Since moving to Victoria from Toronto in 2012, Mel has worked with independent businesses and non-profits, assisting with strategic planning, policy development, organization design, governance and performance management.
After university, Mel worked as a community liaison worker in subsidized housing in Toronto. She moved into positions of increasing responsibility and authority including property management, tenant and community relations, legal and fiduciary oversight, employee relations and exploration of various outside the box options for providing affordable housing. Later in her career she worked for another large non-profit in the greater Toronto area involved in providing services to seniors and people with disabilities living in affordable housing.
These experiences help Mel understand the issues affecting affordable housing from many different viewpoints – the residents, the people involved in managing housing, Boards, communities, funders and government. Being on the GVHS Board gives Mel the opportunity to share what she has learned to support the Society in fulfilling its mandate.
Mel first visited Victoria in 1987 and loved it. She sees many examples every day of local people displaying those traits and characteristics that are associated with being ‘Canadian’: kindness, generosity, humor and grace.
