The Strathcona Community Centre Association (SCCA) and Vancouver Parks Board jointly operate the Strathcona Community Centre. The SCCA is governed by a locally-elected Board of Directors made up of residents, community agency representatives and members at large. The SCCA is a provincially registered not-for-profit society and a federally registered charity.
We are currently recruiting Board Members for 2-3 year terms. Please email strathconacc@gmail.com for more information.
The SCCA Directors meet on the 3rd Tuesday of each month, and several times a year on active committees, including:
If you would like to contact the SCCA Board, please email strathconaCC@gmail.com.
Caitlin Jones is a resident of Strathcona/Chinatown and passionate about issues of equity, justice and advocacy in the community. She has worked for over 20 years as a curator and director in the arts and culture sector and is a vocal advocate for the importance of art and artists in our city.
Danielle is a proud Strathcona resident and joined the Board of Directors to give back to the community she loves and is thrilled to support the important work of the Strathcona Community Center. Professionally, Danielle works as the Director of People and Organizational Development at the Pacific Pilotage Authority, a federal crown corporation, and prior to that worked as the Human Resources Manager for Coast Mental Health, one of the largest mental health non-profit organizations in Canada. Danielle has a BA in Arts and Literature, a Post-Diploma in Human Resources, and recently attained Queen’s certificates in Mental Health Leadership and Labour Relations.
Professionally, Danielle is especially passionate about creating psychologically safe workplaces, providing compassionate leadership, and ensuring that people development, employee engagement and diversity and inclusion programs are robust. Danielle lives in Strathcona with her husband and dog Ziggy.
Ella has only been a resident of Strathcona since 2019 but attended the Strathcona Community Center day care as a child. She is thrilled to be back in this neighborhood and to be sharing it with her partner and two young boys. She was introduced to the community center through a volunteer day with the Food Security Backpack Program and was absolutely inspired by the work and the staff at the center and their commitment and heartful care for this community.
Ella holds a CPA, CMA designation and is the Chief Operating Office of Pedalheads. Her finance background has led her to sit on the Executive Committee as Treasurer and her F&B background was a natural fit for the Food Security Committee.
Dan Jackson has been a resident of Strathcona for 10 years. He has been the president of the Strathcona Residents Association since 2016. Professionally, he oversees the production of documentary television series.
Julia McKnight has lived in Strathcona since 2007 with her partner, daughter, and two cats. Raising a family in this amazing community has been a gift which she is honoured and excited to pay forward by supporting the incredible work of the Strathcona Community Centre. Julia is the Assistant Manager of Teen Services at the Vancouver Public Library and sits on the Board of Directors at Mau Dan Gardens Housing Cooperative in Strathcona. She advocates for reducing barriers to access, prioritizing equity and inclusion, and supporting positive youth development.
Carrie is a community social justice activist, and focuses much of her time on advocacy and trying to use her own privilege and social agency to affect overall positive change in Vancouver. Areas close to her heart include public education, housing and food security, LGBTQIA2S+ activism, BIPOC allyship, Indigenous rights and reconciliation, and disability rights. She couldn’t be more excited to share her passion for strong, vibrant, inclusive communities with her fellow Strathcona Community Centre Association directors. She is looking very forward to working on the SCCA Sustainable Funding working group and the Facilities Committee.
As a former Vancouver School Board trustee, Carrie was part of a Board that was in charge of governance for a large and complex school district. While she very much enjoyed working on overall governance for public schools in the district, her favourite part of the job was working directly with students, teachers, school staff, and families at the neighbourhood level. Carrie was the trustee liaison for the Britannia family of schools which included Britannia Secondary, and Britannia, Grandview, Seymour, and Strathcona Elementary Schools. Working with the Strathcona community was a highlight of her time as trustee. This is what drew her to a position on the SCCA Board.
Carrie has worked in the community with a number of different groups, including the West End Seniors' Network and the Immigrant Services Society of BC. She also greatly enjoys volunteering at three schools in the district, including Seymour Elementary in Strathcona.
Carrie is currently the Vice-President of the Vancouver-Kingsway NDP riding for her MP Don Davies. She is a 27-year resident of East Vancouver and she and her husband are proud parents of two adult children, ages 23 & 26. She has a background in graphic design, fundraising, and event planning.
