Pathways » Our Team

Our Team

Receptionist - Antoinette

Antoinette is the first person you will meet if you are a new member. She will get you started and explain what help is available. She assists people using the fax, the phone, and the computer lab, the printing of resumes and jobs from the job bank. She handles incoming calls and messages and she will arrange for you to meet with our Employment Coordinator or our Information Coordinator.

Antoinette hails from Sri-Lanka, and was educated in Cost Accounting. After a long career in the private sector, Antoinette joined Tradeworks twelve years ago, and the Pathways team in 2004. She loves statistics, Vietnamese coffee, and meeting the 200+ members that pass through our doors each day.

Employment Counselors / Case Managers

Ray

Ray was raised in Vancouver’s Strathcona neighbourhood. He holds a BA in Recreation Administration, which he used as a Community Schools Coordinator with the Vancouver School Board for 23 years, and as the first Community Recreation Director of the Strathcona Community Centre. Ray also holds certifications in Employment Counselling and Substance Abuse Counselling, enabling him to work with and assist all levels of barrier impacted members.

Tony

Tony has 20 years of experience in the trades followed by a long search for the right career taught Tony the challenges of career planning and job hunting. He has since made it his goal to assist trades people in using the apprenticeship system, the accreditation process and the best resources and strategies available to have successful careers. Tony holds a double Masters in Planning, Adult Education and Community Development.

Chessa

One of the stories that Chessa tells about her working life is investigating the re-integration of child soldiers in northern Uganda. That was after working for an NGO in India, and at a Paul Newman Camp for children with HIV in the eastern United States. She has a BA in Social Justice and a Masters in International Development. Her breadth of background gives her the openness to respond to the wide range of situations we see at Pathways every day.

Chelsea

Chelsea grew up in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, and left for the big city in 2005 to complete her degree at Simon Fraser University. In 2009 she graduated with a BA in Health Sciences and a passion for Community Development, Urban Sustainability and Food Security. Since then Chelsea has been dedicated to addressing the social determinants of health in our community, and she has actively worked to engage youth, plan community events, and coordinate local farmers markets.

Information Coordinator - David

After twenty years in the non-profit sector working first with a social service agency, moving to housing, then an employment program David came to Pathways in June of this year. Computers became a interest back in the 1980’s and David strives to raise everyone’s skill level with them. He believes they are a tool that should make everyone’s life more efficient. Beyond that David is working to provide a complete spectrum of information – phone numbers, addresses, application forms, agency referrals, etc. - to Pathways’ members.

Program Coordinator - Carol

Carol has been the Manager of Pathways since its inception, and feels privileged to be able to work with the residents of the downtown eastside community. Carol believes in a strength based approach and in working collaboratively with various community agencies and stakeholders to identify employment and training opportunities for Pathways members. Carol also teaches evenings in the Sustainable Community Development department of Simon Fraser University. She is a resident of East Vancouver and speaks several languages.