Our Team
We are a working board. All current Directors contribute to the governance of STEPS and are actively engaged in the development of our programs and services.
As we grow, STEPS will begin welcoming members from the community who will be invited to participate with program and policy development.
Allison Coles
Treasurer (she/her)
I believe strongly in community and that a sense of community is important for every individual’s well being. This belief led me to pursue my education in health and recreation…
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I believe strongly in community and that a sense of community is important for every individual’s well being. This belief led me to pursue my education in health and recreation. I have spent years working with many different marginalized communities trying to assist folks to meet their needs and reach their potential.
I have seen the inequities within the service delivery system at many different levels such as street entrenched communities, gymnastics and swimming for children with disabilities, and adults with acquired brain injury, mental health challenges and addiction. I am excited to serve on the STEPS board because I believe we can effect change and help to reduce inequities in service delivery. I whole heartedly believe in the values and mission of this organization and am excited about how we can help build equitable and safe space programing for our community.
In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my family, and friends in the outdoors camping.
Barbara Jenni
President (she/her)
I have always believed in the transformative power of knowledge through learning and teaching. I am of Swiss, French, and German heritage and throughout my life…
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I have always believed in the transformative power of knowledge shared through learning and teaching. I am of Swiss, French, and German heritage and throughout my life have lived in Europe, Central America, and Canada. These life experiences have afforded me with cultural competency that I greatly treasure.
Through relations with equity-seeking groups and from my own immigration process, I learned that inequities can hide in plain sight. I also came to understand that experiencing inequities in one area can have ripple-effects in other parts of our lives. While knowledge alone does not eliminate those inequities, knowledge can support us in effecting change.
In diverse work settings and academic pursuits, I have been able to deepen my interest in how we create and share knowledge for the “greater good” – knowledge both from research and from lived-experiences. I believe there is space and a need to imagine and find alternate ways of creating, sharing, and applying these knowledges. I am excited to develop such new approaches in and with community through STEPS.
When “away from my desk”, I enjoy exploring the natural beauty of Vancouver Island’s beaches, forests, and trails, often with our dogs in tow and taking amateur photographs.
Rolf Warnhoff
Vice President (he/him)
Having grown up in a family that was affected by adverse mental health, I developed an awareness at an early age of the challenges which many people face in accessing Health Care…
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Having grown up in a family that was affected by adverse mental health, I developed an awareness at an early age of the challenges which many people face in accessing Health Care and social services.
Over the past twenty years, as a program manager and community rehabilitation worker, I’ve been able to help hundreds of clients integrate into their community and work towards realizing their personal rehabilitation goals. This work, and my own experiences, have increased my understanding of the disparate access to Health Care and community services which exists in Canada, and I strongly support the vision of equitable access for all individuals, as envisioned by STEPS.
My downtime is spent gardening, cooking, playing guitar and violin, and staying on top of current world affairs. In recent years, my wife and I have joined a local climate action group, and endeavour to grow most of our own food.
Timothy Lukyn
Secretary (he/him)
Like most of us, I have witnessed inequities in our society and experienced them myself. As I came to fully appreciate these disparities, I began to identify how to be part of…
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Like most of us, I have witnessed inequities in our society and experienced them myself. As I came to fully appreciate these disparities, I began to identify how to be part of the many possible solutions. Early in my career this led me to start a small business that continues to deliver community-based rehabilitation and support services for people with acquired brain injuries.
I was inspired to co-found STEPS during my doctoral studies of cognitive aging. I realized many aging adults with changing cognitive health do not have timely or affordable access to education, assessment, rehabilitative services, or supportive care. My vision is that STEPS will make important progress in reducing cognitive aging inequities.
My earliest experiences of inequity occurred as an infant when my single mother lost our housing to a fire. Deprived of resources, she made the difficult decision to relinquish me to social services and I was eventually placed with an adoptive family. As an adult I embarked on a journey of adoption reunion and identity reformation that continues to this day.
Since my earliest memory, I have been a drummer, an interest that has led me to explore different cultures through their folkloric musical traditions. I also greatly enjoy the outdoors, hiking, spending time with our dogs, and have recently returned to mountain biking with some electric assistance.