EXECUTIVE TEAM
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Josh Paterson (he, him, his) 
Josh joined the Foundation in 2019.
From 2013 to 2019, he was Executive Director of the BC Civil Liberties Association. At BCCLA, Josh led legal challenges and law reform work which created substantial change in Canadian law. In 2020 he was the joint winner of the inaugural Hillman Canada Prize for Democracy and Social Justice for this work to advance human rights.
Josh’s legal practice has included constitutional law, First Nations law, labour and human rights law, and environmental law, working at a number of different legal organizations and a litigation firm. He has served on a number of government advisory bodies, including BC’s Advisory Committee on Provincial Policing Standards, the BC Police Academy Curriculum Evaluation Steering Committee, and the National Energy Board’s Land Matters Group. Josh taught as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia for six years. Josh holds law and master’s degrees from the University of Toronto, and clerked at Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice.
DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC PROJECTS
Darcie Bennett (she, her, hers)
Since completing her PhD in sociology at UBC in 2008, Darcie has worked at the intersection of non-profit management, legal advocacy, and social science research. Darcie joined Pivot Legal Society as a community-based researcher in 2006 and went on to hold several positions including campaigns director and interim executive director. She also spent two years as director of marketing and communications for Ecojustice Canada. Darcie also worked as a community grants manager with the Community Action Initiative, where she managed the community-based counselling fund. In 2018, she completed a graduate certificate in executive coaching from Royal Roads University and specializes in coaching non-profit leaders. She is also mom to three young people and caretaker to two cats.
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Andrea Gutierrez Crosson (she, her, hers)
Andrea joined the Foundation in 2020 and is focused on providing leadership in relation to people and culture, operations infrastructure, grant-making, organizational development, and governance processes. In her previous role as Director of People and Operations at Ecojustice, she led the organizational change required for Ecojustice to grow nationally. During her tenure, she led organizational re-design, envisioned and built a people and culture team, developed and introduced performance management programs, and improved systems to make the organization more efficient and effective. She has extensive experience in non-profit, public and private sectors, and is currently also Board Chair of Food Stash Foundation. On weekends, she likes spending time on the seawall, skiing our local mountains, and spending time with her family.
Andrea holds an MBA, Sauder School of Business, and a BA, Psychology, Health and Society, University of British Columbia. She is also a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR).
DIRECTOR OF LEGAL SERVICE GRANTS
Kim Hawkins (she, her, hers)
Kim joined the foundation in 2024 as Director of Legal Service Grants. Prior to working at the Foundation, she was the first Executive Director of Rise Women’s Legal Centre, a non-profit legal clinic providing free family law services to women and gender diverse people.
Kim brings many years of experience in the non-profit sector and across a wide range of areas of law. She has practiced criminal, family and child protection law as a staff layer at legal aid in Yukon, including regularly travelling for court circuits in small communities. She engaged in strategic litigation and systemic advocacy on human rights, poverty and environmental issues with the Legal Resource Centre in South Africa and worked as investigator at the Yukon Human Rights Commission. She has previously served on the boards of the Yukon Women’s Transition Home Society, Yukon Public Legal Education Association, Nakai Theatre, and currently sits on the board of Paws for Hope Animal Foundation. Kim clerked for the Territorial and Supreme Court of Yukon and holds a JD in law from the University of Victoria and a Masters in International Human Rights Law from the University of Oxford.
Kim loves spending time outdoors with her husband and rescue pup and is deeply grateful to live on the ancestral and unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
Patrick McNary (he, him, his)
Patrick joined the Foundation in 2021 and is leading the transformation of the Foundation’s financial function into modern systems and processes fostering risk-reduction, efficiency, and robust organizational reporting. Patrick worked in PwC’s assurance practice from 2010-2016 and has since worked in financial and operational roles within companies. He has experience in organizations of all sizes across a wide range of industries, from small charities to multinational corporations, and is an expert in delivering best-practice solutions tailored to the unique needs of individual organizations. Patrick approaches his work from the lens of its impacts on the organization’s clients, team, and culture, always aiming to unlock creativity, compassion, and value.
