VQC Board of Directors

Victoria’s Quilts Canada (VQC) is governed by a Board of Directors composed of volunteers from among our membership. The Board is appointed for a one-year, renewable term by our members at annual general meetings. New Board members can also be added at other times through a vote by the current Board members.

The Board holds regular meetings and is responsible for the overall management of the organization. It establishes the overall strategic direction, sets policy and monitors the operations of the Branches. It also oversees the operation of the local VQC Friends Groups and carries out fundraising activities in support of the National quilt-making program.

Current National Board members

Blanche Dunn
Blanche has been with VQC almost since the beginning. Her duties as the Coordinator of Friends Groups for National Office for so many years allowed her the opportunity to get to know many of our volunteers personally. She has been a member of the Board of Directors since the start of VQC and helped Betty Giffin in a variety of capacities during her two years as Vice-President. Blanche became President in 2008.

Judy Lancaster
Judy began working with VQC in June 2012 after a 20-year career in teaching. She has always been active in the community with a variety of non-profit organizations and, with her husband, operated a pick-your-own strawberry farm for 25 years. She started as Treasurer in 2013, stepped down for some time in 2014 and is now back to being the National Treasurer for the organization.

Kathy Yach
Kathy began working with VQC in 2005 following her retirement as Director of City View Centre for Child and Family Services. She has been involved in a number of non-profit organizations over the years and brings with her a wealth of knowledge. She was a Trustee with the Ottawa Board of Education for 13 years and Chair for 2 years. She is currently Vice-President.

Lucy Doré
Lucy joined the Board in the spring of 2019 following a twenty-five-year career in communications, marketing and client services for Ottawa’s public transit system, OC Transpo, and her ten-year second career with a not-for-profit national association. Lucy first heard of VQC several years ago through her curling friends who were quilters, and became involved with this very worthwhile organization after her retirement.

Judy Callingham
Judy heard about Victoria Quilts Canada (VQC) from a sailing friend in 2008 and joined a friends’ group that met in the evenings. Her education and career were in high tech, but she was also a very experienced seamstress with her master’s thesis on “Computer Aided Graphics for Pattern Drafting and Design”. With all this sewing experience, she was still a complete newbie to quilting techniques. She has been involved in VQC activities such as quilt-a-thons, fundraising fashion shows, making quilt kits, collecting and sorting commercial fabric donation and using a very old longarm to complete dozens of Victoria Quilts. Her background in graphics and math was a real asset in designing VQC quilt patterns and adapting many patterns to post on the VQC website. She enjoys teaching quilting to friends and neighbours, who have also become addicted to quilting.