Anabelle B. Ragsag was born and raised in the Philippines. She is a PhD candidate at McMaster University’s School of Social Work, where she examines the politics and technology of social assistance and teaches Critical Program Evaluation. Anabelle held a two-year Stephen Lewis Social Policy Fellowship from 2022 and is in her second year as the inaugural PhD Fellow/Convenor of Social Work Student Caucuses.

She co-founded Filipinas of HamOnt in 2020 and co-convened the Hamilton Asian Alliance in 2021, a group of local women and non-binary folks in the Asian diaspora interested in economic, racial, and gender justice. Anabelle served on the governing council/board of directors at the Hamilton Immigrant Partnership Council and the Canadian Evaluation Society-ON. She has worked at intergovernmental organizations such as the UN and ASEAN, as well as international NGOs and local social service organizations, in political cooperation, international development, volunteer coordination, and program development and evaluation. Her career has brought her to live in Australia, Indonesia, Egypt, and Germany, where she continues to have deep connections and has expanded her idea of home.

Anjali is a registered social worker with extensive experience in the field, mostly in the Domestic Violence and Mental Health sectors, with some experience in substance use. She has had the honour of serving in a number of different settings from shelters to community outreach to community mental health to psychotherapy in primary healthcare and more, with all ages, significant diversity of identities, as well as a myriad of social, mental, and emotional issues, and social determinants of health. She has been able to serve at different levels and positions in organizations, and engaged in policy and program development. Throughout her career, she has worked and lived though a lens of anti-oppression, anti-racism, and anti-colonialism, and been involved in AOP/ EDI initiatives in most of the organizations with which she has worked, including most recently as an EDI Co-ordinator. She is currently in the McMaster PhD social work program with research interest in the decolonization of mental health systems.

David Quezada joined the Board of Directors in January 2021. He was born and raised in Chile and moved to Hamilton in 2017. David is the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Manager at the Burlington Public Library in Burlington.

David grew up during the time of the Chilean military dictatorship. His years in Chile and the social injustice he saw made an impact on him and he decided to study Human Rights law. Later he completed a Master’s degree in Conflict Transformation at the Centre for Justice and Peacebuilding in Virginia. He has been involved with diverse boards, committees, and non-profit organizations in Latin America, United States, and Canada.

His expertise is focused on restorative justice practices, psychosocial trauma/well-being, theories of reconciliation, and dignity.

Holly is a dedicated and compassionate individual whose professional journey reflects a commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of others. As an employee for the Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services, they have demonstrated a profound understanding of the challenges faced by children, youth, women, families, and individuals who need support and work tirelessly to advocate and support the well-being of their clients. With experience in shelters in Hamilton, Holly has firsthand knowledge of the complexities surrounding homelessness and the importance of creating safe spaces. Their time in long-term care and retirement settings showcases their dedication to providing care and support to the elderly. Additionally, Holly has volunteered on a suicide crisis helpline, showcasing a commitment to mental health and crisis intervention. Notably, they have contributed significantly to education initiatives focused on addressing LGBTQ+ issues and combating anti-Black racism, reflecting a deep commitment to fostering inclusivity and equality in various facets of society.

James (he/they) is a software professional working as a Solutions Architect in the social good, non profit, public sector and political spaces across Canada and the United States. Prior to beginning their career in software in 2022, they spent the better part of a decade in the charitable sector, working in the HIV prevention and support, Harm Reduction, and sexual health education space. They have been a resident of Hamilton for 16 years, and have a deep history of both professional and volunteer community activism and grassroots community organizing, with a particular interest in Two Spirit and LGBTQIA+ community health, capacity building and building intersectional queer equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging. James was a researcher in the McMaster University 2019 ‘Mapping the Void’ Two Spirit and LGBTQIA+ Needs Assessment report which remains the gold standard and north star in Hamilton for Two Spirit and LGBTQIA+ specific DEIB improvement, the recommendations of which have been adopted by dozens of local and civic institutions including the City of Hamilton and the Hamilton Police Services. They have had roles across various community partnerships and initiatives including the Hamilton Trans Health Coalition and the Hamilton Queer and Trans Youth Collaborative, additionally they have served for two terms of council on the City of Hamilton’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee, continue to provide freelance adult DEIB education in partnership with Intersecting: Anti-Racism Anti-Oppression Consultants, and continue to volunteer in a front-line capacity with local Harm Reduction programs and services.