Patrick is passionate about access to justice and mental health and has previously served on the boards of the John Howard Society of the Fraser Valley and the Canadian Mental Health Association, Vancouver-Burnaby branch. The son of a family law lawyer and tax lawyer, Patrick couldn’t get enough of the law and married a corporate litigator whose mother and aunt are solicitors; he can hold his own in debate. In his free time Patrick loves spending time with his children, playing sports, and puttering in the yard.
Patrick became a CPA, CA in 2013. He attended the Diploma in Accounting Program at UBC’s Sauder School of Business and holds a BCom, majoring in Finance, from the University of Alberta.
DIRECTOR OF GRANTS & PROGRAMS
Vi Nguyen (she, her, hers)
Vi joined the foundation in 2022 as Director of Grants and Programs. Most recently, she was the National Manager of Public Outreach and Strategic Stakeholder Engagement at the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat, which leads the federal government’s efforts to identify systemic racial barriers and gaps and consider the impacts of new and existing policies and programs on racialized, Indigenous and religious minority communities.
Vi’s experience in the philanthropic sector includes 13 years at Vancouver Foundation, including almost a decade leading a team as Director of Grants and Community Initiatives, responsible for grantmaking through a range of issue areas and leading efforts to shift towards racial equity grantmaking with the launch of the first community investment stream committed to funding Black, Indigenous and racialized leadership and grassroots movements. She has worked as a frontline youth worker for large multi-service social agencies and served on the board of directors for Vancouver Coastal Health.
Vi holds an MA from the School of Child and Youth Care Studies at the University of Victoria. She is one half of a parenting duo to two young, growing, inquisitive and pretty rad, little humans.
PROGRAM TEAM
GRANTS MANAGER, INDIGENOUS JUSTICE
Madeleine Bégin (she, her, hers)
Madeleine joined the foundation in 2023. Before joining the foundation, she worked as the Young Warriors Program’s lead facilitator at the Victoria Native Friendship Centre. Before that she worked as an Assistant Director at a Kids & Company centre.
She is an Indigenous woman with ancestral ties to the Mi’kmaq Nation, who is passionate about Indigenous and Social Justice issues. She has a certificate in Indigenous Family Support and a Diploma in Community, Family, and Child Studies at Camosun College. She has extensive knowledge in supporting and uplifting youth and families.
GRANTS MANAGER
Sue Bradley (she, her, hers)
Sue joined the Foundation in 2018. Sue has a Marketing Management Diploma from the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Prior to joining the Foundation she worked as a program assistant in the health care field and as the executive assistant for a corporate office in Surrey. Sue enjoys hiking, music, yoga and kayaking.
GRANTS MANAGER
Serene Carter (she, her, hers)
Serene has deep experience in community development and philanthropy. She has worked at The Equality Fund and The Vancouver Pride Society funding human rights issues globally and domestically. She currently serves as the board chair for Van Vogue Jam, a local organization providing free/by-donation dance classes and ballroom education. Serene lives with her (soon to be) wife, child, and their two cats on xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations (Vancouver, BC).
PROGRAM DIRECTOR, INDIGENOUS JUSTICE
Leah Fırat (she, her, hers)
Leah is a Métis woman whose Métis family is from Northern Alberta, with family ties to the Headingly in the Red River and Île-à-la-Crosse. Her Métis family names are Bruce and Omand. Leah first joined the Foundation in 2018 and returned later in 2020. She has experience in several direct service and advocacy roles with Indigenous communities across Turtle Island since 2010. Leah completed a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Environmental Science at Queen’s University and a Juris Doctor (law) degree at the Allard School of Law at UBC. Before joining the Foundation, Leah articled and practiced at a boutique criminal defence firm in Vancouver. She has appeared before and assisted with criminal trials in the British Columbia Provincial and Supreme Courts. Leah is an artist, film fan and supporter of local community theatre.
