BRIANNE BRAUN
​PRESIDENT

susan dAHLGREN
Vice-President 
​

Brianne Braun is a Registered ASL-English Interpreter, a Consultant and Parent Liaison in the Surrey School District, and a Social Media/Events Assistant with Family Network for Deaf Children (FNDC). Brianne is also the proud parent of two children, one hearing and one Deaf. 
The Brauns came to Deaf Children's Society of BC (DCS) shortly after their youngest child was born and they started participating in DCS' Early Literacy Foundations (ELF) program. After her daughter's graduation from the DCS Preschool and entry into Kindergarten at the BC School for the Deaf (BCSD), Brianne was eager to get involved and joined DCS’ Board of Directors. 
Brianne is passionate about language access for all deaf and hard of hearing children and is pleased to be able to support DCS and its bilingual programs and services. She looks forward to continuing to serve families and the community in her new position as DCS Board President.
Brianne enjoys reading, puzzles, swimming, and spending time with family and friends.

Susan Dahlgren, MSW, RSW is a Registered Social Worker with more than 25 years of experience in mental health and social services. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Social Work from Gallaudet University, and an Indigenous Focusing Oriented Therapy Certificate from Justice Institute of British Columbia.  Currently, she is a Disability Counsellor with Vancouver Community College’s Disability Services. The focus of her work is students with disabilities in post-secondary education. Susan believes in embedding her leadership with knowledge of Deaf Culture, disabilities, mental health, and complex trauma with JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) awareness. Susan attended DCS as a child, back when DCS was just starting up, and later reconnected with DCS as a Learning Vacation Experience volunteer. She is currently serving her second term on the DCS Board and is pleased to be able to give back. On a personal note, Susan has two teenagers - family is so important to her. She enjoys yoga, stand-up paddle boarding and cross-country skiing.  

andrew banks 
​secretary

Andrew's second daughter was born deaf, and this opened up his family’s world to the Deaf community and Deaf culture. Through Deaf Children's Society of BC (DCS) and other agencies, Andrew has met so many wonderful families – some with hearing parents, some with Deaf parents, and many who are originally from other countries. Since the birth of their daughter, DCS has played a very important role in Andrew's family life. He is pleased to now be able to give back, contributing from the perspective of a hearing parent of a deaf child who understands the importance of early intervention services. Andrew is currently serving his second term on the DCS Board. 
On a professional level, Andrew has been a senior municipal manager in park management for over 20 years and brings that wealth of experience to his role with DCS.

Carol mathisen
treasurer

Carol Mathisen is a long-time Lower Mainland resident and was educated in West Vancouver and at the University of British Columbia - she received a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a major in finance and human resource management and she received her Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA)/Certified General Accountant (CGA) designation in 2007.  She has worked in industry, mostly private local companies, for many years before semi-retiring in 2018.  
She has been involved in many community organizations over the years and believes strongly in volunteerism. Some of the positions she has held include Treasurer and Vice-President of the local school Parent Advisory Council and a member of fundraising committees for Vancouver Museum and Vancouver General Hospital, as well as being a part of organizational committees for girls' sporting activities at the Arbutus Club.  Carol has long had an interest in the deaf and hard of hearing community and is a firm believer in the importance of early intervention services to support the language acquisition and social development of deaf and hard of hearing children. She feels strongly that all children should be presented with the best educational opportunities possible, and is passionate about life-long learning also. Carol is delighted to join the Board of the Deaf Children's Society of BC.  She is looking forward to making a meaningful, ongoing and significant contribution to the organization. In her free time, Carol enjoys reading, gardening, cooking, golf, travelling and spending time with family and friends. She has a very energetic 3 year old Golder Retriever that keeps her active and walking daily – they are both very familiar with the trails of the University Endowment Lands!

