Medina Abdelkader

Medina (she/her) is a JD Candidate at the University of Victoria Faculty of Law. She holds a Masters of Design in Strategic Foresight & Innovation and a Bachelor of Social Sciences. Prior to entering the legal sector, she worked as a foresight strategist for various corporate clients, developing medium- and long-term strategy that considers systems design, human factors, environmental sustainability, and the neurobiology of change. Medina’s legal focus is at the intersection of civil rights, access to justice, and bioethics. She is an avid rower and outdoor enthusiast, a voracious reader, and a true-crime documentary addict.

Alan Arslan

Authenticity, happiness, and life-long learning are some of Alan Arslan's core values. He started his career in the provincial government in 2011 and is currently a Senior Privacy Advisor within the government. Also, for about a year and a half, he gained experience as an Education Advisor with British Columbia’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner. He is passionate about applying various educational and engagement methodologies in teaching complex and abstract concepts like those related to privacy and human rights. Throughout the years he’s developed and taught various privacy and human rights related educational content which has reached thousands of individuals. He is an alumnus of the University of Victoria where he holds a Degree in Social Sciences and a Certificate in Adult Education (CACE). He also holds a Certified Information Privacy Professional credential (CIPP/C). He spends his free time volunteering, jogging, road-tripping, singing karaoke and playing tennis or squash.

Diane Copperthwaite

Diane was born and raised in Prince Rupert, B.C. and has recently retired from a career as a Human Resources Manager.  Diane is a member of the British Columbia Human Resources Management of British Columbia (BCHRMA) and currently holds a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) Retired designation. Prior to switching to the Human Resource field, Diane spent many years working as a legal assistant in a Prince Rupert law firm and operated a notary public practice.

In 2022, Diane completed her move to Nanaimo and is busy exploring all the area has to offer.  Diane is a true West Coaster, she loves island life and is very accustomed to rain and the mild temperatures.  Diane enjoys walking, yoga, reading, board games and exploring the local beaches.  In addition, Diane enjoys learning and has attended Capilano College, University of British Columbia, University of Phoenix and Royal Roads University.

Diane is excited to participate and contribute to this board’s interesting work as she feels advocacy is essential in helping people with the promotion and protection of their human rights.

Jane Hurtig

Jane (she/her) is the descendant of settlers who arrived in the late 1800s from the UK and early 1900s from Eastern Europe. She has three decades of experience promoting political and community engagement in BC, Canada and overseas. Her skills include proposal writing, fundraising, program design and management and report writing. From 2020 - 2023 Jane worked at the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society, supporting province wide, anti-racism programming, and began volunteering at Our Place Society in the fall of 2023. She is grateful for the opportunity to volunteer as a member of the VIHRC Board.

Jon Kanie

Jon (he/him) has been a VIHRC-director since the early 2010s. His focus is on empathy/ethics/justice/discrimination/fraud/sustainability, including supporting remedial and preventative efforts such as improving the laws/policies/regulations of the justice-system etc. and the culture that affects them.

Jennifer Levecque

Jennifer (she/her) is an experienced educator and social justice advocate. Driven by a desire to connect people with resources within the community she takes pride in learning about what next steps individuals need to take towards their goals and sharing information and encouragement. Currently Jennifer works for Camosun College in the Centre for Accessible Learning as a faculty member and has been at the college since 2004. Prior to her time at the college she worked in the K-to-12 system for 10 years as a resource teacher. 

Lauren Marshall

Lauren (she/her) is a seasoned communicator and researcher with experience working for equality-seeking organizations. She holds a JD from the Peter A. Allard School of Law and Bachelors in Creative Writing and Political Science from UBC Okanagan. More recently, she earned a Business Communication Graduate Certificate from Harvard Extension School to refine her plain language skills. Her hope is to use these skills to make the law and its processes more accessible.

Lauren believes kindness and collaboration are paths to a more just world. She is drawn to VIHRC’s compassionate and intersectional approach to advocacy, and looks forward to working with the team as they continue to innovate VIHRC’s services.

Meghan McDermott

Meghan McDermott is a settler raised on the lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation who moved to the Island to study law.  Meghan rages against injustice and loves to collaborate with others to promote and protect our inalienable rights and freedoms. When she is not advocating for systemic law reform, she can usually be found hanging out with plants and animals. 

Jocelyn Molnar

Jocelyn (she/her) is a lawyer and classical musician from Cranbrook, BC. She holds a Diploma in Classical Music from Capilano University, a BMus from Western University, and a JD with a specialization in Law and Social Justice from the Peter A Allard School of Law at UBC. She is passionate about engaging the public on legal issues through plain language legal education and increasing access to justice in rural areas. She loves hiking, mountain biking, and making music with family and friends. 

Robbie Morris

Robbie brings various skill sets developed from a career of 20 years in the Canadian Armed Forces. His career saw him develop from a musician on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, ON, to the high seas as an above-water warfare specialist in the Royal Canadian Navy as an Electronic Warfare Supervisor was awarded the Canadian Joint Operations Commendations for his work in the South China Sea. He is currently approaching a new career which started after his last deployment in 2020.

He is completing his BA in Justice studies at Royal Roads University and is already enrolled to start his Master's in Conflict Analysis and Management starting Jan 2024. He hopes to become a Qualified Mediator and Arbitrator through the Alternative Dispute Resolution Institution of Canada, where he wishes to help those in his community of Cowichan Valley.

Robbie enjoys spending time outdoors and watching hockey. He is active in the Cowichan Valley as a Cobble Hill Improvement District trustee. He believes that no matter the problem, there is always a way forward.

VIHRC’s brand design was created by Sandra Dammizio, a graphic designer and illustrator based in Toronto.
Learn more about her work.