Our Staff

Ocean Kneeland, Executive Director, ocean@raffifoundation.org Ocean is a new grandparent (Oma) and parent to three amazing children. She holds a master’s degree in early childhood education and has worked for over ten years as a Professor in the Department of Early Childhood Education and Care at Vancouver Island University, including three years as Program Chair. She has also worked in a variety of roles within the early years sector, including early childhood educator, child care consultant, Strong Start facilitator, education assistant, administrator of a large campus-based child care centre, and executive director for a young parent program. She is fluent in three languages (English, French and Spanish) and enjoys finding opportunities for cross-cultural learning. Ocean looks forward to increasing awareness of The Covenant for Honouring Children and its nine principles, promoting the Child Honouring course, sharing relevant research and resources, building partnerships, and creating multiple opportunities and projects with individuals, communities, and countries across the world to put the principles into practice – both locally and globally.

David King, Administrator, admin@raffifoundation.org. David began his career in theatre touring with an internationally renowned theatre company called Imago Theatre from his hometown of Portland, Oregon. Eventually, David found himself in Winnipeg, Manitoba where he led an art and recreation program for underserved communities. Additionally, he coordinated and curated artist talks and showings for an artist from Sierra Leone at the internationally renowned Canadian Museum for Human Rights and several other organizations serving new Canadians. David was also a program assistant in the Faculty of Science at the University of Manitoba for a program called STEAM – a program seeking to bridge the gap between art and science. As a beluga grad himself, David is honoured to bring his skills to a foundation committed to nurturing young people. David loves walking through the trees and spending time in his A-frame cabin with his partner, two dogs, and cat. 

Kate Kovaleva, Social Media Specialist Kate holds a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Political Science from the University of British Columbia. She has worked with children and youth, as a researcher and a communications professional for both non-profit and corporate sectors. Having grown up around Vancouver, the traditional lands of the Coast Salish peoples, nature and the environment have always been close to her heart. As a mom to a young child, Kate is excited to keep learning about attachment science and child development and raising awareness around the Child Honouring ethic. She is thrilled to be connecting with others and focusing on a children-first approach to making a positive impact on society and the environment.

Adela Barcia, Speaker, Facilitator, adela@raffifoundation.org. Adela served on the Raffi Foundation board for several years before joining the working team in September 2020. Throughout her professional life, Adela’s focus has been on creating engaging frameworks for personal and social transformation. She has been a committed peace activist, on a global level, and in the interior worlds of the clients in her psychotherapy practice for over forty years. Now, viewing the climate emergency as a potential portal for global systemic change, Adela is passionate about dedicating her energy and her skills to this crucible moment. She brings an eco-psychology lens to the foundation’s mission and to inspiring and supporting those wishing to be agents of a new way forward. Adela comes from California where she lived in beautiful Santa Barbara for many years. Called to live a more simple rural life, in 2020, Adela moved to her new home among the tall trees of Salt Spring Island, BC.

Board of Directors

Raffi Cavoukian,  C.M., O.B.C.  Singer, author, founder of Child Honouring. Known to millions simply as Raffi, a renowned Canadian songwriter and children’s entertainer. He has been named to the Order of Canada, the Order of British Columbia and the UN’s Earth Achievement Award. Raffi is co-editor of the anthology, Child Honouring: How To Turn This World Around. He holds four honorary degrees.

Bert Simpson,  Senior Associate, Troubadour Music Inc. Formerly a primary teacher and consultant in inner-city Toronto schools, Bert has been involved with Raffi and his music since 1976. Current work includes communications, marketing, contracts, and creative development.

Sonia Furstenau is a Canadian politician who is currently the leader of the Green Party of British Columbia. She was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2017 provincial election to represent the electoral district of Cowichan Valley. On November 2, 2016, Green Party leader Andrew Weaver announced that Furstenau would replace Adam Olsen as one of the deputy leaders of the party. On January 27, 2020, Furstenau announced her candidacy for the leadership of the party.

In 2014, Furstenau started her political career when she was elected to serve as a director of Electoral Area B within the Cowichan Valley Regional District. This was after two years working with the Shawnigan Resident’s Association to protest and appeal a British Columbia Provincial permit that allowed the siting of a landfill at the headwaters of the community’s source of drinking water, in the Shawnigan Lake watershed.  After four years of community efforts, the permit was revoked February 2017.

