2023 Board of Directors
Rhonda Belczyk (Shears) - Board President
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Rhonda has a BSW and an MSW (Leadership Specialization) from the University of Calgary. Rhonda worked for 23 years with the Ministry of Children and Family Development as a front-line child protection social worker, a supervisor of an integrated service team, and as a director with the Ministry's Provincial Practice Branch. Rhonda was nominated for a Premier's Award in the Emerging Leader category in 2014 in recognition of the work she has done in the area of community development, service coordination, and collaborative practice. Rhonda currently works as an Instructor at Selkirk College, where she has been teaching in the Human Services Program since 2018.
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Malorie Moore - Board Secretary
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Malorie holds a Master’s in Social Work from McGill University and has over 10 years of experience in the fields of mental health and community development. Her areas of clinical interest include trauma, addictions and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy. While living in Montreal she worked in a variety of different settings, including both in-patient and out-patient addiction rehabilitation centres.
Currently she is employed as an Agency Social Worker at the Kootenay Career Development Society, where she supports the clinical development of the organization and front-line staff. Malorie loves living in the Kootenays where she spends her free time canoeing, climbing and playing in the mountains. |
Victor Villa - Board Treasurer
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Bio coming soon...
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Karly Olson - Board Vice President
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Karly was born and raised in Kootenay Boundary. After finishing university, she returned to the area to set down roots. Karly has a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Science from Thompson Rivers University. Her professional interests include health promotion, prevention and community development. She is passionate about supporting and improving the wellbeing of youth and families in Kootenay Boundary. Karly was born and raised in Kootenay Boundary. After finishing university, she returned to the area to set down roots. Her personal interests include spending time with her wonderful family, her two dogs and gardening. Karly joined the Freedom Quest Board in 2018.
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Kathy Hartman - Board Director
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History:
I returned to the West Kootenays late August of 2017 to be the Department Head of Student Services at Stanley Humphries Secondary School in Castlegar. I have been an Alternate and Special Education Secondary teacher for over 2 decades mostly in the Vancouver system. Back in the late 90's/early 2000's my partner and I came to the West Kootenays to work (New Denver). When the Liberals came in and stripped the Kootenays of good government jobs I was asked to return to Vancouver to continue teaching there. We always hoped to settle back in the Kootenays again. Winning the Supreme Court case in 2016, which required the hiring of 3,000 new teachers, allowed us to come back in 2017. When I was not teaching, I spent 4 years as the Assistant Director of Social Justice for the BC Teachers' Federation. A province wide position that worked with 41,000 teachers, provincial politicians and their staff, and several committees of non-profit groups that allied with teachers. Philosophy- Concerning mental health and addiction and youth: Isolation from others is one the red flags, that as teachers of struggling youth, we watch for. Many of the youth programs I have run and/or supported have been to help bring youth together in a safe place and let them re-connect with the world. We do wilderness/adventure camps to challenge some students. We do camps of like minded students so they feel safe and can explore similar struggles. We find ways for students to feel success while working with others. The world has changed and the pull to isolate ourselves through electronics can be very appealing. I feel we have to adapt our strategies to meet that pull head on. |
Debra Potter - Board Director
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Bio & photo coming soon...
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Past Board Directors
Once a Freedom Quest'er, always a Freedom Quest'er. We thank you for your many years of service.
Deb Wandler |
Jim Fenning |
Lynn Miller |
Betty Anne Marino |
Michele Morin |