Our Team
Cowichan Housing Association consists of a small, yet impactful, team of individuals supporting program development and delivery. Please reach out below if you would like to connect with one of our staff directly.
Shelley Cook, PhD
Executive Director
Shelley has over 25 years of experience as a practitioner and senior administrator in the non-profit sector. She has worked extensively in program and community development in BC and Ontario, including developing and operating housing under a range of models. Prior to returning to university to complete her doctoral studies in 2014, Shelley was the Executive Director of John Howard Society in Kelowna, BC. Shelley has a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies from UBC Okanagan. Her doctoral research examined the socio-spatial aspects of homelessness in the urban environment with focus on service and policy implications.
Shelley has been extremely active in social justice through her involvement in committees, local/provincial/national initiatives, and community-based research promoting equity and inclusion for marginalized groups. In 2017, Shelley received a national award (Dr. Alexander Aylett Graduate Scholarship in Urban Sustainability and Innovation) for her community-based research efforts. In 2019 she was awarded a Health System Impact Fellowship through the Canadian Institute for Health Research and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research in BC.
Shelley is happy to be back living and working on Vancouver Island, after living in Victoria, BC, many years ago.
