Our Senior Management
Tim Veresh, Chief Executive Officer (he/him/his)
Tim was previously the Executive Director of the John Howard Society of the Lower Mainland. He started his career in criminal justice, working as a child care worker at Ranch Ehrlo Society and secure custody at the Paul Dojack Centre in Saskatchewan. He then spent 3 years in the private sector while completing his Criminology Diploma at Kwantlen College and then a Bachelor’s Degree from Simon Fraser University. In 1997, he started working for the John Howard Society as a residence worker. During his career with John Howard he held several management positions, leading to his role as Executive Director of the Lower Mainland affiliate and 8 years as the Executive Officer of the Provincial Society. He is also President of the BC Criminal Justice Association and sits as a Board Director with the Canadian Criminal Justice Association, PARCA, Douglas College Youth Justice Worker Program and the Realize Strategies Cooperative.
Michelle Hawco, Chief Human Resources Officer (she/her)
Michelle provides PLEA with strategic leadership in labour relations, human resources and organizational development. As PLEA’s Privacy Officer, she also guides the agency from a privacy perspective. Michelle’s career with PLEA started in 1995. She became a member of the senior leadership team in 2004. She holds a PhD in Business with a research interest in Management and Organization Systems, an MBA, a CPHR designation and a SHRM-SCP designation. Michelle has a background in organizational research, and is a former Board Chair of the McCreary Centre Society, a non-profit “committed to improving the health of BC youth through research, evaluation and community-based projects.”
Jacqueline Caverly, Chief Financial Officer
Prior to joining PLEA in 2022, Jacqueline worked in public practice where her focus was auditing the financials for public sector and not-for-profit clients. She worked collaboratively with these clients to analyze financial reporting issues, identify operational impacts and provide recommendations for best practices. Jacqueline holds a Bachelors in Business Administration, a Masters in Professional Accounting, and is a Chartered Professional Accountant.
Jason deZara, Acting Program Director
Prior to joining PLEA, Jason served in the Canadian Forces for 8 years before pursuing a career in health, first as a Licensed Practical Nurse and then as a Registered Psychiatric Nurse. He joined us in 2007 as a Residential Services Coordinator before becoming a Program Manager. In 2013 he was promoted to the role of Director with responsibility for overseeing our adult programs.
Tina Tomyk, Program Director (she/her)
Tina first joined PLEA in 2000 as a casual Youth Worker and was promoted to the role of Family Resource Worker soon after. In 2002 she left PLEA, returning in 2004 as a Coordinator of Volunteers for our KidStart program. In 2007 she was appointed to the position of Program Manager, first for our Tri-Cities programs and then for our Vancouver Coastal Youth Justice Programs. In 2014 she became a Program Director. Tina oversees our youth justice, addictions and outreach programs, as well as our councelling services.
Julia Harris, Program Director (she/her)
Bio coming soon.
