Immigrant Women Services Ottawa
219 Argyle Avenue, Suite 400
Ottawa, Ontario
K2P 2H4
Tel: 613-729-3145
Fax: 613-729-9308
Bota Tuyakova - Treasurer
Botakoz is an Audit manager in the Audit Public group at Deloitte LLP in Ottawa. She has over ten years of audit experience in Kazakhstan and USA (secondment – 2 years).
Botakoz has experience in external audit engagements on telecommunications, manufacturing, transportation and miscellaneous retail and services enterprises.
Botakoz specializes in IFRS and US GAAP financial statement preparation for large Kazakh and international companies.
She has extensive experience with companies in the telecom, manufacturing, retail and transportation sectors.
She has Kazakh Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research, bachelor of business sciences. She is also a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, ACCA and Certified Public Accountant of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, CPA.
Barbara Amona Purdie - Secretary
Barbara Amona was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She has lived in Canada since 2008 and in Ottawa since 2009. She currently works as a Paralegal at the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary at the House of Commons. She completed her post-graduate certificate in Paralegal Studies at Conestoga College in Kitchener, Ontario. Prior to that, Barbara earned an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences degree in International Studies and Modern Languages at the University of Ottawa. She is currently enrolled part-time in the Master of Arts degree program at Saint Paul University.
Barbara, as an immigrant Black woman, has experienced first-hand the challenges of being part of that demographic. As newcomers to Ottawa, she and her mother benefitted from the services of the Immigrant Women Services Ottawa in the past and she is proud to be on the board of directors of an organization that does great work in the community and is excited for the chance to use her learned skills to make a difference.
Navpreet Uppal B. Eng.
Board Member
Navpreet is a Director, Information Technology at Defence Construction Canada (DCC). Before joining DCC in 2005, Navpreet worked in the private sector in various capacities.
After growing up and finishing her undergraduate degree in Engineering, Navpreet moved to Canada in 1998 after meeting her husband in India. After living and working in Winnipeg for three years, she moved to Ottawa in 2001 where she now raises her two teenage children with her husband.
Navpreet has been involved in the community by supporting various sports organizations in a volunteer capacity. Navpreet has been active in Government of Canada’s Workplace Charitable Campaign (GCWCC) committee at DCC for the past 10 years, fundraising for various charities.
Being an immigrant herself and having experienced being in a new country with minimal friendships and relationships, Navpreet understands the challenges of integrating and acclimatizing into a new society. She believes that language training and workforce integration are the key elements for adjustment and that technology plays a key role these days in both these elements. Navpreet is looking forward to contributing towards IWSO’s mandate by providing her technical expertise to all the program deliveries offered by IWSO to increase its outreach.
Patricia Begin
Board Member
Patricia is a retired public servant with over 30 years experience in social policy research, program evaluation, and strategy. Her areas of work included access to justice for women and children, including victims of domestic violence and sexual assault; crime prevention; substance abuse prevention and treatment; and restitution for indigenous residential school survivors. She has expertise in evaluation and audit, performance measurement, strategic planning, board governance, and human resources.
Tasha Truant
Board Member
Tasha Truant, a Consultant Manager at Goss Gilroy Inc., brings to IWSO her in-depth knowledge of evaluation, performance measurement, and applied research. Domestically, her work has largely focused on assessments of government-funded immigration and integration programs in areas such as foreign qualification recognition, language training, and citizenship.
Tasha holds a Master of Arts from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Guelph, where she received an Honours Bachelor of Arts in International Development.
Tasha is also a long-time community volunteer, a private refugee sponsor, and an all-round champion of multiculturalism.
Abigail Williams - Treasurer
Abigail Williams is a financial and policy analyst with a background in economic theory. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences in Economics from the University of Ottawa and is working towards her MA in Economics at Carleton University. Currently, Abigail serves as a Supervisor at the Bank of Canada, overseeing retail payments supervision by assessing operational and fund safeguarding risk of payment providers. Her prior roles involved critical risk analysis and resolution strategies for major financial institutions, including leading complex crisis simulations. Abigail's experience also includes policy analysis at Transport Canada and early career work in regulatory reporting and compliance. Her commitment to community service is evident from her board role at the Canadian Association of Urban Financial Professionals and mentorship with Apathy is Boring, where she has championed youth engagement and development. Fluent in English and with intermediate French skills, Abigail brings a strong analytical background and effective communication skills to the Board of Immigrant Women Services Ottawa. In her free time, Abigail enjoys running and catching up on her never-ending book list.
