THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Dignity Seniors Society team is comprised of 10 Volunteer Board Positions. View the Organizational Structure here. The DSS Board is currently a working board.
Darren Usher (Chair - he/him), RSW, MSW - Darren brings a solid background in Gestalt psychotherapy/Social Work and over 25 years’ experience of delivering and managing front line social services for gender and sexually diverse individuals and communities. He has extensive knowledge of the British Columbian Mental Health community and coordinated the BC Alliance on Mental Health and Addictions from 2010 to 2012. During his five years (2009 to 2015) as Program Manager of Health Initiative for Men (BC’s Gay Men’s Health Organization), Darren initiated many programs focusing on gay men’s (MSM) mental and social health. Most recently Darren spent two years working as Director of Professional Practice and Interim Registrar at the BC College of Social Workers focusing on professional regulation. Currently Darren works with the BC Association of Social Workers advocating for the profession of social work and social justice issues in BC. Outside work Darren loves traveling, cooking (and eating!) and relaxing with his partner of 24 years and their close friends.
Adriaan de Vries (Vice Chair - he/him/his), MSW, MBA, PIDip[educ], 500RYT- Adriaan has had a multi-faceted career in Social Work, Finance and Education. Some areas of concentration in Social Work have been work with youth, addictions, mental health, and people living with HIV/AIDS. Finance endeavors were in managing finance and administration functions for Western Canada for a large federal department. Education included dementia/Alzheimer's, HIV/AIDS, spirituality, and personal growth. These efforts, spread over 35 years, were abetted by Adriaan's writing and facilitation skills and leadership initiative. Now retired, Adriaan's passion for health in mind and body led him to train as a volunteer yoga instructor at 68 and he now leads 4 - 5 classes week. His concern for the "under-dog" as reflected in his career, is still active today in his mentoring, LGBTQI refugee work, and queer seniors’ issues complemented by meditation, "family", reading, personal expansion, yoga practice and volunteering.
Dr Victoria Stuart (she/her/hers; Ph.D., Biology) brings a background in biomedical research, including characterizing molecular mechanisms associated with ageing. Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Victoria has long regarded British Columbia as home. Victoria transitioned (mtf) while conducting post-doctoral work in North Carolina - where she founded (2008) a trans support group, the Durham Gender Alliance. While in North Carolina, Victoria served as a councilor, then president-elect of the Genetics and Environmental Mutagenesis Society. Upon her return to B.C. Victoria worked as a life sciences consultant, but gradually shifted toward programming. Victoria's most recent personal and professional interests involve advocating for universal human rights and social justice. Victoria documents wealth, power, and influence driving social issues, including conservative ideologies, erosions of democracy, environmental health, ecological destruction, etc. A 2SLGBTQIA+ senior, Victoria is delighted to join and eager to serve DSS and its mission. In her spare time, Victoria and her long-time partner, Carm, enjoy cooking, exercise, socializing, and music.
Karl Koziura (he/him) BSc CMMB, BScN RN ACCN, MScN (in progress) Karl is a healthcare leader located in Kamloops, BC. Strong leadership and community ties with experience as a Board of Governors and Senate member for Thompson Rivers University in 2010-2012. Currently also a Board of Directors for Kamloops Arts Council, which has a strong alliance with the LGBTQ2S+ community. Karl has long advocated for equality, education, and enlightenment for the LGBTQ2S+ in the acute care setting and is an active member in the diversity leadership for Interior Health. Educating colleagues and physicians on the proper use of pronouns has been a focus in the acute care setting during some of the most vulnerable times for an individual as a patient. Building community and support through collaboration is a vital area of interest, along with ensuring that senior LGBTQ2S+ have equal, safe, and adequate housing and care in long term care facilities. When not advocating for others, he likes to partake in the vast amount of hiking trails in the Thompson and Okanagan region, or take a wine tour to expand his collection.
Adam Webber (he/him), Adam became interested in elder care while working as a health care aide in an Alberta Assisted Living Home. He received on-the-job training and quickly discovered a strong desire to help older adults and their families. It is through this work that Adam discovered some gaps within our eldercare system and decided to do something to help bridge those gaps. Adam has completed a BPA in Human Services and a Gerontology Certificate. As a transmasculine person, Adam has focused much of his work on 2SLGBTQI+ older adults, with the goal of understanding and supporting the specific needs of trans-identified older adults.
