Leslie has a deep passion for Discovery House and the domestic violence sector. She has over 18 years of experience in the non-profit sector, serving populations experiencing vulnerabilities such as homelessness, substance use, mental health issues and domestic violence.

She is a collaborative leader with strong values of diversity and inclusion. As an advocate for client-centered and trauma-informed care, Leslie recognizes the value of incorporating the voice of lived experience and taking a community development approach.

In her free time, Leslie is an avid outdoor enthusiast, hiking and camping in the Rocky Mountains and creating her own backyard oasis. She is also passionate about animal rescue, and volunteers at an animal shelter and as a foster for dogs and cats along with her dogs, Rue and Rocko.

Duane has worked in both the private sector and in non-profit. As a non-profit leader, he has held a variety of roles supporting vulnerable people including Manager, Provincial Sign Language Interpreters at Deaf and Hear Alberta, Director of Programs and Operations at SORCe, and now Director of Operations at Discovery House.

Duane values family, friends, meaningful work, authenticity, and surrounding himself with amazing and progressive minded people.

Duane doesn’t sit still much. He spends his days being a dad and partner, while dreaming about cars and car shows, as well as his next furniture / design project at home . He is also a long time fitness instructor with a passion for a high energy cardio class and especially step aerobics! 

Mariela is a member of the leadership team at Discovery House working closely with the Chair and Audit Finance Committee as well as being involved in all strategic discussions with the board and ED. She has a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering from The University of La Plata, Argentina and studied Accounting, Continuing Education Program at SAIT.

Mariela has over 10 years of experience working in finance, accounting, financial reporting, budgeting, and forecasting mainly in public practice and non-for-profit sector. Mariela, born in Argentina is fluent in English and Spanish. She knows how to BBQ, is a big soccer fan and you can find her enjoying the Rockies Mountains all year long.

The causes Mariela cares about are women economic empowerment, social services, and children. She volunteers with CRA-CVITP Program, filing personal taxes for low-income families and individuals, since 2015. 

Anita has worked as a leader in the not-for-profit sector for over ten years, holding a variety of roles in communications and development at amazing organizations. She’s passionate about bringing people together in creative ways to inspire change.

Anita values friends, family, meaningful work and loves great food, live music and sunny days.

In her free time, Anita can be found hiking, biking and going for long walks. She buys and borrows a lot of books and strives to read them all but mostly enjoys keeping them sorted on her colour-coded bookshelves. Anita loves to spend time with her wise and caring children and will energetically show you the latest photos of her cat, Gracie.

Brittany has a Bachelor’s of Commerce focused in marketing and has held volunteer fundraising and leadership roles in community and sports organizations. 

She found her passion for building strong, authentic relationships with donors in 2014 and has since grown to love the data and strategy behind impactful fundraising as well. 

Brittany received her Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation in 2020. When not working, Brittany enjoys a good glass of wine, trying new foods and spending time with her family.

Kim started her journey with Discovery House as a Program Coordinator, which allowed her to combine her passion for working with clients with her unique organizational skills. Kim has over 10 years' experience working in the not-for-profit sector in addictions, mental health, and domestic violence. 

She has a creative approach to problem solving and is always available to support clients, staff, and anyone in need. She has an energy that is unmatched and when she sets her mind to something, she gets the job done. 

Kim holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and is currently in the process of obtaining her master’s degree in counseling psychology.

Tara Joyce has a Bachelor of Business Administration from NAIT and comes to us with a background in event planning, photography, and marketing. As the Community Engagement Coordinator, she wears many hats, including all things volunteerism, in-kind donations, events, and the donor database. 

Her organizational skills (her secret is notebooks upon notebooks), creativity, and passion for helping people help her thrive in her role. 

On weekends, you can find her with her camera in hand, exploring the city or driving in the backcountry or hanging out with her cat.

Filsan has over 7 years of experience in the social services sector. Though originally educated in software development, she has had the pleasure of working with some of the best      non-profit organizations such as Women’s Centre of Calgary, London Abused Women’s Centre and Rexdale Women’s Centre.

Her true passion is helping people, especially women and children. She  believes lending a helping hand to women and children by working through trauma and truly difficult times, benefits our communities greatly.
Some values that are close her heart include but are not limited to compassion, optimism, inner harmony and humour.

  Outside of work, she is passionate about spirituality and 
re-discovering what makes her soul jump with joy and fills her with inner peace. She enjoys quiet time at home, doing yoga, salsa dancing and socializing.