MEET YOUR BOARD
RAPHA
FERREIRA
PRESIDENT
HE/HIM
Rapha Ferreira is a seasoned project manager with over a decade of experience leading complex initiatives and creative teams based in New West. Before moving to Canada, he spent time work in event production in Brazil, developing a deep passion for community‑driven events and inclusive storytelling.
For the past two years, Rapha has served as the Entertainment Manager for New West Pride, where he focuses on building meaningful connections and uplifting voices that too often go unheard. He is committed to fostering safer, more celebratory spaces for the 2SLGBTQ+ community and championing diverse talent at every opportunity.
VICE PRESIDENT
JAYDEE
DIMMER-DREW
THEY/THEM
Jaydee is an events and marketing leader based in New Westminster, working at the intersection of culture, community, and civic life. As Events and Marketing Manager for Downtown New West, they design experiences that bring people into the streets, spark local economic activity, and strengthen connection to place.
Whether building festivals, supporting small businesses, or contributing to city-wide conversations about the future, Jaydee approaches the work with clarity, conviction, and a deep belief that communities thrive when people feel seen, supported, and invited in.
MADELEINE
GWYNNE
SECRETARY
SHE/HER
TRESURER
MARIZA
MORALES
SHE/HER
KATIE
STOBBART
BOARD MEMBER
THEY/THEM
BOARD MEMBER
REN
DE FREITAS
THEY/THEM
MARINA
VAYSMAN
BOARD MEMBER
SHE/HER
Marina (she/her) is an immigrant of Jewish & European descent for whom New Westminster, a stolen land of the Qayqayt, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) nations, has become the first place that truly felt like home. Alongside her work as a counsellor, community involvement is a core part of her life.
Marina is passionate about creating spaces where people feel they belong and their differences are valued and celebrated. She balances her enthusiasm for work and volunteerism with numerous hobbies (neurospice alert!), music, amazing friends, good coffee, and cats.
BOARD MEMBER
LORENA
BROWNE
SHE/THEY
BOARD MEMBER
REN
WHITELAW
THEY/THEM
BOARD MEMBER
VALKYRIE FOX
MORNINGSTAR
SHE/THEY
Valkyrie Fox Morningstar (they/she) is a proud trans woman living openly with HIV, and brings over 16 years of nonprofit experience rooted in frontline service, advocacy, and community care. Their leadership is shaped by lived experience inside the systems they now help govern. Equity is not theoretical for Valkyrie; it's personal.
They work to model the way via transparency and accountability, and are willing to challenge the process when policies and practices fall short of the communities they're meant to serve. They believe governance should be structured, responsible, and bold enough to evolve. Comfort does not build equity; courage does. Their work spans supportive housing, harm reduction, peer research, and systems advocacy.
In addition to serving on the board of New West Pride, Valkyrie contributes lived experience insight to national health research through the Community-Based Research Centre. They are committed to ensuring Pride remains community driven, accountable, and fiercely inclusive, especially for trans, HIV positive, and otherwise marginalized members of our community. Valkyrie brings steady leadership, sharp analysis, and strategic goblin energy to the table.
They believe Pride should be joyful, yes, but also brave.