Kirsten HAGEMOEN
​Director

Having first encountered the Deaf community while learning ASL as a young adult, Kirsten has worked as a Registered ASL-English interpreter in the Lower Mainland area for over 20 years. Kirsten has a Bachelor of Education – Elementary and she worked for many years as a tutor and literacy instructor with signing Deaf youth. She has been teaching adults in the field of ASL & Deaf studies and Interpreting studies since 2010. Her passionate interest in early language acquisition and language development is what lead Kirsten to join the board of Deaf Children’s Society of BC as a director.
Currently she works as a freelance ASL-English interpreter and as a contract instructor in the Douglas College Program of Sign Language Interpretation. Privileged to live in East Vancouver, on unceded Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish land, Kirsten is blessed with a tight-knit group of signing friends and two beloved young nieces who are also learning ASL.
 
 
 

drisana levitzke-gray
director

Drisana Levitzke-Gray is a human rights advocate and activist. Drisana raises awareness about the birthright of Deaf children all over the world to learn sign language from birth, to grow up bilingual and bicultural. Multi-skilled with various roles, Drisana is a Deaf interpreter, translator, sign language consultant, inclusion and accessibility advisor, tutor, and a recent graduate of University of Western Australia in Law and Communications. Her biggest love is to build bridges between the Deaf and hearing world and to show that Deaf children and people have limitless potential. Accessibility, inclusivity, diversity, and visibility are the key goals that Drisana aims for in both her professional and volunteer work. The Deaf Children’s Society of BC is an organisation that shares Drisana’s values and she is proud to now be serving on its Board of Directors. She is thrilled to be part of a dynamic team who share a vision of Deaf children and their families thriving and succeeding with a holistic approach. In her free time, Drisana enjoys traveling all around the world, creating Auslan (Australian Sign Language) products, making bath bombs, reading books, and attending Deaf community events locally, nationally and globally! 

Matthew Kalenuik
​director 

renu sangha
​director 

Matthew Kalenuik ICADC CADC CAPM CCS-AC CCCS is a charitable non-profit fund developer, an internationally certified project manager with a diploma in Applied Project Management through Simon Fraser University, an internationally certified drug and alcohol counsellor with a diploma in Addiction Medicine through the University of British Columbia, and a Canadian certified clinical supervisor. He became connected to the Deaf community shortly after his daughter was born. His daughter was born premature, and with moderate to severe bilateral hearing loss - thankfully members of the Deaf community extended a warm welcome to both Matthew and his family. Growing up, his daughter participated in programs offered by the Deaf Children’s Society of BC (DCS) which helped grow her foundational understanding of signed and spoken language and prepared her to enter school. An avid artist and photographer, Matthew has hobbies that range from creating visual arts and media, to bike riding and hiking. Matthew is happy to give back where possible, and having experience with visual arts, fundraising, charitable non-profit governance, event planning, and stakeholder engagement, he looks toward a future at DCS where he’s able to use his skills to make a difference in the lives of Deaf children. To see more about his family’s story, and to see the impact DCS has had on them, please watch this short video:     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X44axp5yGyE

Renu Sangha is a Deaf, first generation Canadian. Her parents acquired sign language as soon as they found out Renu was Deaf and they accessed services from the Deaf Children's Society of BC (DCS) and the BC Elks Auditory Rehabilitation Centre, which is now known as BC Family Hearing Resource Society. Upon graduating from early intervention services, Renu attended schools Uplands Elementary and Mountain Secondary in Langley. Renu Sangha is the Chief Operating Officer at Convo Canada. Prior to working at Convo Canada, Renu worked in the corporate world for more than 15 years and gained experience in accounting, finance, information technology and change management. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) holding Bachelor's degrees in Information Technology and Business Administration obtained from Simon Fraser University. She is also AgileBA Foundation certified and a Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) and continues to utilize her expertise in process improvement and change management. While working, Renu has held positions on the boards of the Canadian Administrator of VRS (CAV), the Greater Vancouver Association of the Deaf, and DCS. She is currently a Finance Committee Member for the Canadian Deaf Sports Association (CDSA). Renu is a proud mom of a child who is a CODA (Child Of Deaf Adult) and a fur baby and enjoys reading, travelling and watching movies.