The Brave team is an unlikely collaboration of people with lived experience, technical brilliance, and compassionate activism. We identify as activists, engineers, people who use drugs (PWUD), philosophers, sex workers, and entrepreneurs.
Brave and everybody who works at Brave is here entirely because of the opioid epidemic. Each team member is proud to be part of our mission to end overdose fatalities. Collectively, we’ve reversed more than 200 overdoses.
Team members listed in alphabetical order by first name.
Software Developer
Corey is responsible for developing, maintaining, and testing Brave products.
His brave life
Corey treasures quality time with family and friends, whether it’s playing games, sharing a meal, or enjoying heartfelt conversations. However, he also finds great satisfaction in his own company, spending much of his free time exploring new topics, discovering fresh music, or diving into new activities. For him, an ideal night is spent cozied up at home with something engaging to focus on.
Software and Firmware Developer
Darrick is an international student originating from Jakarta, Indonesia. Currently doing his Computing Science undergraduate degree at Simon Fraser University, he hopes to learn more about everything he can from working at Brave under the co-op placement by developing firmware and software for them.
With the little free time he has outside of academics, Darrick likes to spend time doing things with his friends. Whether it's meeting them for food in real life or playing video games with them online, he is always down to get together and do something. His favourite pastime is building and talking about mechanical keyboards and encouraging everyone he knows to get one of their own.
Founder & CEO
Gordon currently focuses on sales and partnerships. More generally he’s trying to find the things we’re missing, to eliminate as much as possible, and to learn what we need to learn, just in time. Call it strategy, or leadership, or just an attempt to view things from a higher perspective - something like that.
His brave life
In 2016, Gordon walked away from a career in law and finance in Curacao to relocate his family to Vancouver, BC so he could figure out ways to use technology to help people in need. It wasn’t his first big adventure–he’s hiked Kilimanjaro with his siblings and traveled around the world–but it has been his most rewarding.
Hardware Technician and Customer Support
Johnny answers customer questions and provides technical support for installation of Brave Sensors and Buttons. He also manages the hardware workspace and product assembly.
His brave life
Johnny is an avid coffee and craft beer drinker. He enjoys listening to a variety of music ranging from hyperpop to hardcore punk and can be found at Red Gate or the Rickshaw on any given weekend. Johnny has academic interests in urban planning and engineering solutions that are accessible to all types of people.
Software & Firmware Co-op Student
Nakul is an undergraduate computer science student with a deep passion for software engineering and product design. As a Firmware and Software Developer at Brave, he is dedicated to creating innovative products that make a positive impact on society.
His brave life
Beyond his work and studies, Nakul values quality time with family and friends, whether it’s sharing a meal, having meaningful conversations, or embarking on new adventures. He is an avid traveler and photographer who loves capturing the beauty of the world through his lens. Nakul also enjoys exploring new music and diving into a good book or film. He is always on the lookout for new experiences that enrich his life.
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Account Executive
With a passion for building heart-led relationships and an obsession with old-school marketing, Nicole brings energy and strategy to our sales team. Using a keen eye for aligning our products with client needs, they ensure that every partnership is a step toward positive impact and sustainable growth. They’re committed to understanding each client’s unique challenges, tailoring solutions that drive results, and fostering long-term connections built on trust and transparency.
Her brave life
When Nicole isn’t helping clients, you can find her hiking with her dog, in the gym, belly dancing, at poetry events, or interacting in her community. She's not sorry that she's a morning person with near-toxic positivity.
Chief Operating Officer
Oona leads the development and implementation of Brave’s strategic directions, operations, and partnerships. With love, Oona ensures Brave’s mission, vision, and values withstand the pressures of a start-up. She secures national, international, and regional pilots and projects and has a proven record of meeting deliverables on time and within scope. Oona has co-authored and published peer-reviewed articles in academic journals, reflecting her commitment to building evidence-based practices in harm reduction. She is one of the co-founders of the National Overdose Response Service (NORS) in Canada and the Overdose Detection Innovators and Research Consortium (ODIRC) with academic partners and harm reduction innovators.
