Tanya Behardien, President

Tanya is the Executive Director of Penticton and District Community Resources Society, an accredited multi-service organization with 170 staff working throughout 14 communities in the South Okanagan Similkameen region. She has more than 25 years of experience working in non-profit organizations in a variety of roles from front line child and youth care work to Executive Director and Board membership, in the areas of Community Living, early childhood development, family support and therapy, youth services, and community development.

Tanya has a Masters of Arts in Applied Behavioural Science from the Leadership Institute of Seattle, and an undergraduate degree from the University of British Columbia. She sits as a board member of the provincial CEO network and has served as an advisor to multiple provincial committees including the Vancouver Foundation’s Child Youth and Family Advisory Committee, the Ministry of Children and Family Development’s Practice Change, and the Government Non-Profit Initiative. Tanya has served as a consultant to other organizations in the province with respect to organizational wellness, leadership development, strategic planning, family therapy training and the development of outcomes measurement systems. Tanya is currently an associate faculty member with City University of Seattle in the Masters of Counselling Program.

Tanya has a commitment to lifelong learning and a passion for the diverse work of the community social services sector. She places a strong value on continuous quality improvement of services and formerly served as a peer surveyor with the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). She has served on the board of the Federation of Community Social Services of BC for the past six years.

Tanya is a full-time mom to a toddler, and when not working, she loves spending time with her family in the Okanagan sunshine, hiking, playing tennis, and chasing after a two-year-old.