Our People
The women who make up Atira’s staff and Board are diverse, engaged, and committed to the work of ending violence against women. They are wildly talented and it shows.
The Board of Directors develops goals and plans for the Society and is accountable for all legal and financial activities.
While the Board makes policy decisions and guides management activities, the day-to-day operations are left to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and a team of inspiring women.
Our Leadership
Donnie Rosa
Chief Executive Officer
Donnie (they/she) is a leader who believes in the power of community. Throughout their career, they have dedicated themselves to lifting others up through collaboration and fostering strong partnerships. With front-line experience working in alternative housing solutions and mental health, Donnie has a deep-rooted commitment to serving and protecting women, children and gender-diverse individuals.
Sarah McIntosh
Chief Operating Officer
Sarah is a mission-driven leader known for developing collaborative teams focused on operational excellence through systems development, risk analysis and innovative problem-solving. She is accomplished in and recognized for her ability to lead through crises, establish strong partnerships centred on a collective vision, and seeing an idea through the stages of conception, planning, development, and actualization.
Her 2024 nomination for the YWCA Women of Distinction Award for Reconciliation in Action recognizes Sarah’s outstanding commitment to fostering dialogue and taking tangible actions toward building more equitable communities, particularly in support of Indigenous communities.
Sarah actively raises awareness of gendered violence and homelessness in her Board Chair roles with the Surrey Vulnerable Women and Girls Committee and the Richmond Community Social Services Committee, as well as Director with the BC Association of Community Health Centres.
Sarah has been with Atira Women’s Resource Society for over a decade and has championed several roles including Program Manager, Director and Executive Director, Operations, and now Chief Operating Officer for the Atira Group of Companies.
Hajar Masoud
Executive Director, Operational Excellence
Hajar grew up on the Gaza Strip (part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory) where she earned a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering at the Islamic University of Gaza. She spent three years as a project manager before moving into the world of international aid where she spent nine years doing project design, monitoring and evaluation in countries as diverse as Palestine, Jordan and Somaliland.
Two years ago, Hajar moved to California where she earned a Masters’ degree in International Policy and Development, with a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialization. Hajar has a young family and is just recently moved to Canada.
Jose Velazquez
Executive Director, Operation
Jose is from Queretaro, Mexico and came to Canada in August of 2001. He attended Simon Fraser University with interest in learning disabilities and equity gaps for those with diverse learning abilities. He also studied and focused his attention on suicidality and crisis prevention. During his time at university he worked for the Center for Accessible Learning’s note-taking program where he would make sure that students had equality of access to lecture materials by closing the information gap caused by large classroom sizes and poor acoustical or visual conditions.
He was also heavily involved with the Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Center of BC, answering crisis calls and providing suicide prevention talks in local high schools. Jose started working for Atira in 2009 as a support worker at the Arco Hotel, became the Program manager in 2011 and has had several managerial roles within his 12 years at Atira. He has also been training staff in “non-violent crisis intervention” for last four years and after the COVID 19 pandemic hit Jose collaborated with the Director of Talent to create an online version of the training. Jose became the Director of Supportive Housing and Tenant Relations in February of 2020 and has since focused on supporting Program Managers so they can provide the best possible care to the members of the community we serve. Jose believes in creating a housing environment that is accepting, respectful, caring and safe, and where tenants have influence over their living situations as he believes this is the foundation for health and wellness.
Paul Plater
Chief Financial Officer
Paul is honored to be a part of Atira, contributing a wealth of experience in strategic financial leadership across diverse industries. With a fervent commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, he is dedicated to supporting an organization that not only impacts numerous lives but also champions Indigenous communities, challenges conventional norms, and actively seeks innovative approaches. Passionate about Indigenous self-determination, Paul brings valuable insights and advocacy to the forefront.
Mamta Dhillon
Executive Director of People & Culture
Born in India, Mamta came to Canada at 10 years of age and has lived in the Lower Mainland ever since. She brings a wealth of experience in designing and scaling People & Culture programs and services. Before joining Atira, Mamta led an HR team that served 2500 front line employees, in 3 provinces, that belonged to 7 different unions with 18 collective agreements. This enriching experience enables Mamta to foster a positive and cooperative labour relations environment amongst union, management, and employee groups to create win-win solutions.
Languages We Speak
Atira hires women who represent the diversity of people living in the Lower Mainland and more specifically, women who represent the women accessing our programs.
We believe that having a representative staff is the most import action an agency can take to make its services accessible.
At present we speak 35 languages and dialects among our staff including:
- 🇦🇪Arabic
- ✋ASL
- 🇰🇭Cambodian
- 🇨🇳Cantonese
- 🇵🇭Cebunano
- 🇦🇫Dari
- 🇺🇸English
- 🇦🇫Farsi
- 🇫🇷French
- 🇩🇪German
- 🇬🇷Greek
- 🇮🇱Hebrew
- 🇮🇳Hindi
- 🇭🇷Hrvatski
- 🇵🇭Illonggo
- 🇮🇹Italian
- 🇯🇵Nihongo
- 🇨🇦Kaska
- 🇰🇭Khmer
- 🇰🇷Korean
- 🇨🇳Mandarin
- 🇰🇪Meru
- 🇨🇦Nisga’a
- 🇵🇰Pashto
- 🇮🇷Persian
- 🇮🇳Punjabi
- 🇷🇴Romanian
- 🇷🇺Russian
- 🇷🇸Serbian
- 🇱🇰Sinhalese
- 🇲🇽Spanish
- 🌍Swahili
- 🇵🇭Tagalog
- 🇱🇰Tamil
- 🇹🇭Thai
- 🇵🇰Urdu