Maria Choque - Member
Maria Choque is originally from Colombia. She holds a diploma in Logistics Management and is completing her Bachelor's in International Business Management, having won a full scholarship for excellence in Sustainability and Innovation. Her leadership journey began as High School Class President in 2020, where she led projects benefiting over 1,000 families and earned recognition as the Best Youth Leader. She later served as a Youth Councillor in her city before relocating to Canada. Here, she is actively engaged in various youth initiatives, including the Ottawa Youth Council for Youth Ottawa, Youth Advisory Committee for YouthNet/CHEO, ambassador for Apathy is Boring and Global Shaper for the World Economic Forum.
She currently serves as a Program Officer at Incubator13, focusing on developing the first Community-based social innovation lab in the region. As a young immigrant woman her interests revolve around promoting gender equality, youth activism, and enhancing participation for underrepresented groups. She aspires to further her education with a Master's in Global Development Policy, aiming to contribute meaningfully to global social and economic development.
Brenda Okorogba – IWSO Board Member
Hosai Qasmi - Member
Hosai Qasmi is a researcher and advocate with extensive experience in gender studies, equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), and international development. She holds a Ph.D. in Feminist and Gender Studies and a Master of Arts in Communication from the University of Ottawa.As the co-founder of Hosa Counselling and Research, an immigrant-operated organization, Hosai has dedicated her career to empowering marginalized communities. She is also a research consultant with Archipel Research and Consulting, an Indigenous-owned and women-led company.Hosai's expertise extends to working with prominent organizations such as Amnesty International Canada and the Office of the Special Representative to Combat Islamophobia. Her academic contributions include publishing book chapters, peer-reviewed journal articles, and opinion pieces on topics such as postcolonialism, women’s empowerment, and media representations. Hosai is fluent in English, Dari, Pashto, and Urdu, with a basic comprehension of French.
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Georgette Morris - Member at large
Georgette Morris holds an Honours BA in Human Rights and Equity Studies, a BA in Social Science, and an MA in Public Policy Administration and Law, all from York University. She also holds certificates in Law and Society, Public Policy Analysis, and graduate diplomas in Democratic Administration and Ethics and Public Affairs. She is a PhD student at Carleton University, in Law and Legal Studies. Her primary research interests have been in labour, policy, equity, human rights, immigration, citizenship, government, political debate, public reason, and agenda setting. Georgette possesses a range of experiences at all levels of government, within a range of departments and ministries. She has extensive experience in student government during her undergraduate and graduate studies, serving in roles of Communications and Vice President, steward, Chief Steward Unit 1. She has worked extensively in strategic policy and research. She has sat on several task forces regarding improvement, equity, diversity, inclusion, and modernization. She is also a long-time volunteer within youth, cultural, education, and immigrant non-profits.
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Diana Andai - Board Member
Diana is a lawyer who brings to the Board over 30 years of Federal Government experience. During her many years at both the Privy Council Office and the Department of Justice, Diana worked on various multi disciplinary teams developing policies, legislation, guidelines as well as training for officials and the public. While at the Department of Justice, Diana was part of the Family, Children and Youth Section where she dealt with issues such as family violence, high conflict families, children’s issues and parenting after separation and divorce.
Diana is the daughter of parents who came to Canada as refugees. Growing up in an immigrant family and witnessing the struggle that newcomers face in an unfamiliar country, Diana is aware of the challenges and barriers that face this community. She is committed to sharing her insight and experience with the IWSO. She is trilingual and the mother of two daughters following her path in the area of social justice.
Veronica Dingile Mbofana - Member
Veronica Dingile Mbofana is a recently licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC-IRB). She has an Honours Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a Graduate Diploma in Immigration and Citizenship Law. Veronica’s professional career began at TD Bank where she worked in customer service and later in operations before moving to join the public service as a communications officer at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. She has since moved on from the public service, opening her immigration consultancy firm VDM Canadian Immigration Consultancy Inc.Born in Lusaka, Zambia, Veronica immigrated to Canada over 10 years ago with her family. The journey, though interesting, was a difficult one with few resources at their disposal. Getting to the other side, having adapted to the Canadian environment and having knowledge of the immigration system, it is Veronica’s goal to assist newcomers to overcome the challenges and enjoy meaningful lives.