Prior to holding elected office, she was a high school teacher in Victoria and Shawnigan Lake. She has a BA and MA in History , and a BEd from the University of Victoria.

Sonia lives in Shawnigan Lake with her husband Blaise Salmon and their children.

Advisory Council

Fritjof Capra, Ph.D., physicist, systems theorist and author, is cofounder and former chair of the board of directors, and currently serving on the board of directors for the Center for Ecoliteracy, which promotes ecology and systems thinking in primary and secondary education. His latest book is The Systems View of Life.

Budd L. Hall, Ph.D.,is a Professor of Community Development in the School of Public Administration at the University of Victoria and is Secretary of the Global Alliance on Community-Engaged Research. Dr. Hall was the founding Director of the University of Victoria Office of Community-Based Research and is a Senior Fellow, Centre for Global Studies.

Dr. Judith G. Hall, O.C., M.D., F.R.C.P.(C.), is a clinical geneticist and pediatrician. She also participated in founding the Council of Canadian Academies, Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and Genome Canada. Dr. Hall has been honoured with more than 50 awards including the Order of Canada and Fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada. Dr. Hall was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 2015.

Emily R Hawken, Ph.D, is a neuroscientist, and is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at Canadian Frailty Network (CFN), Queen’s University, Providence Care Mental Health Services in Kingston, Ontario.

David C. Korten, Ph.D, is co-chair of the New Economy Working Group, president of Living Economy Forum, co-founder and board chair of YES! Magazine, and Associate Fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies. He is author of The Post-Corporate World: Life after Capitalism (1999); The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community (2006); Agenda for a New Economy: From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth (2009, 2010), and Change the Story, Change the Future: A Living Economy for a Living Earth (2015).

Fran Korten, Ph.D, is Publisher of YES! Magazine. YES! reports on powerful ideas and practical actions for creating a just, sustainable, and compassionate world.

Roslyn Kunin, C.M., Ph.D., LL.D.,  is President of Roslyn Kunin and Associated Inc., an international economic consultancy.

Bruce P. Lanphear, MD, MPH is an Investigator at the Child & Family Research Institute, BC Children’s Hospital and Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia.

Carolyn Pogue is the author of many books for all ages, including: After the Beginning, an ecological tale for children, Seasons of Peace: A Teacher’s Guide, A World of Faith: Introducing Spiritual Traditions to Teens, and The Art of Peace: A Camp for Kids.

Rekha S. Rajan, Ed.D.has been an educator for over 20 years. She holds a Doctorate and Masters in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, in NYC and a Masters in Early Childhood Education from Roosevelt University in Chicago, IL.

Rekha is the author of a six books for teachers and parents on how bring the arts, music and musical theater into children’s education. As a nationally recognized educator, her work has been featured with NPR, the National Head Start Association, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the California Alliance for Arts Education, and the National Endowment for the Arts. She is a curriculum advisor to multiple states and agencies including the California Department of Education, the Illinois Department of Education and is the editor forGeneral Music Today, a journal of the National Association for Music Education.

Her debut children’s book, a STEM-rich nonfiction for Scholastic entitledAMAZING LANDMARKS(2022) emphasizes reading aloud through critical thinking, Q&A and reflection. Rekha continues to conduct groundbreaking research on arts education, integrating the arts into schools, and strategies for supporting parents and families with arts-engagement at home. She is also an award-winning professional opera singer and musical theater performer.

Dr. Rajan lives in Northern California with her husband, three kids, two dogs, and two birds in a house full of books.

Stuart Shanker, Ph.D., is a Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Psychology, internationally celebrated speaker, thinker, and writer. Dr. Stuart Shanker is one of the world’s leading authorities on self-regulation. He is the Science Director of the Self Regulation Institute and CEO of The MEHRIT Centre, Ltd. He has authored many books including, “Calm, Alert and Learning: Classroom Strategies for Self-Regulation (2012)”, and his latest book is Self-Reg: How to Help Your Child (and You) Break the Stress Cycle and Successfully Engage With Life (2016).

Joel Solomon is President of Renewal Partners and Chairman of Renewal Funds. He is a founding member of Social Venture Network (SVN), Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), the Tides Canada Foundation, and is board chair of Hollyhock. He is author of The Clean Money Revolution.