Alberta OCD Foundation
Board of Directors
Executive Director
Jennifer Masek
Jennifer started volunteering with the Alberta OCD Foundation in 2017 and had it incorporated in 2018. Raising awareness on the truth about OCD is her top priority, along with becoming a Registered Charity to help OCD sufferers access to affordable treatment. She facilitates the OCD Support Groups, social events and manages the website and encourages the local members to submit blogs. Jennifer has lived with OCD since a young child. She was diagnosed at age 31 and began treatment. "It is never too late for treatment, but you need to do your homework."
Over the past years, Jennifer has been to 3 International OCD Foundation Conferences and presented in Washington on HOCD. She presented on OCD in Alberta including The Alberta Hospital, Access Open Minds, NorQuest College, University of Alberta, Calgary's Science in the Cinema and many OCD Week events. She is also a volunteer with the Tourette OCD Alberta Network.
Registered as Recreation Therapist in 2008, she works full time in health care where she assists people who live with disabilities to find wellness through adapted recreation and leisure.
President
Vacant
The President works alongside the Executive Director, as well as the rest of the Executive board to ensure that the organization accomplishes its tasks and achieves its overall goals. This includes creating public awareness initiatives and ensuring that the organization is visible to the community and those interested in assisting the foundation.
Vice President
Brooklyn Verenka
Brooklynv.aocdf@gmail.com
Brooklyn works alongside the Executive Director, as well as the rest of the Executive board to ensure that the organization accomplishes its tasks and achieves its overall goals. This includes creating public awareness initiatives and ensuring that the organization is visible to the community and those interested in assisting the foundation. In addition, she also assists volunteers with the coordination of fundraisers, community events, and programs to promote responsiveness to the organization.
Brooklyn is focused on assisting individuals with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and her educational background in Psychology has included numerous papers specializing in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Exposure-Response Prevention therapy and OCD-related pharmacological interventions. She believes that every individual should be able to obtain the necessary knowledge required, along with targeted access to all available resources, pertaining to the management of OCD.
Secretary
Tangraya Coupland
Tangraya has been dealing with OCD in its various forms and themes since she was a teen and was formally diagnosed when she was 32. She appreciates the community at AOCDF that has supported her through her journey and hopes to help others with OCD become empowered and know that OCD doesn’t have to control their lives.
As Secretary, she is responsible for the administrative duties of the board. She is familiar with the policies and procedures of the organization and ensures that bylaws are followed as well as any legal or ethical standards. She organizes meetings, records minutes and keeps key documents accessible and up to date.
She currently works as an administrative assistant and enjoys books, musicals and karaoke in her spare time.
Treasurer
Vacant
The aocdf is looking for a volunteer to fill the Treasurer role. The treasurer manages the society’s expenditures, keeps records of income and outgoings, and handles all cash. They liaise closely with the executive director, ensuring that the society is keeping on track with the budget.
Please contact ocdalberta@gmail.com if you are interested in volunteering.
Auditor
Vacant
The auditor for the Alberta OCD Foundation focuses on financial data-keeping and decision-making.
Marketing Director
Kristina
Kristina has always been passionate about mental health and is grateful to have found community in the AOCDF. She started volunteering in June 2021 and was elected Marketing Director in the fall of 2023. In her role, she helps the Executive Director and team in managing the AOCDF's marketing and communications activities.
Volunteer and Mentorship Director
Emma Heidebrecht
Emma is the volunteer and mentorship director for the Alberta OCD Foundation. Emma recruits, creates roles, and hosts appreciation events. For the mentorship program, Emma communicates regularly to register both mentees and mentors into the program and to oversee pairings.
Emma has struggled with OCD for many years and is now passionate about studying, researching, and spreading awareness on both the disorder as well as on other topics surrounding mental health. Emma is currently in her fourth year of a neuroscience undergraduate degree at the University of Alberta, and researches typical-range variation in autism traits and gender identity in the general population. In her spare time Emma is part of the university figure skating club and also plays the piano.
Professional Director
Vacant
The Professional Director is responsible for providing knowledge and advice to the board regarding resources and information about OCD. Their duty is to ensure that information disseminated is accurate and of quality, as well as to provide a professional lens on the resources offered to the community.
Family and Caregiver Director
Vacant
The aocdf is looking for a volunteer to fill the Family and Caregiver Director role. We are looking for a volunteer who is a caregiver, a parent, guardian or other relation to an individual who lives with obsessive-compulsive disorder. They provide a critical perspective on how the AOCDF can support those who support others.
Please contact ocdalberta@gmail.com if you are interested in volunteering.
Lived Experience Director
Vacant
The aocdf is looking for a volunteer to fill the Lived Experience Director. We are looking for an individual with lived experience willing to provide biographical information to ensure programming is appropriate for the persons we serve and support.
Please contact ocdalberta@gmail.com if you are interested in volunteering.