The Advisory Council consists of one representative from each of the provincial/territorial shelter associations. As WSC’s ear to the ground across the country, the Advisory Council’s role is to inform priorities of the network, provide recommendations to the Board on policy and direction, and serve as a peer support group for provincial/territorial shelter organizations.
Amy S. FitzGerald
British Columbia
Amy S. FitzGerald is the Executive Director and formerly the Director of Training & Programs at the BC Society of Transition Houses (BCSTH). In BC, Amy has also been a policy analyst. She has been a public interest lawyer for over 20 years serving as the domestic violence Assistant Attorney General at the Vermont Attorney General’s Office working on unsolved homicides and domestic violence litigation, policy, training and legislation, a Legal Services lawyer and Public Defender in Vermont and NYC. Amy was the founding chair of Vermont’s Domestic Violence Fatality Review Commission and served on Vermont’s Child Fatality Review Team.
Hawa Dumbuya-Sesay
Northwest Territories
Hawa took on the role of Executive Director in 2020. Prior to that, she held the position of Director of Child and Youth Services within the YWCA NWT. Hawa has extensive experience working with families, victim services, youth, and adults with disabilities. She has worked in community development in Sierra Leone on a project to reduce maternal mortality in rural areas, provided support to women and children arriving at shelters fleeing family violence, and has worked extensively with people experiencing homelessness, poverty, and mental illness. Her wide worldview, compassion, and expertise is invaluable to YWCA NWT. Hawa has a Masters in Social Work from the University of Calgary.
Tsungai Muvingi Van Landeghem
Manitoba
Tsungai (Sue) Muvingi is the Associate Provincial Coordinator with the Manitoba Association of Women’s Shelters (MAWS). Her background includes a B.A. in Psychology, post-graduate diploma in International Management, and extensive work with non-profit organizations.
She was born and raised in Zimbabwe where she started volunteering with charitable organizations from a young age. Tsungai is passionate about advocacy and working with organizations that support vulnerable people in local and international communities including family violence, intimate partner violence, and gender-based violence.
As a member of Conquer Academy, a performance development coaching academy, Tsungai challenges herself in all areas of her life to grow in leadership, integrity, mental toughness, and service to others.
Her various roles and previous work have included event planning, fundraising, emergency disaster services, poverty alleviation, peace literacy and peace initiatives, coaching and mentoring adults, residential support work, and travel across Canada, the USA, and Europe.
Maïra Martin
Ontario
Maïra Martin has been the Executive Director of Action ontarienne contre la violence faite aux femmes since 2015. Through this organization, she advocates for the recognition of gender-based violence and for access to quality French-language services for Francophone survivors. Raising awareness about gender-based violence has always been central to her commitment: in France, she coordinated an awareness campaign on intimate partner violence targeting youth, and with Action ontarienne, she launched the first provincial awareness campaign against sexual assault in Ontario. Her ongoing community engagement has also led her to work with asylum seekers and people with low incomes.
Élise Brien
Québec
Maureen Levangie
New Brunswick
Maureen Levangie joined the Domestic Violence Association of New Brunswick as Executive Director in August of 2024. She has a Master of Gender Studies from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, and she is passionate about intersectional feminism, reproductive justice, and the ways that community outreach can help diverse populations such as those impacted by DIPV. Maureen values taking a sensitive and person-centred approach to her work and her research, and she is particularly interested in the way that individual stories play a role in education and activism.
Ann de Ste Croix
Nova Scotia
Ann de Ste Croix is the Provincial Coordinator of the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia. In this role, Ann advocates for and works towards increasing public awareness around violence against women. She espouses a strong feminist perspective and is committed towards supporting women and children impacted by violence in her province. Ann holds a BA in Political Science and a Master’s in International Development Studies, during which she conducted research on the political determinants of public health within Canada and internationally. Prior to THANS, Ann has worked in the legal field as a Litigation Paralegal and in academic research as a Research Assistant.
Ellen Ridgeway
Prince Edward Island
Ellen Ridgeway has been working to end violence against women for over 20 years. Ellen has served as a board member and volunteer at PEI Rape and Sexual Assault Center. In 1993 Ellen became Manager of Anderson House, the Provincial Shelter for abused women in PEI. Currently, Ellen is Program Manager for PEI Family Violence Prevention Services. She is developing a Program, ASPIRE, to assist and support abused women who are oppressed, marginalized, and living in poverty. Ellen is also the HIFIS Community Coordinator for PEI and oversees shelters’ data collection on homelessness.
Over the years Ellen has sat on various committees to advocate for women. Currently, she sits on the Victims Services Advisory Board, PEI Community Advisory Board to End Homelessness, and the Board of Women’s Shelters Canada.
Dan Meades
Newfoundland and Labrador
Dan Meades is originally from St John’s, Newfoundland, where he studied English and Business at Memorial University before starting his career in community development and poverty reduction. Dan’s work has led him throughout Canada, Europe, the United States, and West Africa; all the while, his focus has been on poverty reduction, housing, and homelessness. Dan currently serves as the Provincial Coordinator of the Transition House Association of Newfoundland and Labrador.