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PACSW
Council Bios
On May 5, 2009, Provincial
Government appointed the 2009-2012 members of the Provincial Advisory
Council on the Status of Women.
President Linda Ross comes to
this position with dedication and commitment to feminist and community
development principles. She has been an active volunteer with many
community based organizations including, the St. John's International
Women's Film Festival, the Newfoundland and Labrador AIDS Committee and
the Canadian Public Health Association. She is a long-standing and
active volunteer on the St. John's International Women’s Day Committee.
Linda has worked with Oxfam Canada for 25 years, most recently as team
leader of policy and outreach. Over the years she has worked and lived
in parts of Asia, Africa and South America. Linda was a member of the
Oxfam Canada - Gender Working Group which developed Oxfam's first
gender action plan related to internal and external operations. Linda
has a history of leadership and experience in dealing with issues that
affect women on a local and global scale. Ms. Ross lives with her
family in St. John’s.
Vice President Carolyn Lavers
is an Economic Development Officer with the provincial Department of
Innovation Trade and Rural Development in Port au Choix. She is a small
business entrepreneur and worked with the former Women’s
Enterprise Bureau. Carolyn has served on the boards of several local
business development boards and other community agencies. She is also
deeply concerned about issues related to violence, rural child care
solutions, women’s employment and women in leadership. She brings great
dedication and insight to our work. Carolyn lives in Port au
Choix.
Mary Pia Benuen
was born and raised in Sheshatshiu, Labrador.
Through hard work and many sacrifices, Mary Pia was the first Innu
woman to become a nurse. She is a true community leader, involved in
health promotion, facilitating workshops, and community research. She
sits on a number of community advisory groups. Mary Pia volunteers with
the Family Resource Centre and is always willing to go that "extra
mile" with families who are experiencing hardships, including providing
emotional support when suicide or death occur. Mary Pia and her
beautiful eleven-year-old daughter live in Sheshatshiu.
Yamuna Kutty
is the President of the Multicultural Women’s Organization of
Newfoundland and Labrador.
She has also served on the St. John’s
Status of Women Council, the National Action Committee on the Status of
Women, and the National Organization of Immigrant and Visible Minority
Women of Canada. Yamuna is involved with numerous projects
and initiatives. She brings critical perspectives about lives of
immigrant and refugee women to our work, along with a warm and caring
heart. She has an extremely busy volunteer schedule. Yamuna
and her family live in St. John’s.
Vanessa
MacArthur is a Career Information Resource Centre employment
counsellor in Port aux Basques. In this role, Vanessa helps unemployed
women develop career plans, enhance existing skills and find full-time
employment. She is past president of the Gateway Status of Women
Council and remains committed to working on issues of child care and
violence prevention. Vanessa is also chair of the Regional Economic
Development Board in her area. On top of all that, she’s a talented
singer/songwriter with two new CDs to her credit. Vanessa lives in Port
aux Basques with her son.
Michelle
Murdoch is a woman with a disability and she is a determined
feminist. She has previously chaired the Independent Living Resource
Centre (ILRC), a cross-disability service organization, and is
currently the provincial representative with the Canadian Association
of Independent Living Centres. She recently earned her Master’s in
Women's Studies from Memorial University.
As part of her program, Michelle completed a participatory action
research project about women with disabilities and employment. Her
interests extend across a broad range of social justice issues,
including poverty, unemployment and education. She is keenly analytical
and always ready to ask the important questions. Michelle and her
family live in St.
John’s.
Phyllis Seymour received
the Governor General’s Persons Case Award in 1998. She is a social
worker with a long standing history of involvement with social justice
and equality issues. Phyllis is a former administrator of Emmanuel
House and is well known for mentoring others involved in critical
equality-seeking community work. She is extremely concerned about
violence against women and children and is a strong child care
advocate. She brings great wisdom and passion to the work of the
Advisory Council. Phyllis and her husband live in Little Bay
Islands.
Hilda
Whelan was recently involved in fighting for women’s rights
in a case involving surviving spouses and the Worker’s Health and
Safety Compensation Commission. Hilda solely represented and fought for
all widows involved in the case for fifteen years, winning an important
victory for women’s equality. She is a strong advocate, concerned about
a wide variety of issues affecting women, including violence and access
to child care. Hilda brings the realities of rural women to the work of
the Advisory Council. She is determined to continue to make a
difference. Hilda and her family live in Whitbourne.
Stephanie Flowers is an Aboriginal woman originally from the community of Rigolet, on the north coast of Labrador.
She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Saint Mary’s
University in 2005. Currently she is working as a Project
Coordinator with the Mokami Status of Women Council, but has also
worked with the Canadian Paraplegic Association as an Employment
Counsellor. Stephanie was a board member for 5 years with
Lake Melville Community Employment, an organization supporting
individuals with developmental delays obtain and maintain meaningful
employment. She is deeply passionate about working with women and
would like to expand her education and advocacy into maternal health.
She currently resides with her family in Happy Valley.
Kelly Power is currently the director of the Carpenter Millwrights’ College in Paradise. She
has actively promoted skilled trades to women and encouraged
partnerships with organizations to attract women to the construction
industry. Kelly is very passionate about ensuring the success of female
apprentices and works closely with them to help mediate barriers in
training and employment. Kelly has been involved with the
Federation of Labour, Education Committee and with the Department of
Innovation, Trade and Rural Development, Strategic Partnership
Innovation Committee. Kelly is originally from Hermitage and currently
lives with her family in Paradise.
Regina Bailey
is a retired teacher who has been extensively involved in her
Community. She has been active in various organizations including
Discovery Women’s Network, Provincial Strategic Social Plan, Child
Custody Review Committee, Eastern Regional Health Authority, Red Cross
Emergency Response Team and was the first female elected to the Shoal
Harbour Town Council. Regina
has had a long- standing interest in women’s issues and brings
dedication and commitment to the Council. She looks forward to working
with the Council in advancing and promoting women’s issues. Regina lives in Clarenville.
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PACSW
Staff
Provincial
Territorial Coalition of Advisory Councils on the Status of Women
We
are a member of the Coalition of Provincial and Territorial Advisory
Councils on the Status of Women. Here are links to other councils
across the country.
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