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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Vivian Wong

For the past three years, Vivian has jumped into various roles at ETE — from leading the 9th Vancouver Street Store, diving into the world of marketing, and now the Entrepreneur Engagement Lead. In her role, she manages and executes monthly activities to foster connection and engagement within our growing community of entrepreneurs.

You can always find her with her planner, a cup of green tea, and playing her Spotify Daylist.

Samantha Devlin

Samantha is our in-house counsellor, offering individualized wellness support to our entrepreneurs as well as mental health education and consultation to the ETE team. 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. Samantha is passionate about providing client-centered care in her community. She strives to create a warm and welcoming space where client's can share their story, navigate life's challenges, and collaboratively accomplish their personal growth goals.

Anastasiia Illarionova

Anastasiia is our Mentorship Lead 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.

Vea Coronado

Vea has over 12 years of experience in leading and consulting for non-profits and social enterprises. She launched Crown and Calling in 2019, as her work began to evolve from traditional business consulting towards one-on-one accompaniment and relational support for impact leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals. When she's not working, you'll find her reading at a cafe, watching local concerts, or sewing and making crafts at home.

Angel Lam

Angel comes from a corporate marketing and social impact entrepreneurship background, spanning from roles in branding, marketing, product management, copywriting, and public relations in—music record startups, education, food service, consumer electronics, to industrial tools and music publications. This experience brought her to launching her own socially and environmentally responsible skincare and wellness brand where she oversaw operations, sales, finance, product development, and marketing. At Employ to Empower, she brings her knowledge from her career in marketing and entrepreneurship, as well as her current work in non-profit fund development; to coaching and mentoring entrepreneurs developing and growing their businesses.

Timothy Ames

Vayuri Bhagwandeen, CPA, CA (SA)

Ralph Baddour

Sarah Lubik

Alisha Masongsong

Len Pierre

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

James Pelmore

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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.

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