Photo and bio coming soon
Tristan is proud to be a resident of Strathcona and is passionate about supporting and developing community. He not only volunteers with community organizations but it's his full-time job to support municipalities across B.C. He is grateful to be able to use so many of the community centre's services and is always encouraging others to take advantage of everything it has to offer.
Katie is a proud Strathcona resident, who uses the Strathcona Community Centre often, and has seen the positive force it creates in the community. Professionally, Katie is a freelance journalist who has worked for outlets including the Ottawa Citizen, the CBC, NPR, The Toronto Star and the Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Katie has reported/lived in a number of countries: Uganda, South Sudan, DRC, Somalia, Colombia, China and more. She has also worked in a senior communications role with Canada’s largest investment bank.
These days, she runs a freelance writing/editing/consulting business located in Strathcona, and her interests include photography, boxing, ballet and playing at the park with her 6-year-old twins. She is passionate about community advocacy, equality and food security.
Katie holds both a Bachelor and Master of Journalism Degree, with a focus on Indigenous studies, from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada
Chloe, a proud Strathcona resident, is a dedicated Program Manager in the non-profit sector. Introduced to Strathcona Community Centre through her work with Vancouver Food Runners, Chloe developed a deep connection and commitment to supporting this community. She holds a B.Sc from the University of British Columbia and a certificate in Non-Profit Management from Simon Fraser University.
Chloe's unwavering passion for food justice, housing rights, and harm reduction drives her to advocate for positive change. Prior to joining Vancouver Food Runners, she worked with the YM-YWCA of Vancouver Island in Victoria, BC, where she specialized in Community Programming.
With comprehensive skills in program development, including needs assessment, grant writing, budgeting, operations, and stakeholder engagement, Chloe is well-prepared to make a tangible impact in Strathcona!
Born and raised in East Vancouver, John Nguyen has a deep connection to the Strathcona neighborhood. His formative years were spent frequenting Chinatown, and later on, his family owned a Vietnamese restaurant named Little Saigon in the heart of Strathcona. This upbringing has given John a unique understanding of the community.
John is the current national HR Manager at LifeLabs, Canada’s leading provider of laboratory diagnostic information and digital health connectivity systems. Previously, he held the position of HR Manager at UBC, where he gained valuable insights into the complexities of managing a diverse workforce. John is a graduate of BCIT's business administration program and holds the CPHR and SHRM-SCP designation.
Through his contributions on the board, John aims to empower the people and children of Strathcona by ensuring access to active living, inclusive recreational opportunities, and a safe environment that promotes health and well-being.
Bio coming soon
Caitlin completed her BA in Psychology at UBC in 2005, after which she moved to France and then spent the next 15 years living abroad in cities such as New York, Sydney, Buenos Aires, and Paris. In 2019 Caitlin and her family returned to Vancouver, and discovered Strathcona.
They immediately recognized Strathcona as a special community that they wanted to make a home in. Caitlin’s two young sons now attend Strathcona Elementary, and her youngest also attended the Strathcona Community Center pre-school. The entire family enjoys the various programs the community center offers, and Caitlin volunteers weekly with the backpack program, assisting in helping feed the students and families of our community. Caitlin is excited
to finally have a more stable home in a wonderful community and wants to grow roots here and contribute to that community via her work through the community center. Professionally, Caitlin has been teaching Pilates since 2005, and is currently teaching locally in Chinatown.
Mike has been serving communities throughout Vancouver via organizations focused on providing assistance to those in need. He is thrilled to be a part of the Strathcona Community Center, and is extremely passionate about decreasing malnutrition rates within our community, city, and province. You can find Mike as an active Member of the Food Security program here at SCC.
Professionally Mike has his BSc. and MSc. Business Strategy, using it to lead Membership Innovation at BCAA. He advocates for equality and providing tangible solutions for those in need.
Sally has deep roots in the Strathcona neighbourhood where she was born and raised. She attended Strathcona Elementary School and was a part of numerous programs offered at the community centre including the basketball camps and summer day camps. Sally later attended Britannia Secondary School where she continued to be involved in the community through More Sports and as a summer day camp leader.
Professionally Sally holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Juris Doctor. She is passionate about advocating for women facing DV/IPV and families that encounter barriers due to financial hardship.