James brings to their role a passion for data and its ability to tell compelling stories that build trust with an organization’s supporter network, and over the course of their software career has helped hundreds of non-profit and public-sector organizations adopt and implement solutions allowing organizations to maximize their impact, improve their capacity, and attract new funding and supporters. Their interests also include fundraising and event management, volunteer coordination, communications and media, and community-lead capacity building.

A privacy manager passionate about data protection and privacy compliance, Kingsley is an IAPP-certified privacy professional with a background in operations, legal and corporate secretarial services and GRC (governance, risk management & compliance).

A graduate of Mohawk College, Hamilton, ON, with a PgD in global business management, Kingsley has a background as an internationally trained lawyer (and FLSC NCA Candidate) with extensive experience in a variety of in-house and external roles across technology/SaaS companies, insurance, regulated not-for-profits, finance, real estate, regulatory compliance, and oil & gas.

Kingsley is a bibliophile and lifelong learner interested in technology, privacy, AI, global trade, volunteering, and soccer. He is married with children.

Kingsley is Secretary of the Board of Directors.

Kris Noakes is a citizen of the Anishinabek Nation, a member of Nipissing First Nation. She is a community advocate for Indigenous communities at the municipal, provincial, federal levels. She has served as both the Executive Director and President of The Indigenous Network Friendship Centre, building Indigenous services for the Peel and Halton regions for over a decade.

Kris has also volunteered supporting local initiatives through public appointments on equity, diversity and inclusion advisory committees with the City of Mississauga and the City of Brampton and the Museums of Mississauga Advisory Committee. Kris has also served as a member of the Region of Peel’s Homelessness Partnering Strategy Community Advisory Board (CAB), the First Nation, Métis and Inuit Advisory Circle for the Peel District School Board (PDSB), the Toronto Area Education Leads for the Aboriginal Education Office of Ministry of Education and a Director for Art Gallery of Mississauga.

She is currently focusing on access to justice initiatives through a federal appointment to the Ministry of the Attorney General’s Judicial Advisory Committee for the Greater Toronto Area. She is a member of the Indigenous Education Committee at the Brampton Court House and a member of Peel Dufferin Legal Aid’s Community Advisory Committee. Kris is a member of the Brampton Fire & Emergency Services Chief’s Community Engagement Panel, a member of the Board of Directors for the Centre Canadien pour L’Unité de la Famille and a member of Hamilton’s chapter of 100 Women Who Care.

Lisa is a professional regulation and workplace lawyer at GlickLaw, who has over a decade of governance and advocacy experience. Lisa completed a joint Juris Doctor/Master of International Affairs degree program in Ottawa in 2011. She then articled as a Judicial Law Clerk with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Toronto. Following her call to the Ontario Bar in 2012, Lisa practised labour/employment law, human rights and professional regulation in Toronto. Lisa eventually abandoned urban living for the mountains of Northern BC, where she worked as a criminal prosecutor for several years and volunteered as an elected Bencher for the Law Society of British Columbia.

In 2022, Lisa returned to Ontario with her family and made Hamilton her home. Lisa has always been involved in her community and feels privileged to be a volunteer member of the Board for the HCLC, focused on increasing access to justice in her community.

Lisa is Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors.

Patricia (Pat) is a human rights lawyer experienced in managing human rights and accessibility-related matters in the post-secondary sector. Her expertise includes human rights-related investigations, policies, procedures, early intervention, mediation, workplace restoration, and compliance.

Pat is a trained workplace mediator with substantial knowledge and work experience in sexual violence policy, sexual violence response, employment equity, and integrating equity, inclusion, and anti-racism principles into her work. She is also a guest lecturer at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law Critical Race Theory course.

Pat graduated from McMaster University with a BA in Sociology and JD from the University of Montana School of Law and completed the Internationally trained Lawyers Program at the University of Toronto.

Simon (he/him) works in Hamilton as an information technology consultant. He grew up on the mountain and studied computer engineering at McMaster University. He has worked or volunteered with not-for-profit organizations serving equity-seeking communities since 2007. This has included work with the Hamilton Trans Health Coalition, Building the Archives, Public Health (City of Hamilton), the Hamilton Immigration Partnership Council, the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University, Information Hamilton, The (Original) Well, The 519 (Toronto), the Hamilton Positive Space Collaborative, the AIDS Network, and the Gender and Health Collaborative Curriculum project. Simon joined the Board of Directors in 2017 and sits on governance, fundraising, and ARAO committees.

Simon is Chair of the Board of Directors. Reach him by email at simon _at_ hamiltonjustice.ca.