Leader Sonia Furstenau
MLA Adam Olsen
Deputy leader Dr. Lisa Gunderson
Leader Sonia Furstenau
Download headshotSonia Furstenau was elected as the member for Cowichan Valley in 2017 and 2020. She is the Leader of the BC Green Party.
Sonia's constituency work is focused on continued efforts to protect Cowichan Valley watersheds, facilitating conversation between Government and community groups about child wellness, advocating for updated infrastructure in health and education, and supporting First Nations' leadership.
Prior to her election to the Legislature, Sonia served as Area B Director for the Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) for three years.
Sonia has long been involved in grassroots advocacy. She was National Administrator for Results Canada, a non-profit that works to end extreme poverty, and she served on the Board of Directors for Oikocredit, an international microcredit organization. Sonia was a volunteer with Citizens Climate Lobby, which is committed to finding solutions to the challenge of climate change.
Sonia has worked as a teacher in the Victoria School District and in Shawnigan, where she taught History, English, and Theory of Knowledge. Sonia has a BA and an MA in History from the University of Victoria.
When not in Victoria, Sonia spends time with her family enjoying the local arts, food, culture, and the many hiking trails of the Cowichan Valley.
MLA Adam Olsen
Adam Olsen was first elected as MLA for Saanich North and the Islands in 2017. He is the House Leader of the BC Green Party.
Adam is a former two-term Central Saanich Councilor and small business owner. He was born and raised on Tsartlip First Nation in Brentwood Bay and is a member of the Tsartlip First Nation.
He served as the Chair of Planning and Development and Water & Wastewater and represented the community on a number of boards and commissions including solid and liquid waste, Greater Victoria Public Library and the Regional Housing Trust Fund.
Adam has served as interim leader of the BC Green Party twice, first from 2013 to 2015, and then again in 2020.
Adam and his wife Emily have two children, Silas and Ella. He routinely coaches his son's community soccer team and has led community efforts to protect and improve the Salish Sea and the Saanich Inlet.
Deputy leader Dr. Lisa Gunderson
Download headshotDr. Lisa Gunderson is an award-winning educator and equity consultant focusing on issues that affect underserved populations. She holds a PhD in clinical child psychology from the University of Southern California with a focus on racialized youth. Known as Dr. Lisa or DrG, Dr. Gunderson is considered a “bridger” in her communities.
Dr. Gunderson founded and operates One Love Consulting (OLC) which provides services to ministries, businesses, educational institutions, and private/public organizations focusing on mental wellness, racial equity, and racism. She also provides peer consults and clinical supervision at the W̱SÁNEĆ school district and for other organizations who work with Indigenous, Black and other racialized persons.
Dr. Gunderson is a community leader who speaks to local schools and organizations on a regular basis, and represents her child’s school on the Victoria Council of Parent Advisory Council. She served on the Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee, co-founded the Girls and Femmes with Afro-Textured Hair group, and is a former board member for the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Center Society. She also served as a member of the Planning, Transportation, and Economic Development Advisory Committee in Saanich. She has a special place in her heart for youth and is currently collaborating with the Victoria Sexual Assault Centre Black Youth Empowerment (BYE) Bystander Intervention Program.
A former California tenured professor and associate program director for CityU Canada’s Masters of Counseling program, Dr. Gunderson provided key subject matter expertise to the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General during the development and implementation of provincial training on fair and impartial policing.
Dr. Gunderson has received numerous awards for her work and teaching over the past twenty-five years. Most recently in 2022, she received a Cultural Diversity Award for her work in promotion and education towards creating an inclusive and equitable society.
Dr. Gunderson is a first generation African American of Jamaican ancestry and grew up primarily throughout the United States and Jamaica. She lives in Victoria with her family and enjoys baking, movies, reading, and traveling.