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Our Team

Andrea Thomas Hill
Founder and Chair

Andrea Thomas Hill moved to Vancouver from Toronto in 1999. Her career focus was in marketing communications, special events and fundraising. In 1992, Andrea organized the first Run For The Cure for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and spent the next few years expanding run sites across the country, After moving to Vancouver, Andrea managed Customer Communications at BC Hydro before retiring to focus on philanthropic work.  While parenting two young children, she started Cause We Care Foundation and invested much of her time and energy supporting single mother led families living in poverty.  Andrea has sat on many boards including the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, BC Chapter, The Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society, St George’s School, and chairs the ARON Foundation for charitable giving.

Vandana Varshney Lecky
Director
Vandana was born, raised and educated in Vancouver. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia and was a Senior Investment Advisor at Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management for 19 years. She has served on the Board of Governors at York House School, a leading independent school for girls. She has been a 3 year member of the Alumni UBC Achievement Awards committee honouring inspiring individuals from the UBC community. Vandana is a founding Board Member of Cause We Care Foundation and has been providing her fundraising expertise since its inception. She enjoys spending time with her family and is committed to service and giving back to the community in which she lives.
Jennifer Archer
Secretary
Jennifer Archer is a partner with Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, a national law firm. Jennifer moved to Vancouver from Saskatchewan in 2001 and has been practicing corporate/commercial law for over 15 years. Her practice focuses on private companies, mergers and acquisitions and public procurement. As the mother of two school-aged children, Jennifer highly values the work of Cause We Care and is dedicated to its goals.
Anita Ghatak
Director
Anita is a lawyer and former Crown prosector for the provincial Ministry of Justice. Her 26 years of experience working at all levels of the criminal justice system have given her a deep appreciation of the particularly harmful impact that cycles of poverty, physical and sexual abuse, and addiction have on women. Anita has a long standing respect for the work that Cause We Care does to break these cycles and empower women. Having left B.C.‘s Prosecution Service in 2016, Anita continues to be active in legal work related to womens’ equality rights and advocacy training.
Nancy Hill
Director
Nancy Hill is an established retailer with extensive community outreach experience. Born and raised in Vancouver, Nancy earned a Bachelor’s degree from Queen’s University and returned to Vancouver to join the family run business, Hill’s of Kerrisdale. Since this time, Nancy has expanded the family business with three additional companies; Blue Ruby Jewellery, Hill’s Dry Goods and Ray Rickburn. In 2013, Nancy partnered with Cause We Care by designing the signature Cause We Care bracelets with 100% of the proceeds being donated to the Foundation. Nancy lives in Vancouver with her two children.
Nicole Comey
Treasurer
Nicole Comey is an Executive Director with KPMG in Vancouver. She has been with the firm for over 15 years, spending 4 years in the Auckland, New Zealand office. Nicole is passionate about giving back to the community, with a large portion of her client portfolio being in the non-profit sector. During her spare time you can probably find her on top of a mountain somewhere.
Emily Davies
Director
Emily Davies is President of Linde Equity and co-manager of the Linde Equity Fund. Emily also invests in B2B software-as-a-service startups and she serves on the board of one of such investments, Cortico Health Technologies as an Independent Director. Emily is a board member of the YACG (Association for Corporate Growth) BC, a member of the Vancouver Steering Committee for Women in Capital Markets, and an advisory board member of SFU’s Beedie School of Business and the Beedie Endowment Asset Management Fund. Emily previously worked in equity research and investment banking at RBC Capital Markets. Emily is grateful to contribute to Cause We Care’s important efforts to break poverty cycles and empower women.
Joanna Cameron
Director

Joanna is a partner at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, with 20 years of law experience specializing in private and public corporate transactions in a range of industries, particularly the resource sector. A proud alumna of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, Joanna also earned her MBA in 2022 and achieved the Competent Boards ESG designation in 2023. Her board experience and passion for advancing critical issues will help create meaningful differences for single mothers.

Rhea Dubois-Phillips
Director

Rhea Dubois-Phillips brings 30 years of experience as a senior executive, building strong teams and creating campaigns that empower organizations and communities. After a 20-year global career with Edelman Public Relations, spanning eight countries, she launched WinterCove Communications in 2023, focusing on crafting impactful stories that drive change. Her team’s early successes include creating and leading the Yes campaign for two Alberta credit unions, creating Canada’s largest. Passionate about mentorship and empowerment, Rhea is excited to support single moms through Cause We Care. She holds advanced degrees from the University of London, the University of Paris Sorbonne, and UBC and was named one of Business in Vancouver’s most influential marketing and PR leaders in 2022.

Shannon Newman-Bennett
Executive Director
Shannon has been a leader for two decades in empowering the lives of women and children in our community. Formerly the Director, Family Services for the YWCA in Metro Vancouver, Shannon is versed in the challenges and struggles faced by single mothers living in poverty. She currently serves on several boards including BabyGoRound and Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland’s Honourary Advisory Board. Her degree in Masters of Education in Counselling Psychology from UBC underscores her dedication to understanding complex issues and leading non-profit organizations in the execution of programs and deliverables. With a notably passionate track record and robust tenure within organizations she brings strategic direction and leadership to Cause We Care Foundation. Shannon lives in Vancouver with her husband and three children.
Caroline Woodcock
General Manager
Born and raised in Vancouver, Caroline has been our General Manager since 2015, overseeing daily operations and implementing growth and development strategies. Under Caroline’s management, Cause We Care has made a positive impact on the lives of single mothers and children by promoting the delivery of funds and activities within the Foundation. Caroline is a graduate of UBC and has a background in philanthropy having worked with the Rick Hansen Foundation along with the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation for many years. As a true West Coast local, she can be found pursuing her passions such as running, skiing and Pilates. She lives in Vancouver with her husband, two children and their dog.
Valerie Dib
Admin Assistant

Born and raised in Mexico City, Valerie supports event coordination and day-to-day operations. With experience in the fundraising sector since 2020, Valerie brings strong organizational skills and a deep commitment to advancing initiatives that create meaningful change. Valerie studied International Relations, driven by a desire to contribute to a better and more equitable world. Her passion for women’s advocacy began at a young age, participating in NGOs and projects focused on empowering girls and women.

Through her role at Cause We Care, Valerie is proud to contribute to a mission that uplifts single mothers and helps build stronger communities.