In his personal time, Adam enjoys spending time with his dog, Brin, and partner, Danielle. He enjoys crocheting, reading, spending time outside when it is warm, camping, boating, and playing games with friends.
Peter Toppings (he/him) MSc Peter is an innovative, strategic and authentic leader with over twenty-five years of experience working within the not-for-profit sector. He is deeply motivated to building the capacity of individuals and communities towards enhanced health and well-being. Currently, he serves as the Executive Director for the Memorial Society of BC. Former positions have included Director of Community Health at the YMCA of Greater Vancouver and Manager of the Patient Voices Network with ImpactBC. Peter has a long history of community activism and for several years led education and outreach initiatives at Qmunity/The Centre. He also currently volunteers with Rainbow Refugee Society to assist LGBTQ refugees to resettle in Canada.
Board Advisors
DSS Board Advisors are valued community members who have specialized knowledge and skills that can inform the work of the board, many of our advisors are past serving board members that value staying connected to the work of DSS.
matthew heinz (he/they), PhD - matthew served on the DSS board from 2019 to 2023 and co-authored our 2023 report “Aging with Dignity”. matthew is currently a professor in the College of Interdisciplinary Studies at Royal Roads University in Victoria. He has been at RRU since 2005, serving as Dean of the Faculty of Social and Applied Sciences, Founding Dean of the College of Interdisciplinary Studies, and Vice-Provost over the years. matthew has been studying the intersections of gender, language, culture, and communication for more than 20 years. He has conducted a community-guided transgender needs assessment for Vancouver Island; recent work focuses on transgender interpersonal communication dynamics. He is the author of Entering Transmasculinity: The Inevitability of Discourse (Intellect Press, UK, 2016). Originally from Germany, matthew holds a PhD in Communication Studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Before joining academia full-time, matthew worked as a print journalist, a communication specialist, and non-profit coordinator. He has been active in LGBTQ2S+, intercultural, and environmental organizations, including serving as president of the Board of Directors of the Intercultural Association of Greater Victoria.
Darlene Bown (she/her/hers) is based in the municipality of Saanich, on Vancouver Island. For the past three decades Darlene has worked in acute care and long-term care. She currently works at Victoria General Hospital in the post operative care unit as an aide to nursing staff.
At the beginning of her career, she was outed in the workplace and experienced treatment from with homophobic coworkers that she did not want others to go through. This experience inspired Darlene to become active within her union fighting for a thing called Equity.
Darlene’s accomplishments have included chairing the HEU Pink Triangle Committee; a provincial committee of 2SLGBTQ+ members over several two-year terms and of which she is currently the Co-Chair. Darlene represents her union nationally on the CUPE National Pink Triangle Committee, and is now in her third, two-year term.
Darlene has addressed audiences of thousands about 2SLGBTQ+ people and has researched and written dozens of resolutions to improve the rights and the needs of our community members. She has facilitated educational courses about being allies to 2SLGBTQ+ people within the workplace. Darlene served a term on EGALE Canada’s seniors advisory council a year before the Covid outbreak.
For two years she was a board member of the Vancouver Island Lesbians Senior Care Society, at which time she partnered with Qmunity facilitating a 2-day roundtable in Victoria to discuss the needs of 2SLGBTQ+ seniors and how to network resources. Darlene also sits on the board of the Rainbow Advocacy Society of BC, which is a new not for profit society with a focus on healthcare, mental health, housing and social sustainability for 2SLGBQTIA+ people.
Currently, Darlene is the Chair of the PTC at her hospital and has been working on pronouns being added to staff ID’s. During Covid, she advocated for Island Health to expand their volunteers to include 2SLGBTQ+ volunteers that could be made available to pair with 2SLGBTQ+ patients and residents. In October 2022, she was elected as the first Hospital Employees Union Diversity Vice President. This is a 2-year term at the provincial level, in which she represents 2SLGBTQ+ members across BC.
Darlene joined the DSS Board in 2022 and brings her lived experience of being a Lesbian/Queer working in healthcare for the last 3 decades and recognizes that we still have a lot of work to do to support our 2SLGBTQ+ seniors.