Board of Directors

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.

Prairies (Chair)
Tsungai (Sue) Muvingi Van Landeghem is the 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.

Atlantic
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.

Territories (Secretary)
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 are invaluable to YWCA NWT. Hawa has a Masters in Social Work from the University of Calgary.

Ontario (Treasurer)
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.

Public Director

Michelle Parsons is a Citizen of the Carcross/Tagish First Nation, a member of the Daklaweidi (Killer Whale) Clan under the Wolf moiety.  She is currently volunteering with organizations that are important to her values such as : the Whitehorse Aboriginal Women’s Circle as Treasurer; Women's Shelters Canada Board of Directors and the Yukon University Board of Governors after moving to Edmonton.

She has worked in a number of leadership roles in the Yukon, after completing her Master's Degree at the University of Ottawa, such as the Executive Director positions at Carcross/Tagish First Nation Government ( self-governing Yukon First Nation) and  the Yukon Women's Transition Home Society,

Michelle holds a Masters degree in Social Sciences and has worked in the area of social justice advocacy for women and Indigenous rights the last 20+ years. She brings with her a wealth of senior leadership experience with an extensive background with federal and territorial governments in the area of policy analysis.

Quebec
Julie has been interested in issues surrounding social justice and women’s rights for nearly 10 years. Throughout her career, she has been involved in feminist struggles at various levels, whether through activism, community work or research. She finds many of her motivations reflected in her current position as Policy Advisor at the Federation of Women’s Shelters.  Julie holds a master’s degree in international development with a specialization in feminist and gender studies, a bachelor’s degree in international studies, cooperation and development, and training in project management. She is driven by the analysis of political economy and social context from an anti-oppressive feminist perspective and is particularly interested in the impact of policies on women’s living conditions and their access to services.

The issue of violence against women and systemic discrimination are central to her involvement in feminist struggles. Before joining the FMHF team and the Women’s Shelters Canada Board of Directors, Julie was the coordinator of the Accessibility to Interpretation Services for Immigrant, Refugee and Precarious Status Women Victims of Domestic Violence project at the Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes (TCRI).

Public Director
Julie Young is Professor at Humber College in the Bachelors of Community and Social Services Degree Program. She holds a PhD, Masters and Bachelors from Western University. Julie is known as a social justice thought leader with a passion for diversity and inclusion, social enterprise and community building.

She is a member of the National Advisory Council on Gender-Based Violence (Federal Ministry of Women and Gender Equality – WAGE) and a GBV Expert on the National Research Program conducted by the Centre for Research and Education for Violence Against Women. She has worked alongside women and survivors of violence in Canada, and also internationally in Rwanda and the Skid Row area of Los Angeles. She is the 2020 recipient of the Excellence in Brescia University College’s Teaching Award.

Her current research program addresses women’s empowerment, the financial and social inclusion of those experiencing poverty, and gender bias within the family court. She is the past Chair of the London Race Relations Advisory Council, the Royal Bank Equity and Diversity Council, and Londoners for Opportunity. She is known by her students as a professor with an interactive classroom that bridges the distance between the academy and the real world. She is most passionate about launching the next generation of do-gooders and game-changers.