Dr. Nancy Ross is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Dalhousie University. Following twenty years working as a clinical therapist in mental health and addiction settings she pursued a PhD in Peace Studies and International Development; applying a peacebuilding lens to intimate partner and family violence. Wishing to work upstream, her research focuses on ending violences and on making contributions to defining culturally informed and violence and trauma responsive care.

Leslie Bagg, MSW, is a social work researcher with a background as a community organizer around housing and migrant justice issues. She is currently a research coordinator for two studies on gender-based violence as well as the communication and campaigns coordinator for Wellness Within, a non-profit organization working for reproductive justice, prison abolition and health equity.

Nicole Doria is a PhD student in Health(c) at Dalhousie University. Her doctoral work is the first of its kind to explore dating app facilitated sexualized violence against women in a Canadian context. Nicole is a Vanier and Killam Scholar and has been recognized with numerous awards for her academic and civic contributions.

Carol McNaughton (she/her) recently received her Master of Social Work from Dalhousie University, where her thesis focused on vicarious resilience. Her professional experience since completing her Bachelor of Social at the University of Calgary includes international community development, peacebuilding education and advocacy, and frontline work with children who had experienced developmental trauma.

Senator, Dr. Wanda Thomas Bernard is a highly regarded social worker, educator, researcher, community activist and advocate of social change. She is former professor at the Dalhousie School of Social Work, where she also served as director for a decade. She is a founding member of the Association of Black Social Workers (ABSW). She is currently a Senator who advocates for each of us to lead the change we want to see in our world. She has received many honours for her work and community leadership, notably the Order of Nova Scotia and the Order of Canada.

Sue Bookchin is founding Executive Director of Be the Peace Institute, a non-profit dedicated to ending gender—based violence by addressing its root causes embedded in oppressive structures of patriarchy, colonialism, racism, and institutional bias. Sue started her career in nursing and public health, and has been a consultant, facilitator, coach and stained glass artist. She is passionate about social justice and dismantling the systemic inequities that continue to deprive women and gender-diverse people of equal opportunity, status and choice.

Divine Gbeve Onyenike recently graduated with a BSW Degree from Dalhousie School of Social Work. Her interest in working in the field of social work stems from her love for helping others and passion for volunteering that she possessed from a young age. Divine has always been deeply committed to helping others, especially assisting individuals who come from marginalized communities. She currently works as the project’s coordinator for the East Preston Empowerment Academy and is part of the research team for the Responsive Healthcare to Reduce Gender Based Violence.

Abieyuwa Olowu holds a BSc in Political science and an MBA from Nigeria, she also holds a Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work degrees from Dalhousie University. She currently works with the Town of Morinville as Family and Community Support Services Coordinator and has worked with a diverse population in various capacities. She also worked as a research assistant on a research project titled Culturally Responsive Health Care to reduce Gender Based Violence with a focus on the experiences of African Nova Scotians where she facilitated interviews and kitchen table talks to learn about the experiences of members of ANS community. This research provided her the opportunity to see how individual experiences are unique but similar and recognizing that there is still a lot of advocating needed to make experiences better for the ANS community. She volunteers for Immigrant Parents Network in Canada where she helps organize educational events/programs that will empower parents to thrive and raise wholesome kids.

As a researcher, Dr. Terrence Lewis has focused on the relationships between churches and marginalized populations, especially 2SLGBTQIA and African American communities. His dissertation research was on the Phenomenon of LGBT-Affirming Black Churches and Their Responses to the HIV/AIDS Crisis. His most recent research project was a narrative interview study with African American pastors who have offered an affirmative ministry. The study was funded by the 2018 Louisville Institute Project Grant for Researchers. In Canada, he has have committed to serving the 2SLGBTQIA, African Nova Scotian, and African Canadian communities through clinical practice, research, and education.

Afolake “Folake” Awoyiga is an Adjunct Professor at the School of Social Work, Dalhousie University and a clinical social worker at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the IWK children’s Health Centre Halifax, as a board member of the Nova Scotia advisory Council on the Status of Women, a researcher at the Alexa McDonough Institute for Women and Girls and Social Justice at Mount St Vincent University, a board member of the Be the Peace Institute and the co-founder of Generation One Leadership Initiative, Folake brings experience in community development and working with women, immigrant families of African descent and other marginalise populations. Her community engagement and activism has been informed by an intersectional lens that has woven feminist and critical race theory to advocate for social and health equity for African Nova Scotians. She is a strong community voice with extensive experience mentoring, supervising and teaching students in health and social service programs.