LEAF is proud to announce its 2022-2023 Board of Directors. The LEAF Board has 11 current members, with two new members: Meaghan and Rebecca.
Dee Dooley, Breanne Lavallée-Heckert, and Reakash Walters ended their board terms this fall (Reakash is on a one-year leave, returning in Fall 2023). We sincerely thank all of our departing Board members for the expertise, energy, and unique perspectives they brought to the organization. Their contributions have made a lasting impact on LEAF’s work.
LEAF is delighted to welcome two new Directors to our Board, Meaghan Ross and Rebecca Meharchand! Read more about them below.
Rebecca Meharchand is an employment lawyer and workplace investigator with Seabrook Workplace Law, where she takes an equity-based approach to helping clients create and maintain exceptional workplaces. She received her J.D. from Queen’s University Faculty of Law. Rebecca’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion stem from her degree in Women’s Studies from Western University, where she graduated top of her class. This background knowledge in feminist theory have lead her to be involved with numerous grassroots and community organizations dedicated to helping vulnerable populations, including: the Sexual Assault Centre of London, Bereaved Families of Ontario, jack.org, and the Prison Law Clinic at Queen’s University, where she represented incarcerated clients at an institution’s Disciplinary Court. She has a strong commitment to intersectional feminism, anti-racism, LGBTQ2S+ inclusion and human rights, and has worked to incorporate these values in her academic work, her legal practice, and her volunteer initiatives.
Meaghan Ross (she/elle) works as the Sexual Violence Response Coordinator at the University of Waterloo where she supports survivors and others impacted by sexual violence to determine which supports, resources, accommodations, reporting options and safety planning strategies are good fits. In this role she also provides guidance to those on campus receiving disclosures regarding best practices for responding well and on their roles and responsibilities under university policy and applicable legislation. Meaghan facilitates education and training (via her role and on a barter basis) on unpacking rape culture from an intersectional, trauma-informed, survivor centered framework; engaging with folks to challenge their biases and to learn skills needed for creating a consent culture. Meaghan has a Master of Arts in Globalization Studies, a BA in Labour Studies, and a BSW. She has worked in social services and community development for almost 20 years and has been a longtime community activist in Hamilton. She and her partner aspire to become good aunties and are working on creating the best apartment-sized craft room!
