The Volunteer Victoria Board of Directors is elected by the members of the Greater Victoria Volunteer Society at our Annual General Meetings. On September 19, 2024, the following volunteer board members were elected or re-elected to serve a two-year term:

Board Treasurer: Usman Afzal works as a Portfolio Manager with Alitis Investment Council with his background in investing banking, corporate finance, and wealth management. Usman is fluent in four languages, and has a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance and Mathematics from the University of Calgary. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst Designation. Usman is also an avid adventurer who finds enjoyment in outdoor sports and exploring new cultures. From hiking to the base camp of K2 in Pakistan to scuba diving in Iceland and bungee jumping in New Zealand, he cherishes the thrill of new experiences.

Board Chair: Stephanie Benedict is the Manager, Business Services at Coastal Community Credit Union. Stephanie has spent two decades in the financial industry in a variety of roles, and now focusses her passion of helping societies and business owners succeed by helping them with their cash management needs. Outside of work, Stephanie is passionate about teaching financial literacy to others. She is a certified Each One Teach One Coach and trainer as well as a Power Play Young Entrepreneurs trainer. She is active in the Arthritis Society and has chaired the Walk for Arthritis for the several years.

Director: Debbie Chabot is an independent media specialist and experienced marketing and communications practitioner. Debbie has served on several boards previously and has experience and training in community leadership. Debbie is a lifelong passionate volunteer and is an amazing Mom to a wonderful son.

Director: Ron Dick was employed for 23 years as a Mental Health Occupational Therapist in community and hospital settings and recently worked as a Community Crisis Counsellor with AVI Health and Community Services. Ron has a passion for helping people who face barriers to engagement and belonging. Ron has served on many community-led committees and is looking forward to getting involved with Volunteer Victoria.

Director: Chance Dixon has worked in archives and museums for over 15 years and currently works as an archivist for both the Anglican Archives and Municipality of Esquimalt. She has both a diploma in cultural resource management and a Masters in Archives and Records Management. Over the years Chance has worked in a variety of heritage sector roles with diverse community stakeholders.
As an archivist, Chance has extensive experience managing archival collections and designing policy and programs that enable access and engage communities. She particularly enjoys creating archival programs and outreach that focus on involving and supporting community members, students and volunteers.

Past Chair: Tina Lowery works hard to meet and exceed expectations in every role, challenge, or project she takes on. Tina worked in the museum and heritage sector for many years before becoming a volunteer management professional and working for BC Cancer Agency. Tina is currently a Manager, Strategic Initiatives at BC Centre for Palliative Care. She holds a Master’s in Community Development from the University of Victoria.

Director: Claudia Rezende is the Volunteer Manager at Mustard Seed where she organizes over 140 volunteers a day! She is a newcomer from Brazil where she was the head administrative assistant to the Dean at a law school, where she gained skills in project management and fund raising.

Director: Dibya Shrestha is a Performance Management Analyst with the BC Provincial Government, having previously held positions at Camosun College, the Community Social Planning Council, and Volunteer Victoria. She has served on various boards and community-led committees and holds a certification in project management. Dibya has found rewarding volunteering experiences through Volunteer Victoria. She says we were such a huge help to her that she would love to be able to be part of that experience for others.

Director: Nancy Taylor became passionate about volunteering when she took on the role of auction coordinator at her son’s co-op preschool almost 30 years ago. That experience was transformative. So much so in fact, that recruiting, training, and recognizing volunteers became her second career in several organizations including Habitat for Humanity Victoria, the International Institute for Child Rights and Development, and Saanich Volunteer Services. Since retiring, Nancy has volunteered with local, regional, and national organizations by planning conferences and evaluating projects, tutoring new Canadians, and reviewing nominations for the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence. She is currently Past President of the BC and Yukon Branch of Canadian Parents for French. Nancy has a bachelor’s degree in Spanish with a minor in French. When she isn’t volunteering in the Greater Victoria community, she is planning her next trip off the beaten path where she can put her language skills to use.

Secretary: Katherine van der Gracht and her family relocated to Victoria from Vancouver two years ago. When researching how to get more involved in her community, Katherine said Volunteer Victoria was top of her list. She works for the provincial government as Communications Director for the Ministry of Housing and brings to Volunteer Victoria two decades of experience working in corporate strategic communications and a long history of volunteering and serving on community boards and committees in hands-on roles.

Don Monsour, ex-officio Governance specialist. While working with profit and not for profit organizations for over 45 years in several key initiatives Don has developed a strong understanding of the rules and regulations that govern many boards and committees. As a leader of volunteer groups made up of individual personalities and objectives, he has successfully managed challenging goals and budgets and helped to raise close to 2 million dollars for not for profit associations. This experience, coupled with his business background, has provided Don with the ability to work within board guidelines helping to achieve the strategic goals and direction as set by the board. Don truly believes that understanding the dynamics and chemistry that exists on a board is vital in supporting a board successful outcome.