Seyi Okuribido-Malcolm - Board Member
Seyi Okuribido-Malcolm is Director of the Anti-Racism Secretariat at National Defence. Seyi has been with the federal public service for 22 years taking on increasingly progressive policy and leadership roles across a number of departments.
She holds a double major in Political Science and Sociology/Anthropology and a Masters of Public Administration from Carleton University. Seyi is committed to optimizing the power of inclusion by advancing and enabling a state of equity where she can.
Seyi is married with two teenagers and enjoys recreational running, hiking and photography.
Ruth MacKenzie - Board Member
Ruth’s career in the charitable sector spans 30+ years and the local, national and global levels. She is currently the President & CEO of the Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP), and Executive Director of the CAGP Foundation, national organizations that inspire and strengthen philanthropy in Canada. Prior to CAGP, Ruth was the president & CEO of Volunteer Canada.
Ruth is also a committed volunteer, and has served on many boards and committees at the national and international level. She served on the Governor General’s Volunteer and Philanthropy Advisory Committee from 2012-2015, and currently is the Chair of the Board of CanadaHelps. In 2015 Ruth was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in acknowledgement of her impact on
volunteerism, and received the Ontario Volunteer Service Award in 2020.
Kylie Patrick - Board Chair
Kylie Patrick has worked and volunteered in the not-for-profit sector for more than 22 years, the last 15 advancing the cause of higher education at Carleton University. Currently Kylie is the Assistant Director, Donor Impact at Carleton. Throughout her career Kylie has worked in administration, volunteer management, business operations, fundraising, and in donor engagement. Kylie currently sits on the board of the Association
of Fundraising Professionals, Ottawa Chapter as president. Kylie graduated in 1999 from Trent University with an honours degree in Canadian Studies/Politics and received her CFRE in 2013.
Tasha Truant - Board Member
Tasha Truant is the Associate Director of World Education Services, where she works on several initiatives, from program to partnership development. She holds a Master of Arts from Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University and a Bachelor (Honors) in International Development.
During the past fifteen years, Tasha has worked in several organizations to support the integration of newcomers to Canada, such as the Canadian Index for Measuring Integration and the YOW Welcome Refugee Sponsorship Group. Additionally, her multidisciplinary experience has extended into workplace immigrant and refugee inclusion advocacy in the workplace.
Aia Raafat - Member
As a communications professional, Aia brings solid knowledge of strategic and digital communications with over 7 years of experience in the not-for- profit, corporate, and government sectors. She leverages her skills to give back to the community. As an immigrant woman, Aia values the services offered by IWSO and aims to contribute to the success and awareness of its initiatives.
Aia completed a M.A in Communications and an honours, Bachelor of Arts, in Communications from Ottawa University. As a student, she volunteered with the UN Major Group of Children and Youth, the International Federation of Medical Students Association, Rogers TV cable 22. Finally, she was an executive member (Treasurer) of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, local 2626.
Aia is currently working as a Communications Advisor at the Standards Council of Canada. She also teaches video production and videography at the Digital Arts Resource Centre in Ottawa. Aia speaks English, French, and Arabic. In her free time, you’ll often find her in the kitchen making baked goods!
Tene Knibbs - Vice Chair
A partner with Deloitte’s Consulting practice, Tene brings over 15 years of experience in helping leaders and their organizations to develop and implement
solutions focused on transforming corporate services to increase efficiency and effectiveness while improving outcomes and overall client experience.
She experienced working with the public sector and private sector organizations across Canada as well as internationally.
Tene has a passion for helping people to grow and thrive and has made an impact through various roles including volunteering with settlement organizations, actively leading initiatives in support of Deloitte’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and as a mentor to several professionals.
Tene is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Bachelor of
Commerce degree from the University of Ottawa.
