Ruth Byra

Interim Executive Director

Originally from Barcelona, Ruth emigrated to Canada 15 years ago. After living and working on a variety of jobs and projects in the southern half of BC, Ruth moved north where she started a family.

Ruth has worked in a wide variety of jobs, both outdoors and indoors, which have equipped her with the necessary life experience to manage the adventures and challenges that lie on her journey ahead. She has a passion for parenting, growing food, and outdoor work and games. The POUNDS Project has given Ruth to opportunity to “walk her talk” in supporting its mission which is based on one of her personal core values: compassion for others and oneself.

Ruth is a settler and guest, living and working with deep gratitude in the unceded territory of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation since 2018.

Ariel Hayward

Team Lead

Ariel acknowledges having had the honor to be born on the unceded lands of the Ty’msyen People. She was raised with deep respect for the traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nations where she grew, learned and played, and takes pride in the community that shaped her upbringing.

Ariel is committed to using both her existing and future relationships to combat the stigma surrounding drugs and drug use within our communities. With a rich background of both lived and formal experience, she is well-acquainted with the hardships, barriers, and stigma faced by vulnerable populations.

By joining The POUNDS Project in early 2024, Ariel discovered her true calling within the Harm Reduction community. Driven by a passion to make a difference, she continuously strives to be her best self and meet people where they are in all aspects of life, providing unwavering support to those she serves.

Shantal Lussier

Support Services Coordinator

Shantal was born and raised in Prince George on the ancestral unceded territory of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation. She has a biomedical degree from UNBC and is a casual at the Kordyban Lodge supporting cancer patients. Shantal worked as a pharmacy technician before joining the team, where she felt she would have the opportunity to really help the most vulnerable in her community.

As a Support Services Coordinator, Shantal advocates for clients while connecting them with the services they require, and has worked tirelessly to expand the Pounds Project medication program. Her core belief is that everyone should have their basic needs met in order to be able to thrive, which is why she is working towards becoming a doctor.

Shantal teaches aerial fitness in the evenings, and enjoys reading and snowboarding whenever possible. She and her partner attend metal festivals all over the world, but always return home to their cats and their own band.

Emilee Wells

Drug Checking Technician

Emilee has worked at The POUNDS Project Society on the unceded, stolen lands of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nations also known as Prince George since February 2021.

Her specialization is drug checking but she is also proficient at overdose response and prevention.

She is passionate about the rights of people who use drugs and is grateful to be able to work and collaborate with our most vulnerable populations.

In her free time she is usually walking her dogs or working on a puzzle.

Torie Beram

Secretary

Torie is a Registered Nurse from unceded Lheidli T’enneh territory. While completing a degree in Anthropology at UVic, she became interested in the intersection of health and culture, and decided to pursue a career in nursing with a keen eye toward how social determinants impact the health of the community back in her hometown of Prince George.

Torie currently works as a nurse at Central Interior Native Health Society in downtown Prince George where she advocates for and learns so much from the people she serves. She has admired the POUNDS Project since day one and feels so lucky to be a part of the organization’s growth in getting serious and important work done in the community.

In her spare time, Torie enjoys listening to The Tragically Hip with her dog Rodeo and lending out her revolutionary book collection.

Michelle Stewart Mooney

Director at Large

Michelle is a stay-at-home mom to her 1-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter.

Michelle is a recovering addict. She’s passionate about helping others who struggle with addiction and living on the streets. Michelle’s lived experience will serve the Board well. She is very excited for this next chapter!

Jordan Stewart

Director at Large

Jordan is a member of the Metis Nation, currently living, working, and raising a beautiful baby on unceded ancestral Lheidli T’enneh territory in the community known as Prince George. Shortly after completing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Northern British Columbia in 2018, Jordan founded The POUNDS Project. She served as the organization’s Executive Director until 2023, then transitioned to the Society’s Board of Directors.

Jordan’s belief in community stewardship, Indigenous rights, and equitable social justice drives a practice that is grounded in trauma-informed principles and a holistic approach to wellness. She has deep gratitude for the acceptance and grace she has received from those she has worked with and cared for in her journey with POUNDS. Jordan is honoured to have the opportunity to learn many invaluable lessons through the shared lived experiences of others.

Mariah Curry

Chair

Mariah moved to Lheidli T’enneh territory three years ago to continue their undergraduate degree in First Nations Studies at UNBC. Working for a nearby Nation as part of a Land Stewardship team, they have become immersed in learning about Indigenous governance, land rights, and the impacts of resource extraction on social determinants of health.

After working in harm reduction spaces at music festivals for many years, Mariah transitioned to supportive housing in Vancouver’s downtown eastside. Prior to moving North, they worked as a coordinator at Insite, alongside a team of incredible peer workers and nurses. Mariah has worked with Northern Health’s Aids Prevention Program since 2022 and joined the POUNDS Board of Directors in early 2024. Their ongoing involvement in community care and harm reduction is driven by a desire for systemic change and deep gratitude for the amazing relationships cultivated through this work.

When not working or studying, Mariah spends their time walking dogs in the woods, learning about plants, and drinking copious amounts of tea.

Viviane Josewski

Director at Large

Viviane is an assistant professor in the School of nursing at UNBC, and a Research Associate with the National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health.

Viviane is deeply committed to promoting health equity and strongly believes in the principles of harm reduction as a crucial framework for supporting for supporting people with substance use in a way that respects their dignity and enhances their access to holistic services and supports. Moreover, she upholds the principle of “nothing about us without us” in all aspects of her work as evidenced in her long-term commitment to engaging in Indigenous-led partnerships and supporting community-led activism and programming.

Sarah de Leuuw

Director at Large

An award winning researcher and creative writer whose work focuses broadly on marginalized peoples and geographies, Sarah de Leeuw grew up and has spent most of her life in Northern British Columbia, including Haida Gwaii and Terrace. She is the Research Director of the Health Arts Research Centre and teaches in the areas of Indigenous peoples well-being and health humanities.

For almost 30 years Sarah has served with feminist oriented social justice focused organizations. She is deeply committed to an ethos of rigorous kindness and prides herself on reliability and a willingness to roll up her sleeves and work – especially for health, equity, safety, and the inherent human rights – like the right to a safe drug supply – in northern geographies.

Nathan Findlay

Treasurer

Nathan is a front-line worker in downtown Prince George and has been since July 2020.

He started with UNDU to help run the isolation program out of the Knights Inn and has also worked alongside BC Housing, AWAC, The Pounds Project, Community Active Team, and Northern Health. This experience has helped Nathan understand the needs of our downtown people and how they can be met with the aid of other organizations and resources.

When the funding for his project ended, he made the jump to the Needle Exchange also known as The Aids Prevention Program. There, he further built relationships with our people downtown and obtained many added resources for our community, as well as got to work with like-minded people.

Nathan joined The Pounds Project Society Board of Directors because he is excited to talk with like-minded people and make changes that directly affect our community. He feels we have a great team and is excited to see what the future will bring.