Board member profile: Meet Suzanne Johnson working to improve social justice for all
Suzanne Johnson is a single mother to seven-year-old Tate who lives with special needs, a criminal defense lawyer, the Executive Director of the Community & Legal Aid Services Program (CLASP) at Osgood University at York University, and a volunteer board member at Nellie’s.
“Nellie’s does incredible work and I’m at a point in my life where I have skills that I want to be able to give to a place that really needs it,” says Suzanne, adding that her own lived experience growing up in foster care helps her appreciate the work Nellie’s does every day. “Nellie’s does incredible things with limited resources. I like their philosophy; I like the fact that they are not judgemental of their clients.
“Nellie’s recognizes that life isn’t always easy for everyone and gives them a safe place.”
In her career as a lawyer, Suzanne practices mainly in the area of criminal and immigration law with a particular emphasis on youth criminal justice. In addition to her law degree, Suzanne also holds a Bachelor of Social Work, which combined with her passion for education and social justice, led her to join the faculty at CLASP (a student legal aid clinic).
She joined Nellie’s board in 2018 after first sitting on Nellie’s Social Justice and Accessibility Committee as a member of the community. Through this committee, she worked on the Women with Precarious Status fact sheet, an experience she says helped her understand how Nellie’s works with women in these situations to ensure that they’re not forced into leaving the country.
“Women with precarious status are very vulnerable because they’re at risk of being deported. Often, women in an abusive relationship in this situation are afraid to reach out or afraid to tell anyone because they fear they’ll be deported. Their abusive partner sometimes even holds this over their head,” says Suzanne, adding that she is passionate about ensuring that everyone has adequate access to the justice system.
On her first year as a board member, she also sat on the board’s Organizational Committee to help strategically examine the overall structure of Nellie’s to determine where and how staffing improvements can be made.
“My life is quite busy between Tate, work and Nellie’s. I get up really, really early but volunteering at Nellie’s is important to me. I like the fact that Nellie’s gives women and children a safe place to grow.”
Thanks Suzanne! We’re so grateful for all of your guidance and support.
