Our Staff

Alex Gilchrist

Case Manager

Alex joined the VBIS team in 2002. 

His job experience includes construction, logging, crewing on a towboat and sailing. While teaching a summer program for an alternate school on Vancouver island, Alex found he enjoyed  working with people.  He was employed by the Victoria Cool Aid Society as a street outreach worker for Victoria’s homeless population before coming to work with VBIS. 

While in University, Alex was involved in a serious car accident, and acquired a brain injury that went undiagnosed for many years.  He understands what it means to live with the effects of brain injury in a world that does not recognise or understand it.  As a case manager with VBIS, Alex is grateful for the opportunity to assist survivors in finding the understanding and support they need to build a life after  brain injury.

Leidi Fortner

Case Manager

Leidi came to the Victoria Brain Injury Society in 2008 from the Prince George Brain Injury Group, where she worked with survivors of brain injury and their family members. Leidi has a nursing background with many years of experience in the medical field. She worked in the addictions field, which connected her to individuals who had experienced a brain injury. Leidi now has a wealth of experience working directly with survivors.

Leidi enjoys traveling, photography and long walks in beautiful places around Victoria.

Helen Lang

Director of Client Services

Helen is the Director of Client Services at the Victoria Brain Injury Society. Helen joined the team in 2011. Her position at the society supervises all the programs and services provided to individuals with an acquired brain injury. Helen is a recent resident of Canada, moving here from Texas in 2007.  She loves Vancouver Island and the Canadian Islanders in particular! She has more than fifteen years experience in the social services field, and a number of years experience in the world of corporate technology. 

Her favorite work has been as owner of an adventure based team-building company, which proved each and every day that there is nothing better than having fun while being surrounded by great people who are learning and enjoying the outdoors.

Moving to Vancouver Island has rekindled Helen’s desire to work in a way that contributes to a more compassionate, peaceful world. VBIS seems the perfect place to be in a community of people redefining what it is to live a full human life. Living in Mill Bay with her husband, Helen has the adventure of driving the Malahat to work!  She is grateful for her volunteer work with Cowichan Valley Hospice and, believing there are non-violent options to problems, she is also pursuing a certification in Mediation at JIBC.

Nicole Nelson

Director of Resource Development

Nicole has a passion for people. She believes in equality of opportunity and envisions living in a society in which every individual is treated with respect, dignity and compassion.

After obtaining her Undergraduate Degree in Political Science from the University of Victoria, Nicole was inspired to travel to Uganda, where she lived for a year, learning from her Ugandan peers about culture, race and development. She went on to obtain a Masters Degree in International Development from York University in Toronto. These experiences taught her the importance of local development, and factored into her decision to move back to Vancouver Island and focus on the challenges facing her own community.

Her role at the Victoria Brain Injury Society allows her to support and advocate for people in a very rewarding way. Through communications, marketing and fundraising Nicole is able to raise awareness about the needs of brain injury survivors and build genuine partnerships within the community.

Nicole spends as much time outdoors as possible, playing volleyball, going for runs along the beach and biking everywhere she goes.

Anna McLauchlan

Manager of Administration

Anna has worked as an administrator/secretary for her entire working life, in a wide variety of environments including Police, private industry, University and non-profits. However, over a decade ago she finally got it!: she was really most in her element in a social services environment where the focus was looking after the needs of people. Since then, she has been very particular about choosing to work in organizations who put people first, so she feels she has landed in a perfect place here at Victoria Brain Injury Society to fulfill her needs in this respect.

Although she is Canadian by birth, she has lived for a number of years in England, so she is the one with the weird accent should you ever come to the VBIS offices, or sometimes have her answering you on  the phone!

She and her husband also own a sailing school here in Victoria, so ‘after hours’ she looks after the administrative and marketing side of their business. 

She is a member of the Soroptimists of Greater Victoria. Having been a volunteer (and part time contractor) with Police Victim Services for a number of years until fairly recently, she is hoping to be able to find time in her life to go back to volunteering – working hands  on with people – in another organization when time allows.

She is a huge music fan…. her husband has coined a phrase for her: “she will have music wherever she goes”, and this is true, as can be seen by the evidence of her iPod dock in prime position in her office, ready for instant and constant action! In her spare time, she loves to ride and garden. She dabbles with photography, wishing she could be better, and she has a travel bug beckoning her!

Katusha Dmitrieva

Creative Arts Program Facilitator

Katusha was born and raised in Moscow and never imagined herself living anywhere else. Yet, she came to Canada to explore, fell in love with Victoria and her husband and had no other choice but to stay.

She has always been fascinated by art since she was a child and embraced her passion by completing a bachelor degree in fine arts at the Textile University in Moscow. She specialized in fashion design and followed that path for a couple of years after graduation. Moving to beautiful Victoria changed a lot in her life including her priorities and values. For over nine years she has been working extensively under the umbrella of brain injury services and has had the privilege of helping people and of being trusted by them.

Back in Moscow she learned about the art of silk painting. She honed her skills during her time at the university and has continued on since coming to Victoria. She has since had the chance to show her works at the Sooke Fine Arts Show and the Sidney Fine Arts Show as well as participating in the renowned Stinking Fish Studio Tour (Metchosin and East Sooke).

Barbara Erickson

Contractor (Previously the Director of Client Services)

Barbara was the Director of Client Services at the Victoria Brain Injury Society from 2006 - 2011. She is constanly impressed with the passion, dedication and commitment people demonstrate when working in the field of brain injury.  With her educational background in family systems counselling she provided direct support and programming to families impacted by brain injury.

Barbara has been providing social services in the Victoria community  for over ten years. Her work history includes counseling and support in community centres, the urban First Nations community, as well as a small private counselling practice. Barbara has a Masters of Arts in Applied Behavioral Science and is registered with the Canadian Counselling Association.

Outside of her work life, Barbara is married with two young children.  When she is not chasing after her children she enjoys cycling around the Saanich peninsula and creating masterpieces in her garden.