Her brave life
Oona’s background includes life-extending, joy-filled community work, program and project development, and building knowledge translation pathways for anti-poverty, anti-racist, anti-colonial, and harm-reduction initiatives. Outside work, Oona is a writer, artist, activist, and parent. Brave is a big fan of watching Oona fight as she enjoys learning the sweet science of boxing.
Design & Development Director
Richard leads the development of The Brave App, bringing together developers, designers and product owners to rapidly evolve software to best serve the needs of people who use drugs.
His brave life
His brave life: Richard is a life-longer learner with degrees in Computer Science and Psychology, and a diploma in law. He’s been developing software since he was a child and has a deep passion for turning ideas into reality.
Pilot Manager
Shawna is the glue that holds Brave together. Since delivering unequivocally successful results as Pilot Manager for our very first button pilot, she’s remained a key touchstone between the organization and communities we serve.
Her brave life
Shawna is passionate about overdose prevention and safer drug use. She’s bravely committed to making sure people have the tools they need to be safe.
Brave App Project Orchestrator
Shelley is a maestro at orchestration, coordinating all projects related to The Brave App. Her deep organization skills, grown from 20 years in tech and finance, are the backbone of our planning processes.
Her brave life
Aside from creating and raising a human, which is always epically brave, Shelley once took a one month trip to stay in a small cabin in the rainforest in Costa Rica where she discovered a fascination with tropical insects. Shelley also creates art, in all forms, in her spare time.
Our board members play an important role in building the future of Brave. They volunteer their time and expertise to keep our corporate governance grounded and running.
We will soon welcome three new board members when the Brave Co-Op nominates and elects a customer, investor, and labor member from the co-op to serve on the board.
Tamara plays an integral role in establishing community and institutional partnerships to increase Brave’s impact. She also volunteers as a Brave Supporter. A seasoned fundraiser with an aptitude for technology, Tamara partnered with Brave in 2017 after winning a hackathon for an application called Medical Call and Response, a community response tool for the opioid crisis.
Brad is instrumental in guiding Brave’s financial outcomes. He has deep experience advising both private sector and non-profit organizations, and spent a decade in the co-operative sector in BC working for groups such as CCA/CMC BC.
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Oona and Gordon met Dylan when she spoke at a town hall meeting exploring syringe service programs in Ohio. They immediately fell in love with her—her resounding, powerful voice, her fierce love for her daughter, and her persistence and determination. Over the next two years, we spent countless hours with her sharing cars, rooms, tears, and laughter. When we heard she had died the day before International Overdose Awareness Day in 2020, we both broke down… we promise that, when the time is right, we will help to ensure your daughter knows how beautiful you were and how much you cherished her.
Alida participated in our first design jam in early 2018. She was interested in joining as a full-time team member once we had a role for her. We planned for her to lead the Button pilot in June 2018, but she took another job opening up an overdose prevention site and instead introduced us to her best friend, Shawna. Alida died of an accidental overdose in 2021. We all miss her, nobody more so than Shawna.
Spike was one of our first advisors. He was a peer support worker and harm reduction advocate in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. He worked as Brave’s on-the-ground outreach lead and the community liaison between Brave and the local community that our digital platforms serve for many years. Spike died of an accidental overdose in 2021. RIP Spike - we're still listening.
These are the folks we turn to when we have questions or need guidance.
Brave Advisor since
June 2020
Expertise:
Team development and organizational change
Brave Advisor since
June 2019
Expertise:
Harm reduction and community development
Brave Advisor since
January 2017
Expertise:
Harm reduction and technology
Brave Advisor since
June 2020
Expertise:
Research and harm reduction
Brave Advisor since
June 2017
Expertise:
Harm reduction
Brave Advisor since
June 2017
Expertise:
Community development
Brave Advisor since
June 2020
Expertise:
Go-to-market strategy
Brave Advisor since
January 2018
Expertise:
Statistical and data science
Brave Advisor since
June 2020
Expertise:
Harm reduction and community development
Brave Advisor since
January 2018
Expertise:
Technology, investment, and advocacy
Brave Advisor since
January 2018
Expertise:
Social enterprise
Brave Advisor since
January 2017
Expertise:
Harm reduction
Brave Advisor since
August 2016
Expertise:
Health and compassionate care
We thrive on collaboration and opportunities to work with us abound.
