Meet our Team

As Associate Director, Resilience and Engagement, Strategic Program Development, Vanessa champions strategic initiatives and programs to elevate career training and economic opportunities for civilian spouses/partners of CAF members and Veterans. With a focus on creating connections and continuous improvement, Vanessa is passionate about helping CAF families. As a military brat, Vanessa has lived in six CAF communities across Canada.

Vanessa joined CFMWS in 2017 and has a decorated career mobilizing strategic initiatives into client-centered solutions and high-quality service delivery for our partners. While at MFS, Vanessa was recognized with CFMWS’ 2025 Chief Executive Officer’s Award of Excellence and CAF/DND Ombudsman’s 2020 Liz Hoffman Memorial Award in making a lasting contribution to the CAF community.

Vanessa is an active ally and participant in the CFMWS Champions Network for Women and outside of work, Vanessa volunteers as a Patient and Family Advisor to provincial health organizations and hospital systems, Ontario Health (formerly Cancer Care Ontario) and The Ottawa Hospital respectively. She also volunteers her time running around forests with kids helping them developing a love for physical activity and the outdoors as a dry-land ski coach. She studied Public Relations at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University).

Jessica leads the strategic development of career and entrepreneurship programs for military spouses. She manages a dynamic team that focuses on helping military spouses find meaningful employment and building their skillsets through the Military Spousal Employment Network (MSEN) and group training sessions. The purpose of her work is to create opportunities that empower spouses to build meaningful careers and thrive professionally.

Jessica joined CFMWS in 2006 as a PSP Gym Attendant at ASU London. She’s been in multiple roles at CFMWS before joining the MFS Spousal Employment team in 2023. Highlights of her career include supporting troops at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, a deployment to Mirage/Afghanistan, and coordinating logistics for Team Canada’s participation in the Military World Games in China. 

As a combat arms reserve veteran, she understands the unique challenges that are present in military life. Her military experience taught her resilience, adaptability, and the importance of community, qualities that are at the core of our programs and services that support military families.

Jessica’s favorite part about working for CFMWS is being part of an organization that supports our incredible troops and their families. She also appreciates the diversity of our programs and the chance to collaborate with departments, community partners, and bases across the country.  So far, she’s had the privilege of visiting more than 21 bases across Canada, to better understand how we can tailor our programs and services to the needs of military families.

Outside of work, she loves being outdoors and staying active, whether its skiing, running, camping, or playing flag football. When she’s not adventuring, Jessica is doing her best to keep up with my two energetic boys, her favorite challenge yet!

One piece of advice Jessica would share with military spouses is to believe in the value and experiences you bring. Being part of a military family builds resilience, adaptability, and problem-solving skills, qualities that employers are actively searching for. Lead with those strengths.

“Connecting people and creating opportunities, that’s my superpower.”

Augustina is our friendly connector and community builder! In her role, she manages relationships with our partners and oversee virtual events for the Military Spousal Employment Network (MSEN).

What does that look like?
Think of her as the bridge between MSEN employer partners and the military-connected community. Whether it’s sharing/promoting employers upcoming events with the military-connected community, helping employers navigate the MSEN platform, or planning and delivering the next round of virtual events.  She’s here to make it happen.

She’s a people person who loves turning ideas into impact. Her passion for helping others and fostering community makes this work deeply rewarding.

Her CFMWS journey began in 2016, and she has worn quite a few hats since then, CANEX store, HR team, CANEX HQ, before joining Military Family Services in 2019. Since then, she’s been part of the Employment Support Team, and she couldn’t imagine a better fit!

Fun Facts About her

• Important: She’s lived the military family lifestyle; she truly understands the impact of her work!
• Fun: she rides a motorcycle (yes, really and the helmet hair is real!).
• Memorable: she was inducted into the Missouri State University Sports Hall of Fame in 2017—and still hold the 800m record from 1999!
• “Boring” (but not really): She’s an avid reader and writer.

In Lindsay’s role, she supports initiatives that benefit military spouses by helping them find meaningful employment. Her role focuses on coordinating logistics for our events and programs, analysing and researching data, and creating reports on our programs that help us make informed decisions and improve our programs.

Lindsay joined CFMWS in July 2022 as Executive Assistant to the Senior Vice President of Military Family Services and transitioned to the Spousal Employment Team in 2024. Before joining CFMWS, Lindsay worked at the City of Ottawa as a Customer Service Clerk, serving the public face-to-face during the pandemic, a role that taught adaptability and the ability to work with people from all walks of life while managing diverse personalities.

She spent several years in the hospitality industry, where responsibilities included managing staff, handling inventory, making sales and financial decisions, and leading marketing initiatives. These experiences provided a strong foundation in leadership, problem-solving, and customer service, skills Lindsay now applies to supporting military families in achieving meaningful employment opportunities.

Outside of work, Lindsay enjoys spending time with family, staying active, whether at the gym or exploring the forest, and caring for two rescue cats.