Meet the Team

Director
BA

Sam's dedication to anti-sexual violence advocacy began when she saw an education presentation facilitated by the University of Alberta Sexual Assault Centre (SAC) during the second year of her undergraduate degree. Little did she know that this presentation would play a large part in determining her personal and professional direction into the future. After working as both the Volunteer Programme Coordinator and the Education Program Coordinator, Sam moved into the role of Director of the SAC in January 2017. As Director, Sam provides vision, guidance, and mentorship to a tremendously talented group of volunteers and staff, who all passionately believe in the transformative power of peer-education, community-driven awareness initiatives, and person-centred support. Sam's years of experience facilitating anti-sexual violence education workshops and providing crisis intervention support to those who have been impacted by sexual violence has taught her a lot about the importance of creating space for folks to connect to the issues in ways that make sense for them. When Sam isn't working she can be found engaging in intersectional feminist community organizing, or outdoors with her pup. 

Volunteer Programme Coordinator & Crisis Support Worker
BSc

Paige has been involved in anti-sexual violence advocacy since volunteering with the University of Alberta Sexual Assault Centre as a Volunteer Intake Support Worker in 2014. After completing her undergraduate degree in 2016, Paige was fortunate enough to obtain a staff position at the same Centre that she believes was so transformative during her academic career, and now oversees its Crisis Intervention Program. Her work involves training and supervising a team of incredibly dedicated and talented Crisis Intervention Volunteers who facilitate education workshops and provide support, advocacy, and accompaniment to survivors of sexual violence and their supporters. Paige is passionate about survivor-led advocacy, person-centred support, and the tremendous impact a positive first response can have. When not at work, Paige engages in other interests including her cat, board games, and fantasy novels.

Psychologist 
PhD

Tatiana is a registered psychologist at the U of A Sexual Assault Centre, who first began her career in supporting others as a volunteer at the Centre many moons ago. Her volunteer and other work at the Centre instilled a passion for supporting survivors and trauma recovery, which she then pursued further through graduate training in counselling psychology and continues to pursue through ongoing professional trainings. She works within a feminist and integrative-framework, using trauma-recovery methods and therapies (such as EMDR, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Somatic Experiencing, etc.) that best fit with the individual clients she works with. Her practice is informed by experiential, somatic,  motion-focused, cognitive behavioural, mindfulness, and sensorimotor techniques and therapies. She feels very privileged to get to work collaboratively with her clients on their recovery.

Psychological Support Clinician
RSW | CD (DONA)

Daniela is a bilingual (se habla espanol) registered Social Worker and full spectrum Doula and with extensive experience working within the anti-violence field and post-secondary institutions, in multiple locations throughout North America/Turtle Island. Daniela believes in creating accessible, inclusive and welcoming environments that encourage healing, empowerment, and education. Working part-time at our service, she provides biopsychosocial interventions, one-to-one counselling, accompaniment and education for trauma survivors. Daniela values the various forms of healing that can be found throughout cultures, ancestral lineages, and traditional ways of being and thus aims to support clients by helping them reconnect with themselves and reclaim how they want to heal from experiences of sexual violence.

Daniela has an associate’s degree in political science with a certificate in women and gender studies and a dual bachelor’s degree in sociology and social work with a minor in criminal justice. She is passionate about advocating with and for those who have been marginalized by society and find themselves navigating unjust systems. Daniela enjoys gardening, working with crystals, and dreaming of a tropical somewhere.

Education Programme Coordinator

Kit became passionate about anti-sexual violence education when they started volunteering at the University of Alberta Sexual Assault Centre in 2015. They filled many roles as a volunteer, first doing crisis intervention and support work and then as a member of the Education Team. Kit was also able to stretch their public speaking and teaching skills as they facilitated training sessions for on-campus groups and provided mentorship to new volunteers in the program. Their passion for challenging the prevalence of sexual violence extended to their academic life as well, where they completed an undergraduate thesis on the Canadian criminal justice system and how it deals with sexual assault. In their previous position, Kit assisted folks in navigating income assistance services. Now as an Education Programme Coordinator, they are continuing to work with the volunteers to provide workshops to U of A students. Through their experiences, they have learned the importance of community support when working towards social change and they enjoy the connections they are able to make with other university groups and programs. Kit believes in the importance of safe spaces for dialogue and opportunities for learning and is thrilled to be able to provide this to the campus community. When not working Kit can be found reading fiction, learning new recipes, or hosting movie nights for their friends and family.

Education Programme Coordinator

Saba has been involved in anti-sexual violence education and advocacy since volunteering as a consent educator for the No Means No program with the local Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) organization during her undergraduate degree (attained in 2012). During and after completing her undergraduate studies she also worked in frontline support and program coordination in different capacities serving different communities & organizations until becoming a full-time anti-sexual violence educator in 2018, working mostly with youth in the Edmonton area.

Saba was fortunate enough to begin a position at her alma mater with the University of Alberta Sexual Assault Centre in the summer of 2020 as an Education Programme Coordinator, providing & coordinating anti-sexual violence education opportunities for the wider campus community. Saba is an avid facilitator with a passion for learning from the many different perspectives participants bring to workshops and presentations. When outside of the office Saba enjoys watching films, playing video games, learning languages and hanging out with her cats.