Debra J. Sheets, Ph.D., MSN, RN, FAAN
Dr. Sheets is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing, at the University of Victoria (UVic). She received her doctorate in Gerontology and Public Policy from the University of Southern California. Dr. Sheets is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, the Gerontological Society of America and the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE). Her research interests focus on gerontology and geriatric nursing—and in particular dementia and caregiving, technology in home care, and creativity and aging. Dr. Sheets is one of the lead researchers for the Voices in Motion Choir—an intergenerational choir for people with dementia and their family caregiver that is reducing social isolation and the stigma of dementia. She is also leading the Ease e-Home project which uses voice first technologies connected to smart devices to enable older adults with dementia to continue to live independently in their homes. Dr. Sheets served as co-site leave for the CLSA at the University of Victoria from 2012 to 2018. Dr. Sheets is widely published and serves on the editorial boards for several leading journals in the field of aging.
Lindsay Katsitsakataste Delaronde.
Born and raised on the Kahnawake reservation, Delaronde is a strong advocate for Indigenous voices, stories, culture and history. She is currently the Indigenous Artist in Residence for the City of Victoria in her second term. Delaronde is a professional multi-disciplinary visual artist who works in contemporary Indigenous performance and facilitator of traditional workshops, such as; moccasin making, beadwork, and Iroquois cornhusk dolls. All workshops are facilitated in a culturally significant way using circle, drum, medicines and prayer. Her areas of research are stemmed in Contemporary and Traditional First Nations art, expressive arts therapy and working with Indigenous and non- Indigenous peoples within the arts and counselling. Delaronde’s research focuses on healing, land-based, collaborative practice, cultural resurgence and social/political activism through the arts.
![profile-matwychuk[1].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5aa40d_190ac1e775be458fbaecb0ca13394ab6~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_161,h_141,al_c,lg_1,q_80,enc_auto/profile-matwychuk%5B1%5D.jpg)
Margo L. Matwychuk
Her interests in anthropology revolve around issues of power and inequality, in particular in relation to capitalism, neoliberalism, class, gender, and poverty. Her recent research is focused on community-based research on housing and homelessness and poverty in Victoria BC. This has included participation in a community-based research project on transitional housing, affordable housing solutions for families, and child and family poverty. Throughout her work, Dr. Margo maintains a strong concern with the practices and potential of women's groups, anti-poverty coalitions, community associations, and other such community- and identity-based organizations to effect emancipatory practices and everyday resistance. She is currently Director of the Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Program in Social Justice Studies and teach in the SJS program.
Liliana Kleiner
Visual artist, filmmaker, theorist and Jungian therapist Liliana Kleiner was born in Argentina, raised in Israel and is now based in British Columbia, Canada. Kleiner has a Ph.D from Queen’s University, Canada and an MFA from Haifa University, Israel. Her multidisciplinary work bridges between cultures and continents, transcending stereotypical borders and labels, expressing her vision of a world culture as a cosmic wholeness embracing mother nature and all life as sacred.
Parallel to her career in the arts Kleiner has worked as a therapist and dream analyst in private practice since graduating with a Ph.D in Clinical Psychology.
Rick Bergh M.Div., CT, NT
Rick is a thanatologist, bereavement counselor, ordained minister, author and workshop leader. Trained in narrative therapy, he engages his clients through story, helping them to make meaning of their loss as they discover new chapters of life in the midst of their transition.
He has published 5 books on the topics of grief, mourning and meaning-making and leads training workshops for professionals and volunteers across North America.
Moussa Magassa
Moussa is the UVic Human Rights Educator. He focuses on enhancing the understanding and commitment to the university's human rights and equity goals by raising the awareness of all UVic communities on a range of human rights issues with the end goal of increasing diversity and creating fair and inclusive work and study environment. Moussa holds an M.A in Human Security and Peacebuilding from Royal Roads University; and a BA (Hons) in Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies from the Kwazulu-Natal University, South Africa; among other academic and professional qualifications in conflict mediation, international human rights law, intercultural competency development, forced migration and refugee settlement and integration
Alexandra Ages
Alexandra Ages is a student at the University of Victoria, and is studying history and applied ethics, with a focus on imperialism and the MENA region; her published works include pieces on the ethics of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and a critique of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Alexandra is also the coordinator of the UVSS Food Bank and Free Store, a position which enables her to engage with various different community groups on topics relating to food security and sustainability. She is also on the research team for the Good Food Challenge. In her spare time, Alexandra volunteers with the British Columbia Council for International Cooperation to promote the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, with a focus on goals relating to food security and environmental prosperity.