PROCESS & KNOWLEDGE MOBILIZATION SPECIALIST, INDIGENOUS JUSTICE
Jayme Gabriel-Chan (she, her, hers)
Jayme joined the foundation in 2023 as Process and Mobilization Specialist. Most recently, Jayme was the Managing Director at stɑl̓əw̓ Arts & Cultural Society, a land-based, non-profit organization dedicated to the revitalization of arts, culture and language as well as advocacy for Indigenous artist living in in Coast Salish Territories. She has many years of experience in the areas of leadership & people engagement from her time in the corporate and philanthropic sectors. She holds Diploma of Education in Marketing and Sales Management with UBC Sauder School of Business.
Jayme is a Kwantlen First Nation member and has been on a journey to relearn her culture while incorporating her experience into her business and engagement practices. She is a strong advocate for Indigenous communities while in our process to reclaim their identities and learn how to share their culture in the western world while honoring and respecting her ancestors.
Jayme most enjoys being a mother to her beautiful son and spending time with her family.
GRANTS PROCESS SPECIALIST
Helen Halbert (she, her, hers)
Helen joined the Foundation in 2020. She has a Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) from the University of British Columbia and a BA from McGill University. Previously, Helen worked as a librarian for Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami where she was responsible for establishing a special library in support of advancing Inuit self-determination in research. She next spent 3+ years at the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies where she managed collections and supported the development of learning and research content related to Ontario child welfare policy and practice. She has also been involved in grantmaking programs of the Wikimedia Foundation in a volunteer capacity since 2014.
GRANTS MANAGER, ACCESS TO JUSTICE
Sandy Hoang (she, her, hers)
Sandy joined the Foundation in 2024 as Grants Manager, Access to Justice. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Environmental Studies and a Diploma in Canadian Environmental Assessment at the University of Waterloo plus a Master of Business Administration at the University of Guelph.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Sandy provided tailored capacity support to First Nations and Indigenous-owned businesses and advocated for enhanced Indigenous services in BC’s tourism industry. Sandy also spent 9 years at Environment Funders Canada (previously CEGN) supporting Foundation staff in skills development and strategic grantmaking as well as grantees to advance a sustainable future for Canada. Sandy is passionate about mitigating climate change and advancing meaningful reconciliation so that everyone can thrive with nature. In her down time, Sandy loves cultural tourism, discovering new bistros and is an aspiring wine connoisseur.
GRANTS MANAGER
Justina Loh (she, her, hers)
Justina joined the Foundation in August 2023 as a Grants Manager. Prior to joining the Foundation, she was the Co-Executive Director at Disability Alliance BC for 5 years.
Justina has a background in development and studied International Development at the University of Toronto. She worked for numerous non-profits and social enterprises in Mexico and Ecuador managing community development programs at the international level for 7 years. During this time, she engaged in the creation and assessment of pilot projects, program evaluation, strategic planning, and financial and human resources management.
Apart from work, Justina loves spending time with her family doing arts and crafts, baking, gardening, hiking, and finding cheap eats in the city.
PROGRAM DIRECTOR, ACCESS TO JUSTICE
Neesha Rao (she, her, hers)
Neesha joined the Foundation in 2024 as Program Director, Access to Justice. Neesha is part of a dynamic team that supports innovative solutions to access to justice challenges and systemic inequities in British Columbia.
Neesha has a background in law and not-for-profit leadership. Prior to joining the Foundation, she was interim Director of Legal Services at the Access Pro Bono Society of British Columbia. Neesha was Executive Director of the Yellowknife Women’s Society, a community-based organization that provides housing, shelter and emergency services to Yellowknife’s unhoused community. She led a research and advocacy project on the relationship between unhoused Indigenous women and the RCMP in Yellowknife. Neesha started her career as a practising family and child protection lawyer, including at the Legal Aid Commission of the Northwest Territories.