Mechthild Meyer - Past Board Chair
Mechthild's work with other immigrant women in Ottawa dates back 31 years, when she became the coordinator of OCISO's Immigrant Women's Centre. The lack of services for abused immigrant women at that time led her (together with Lucya Spencer and Alma Estable) to spearhead an advocacy initiative that led to the creation of what is now known as IWSO.
Her commitment to women's equality, anti-racism, and social justice issues inspired many community-based research and training projects, as the co-principal in a social science consulting firm (Gentium Consulting, since 1989). She has implemented numerous public health, social research and evaluation studies for the non-profit sector and for all levels of government.
For 15 years she also was a member of the qualitative research team at the Community Health Research Unit (CHRU), University of Ottawa, co-authoring many publications and conference presentations. Currently, she is Gentium's lead researcher in two developmental evaluation projects for Canadian national women's organizations focusing on the prevention of violence against young women (cyberviolence; sexual exploitation).
Mechthild is the proud mother of three grown-up children, a son and two daughters, who as young children were dragged to many immigrant women's community meetings. She plays in two community music groups (an orchestra and a big band), and loves to ski and canoe in the Canadian wilderness.
Mechthild has a Masters degree in Counselling from the University of Western Ontario and holds a teaching degree (Political Science, Physical Education) from the University of Hamburg, Germany. She also completed training in peer-counselling. She recently finished a Certificate in E-Learning at the University of Toronto.
Sadaf Kachalia - Board Member
Sadaf is a passionate social justice warrior, leveraging her skills in nonprofit management and knowledge of global issues to give back to her community.
Volunteering has always been an important aspect of Sadaf's life. From organizing events like Red Cross' "30-hour famine" and the Canadian Cancer Society's "Relay for Life" to supporting numerous advocacy events around human and women's rights, education, or politics.
She has breadth of experience in program management, policy development, event management, and social media.
Sadaf recently completed her M.A. in Globalization and International Development. She also holds a B.A. in Political Science and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from York University. She is currently working as a Strategic Analyst for the Government of Canada.
Juliet Woodfield, CPA, CA
Board Member, Vice-President, Finance & Human Resources and Chief Financial Officer
Ms. Woodfield joined DCC's Executive Management Team in September 2016. She brings more than 20 years of public and private sector experience, and was most recently the Vice-President, Corporate Services and CFO at the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.
She has worked with a variety of government organizations and has also served as the Deputy Chief Financial Officer of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Security Investment Program in Brussels, Belgium.
She is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calgary.
She has two daughters at university. She volunteers at the Ottawa Catholic Immigration Services of Ottawa as a career mentor for new Canadians and at the Immigrant Women Services Ottawa as a Board member (Treasurer).
Sa Yu - Member
Growing up in China, Sa Yu witnessed violence against women and gender inequality from a young age, which directly led her to study law and become a lifelong champion for women’s rights.
Ms. Yu holds an LL.D. (Doctor of Laws) degree from the University of Ottawa and works as a policy analyst in the federal public service. She is skilled at developing a bold strategic vision, building consensus, and achieving performance objectives. She is a passionate supporter of Canada’s diverse communities and women’s entrepreneurship.
Bernadeth Betchi - Board Member
Bernadeth Betchi was born in Cameroon, a beautiful country in Central Africa. At the age of three, she and her family moved to Quebec City, Canada.
As a black woman living in Canada, she is constantly reminded of what it is like to be an outsider as well as what inclusion really feels like. She has always been intrigued by the experiences of other minorities, and has always been drawn towards their narratives, what brings people together and she has been fascinated by the power of cultural production on immigrants, like herself.
The creativity she possesses as a choreographer and a dancer has helped her to connect to a very broad group of people where they have been able to share their love of culture and music.
As a polyglot, her mastery of multiple languages allows her to communicate and understand those she interacts with and has allowed her to serve them on a personal level.
She brings her unending energy and positivity to this beautiful community. Her ability to empathise and connect to all those she encounters will bring strength and love to this passionate group.
Laurie Jaeger - Board Member
Laurie Jaeger has worked in administrative and client service roles for over 25 years, and is currently a School Administrator at Carleton University.
She has extensive experience in project and staff administration, as well as managing operational plans and budgets, including program and policy implementation.
Laurie has been a volunteer ESL teacher, a volunteer website developer for a local sports team and has volunteered with Education at Work Ontario. Laurie has a degree in Linguistics from Carleton University, and continues to pursue professional development courses, including conflict management, crisis intervention and human rights in the workplace.
