’s not bookkeeping and organizing files, she can be found watering plants or in the woods trying to improve her husky’s recall.