Christina Wong

Christina brings a diverse skillset to the team, reflecting a combination of: 17 years of involvement in the DTES community, 13 years of sponsorship experience, a major in Psychology from SFU and eight years working with people who face disabilities. She is very fortunate to have a passionate and competent team to help achieve a mission that is much greater than us - empowering entrepreneurs to overcome barriers and beat the odds. Recently, she was nominated for the 2024 YWCA Women of Distinction in the Community Champion category and a recipient for the Globe and Mail Top 50 Business Changemaker recipients in Canada.

Charissa Landicho

Charissa is the Community Partnerships Lead at Employ to Empower works directly with a team of events specialists to curate documentaries, short video series, private school workshops & events that focus on destigmatization, education and awareness of the entrepreneurs in the program. She is also the co-lead for our annual Vancouver Street Store event.

Vivian Wong

For the past two years, Vivian has jumped into various roles at ETE, from Vancouver Street Store 9.0 Lead, Vancouver Street Store 10.0 Co-Lead with Charissa, to currently our Marketing & Circular Economy Lead. Her day always starts off with her google calendar and a hot cup of green tea. In her role, she manages all our social media content and engagement, supports with special projects, and currently building processes on how we can further empower our entrepreneurs. A fun fact about her is she's a huge Formula 1 fan 🏁

Lara Debie

Lara is responsible for the Business Training pillar within ETE, this includes participant outreach, leading workshops and the 10-week BST program. Originally from the Netherlands, she holds a Law Degree (LL.M), specializing in Health Law. After moving to Canada she became a certified coach and started her own coaching practice. She joined ETE initially as a Volunteer Community Mentor in September 2021 and then started in her role in April 2022. Lara especially loves seeing the participants grow their self-believe and self-confidence during the 10-week program. From coming in with 'just' an idea, to presenting their initial business vision. In her personal time, she loves exploring different places, taking long walks and eating good food; cheese is a necessity.

Alberto De Castro

Alberto supports in the Business Skills Training at ETE by assisting in the development and implementation of program and workshops content & materials, facilitating outreach activities to share about our programs in the community, and manages intake with new participants coming in our programs. Alberto joined ETE since March 2023 and has grew to realize the joy in being able to meet with folks who join our programming and learn about their unique inspirations and motivations for the idea they are taking into the program. Fun fact about Alberto is that he has a weekend routine to have lunch at the T&T Supermarket and trying out different combinations of cooked food over rice.

Salim Ba Saiwar

Salim is driven by a deep belief in the power of human connection, community, and resilience. As a Business Skills Training Facilitator at Employ to Empower, he finds purpose in supporting individuals as they unlock their potential and work toward their goals. His passion lies in creating spaces where people feel seen, heard, and empowered. With experience in inclusive education, community engagement, and mentorship, Salim is energized by the relationships he builds and the growth he witnesses. In his free time, he enjoys exploring the night sky and sharing his curiosity about space with others.

Rebecca Visser

Rebecca has 10 years of experience in tech startups as a digital marketing leader, is a two-time entrepreneur, and a certified coach. As a Facilitator for the SMART Start program, she blends her business expertise with her coaching skills to help entrepreneurs turn their ideas into MVPs. Rebecca believes deeply in the transformative journey of self-employment and is excited to support entrepreneurs as they reach the exciting milestone of their first sale. Outside of work, she’s passionate about personal development, sustainability, and all things cats.

Isa Seto

Isa is passionate about creating an environment and culture where individuals feel valued, appreciated and seen and will carry this into all her work at Employ to Empower. She is excited to own all things engagement, culture, volunteer and operations within the Employ to Empower community.

Samantha Devlin

Samantha is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) who is passionate about providing client-centered care in her community. She has 9 years of education and clinical training in psychology, counselling, and human development from SFU and UBC; as well as 10 years of collective experience from different non-profit organizations in Canada. She has worked with youth and adults of all ages, managing a wide variety of mental health concerns. She is particularly skilled in supporting clients who are experiencing stress, processing loss, seeking to enhance self-awareness, those navigating big life transitions, and/or individuals who are struggling relationally. Samantha provides a friendly, warm, and welcoming space to share your story and process your thoughts and feelings. She is an empathetic and non-judgmental listener, who can work with clients to collaboratively accomplish goals and explore new perspectives on whatever your current life experience and concerns happen to be.

Anastasiia Illarionova

Anastasiia is a Mentorship Coordinator who fosters meaningful connections between mentors and entrepreneurs, driving personal and professional growth. With over nine years of experience in customer relations, engagement, and team management, she has a proven track record of empowering others. Her diverse career includes roles such as Case Manager, supporting displaced Ukrainian nationals in securing meaningful employment, and Project Team Coordinator, where she led software development teams across eight countries, meeting strict timelines and budgets. These experiences have honed her ability to build trust, navigate complex challenges, and deliver tailored solutions. Passionate about mentorship and its transformative power, Anastasiia leverages her international background and multicultural team experience to create inclusive, inspiring environments. Outside work, she enjoys exploring Vancouver’s outdoors, personal development, and mentoring.

Alisa Stephenson

Alisa has over a decade of entrepreneurial experience spanning retail, e-commerce, and service-based industries. She brings a practical and thoughtful approach to mentorship, grounded in real world insight. Passionate about helping people discover their why, Alisa supports others in building intentional, purpose-driven businesses. As a Mentor in Residence, she offers curiosity, clarity, and supportive guidance to help entrepreneurs move forward with confidence.

Timothy Ames

Vayuri Bhagwandeen, CPA, CA (SA)

Adam Lorant

Scott Shaw

Sonali Sharma

Ralph Baddour

Sarah Lubik

Janice OBriain

Dr. Sarah Lubik

Alisha Masongsong

Sharon Makina

Amy Hemmerling

Alex Bocajj

Len Pierre

Len is supporting Employ to Empower's leadership team with integrating indigenous worldview in to ETE's programming.

Vivian Chan

Vivian is an advisor with ETE and supports with providing guidance around marketing, leadership and human resources.

Amanda Mah

Amanda is a digital marketer who is supporting the Brand and Marketing team with social media. She also supports the Development Course by teaching digital literacy to entrepreneurs who face work and social barriers.

Sheila Kern

Sheila is supporting Employ to Empower's leadership team with defining the brand purpose to achieve the goals in to ETE's programming.

• LinkedIn

Katrina Pacey

• Website

James Pelmore

• Website