Dress for Success Vancouver
We opened our doors 24 years ago to empower women into the workforce by helping them make that all-important great first impression with professional attire.
Today, we still believe in the vital importance of first impressions, and we also know that to truly empower women and gender-diverse individuals economically and support them as they harness their highest potential we need to invest in a continuum of pre-employment and job-retention training, mentorship, and access to professional networks and a community of support.
These wrap-around programs, combined with our namesake dressing services, address the needs of women and gender-diverse individuals who are striving to enter and advance in the workforce while also addressing systemic constraints to economic empowerment.
Dress for Success Vancouver has served over 41,000 women and gender-diverse individuals in the lower mainland in the last 24 years. Based on the median income for women from the 2016 City of Vancouver Census data, that is a potential economic engine of almost $1.9 billion dollars.
Our work – empowering women and gender-diverse individuals into the workforce by providing them with professional attire, career services, and skills development programs – is made possible by our donors, corporate partners, and thousands of volunteers. This work has never been more important. Women are resilient and are fighting to support themselves and their families – and Dress for Success Vancouver is on the front lines – as an Economic First Responder – to empower women to self-sufficiency and full employment.
Dress for Success Worldwide
Dress for Success is an international not-for-profit organization that empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.
Since starting operations in 1997 in New York city, Dress for Success has expanded to 143 offices in 23 countries. To date, Dress for Success has helped more than 1,300,000 women work towards self-sufficiency.
Staff Members
Board of Directors
Dress For Success Vancouver is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors who are committed to Dress for Success’s vision of empowering women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire, and development tools.
Board & Other Volunteer Opportunities
Board Diversity Statement
The Board of Directors of Dress for Success Vancouver believes embracing diversity involves continually seeking to learn, engage, reflect, and act to meet the needs of the clients we serve, our Board of Directors, employees, sponsors, donors, volunteers, and communities.
We acknowledge systemic barriers of discrimination and inequity, and power imbalances related to privilege. We recognize it is our responsibility as a Board and as a feminist organization to work to address these issues. The inclusion of people from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences are encapsulated in Dress for Success Vancouver’s values of dignity, hope, inclusion, and reconciliation.
Our Board | 2022 -2023
Director at Large
Carla Bury
Treasurer
Carolyn Bishop
Co-Chair
Elaine Williamson
Director at Large
Isabelle Godsy
Director at Large
Lorelle Gilpin
Director at Large
Lucy Schilling
Vice Chair
Melanie Bradley
Director at Large
Michelle Kitchen
Co-Chair
Monique Badun
Director at Large
Patricia Chew
Director at Large
Shannon Taylor
Director at Large
Sophia Tsui
