PIRS Bright Lights Award Winners – FINAL Bios
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Ms. Katalin Camara
Ms. Patsy George
Ms. Cindy Lee
Ms. Maylen Crespo
Ms. Kamilla Singh
Dr. Leonora C. Angeles
Dr. Gülnur Birol
Ms. Ratana Stephens
Ms. Clemencia Gomez
Ms. Raminder Dosanjh
Dr. Leonora C Angeles
Leonora C Angeles is Associate Professor at the School of Community and Regional
Planning and the Women’s and Gender Studies Undergraduate Program at the
University of British Columbia. Originally from the Philippines, Nora is a tireless
community capacity builder and scholar who volunteers her time for community
planning and organizational development work for various groups in BC. She recently
co-founded RESPECT (Responsive Society of Professionals for Empowerment and
Collective Transformation), a non-profit agency committed to mentoring and
professional development of immigrant youth and newcomers in BC.
She is currently the Graduate Program Advisor of the Centre for Women’s and Gender
Studies. She is also faculty research associate at the UBC Centre for Human
Settlements where she has been involved in a number of applied research and
capacity-building research projects in Brazil, Vietnam and Southeast Asian countries.
Her continuing research and interests are on community and international
development studies and social policy, participatory planning and governance,
participatory action research, and the politics of transnational feminist networks,
women’s movements and agrarian issues, particularly in the Southeast Asian region.
Her most recent books are Gendering the Refugee Process in Canada (with Catherine
Dauvergne and Agnes Huang, Status of Women Canada, 2006) and Learning Civil
Societies: Shifting Perspectives on Democratic Planning and Governance (with Penny
Gurstein, University of Toronto Press 2007).
Maylen Crespo
Maylen Crespo, community developer, is originally from Mexico and has been a
resident of New Westminster since 2002. She lives in the Sapperton neighbourhood
with her three children. Maylen is currently a Facilitator for the Community Immigrant
Mentorship Program in New Westminster with experience in cross-cultural
communication, racism and immigrant challenges. As a community development
worker for the Access New Westminster Project, she helped train and then supported
the participants who implemented an Immigrant Survey in the City of New
Westminster, a document that had helped support the creation and funding of new
programs serving the immigrant community in that City, under the Welcoming
Inclusive Communities. She also developed and implemented the Immigrant Leadership
program for Family Services of Greater Vancouver in 2008, in that same year she ran
as candidate for the School Board in the City's school district. By contributing a true
admixture of grassroots passion and disciplined, structured community work, has
strengthened her local community by bringing together a wide range of stakeholders
to help create a community with the capacity to respond to its changes, challenges,
and opportunities.
Kamilla Singh
Kamilla Singh is a volunteer, counsellor, TV producer, activist and tireless
campaigner. She is best known as an activist and campaigner on the issue of
domestic violence and has worked as a counsellor for Women Against Violence
Against Women since 1993, supporting women escaping violence in their
homes. Since 1998, Kamilla has produced the Shaw Cable television program
Asian Pulse, which chronicles the immigrant experience in Canada with an
activist eye. She is the secretary for the Canadian Immigrants Victim Society, a
board member of the Feminist Research and Education Development Agency
and BC Human Rights Coalition and a member of the South Asian Family
Organization and sits on the advisory committee concerned with fraud
marriages and abuse. She also supports numerous community events. In 2007,
the Vancouver Port Authority and the Burns Bog Conservation Society
recognized Kamilla with the gold award for community spirit, presented to
women for significant volunteerism in their communities. Vancouver Sun
named her as one of the “100 South Asians Making A Difference in BC”
Katalin Camara
Katalin Camara, Director of Operations at Burnaby Family Life (BFL), has played
a pivotal role in transforming BFL’s organizational culture and approach in
service delivery—transforming BFL from a “mainstream” family service agency
to an agency much more responsive to the diverse Burnaby community “we
need to encourage newcomers that there is hope and possibility. They need to
understand that getting settled here is a journey. If they understand that there
is a path and if we can show it to them they will find it much easier”. Katalin is
