Board

Valerie has extensive experience designing and delivering national, provincial, and regional projects, specializing in equipping diverse populations through capacity-building activities so they can make informed choices and reach their social and economic goals. Valerie has 20+ years experience working as an Executive Director and 8 years experience serving as a board director, also in a corporate secretary role. While management, facilitation and training has been a focus of her work, her favorite activities are mentoring, problem-solving and connecting people. When not working with the co-op, you can find her in her garden getting her hands dirty, experiencing nature and listening to the birds.

Roxana Fazli is currently serving as a project manager with Collective interchange. Her project is focused on addressing systemic barriers impacting immigrant women's success in businesses and employment. She also serves as a project manager with the Women's Economic Council. She has a master's degree in science from her home country and a master's degree in Employment Relations from Memorial University of Newfoundland and comes from a research background. She led the research activities for the WEC's "Her Own Boss" participatory research Project which was delivered by Collective interchange in St. John's, NL during 2020-2021. Roxana is committed to inclusive, equitable and anti-racist designs and enjoys collaborating on generating feasible solutions to social problems.

Amparo Montoya Montoya trained as a Bacteriologist in Bogotá, Colombia, and founded Dinámica Corporativa in 2002, a company focused on quality control and food safety training. After moving to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador in 2013, she volunteered with organizations supporting immigrants and later worked as an administrative manager, strengthening her passion for community support. In 2020, she founded Corporate Dynamics, offering Culture Connections services, and participated in entrepreneurship programs through the Board of Trade, NLOWE, and the Her Own Boss Project. Through this journey, she connected with Collective Interchange and became a Director in December 2020.

Maryam Masaeli initially joined the Collective Interchange team as a volunteer, and now works as the Project Outreach for the team. She holds a master's degree in Human Resources and is currently completing a Master of Employment Relations Degree at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She has experience in human resources and customer service. Maryam is committed to social justice, gender equality, and women's empowerment. At Collective Interchange, she works to help immigrant women educate themselves about different services in the community, and find their path to better career success.

Barry is a business educator, facilitator, speaker, and coach with more than 30 years of experience supporting start-ups, small businesses, and social enterprises across Atlantic Canada. Through his Epic Leadership Principles, Strategies and Practices, he helps organizations strengthen leadership, build committed teams, and create meaningful customer experiences and organizational cultures grounded in clarity, accountability, and service. Barry is also a Master Facilitator for the Virtues Project and an active leader in professional speaking and leadership development initiatives.

Gissel Garcia has a background in Industrial Engineering from Honduras and holds a Master's degree in Project Management, with experience in administration and finance. After moving to Canada, she became actively involved with organizations supporting newcomer integration and contributed to the development of the Newcomer Navigator Platform through Collective Interchange Cooperative, gaining valuable insight into the newcomer experience in Newfoundland and Labrador.