Neesha has a BCL/LLB degree from the McGill Faculty of Law and an Honours degree in Social Studies from Harvard College.
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, ADVOCACY
Veenu Saini (she, her, hers)
Veenu joined the Law Foundation in 2002. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Biology from University of Delhi and a diploma in Business. Before coming to the Law Foundation, she was the Legal Advocacy Program Coordinator at Battered Women’s Support Services. Veenu has extensive background in the non-profit sector and she remains passionately committed to social justice and women’s issues at the local, provincial, national and international level.
Her current areas of focus at the Foundation include family law, equality rights and children’s issues.
PROGRAM DIRECTOR, RACIAL JUSTICE
Meseret Taye (she, her, hers)
Meseret joined the Foundation in August 2022 as a Grants Manager overseeing legal service and racial justice grants.
Meseret has 20 plus years of experience with local and international nonprofit organizations in Canada, the United States and Ethiopia. Prior to joining the Law Foundation, Meseret was a Senior Program Manager at Vancouver Foundation where she worked for 9.5 years in various grantmaking initiatives, including scaling out the Foundation’s grassroots grantmaking program from few communities in the Lower Mainland to every community across the province of BC by developing regional networks in partnership with diverse place-based nonprofit organizations, funding agencies and municipalities.
Meseret has a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and a Master of Arts degree in Community and Regional Planning. In her spare time, she is involved with the Foundation for Black Communities (FFBC), Canada’s first philanthropic foundation dedicated to investing in Black-led, focused and serving organizations.
OPERATIONS TEAM
TEAM LEAD, DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Kayla Black (she, her, hers)
Kayla joined the Foundation in 2020. As the Digital Transformation Specialist she supports the development of digital tools to streamline organizational processes, as well as provides training to support the successful adoption of these tools.
Kayla holds a Bachelor of Arts in Korean Language & Culture from the University of British Columbia. Prior to joining the Foundation she worked as program coordinator at a charity helping women and children in North Korea.
DATA MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST
Arnold Bundotich (he, him, his)
Arnold holds a Bachelor of Space Science from the University of Nairobi, as well as a post-baccalaureate degree in Economics from TRU. In his free time, he enjoys stargazing with his telescope, hiking, and embarking on new travel adventures to meet diverse individuals and gain enriching experiences.
OPERATIONS ASSISTANT
Jasmeet Khosa (she, her, hers)
Jasmeet joined the Foundation in 2023. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of British Columbia and a Paralegal Diploma from Capilano University. Prior to joining the Foundation, Jasmeet worked in various roles at law firms in Vancouver.
Jasmeet is passionate about advancing access to justice in British Columbia and working alongside her colleagues to support the Foundation’s mission, vision and values.
OPERATIONS MANAGER
Jessi McCallum (she, her, hers)
Jessi graduated from Douglas College’s Legal Administrative Assistant program in 2013. Aside from a brief period of time where she worked at Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy with Joe Arvay and Alison Latimer, she has spent much of her career at the BC Civil Liberties Association. Her initial position as a Legal Assistant at the BCCLA led to a strong interest in the operations and governance of the Association, and in 2019 she became the Operations Manager.
Jessi provided extensive governance assistance to the BCCLA’s Board of Directors, various Board committees and working groups, as well as Executive level staff, while also managing the BCCLA’s day-to-day operations. She has in-depth experience in governance processes and coordination and has a keen interest in creating clear, efficient systems that foster effective participation.
Jessi joined the foundation in 2021. When she is not working, Jessi can often be found watching true crime documentaries, studying backyard astronomy, or enjoying the outdoors with her canine companion Paintjob.
