OCA Board of Directors

  Alex McCumber and his family are new to Oaklands, having recently joined us from Vancouver! Alex brings his experience as an architect with extensive training and professional experience with land use and planning, public consultation, mediation, functional programming, as well as building planning and design. Alex is looking forward to making a valuable contribution to the Oaklands community.    

 Amanda and her partner, Jaime, have lived in the Oaklands neighbourhood for nearly 10 years and absolutely love it. They have two young boys busily enjoying every corner of the neighbourhood and Amanda can’t wait until her kids can help with her flower gardens. Amanda works for the provincial government.

Amanda Putman, a French Immersion, Spanish and English teacher currently working in School District 61, has lived in Oaklands for the past seven years.  A Victoria resident since 2004, Amanda is originally from a small town near Ottawa, Ontario.  

She holds a B.A. in International Development Studies and an M.Ed in Community Development and, prior to becoming a teacher, worked for a number of years in the non-profit sector.  

She enjoys spending time in the outdoors, kayaking, hiking and cycling with her partner and two step-children and looks forward to contributing to the Oaklands community with the goal of keeping it a wonderful place for her children to grow up.   

Martin is a Retired Military Officer and Oaklands neighbour since 2003. 

Currently on Oaklands Finance Committee.

 Brenda Turner has worked in Oaklands for over 25 years. She bought the daycare she operates in the neighbourhood 10 years ago. The daycare is often out and about around the neighbourhood supporting the community. In her spare time, Brenda enjoys traveling, taking photographs, and reading - she does not own a computer or cell phone! She holds a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics, a Bachelor of Education as well as Early Childhood Education and Infant Toddler diplomas. 

John Michael (JM) McColl lives in Oaklands with his partner Sara and his  daughter Sophie. Most days you can find him chasing Sophie around the  "purple park" near Oaklands School. He grew up on Salt Spring Island  where he co-founded the Salt Spring Forum, an organization devoted to civic engagement. He works for the provincial  government and likes good coffee, sunny days, and meeting new people.  

Per (she/her) is of Punjabi Indian descent, daughter of immigrant parents, a Mother, lifelong learner, and active community volunteer.  She has been a resident of the Oaklands neighbourhood for over 20 years and is proud to call this neighbourhood home.   Per, along with her now teenage son, have experienced first hand the positive growth and value of community services provided by Oaklands Community Association.  Per has extensive experience on non-profit boards, making OCA her fifth board member position.  Professionally, she is a Social Worker, Learning Design Specialist, and Facilitator who has been working in the field of Leadership for the Federal Government of Canada for the past 21 years.  This range of professional expertise combined with her education and lived experiences have afforded her the ability to readily connect and collaborate with others.   Outside of work she continues on an empowering journey to connect deeper to herself and her ancestors through yoga, writing, and quality time with her son.  She looks forward to contributing to the Oaklands community alongside fellow board members and the dedicated staff at OCA. 

Bio coming soon!

Aleshia is mom of two very active toddlers. Professionally, she is a bookkeeper that has dedicated the last 10 years to helping businesses manage their finances effectively. 

With a B.A. from UVic, she has a background in food security issues (wrote my Honours paper on Household Food Security in BC, 2007) and worked with the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness to provide data for their 2011 GVCEH reports.

She enjoys camping with her littles and is passionate about supporting the community.