a powerful agent for change, who is instinctively aware of particular needs of
newcomers, and creative and responsive in meeting these emerging needs and
trends. She is a constant advocate within BFL and in the community. Never one
to avoid taking responsibility Katalin, originally from Hungary, has made a
tremendous impact as a volunteer, then as a paid child care worker, supervisor
and manager. She came to Canada in 1993 and started to volunteer and work in 1994
for BFL and now as the Director of Operations, she is a constant advocate of
continuous quality improvement and innovative community programming and
has recently been named by Burnaby Intercultural Planning Table as having
made a significant contribution to Burnaby being better able “to embrace,
celebrate, value and appreciate cultural diversity”
Raminder Dosanjh
Raminder Dosanjh a wife, mother and a teacher by profession has a long record
of public activism and service in the community. She came to Canada after
completing BA and BEd degrees in India. Raminder has provided leadership in
her own community as well as the community at large by speaking out and
working tirelessly to take action against abuse and inequities faced by
vulnerable women. A notable example was her leadership in the campaign to
challenge the practice of aborting female foetuses in Canada which was being
promoted by a physician in the United States. Raminder was also the National
Vice President of the National Organization of Immigrant and Visible Minority
Women of Canada(NOIVMWC), from 1990-91 and the BC rep on the board from
from1986-88.
Dosanjh co-founded the India Mahila Association (IMA) in Vancouver in 1973.
IMA was established to give a voice to South Asian women. As a grassroots, nonprofit organization IMA has been empowering women by raising awareness and
education on women’s issues and providing support to women in the
community. IMA aims to fight racism and sexism in society and in particular to
address issues affecting South Asian women living in Canada. It believes in
strengthening families by promoting the unifying aspects of South Asian culture
while challenging those that devalue women. Over the years, the organization
has continued to provide support, referral and information to various women of
South Asian origin. Violence against women is of major concern to IMA and it is
committed to eliminating it. The membership of IMA consists of women of
South Asian origin and while the organization brings together women from
diverse backgrounds and ages reflecting a wide diversity of religions,
traditions, customs and political affiliations, it operates on secular principles.
She is married to Ujjal Dosanjh, MP (Vancouver South),and has three adult
children Pavel, Aseem, and Umber.
Patsy George
Ms. George, prominent social worker and former Director of the Ministry of
Multiculturalism and Immigration, British Columbia, was born in Kerala, India
and immigrated to Canada in 1960. She had been honoured earlier with the
Order of British Columbia and the Queens Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002, the
Deryk Thomson Award for Community Planning, British Columbia in 1993, the
Woman of Our Times Award of the Congress of Black Women in Canada in 1993,
the Commemorative Medal for the 125th anniversary of the Confederation of
Canada in 1992, the Distinguished Services Award of the Canadian Association
of Social Workers in 1990 the Award of Appreciation for Promoting Social
Justice, BC Association of Immigrant and Visible Minority Women in 1989 and
the President’s Award for Excellence, United Way of Vancouver and Lower
Mainland in 1991. Ms. George, who took her Masters Degree in Social Work from
the University of Ottawa, was appointed to the Immigration and Refugee Board
of Canada in 1989 and held the post till 1992 coordinating the backlog division
for British Columbia and Alberta. The British Columbia Government appointed
her to the panel reviewing the child welfare legislation using a public
consultation process. The resultant report led to a new Child, Family and
Community Services Act of British Columbia. She had served as the president of
BC Association of Social Workers, the first visible minority person to hold that
position. She is the founding member and vice president of Immigrant and
Visible Minority Women of Canada. She helped start the Pacific Immigrant
Resources Society and served as its president. She was a Trustee of the
Vancouver Public Library, Director of the United Way of Vancouver and Lower
Mainland and Director of Legal Services Society of BC. Ms. George is a recipient
of the Order of Canada for community services, the highest recognition that
can be given to a Canadian citizen.
