Vicki Sinclair joined the Manitoba Association of Newcomer Serving Organizations (MANSO) as its first Executive Director in June 2016. Before that, she was the Director of Programming and Development at Immigrant Centre Manitoba. She is a member of the National Settlement and Integration Committee (NSIC), Vice President of the national Settlement Umbrella CISSA-ACSEI and a member of Le Réseau en Immigration Francophone (RIF) du Manitoba and its Settlement Working Group. She sits on the Immigrant Partnership Winnipeg Council, the Board of Immigration Research West and multiple national settlement advisory and research committees. She has a professional background in journalism and EAL and became a Canadian Citizen in 2009.   

Seid Oumer Ahmed began his career as Journalist in Ethiopia and has lived experience as a refugee resettling in 2003 in Canada. Seid has held a number of positions in the settlement sector at IRCOM, Red River College, Manitoba Nurses’ Union, and Immigrant Centre. As a result, he has developed a strong understanding of the various needs and challenges new Canadians face both personally and in workplace environments. In his current role with MANSO, he is able to pursue his sincere desire to help. Seid is thrilled to be a part of the MANSO team, supporting the (re)settlement and language providers as well as newcomers.

Don Boddy began his work with MANSO in March 2017. Before that, he was the Settlement Services Coordinator at the Newcomer’s Welcome Centre (Portage Learning and Literacy Centre) in Portage la Prairie. Don has lived in rural Manitoba for more than thirty (30) years and has worked and volunteered in the non-profit/volunteer sector for more than twenty (20) years. Along with his work, Don has served on the MIRSSA and MANSO Boards and has co-chaired the MANSO Housing Committee. Don understands the value of expanding his capacity through building a network of professional peers, organizational partners and a “constellation of mentors.” During the time that Don has been working and walking with Newcomers to Canada, his life has been changed by the gifts of wisdom, courage, and kindness he has received from this work. He is excited to be serving in this role and to be part of the MANSO team.

Valeria Castellanos joined MANSO as Program Manager in January 2021. Before that, she worked at Immigrant Centre Manitoba until 2020, first as a Pre-Arrival Facilitator, and later on as the Executive Assistant, where she managed the centre’s media and communications. Prior to that, Valeria worked at the Winnipeg School Division in various positions.

Back home, Valeria worked in the country’s Central Bank; she’s also worked as research support and as a university instructor in Canada and in her home country. She holds a B.A. in Economics and a M.A. in Economics and Public Policy, and in 2018 she obtained her Teaching English as an Additional Language Certificate from the University of Winnipeg. In her free time, she volunteers as an English tutor and instructor.

Emily Halldorson joined MANSO as the Provincial Coordinator in July 2021, transitioned into the Research and Data Coordinator role in April 2022, and was quickly seconded to work on the Ukrainian resettlement response. As the Ukraine Response Coordinator, she is leading MANSO's role in coordinating settlement services for Ukrainian arrivals to Manitoba.

Her broader MANSO work focuses on addressing key research and data needs in the settlement and integration sector, and on building capacity to support newcomers with temporary status, including refugee claimants and migrant workers. 

Emily has a background in community planning, participatory research, and front-line service provision, and has worked in the non-profit sector for over 10 years, primarily in roles supporting Indigenous and newcomer communities. Her diverse interests include housing, education, health, and criminal justice. She has an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Winnipeg and a graduate degree in city planning from the University of Manitoba.

Justine Trinh joined our MANSO team in August 2019. Justine graduated with a Bachelor of International Business degree but has found her passion in promoting inclusion and diversity, supporting immigrants and newcomers, and bridging the connection with the Indigenous communities. It was the love for the sector that led her to return to school to earn her certificate in Community Development/ Community Economic Development at Red River College.  As part of her role at MANSO, Justine is responsible for membership support and engagement, social media, membership PD, event and training coordination.

The bio will be updated soon.