Our Board of Directors

 

In 2001, during the community consultation phase of the development of Surrounded By Cedar Child & Family Services, our community members recommended that women must have a strong role in our Agency governance structure (our Council).  They said that because women are the givers of life, the primary caregivers of children, first teachers, majority of the front line social workers and foster parents that we should ensure their voices are heard at our highest Agency levels.

Our community members recommended that five of the seven elected Council positions must be held by women. We have ensured that our community direction is written into our Agency Constitution and Bylaws and actively recruited and selected women for our Agency Council. We have actively recruited Aboriginal peoples with career expertise in K-12 and college level education instruction and administration, community administration, finance, social work, housing and youth corrections.

We were told that community members must be involved in our Agency development and that there should be a safe and supportive place for open and transparent discussion to occur.

We have created our Elders, Youth, Professional Services and Family Councils to ensure that our community members have a voice in our Agency development, learning, teaching and sharing opportunities.

Surrounded By Cedar Child and Family Services has a seven (7) member volunteer non profit Board of Directors (we prefer the term “Council”) comprised of:

  • Bruce Parisian - Cree/Metis - Community representative and President (Founding Member and Executive Director of the Victoria Native Friendship Centre)    

  • Della Preston - Nuu Chah Nulth - Youth Advisory Council representative and Vice-President (Former Indigenous Youth In Care and current student at the University of Victoria School of Child and Youth Care)  
  • Freda Shaughnessy - Kwakwakwakw - Elder Advisory Council co-representative (BC Youth Corrections)  
  • Greg Kazakoff, CA Finance representative and Secretary-Treasurer. Member of Aboriginal Finance Officers Association.

  • Minnie Clark - Elder Advisory Council co-representative (Retired social worker)  
  • Nella Nelson - Kwakwakwakw - Professional Services representative (Founding member and Coordinator Aboriginal Nations Education School District #61)  
  • Suzanne Bate - Cree - Family Advisory Council representative (Camosun College First Nations Student Advisor)

 

 

April 12 2008 at Government House, Victoria, BC  

L-R, Ed Robson (business manager), Greg Kazakoff (Secretary-Treasurer), Nella Nelson (Professional Council rep), Her Honor Gwen Point, His Honor Steven Point, Bruce Parisia (President), Lisa George (Counsellor), Sabrina Williams (Cultural Programs Coordinator), Shelly Johnson (CEO) and Charlene Barney (administrative assistant)