Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is made up of members as well as the executive director of the organization. The mandate of the Board is to ensure the proper functioning of the organization by respecting the priorities for the year, voted by the active members at the annual general meeting.

Jennifer Boucher

President

A graduate in criminology, Jennifer Boucher has worked at CAVAC since 2009 as a worker with victims of crime.

Having completed her internship at GAIHST as part of her studies in criminology, she then remained there as head of the Help and Information Department from 2007 to 2009. Always having the mission of GAIHST at heart and wishing to get involved for the cause, she joined the board of directors in 2019.

Valéry Kovalenko

Vice-président

Lawyer at Municonseil avocats firm, Valéry Kovalenko works mainly in municipal law and labor law.

Devoted to social causes, she has worked in several organizations helping victims of sexual assault and harassment, including the United Nations Department of Safety and Security.

She has been a member of the GAIHST Board of Directors since 2020.

Sonia Vallières

Treasurer

With a degree in Criminology and a certificate in Victimology, Sonia Vallières began her professional career with an internship at GAIHST in 2009, then as a counselor in the Help and Information Department from 2010 to 2020.

Since 2020, she has been working at CAVAC de Montréal, where she assists victims of crime through the legal process. Passionate about GAIHST’s mission, she decided to become more involved by joining the Board of Directors in 2024.

Emily Lapointe-Carpenter

Secretary

Emily Lapointe-Carpenter practices as a lawyer in a boutique litigation firm in Montreal. She is particularly interested in human rights as well as labor, family and youth law. Before her law studies, she completed a bachelor’s degree in criminology at the University of Montreal. After some experience in intervention with young people, their parents and with victims of criminal acts, Emily decided to redirect her career towards the law.

It was during an internship at GAIHST in 2019-2020 that she was able to discover how it was possible to help more vulnerable people through the law. Her desire to collaborate in the continuity of GAIHST’s unique mission led her to join the Board of Directors in 2023.

Maria Allaham

Administrator

Maria Allaham works as an international public policy manager at Lyft Canada. She also worked at Bombardier as a senior government affairs advisor, handling government business files and engaging in activities with government stakeholders and other stakeholders in the aerospace and business sectors. Prior to this, Ms. Allaham worked as a senior policy advisor to federal and provincial ministers and members of parliament, notably the environment, women and gender equality, and transport ministers. She has also worked in the academic and community fields.Ms. Allaham holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and a Master’s in Public Administration and Public Policy from Concordia University.Ms. Allaham was a board member of the Jeune Chambre de Commerce des Femmes du Québec and sits on the board of the Help and Information Center since 2022. She was an active volunteer in different organizations including the Canadian Red Cross.

Xavier Girard

Administrator

Xavier Girard is a lawyer and investigator with a firm specializing in the prevention and management of harassment and conflict in the workplace. He has also worked in disciplinary law and civil and commercial litigation. His interest in the community and justice led him to become involved with GAIHST. Xavier has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2024.