Cindy Lee
Cindy Lee, founder and CEO of T&T Supermarket Inc, founded the
supermarket chain in the early 1990’s in Richmond, BC. When the stores
opened in 1993, the flagship locations in Richmond and Burnaby were hailed for
taking Asian groceries out of dingy corner stores and putting them in a modern,
supermarket setting. Now, there are 19 locations, with nine in B.C., four in
Alberta and six in Ontario. Cindy, originally from Taiwan, got the idea when her
husband Jack was developing President Plaza on No.3 Road in Richmond. The
development needed an anchor in the form of an Asian supermarket. As a
mother of three, Cindy knew how difficult it was to travel from store to store
to get all of the supplies she needed for the family groceries. Originally, T&T
had some growing pains but now it is one of the most successful small-business
breakthroughs to come from British Columbia. Cindy has said "I want to
encourage female entrepreneurs, the immigrants, the housewives like me.
Don't give up too early and walk out of your comfort zone.”
Dr. Gülnur Birol
Gülnur, originally from Turkey, received BSc, MSc and PhD degrees in Chemical
Engineering from Boğaziçi University, Turkey. She spent several years as a
Senior Research Associate at the Illinois Institute of Technology (USA) where
she conducted biotechnology research, taught several courses and developed
simulators for engineering education, and as a Research Assistant Professor and
a Project Leader for VaNTH Engineering Research Center at Northwestern
University (USA) where she conducted vision research and engineering
education research. In 2005, she immigrated to Canada with her husband and
two children. Currently, she holds an appointment as Senior Educational
Specialist with the Science Centre for Learning and Teaching at the University
of British Columbia, developing and executing science education research
projects, and working closely with faculty members, administrators and
students to improve science learning and teaching. At her spare time, she
volunteers for the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology,
Immigrating Women in Science Program, Turkish Canadian Society Choir and
the BC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Ratana Stephens
With an MA in English Literature and a BA in Psychology, Ratana began her
career in India as a college lecturer. After moving to Canada Ratana and her
husband opened a profitable vegetarian restaurant and founded Nature’s Path
Foods, the number one organic cereal manufacturer in North America. As Chief
Operating Officer at Nature’s Path Foods, Ratana has been described as
"heart & soul of the company," and is at the centre of every development
within the company. Ratana possesses profound business acumen and has
recently been recognized as the YWCA Woman of Distinction and was the
recipient of the first RBC Mehfil Magazine Award for Corporate Excellence in
2009. A role model for entrepreneurial women, Ratana is committed to
opportunities that meet the needs of people and planet.
Clemencia Gomez
Clemencia Gomez, originally from Columbia, is a tireless and innovative
community organizer who has worked to help make life better for some of the
most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in our society, notably immigrants,
women, seniors and residents of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Clemencia is
all about building communities, identifying needs and finding solution "out of
the box". She generously shares her time and talents by training individuals and
strengthening organizations to responding to societal challenges. Working with
the Neighbourhood Helpers (a non-profit group that serves poor people living
single-room-occupancy hotels in downtown Vancouver), she made sure people
were able to eat well by starting a rooftop garden so residents could grow their
own food. She also organized a long-running monthly program during which
hungry people from all over Vancouver feast on a hearty stew expertly made by
the cooks of the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel. Clemencia also volunteers with
the 411 Seniors Centre, the BC Seniors Advocacy Network and acts as President
of the Vancouver Cross-Cultural Seniors Network Society. As well, Clemencia is
the Executive Director of the South Granville Seniors Centre, where she leads
the staff, volunteers and membership in organizing and providing a diverse
range of programs and services for seniors, including a specially-designed
weekly program for Spanish-speaking seniors who are often battling language
barriers and poverty issues.