BCIFV home > Newsletter > Summer 2005

Welcome to Susanna Tam

An Interview with our New ED

Aware Editor: Welcome Susanna, and congratulations. Please tell us about your background.

Susanna Tam: I was born in Toronto, moved to Calgary at age 10, and did my undergraduate work in political science at the University of Calgary. I came to Vancouver for law school at UBC, and stayed.

Being first-generation Canadian, I often helped family and friends overcome the language barrier. I remember doing the talking when people were looking for housing rentals, translating government letters, calling the Labour Board about unpaid overtime. I think advocating for others from the time I was 10 or 12 years old informed my decision to go into law.

After law school, I worked on some interesting human-rights projects, and then articled in a small firm that specialized in immigration and refugee law, where I was fortunate to have Zool Suleman as a mentor. I worked primarily on refugee files, researching countries where human-rights abuses were well documented.

It was intense, emotional work, but interacting with community agencies serving immigrants and refugees was very rewarding. Significant under-funding never deterred the commitment that the translators, counselors, doctors, and support workers felt for their clients.

Since then, all my work, professional and volunteer, has focused on social-justice and equality issues. I have worked with multicultural communities for the past eight years, building capacity for communications and outreach around various issues.

AE: What drew you to BCIFV, and how will your experience to date serve the Institute’s needs?

ST: Family violence is connected to all the work I have done: immigration and refugee issues, settlement issues, HIV/AIDS, women’s health, health promotion in multicultural communities, poverty, racism, mental illness, addictions. Dealing with family violence is a function of any social-justice and equality work, and it is crucial to keep the larger, strategic analysis in view.

I have also had experience coming into an organization during a transition, and I want to contribute that experience to the Institute.

As well, I have extensive experience with and a strong understanding of the impacts of social-justice issues on the health of women, children, families, and communities, whether the context is immigrant settlement, HIV/ AIDS, or environmental sustainability. I believe this will be important as the Institute sharpens its focus on the health aspects of family violence.

AE: What challenges do you see in the near future as the Institute’s incoming ED?

ST: I am aware that I face a steep learning curve during a time of significant change. It will be important to maintain continuity by communicating clearly with stakeholders that the vision of the Institute has not been compromised, and that there is continued strength and leadership in Board and management.

One of my priorities will be to reinforce current partnerships with government, academia, and the community, while exploring new relationships within and beyond the existing ones. The effectiveness of my work has always been directly related to the strength of the partnerships and collaborations I have developed and sustained, and I will continue to use that approach here.

Another priority will be funding. Again, I believe strong partnerships are key, and I hope to bring my skills and experience to bear in supporting strategic fund development.

In the long term, I believe that this transition will provide an opportunity to strengthen the focus of the Institute’s work, to revisit objectives, and to re-energize efforts. In my experience, change and challenge provide important moments in which to evaluate and organize priorities. The commitment and support I have observed among Board members give me reason to believe that the Institute will rise to all the challenges ahead successfully.

AE: What long-term goals do you personally bring as you begin your work with the Institute?

ST: The Institute has invested energy, with great success, in reaching out to many cultural communities. Board membership, the contents of the Resource Centre, the nature of many projects, and the content of this publication all reflect those efforts.

I hope to be part of ensuring that the work of the Institute grows increasingly relevant to diverse communities. I believe we need to stay responsive to community concerns, and continue to support the great work being done in so many places. Meaningful engagement of multicultural communities is an integral part of any vision of a society without family violence.

Most importantly, I’m excited about this opportunity to bring together all the pieces of the work that I have been doing, to integrate them with my understanding of the complex issue of family violence, and to promote an effective, strategic approach to eliminating it. I look forward to making a contribution, not only to the Institute, but as part of my ongoing commitment to work toward a just and sustainable world.

AE: Thank you, Susanna, and again, welcome. We look forward to working with you.