About Us

Denise Kirk is a business and finance executive whose expertise lies in strategies harmonizing processes, people, and technology to take organizations to the next level in growth and profitability. She brings 30+ years of business experience extending across corporate finance, organizational development, strategies, operations, and corporate sustainability.

Bringing extensive experience to GBV Resource Collective from strategic development to client stewardship, her innate ability to create an organizations vision and path that others can see clearly generates an enthusiasm and drive within her team to bring the concept to fruition.

Denise’s desire to create positive change to social cause stems from her parents. Being a part of their acts of charity within the community throughout her childhood sparked a lifelong journey of supporting several not-for-profits and community organizations throughout the years such as Edmonton Social Planning Council, WINHouse (Edmonton’s Women’s Shelter), and Urban Bulldogs Against Child Abuse (UBAKA) as either a volunteer, contractor, or board member.

Being a founding partner of GBV Resource Collective, Denise is excited and grateful to be a part of the community that will create lasting impact and solutions to Gender-Based Violence within Canada.

Aimee was born and raised in Nanaimo BC and has the honour of calling Parkland County home.

Aimee & her husband are raising their two children on a hobby farm surrounded by the beautiful North Saskatchewan River.

After a successful win in the October 2021 Municipal Election, Aimee serves as a Trustee for Parkland School Division.  With an extensive non-profit background specializing in Gerontology and as a parent to a child with complex special needs, she has extensive experience and a passion for advocating for those at risk.

As our Executive Assistant, Taylor Williams keeps us organized!  Managing our internal schedules, paperwork, and being our clients first point of contact is her happy place.

Taylor is experiencing a lot of changes since graduating high school in 2022. While she enjoys being a goalie with the Spruce Grove Ringette Association, sadly this will be her last year.  Her experience as a goalie has taught her the importance of keeping a cool head under pressure and reacting appropriately, which helps in all aspects of life.

Her strong work ethics come from her family and growing up on a farm. Taylor has been a part of 4H since 2012, where she continues to focus on growing a flock of sheep that she lambs out in early winter.  As part of the 4H model, she has learned the importance of keeping organized and public speaking which helps her as an Executive Assistant.

Brandon Lamb is a Calgary born, young professional working in the energy industry as a Land Agent at AiM Land Services. Currently working on the Trans Mountain Expansion Pipeline project in British Columbia, Brandon is experienced in working with people from all walks of life. Brandon’s current role allows him to use genuine, purposeful communication to bridge the gap between blue and white-collar professionals in the oil and gas sector. In his spare time, Brandon dedicates himself to spending as much time as possible outdoors hunting, fishing, and hiking with family and friends.

I am an advocate for adult learning and literacy. I have worked for over a decade to support access for marginalized adults to learn basic skills, such as reading, writing, numeracy, and digital skills, and gain greater agency in their work, home and community lives. Currently, I am the Training Manager for the Community Learning Network (CLN). CLN is a non-profit organization who trains staff in over 100 organizations across the province to teach basic literacy and learning skills to adults. Trained as a linguist, I had the privilege of being invited in the early 1990’s and working for many years as part of an Indigenous language renewal program that designed curriculum to teach the traditional language to the young people in the community. I also have a passion for women’s mental health, having led a support group for women with Postpartum Mood Disorders and forming the Alberta Postpartum Depression Support Network for support group facilitators. I am the mother of two amazing kids and recently discovered that I love camping!

Ilene Janis is passionate about empowering women and making safe places for them and their families. She wants to give all women the advantage to succeed in life. Ilene has volunteered with Women’s shelters in Calgary and Edmonton for over 7 years. She has experience in sales & marketing, event planning and fundraising. Ilene holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a major in Marketing.

Kaila Kornberger (BA CYC, MSW) is a Metis-Cree woman from amiswaciy-wâskahikan (Edmonton, AB). She spent several years working on the West Coast of Canada in addictions, domestic violence, and child protection before she shifted her focus to bringing an Indigenous worldview on health and wellbeing into academia, organizations and government.

Kaila is currently working as an Indigenous Policy and Program Consultant for Alberta’s Ministry of Children’s Services and a team member with IRM Research and Evaluation Inc.  More recently, she had the privilege of centering her MSW education on restoring néhiyaw birthing practices through the stories and teachings of her people. Kaila continues to learn and grow through the teachings of her ancestors, which she applies to her social work practice.

Sarah worked as an Executive Assistant and Project Coordinator with the New Brunswick Department of Justice and Public Safety and Office of the Attorney General for over 15 years, and has extensive experience in court programs, services, and administration. Sarah’s family has also served as a Therapeutic Foster Family for over 30 years, with most of those placements stemming from an order under the Child Protection Act.
This has resulted in real, first-hand experience with both the clients (children/teens) and the system administrators (social workers, case managers, law enforcement, etc.) and having a 360 view of how all parties perceive program service-delivery, learning to acknowledge their varying expectations, and working to build a cooperative and mutually beneficial outcome.

Dr. D. Scharie Tavcer is an Associate Professor in the Criminal Justice Degree Program in the Department of Economics, Justice, and Policy Studies at Mount Royal University (MRU) in Calgary, Alberta. She is also the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from MacEwan University.

Over the years she has worked as an advocate, teacher, and scholar in occupational stress injuries, gendered-violence, criminal law, crisis intervention strategies, and with and for criminalized women. An award recipient for outstanding service to MRU and in conjunction with the development and implementation of the first of its kind community service-learning field school in criminal justice in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut has left a lasting impression on a community close to her heart. More recently Dr. Tavcer’s research into sexual consent education has produced an online consent education module for post-secondary students.

Dr. Tavcer lives, plays, and works in Treaty 7 and Métis Region 3 lands with her daughter and dog.

www.scharietavcer.com