She possesses three citizenships and has had several opportunities to travel abroad. She has a strong appreciation for human diversity in our society.
Avril Espinosa-Malpica - Board Member
Avril Espinosa-Malpica is a CanExport Officer at Global Affairs Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service. By supporting market diversification efforts and companies led by women, indigenous and youth, Avril’s goal is to help build a sustainable and inclusive Canadian economy.
Outside of the office, Avril is committed to improving her community. She is a Young Director of the G(irls)20 Girls on Boards initiative, which aims to achieve gender-balanced representation in leadership positions through a placement in a non-profit governance board. Avril is also currently collaborating with the “For Youth With Youth” initiative, which is leading consultations to inform the upcoming Canada Youth Policy. As well, Avril serves on the Canadian International Council – Vancouver’s Executive Committee.
Avril’s interest in global socio-economic issues can be traced back to her days at the University of British Columbia (UBC), where she received her BA, Combined Economics and Political Science Major, French Minor. At UBC, she became passionate about women empowerment issues after writing her senior economics thesis on the effects of women in leadership on GDP and finding a positive relationship. Avril was also published and selected for the cover photo in UBC’s Outside-In International Photojournal; her piece explored the need for minority language inclusion in decision-making processes. Avril’s achievements have been recognized through the UBC Arts Co-op 2017 Undergraduate Student of the Year Award. Due to her work in trade and contribution to the province, she was also featured in UBC’s “For a Better BC” television, print and online campaign.
Having lived in Mexico, Canada and France, Avril is trilingual, culturally adaptable and globally minded. In her spare time, Avril enjoys developing her interest in photography.
Diane Tuyishime - Board Member
Diane Tuyishime is a bilingual marketing and communication professional, with over 11 years’ experience helping international and local organizations connect with their audiences and grow their brands.
As a first-generation immigrant, Diane has experienced first-hand the importance of accessing adequate and culturally sensitive settlement services and the impact it has on setting the immigrant’s path to success.
Diane is currently a communications specialist with Refugee 613, a coalition of citizens, settlement agencies, sponsorship groups and community partners working to provide refugees with the building blocks of successful integration in Ottawa. She works to create a city where newcomers, especially refugees, feel welcomed and a sense of belonging.
Diane holds an MBA from the University of Liverpool.
Lori-Ann McDonald - Member
Lori-Ann McDonald is a Registered Social Worker, currently working as a Counsellor for Sexual Assault survivors and as a Women's Advocate at a local Domestic Violence shelter. Lori-Ann is an immigrant from Jamaica, now citizen of Canada who moved here with her family. Over the years, Lori-Ann has been gaining experience in the non-profit world with various agencies serving different populations.
She is a hard worker and even more caring person who seeks to see women living their best lives without fear of violence or anything unsafe.
Meriem Bougrassa - Board Chair
Meriem Bougrassa is the Program Lead, Diversity and Outreach at Engineers Canada. She is multilingual and has a Master’s Degree in project management and a Bachelor (Honours) in Business Economics and Administration.
In the past 10 years, Meriem worked for several not-for-profit organizations as well as in both the public and private sectors in arts and culture, health and international development, including UNICEF and the Canadian Cooperative Association.
She recently managed the Diverse Voices for Change Program at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) building strategies and partnerships to overcome barriers to women’s participation in municipal politics by designing educational training sessions to advance greater diversity and inclusion in local government
Joan Gullen - Life Member
Joan Gullen has made a significant contribution to the Ottawa community. A social worker by profession, Joan not only identified the social issues in the society, but worked tirelessly to find the solutions to these issues.
She was instrumental in establishing many worthy programs and services in the community. Joan is one of the founding members of the Snowsuit Fund of Ottawa, Interval House of Ottawa, the Regional Coordinating Committee to End Violence Against Women (RCCEVAW) and known as the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women (OCTEVAW) and IWSO to name a few.
Joan participated on numerous Boards and committees including the United Way/Centraide Ottawa. She was the first Chairperson of IWSO’s Board of Directors, and continued on the Board till the end of her term. In 2000, Joan was named a Life Member and continues to serve on the Board.