TEAM LEAD, PROGRAM SUPPORT
Sandra Morgenstern (she, her, hers)
Sandra joined the Foundation in 2007. She has her Legal Assistant certificate from Douglas College. Prior to joining the Foundation she worked for over five years as a legal secretary for a partner of a law firm concentrating in the area of family law. She has also spent time working in the area of personal injury law.
OPERATIONS ASSISTANT
Marina Thompson (she, her, hers)
Marina Thompson joined the Law Foundation of BC in 2023 as Operations Assistant. Prior to working at the Foundation, Marina was an Administrative Assistant in the Patient Transfer Services department at BC Emergency Health Services. She has an extensive background in planning and project coordination.
Marina holds a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from the University of Waterloo, and Project Management Diploma from Douglas College.
Marina likes to keep active through swimming, cycling and long walks with her husband and their dog Roo.
FINANCE TEAM
SENIOR ANALYST, FINANCE PROJECTS
Jonelle Andrew (she, her, hers)
Jonelle joined the Foundation in 2023. She completed a Bachelor of Hospitality Management in 2017 from Vancouver Island University, and more recently completed a Master of Business Administration from Thompson Rivers University in 2021. Prior to joining the foundation, she worked in the finance department across multiple sectors, most recently in a healthcare facility. She is passionate about systems, planning, and processes as well as access to justice and mental health. Jonelle is joining the finance team to assist with ongoing tasks with a focus on planning and projects.
Outside of work, Jonelle enjoys spending time with her husband, toddler, and dogs. The four of them keep her very busy as they all have high energy and a need for the outdoors. Other hobbies include lifestyle photography and watching netflix with an abundance of snacks, a hobby so serious that she has multiple dundie awards for winning local office trivia contests.
SENIOR FINANCIAL ANALYST
Tong Lin (she, her, hers)
Tong joined the Foundation in 2022. She assists in day-to-day financial operations and works with the Director of Finance in streamlining and modernizing the internal financial processes.
Tong has over 12 years of financial analysis and full-cycle of accounting and business analysis experience working for a wide variety of companies. She is passionate about learning new automation and transformation technology. In her 6 years working for Lenovo group, she was a Finance Transformation Analyst where she owned process and system improvements, experienced full-cycle projects management from planning, pain points understanding, and solution design to implementation. Her biggest achievement was the creation and implementation of intercompany and AP & AR processes for Motorola Mobilities.
Tong is inspired daily by her husband and their son. Outside of work, Tong likes hiking, cooking and making and designing jewelry. She spends some of her free time working as a volunteer for the Burnaby Neighborhood house and as a Mandarin teacher for UBC Asian studies.
Tong is CPA designated in both Canada and Australia. She holds a BBA, with an Accounting major from Hong Kong Baptist University.
FINANCE ADMINISTRATOR
Chelse Upton (she, her, hers)
Chelse joined the Law Foundation in 2022 and is supporting the ongoing transformation of financial processes, especially those related to trust interest revenue. Prior to joining the Foundation, Chelse spent four years in financial administration at a health care facility, including assisting in the modernization of the accounting department. She also has fond memories of her eight years in the finance department at Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Contaminated Sites Division, which included travel to some of BC’s most beautiful and remote locations. Chelse enjoys long walks with her kids and their furry companion, Doug the dog.
Cindy joined the Foundation in November 2023. She is supporting and overseeing aspects of financial processes, reporting, and accounting.
Cindy completed her undergraduate at UBC with an economics degree in 2016 before her pivot to accounting, later graduating from the UBC Diploma in Accounting Program (DAP) in 2018. Cindy started her accounting career in the assurance practice at PwC and obtained her CPA in 2021. After leaving public practice, Cindy has worked in financial roles in a couple of companies within the fin-tech and nanotechnology sectors.
In her free time, Cindy can be seen having friendly matches of badminton and tennis with her friends, scouting out the latest and greatest places for good food/coffee, planning her next big travel adventure, or cozying up with a good book or two.