Our Team
Mohamed Bagha
Managing Director
Mohamed has been leading the Saint John Newcomers Centre as the managing director since October of 2013. He brings a wealth of professional experience and proven leadership from his previous roles in economic development and management. That includes building an immigrant-serving agency from the ground up.
Mohamed has experienced the realities of being a newcomer in this region. He is very proud to be leading a settlement agency that helps newcomers and immigrants thrive and succeed in Saint John.
He has a Masters of Interdisciplinary Studies focusing on Economic Development from the University of New Brunswick. Mohamed’s work in economic development has been recognized across Southern New Brunswick and has been implemented by various municipal governments in the region.
Services offered in: Hindi, Swahili, and English
Cecilia Que
Office Manager
Cecilia Que is originally from China. That is where she worked for six years as an office administrator for two large companies, one of which was the Sheraton Hotel. She graduated from UNB Saint John with an MBA in 2019.
Cecilia was first introduced to the Saint John Newcomers Centre as a UNB student. She is excited to work for the Centre because she believes its programs can help newcomers develop a sense of belonging in the community and boost immigration to Saint John.
Services offered in : English and Mandarin
Lina Gharbiya
Anglophone Settlement Team Manager
Lina Gharbiya has worked with newcomers for more than 20 years. She first came to Canada from the Middle East in the early 1990’s, to live in Halifax. She moved to Saint John soon after to attend the University of New Brunswick. Lina studied data analysis and business and then went on to work as a tax analyst for a decade. Always believing in power of community, Lina volunteered her time in the school system, community centres and hospitals. She has four lovely children, with the youngest in high school.
Lina believes working at the Newcomers Centre is a great way to feed her passion for helping newcomers. She feels the Centre’s workshops, training sessions and public events are a great way to help newcomers settle into a new life in the Saint John area.
Services offered in: Arabic and English
Yue Han (Tavia)
Pre-employment Team Manager
When Tavia came to Saint John from China in 2016, she was impressed by the community’s culture of friendliness and tolerance. Graduating from the UNB Saint John with a MBA, she has learned how to be a critical thinker, analyze problems and have an understanding of human resources management. A previous degree in journalism and broadcasting helped her learn how to become an excellent communicator and create engaging content.
Tavia enjoys meeting people from different backgrounds and enjoys learning from them all. As the pre-employment advisor at the Newcomers Centre. Tavia knows what kind of challenges newcomers face when moving to a new country. She uses her knowledge and experience to provide suggestions to newcomers that will help them integrate smoothly into the Canadian work environment.
Services offered in: English and Mandarin
Nissrine Niazi
Francophone Settlement Manager
Nissrine is originally from Morocco where she completed her first bachelor degree of art in Mohamed V univeristy before going for a new adventure in Brussels Belgium, where she started a second bachelor degree and then masters in didactic studies in the ULB university. Engaged by her Master's degree teachers, Nissrine was part of several university projects including scientific researches, conferences, literature evenings.. among others. During this active experience, Nissrine developped a taste for multiculturalism and diversity. She came to Canada to join her husband in 2017, Nissrine worked for the Francophone south school district before joining the Saint John Newcomers Centre as the Francophone team Lead, Nissrine is excited about her new journey within the Saint John newcomers Centre : "I am excited and honoured to join the SJNC and be part of the team that has developed consiousness about newcomers and multiculturalism in the Greater Saint John area" she declares.
Services offered in: French, English, and Arabic
Doaa Higazy
Project Lead
Doaa Higazy was born in Egypt. She has a Master’s degree in Applied Arts, combining a range of subjects from Arts and Culture to Consumer Behaviour and Consumer Psychology.
Doaa moved to Saint John with her family in September 2017 where her son studied Computer Science at the University of New Brunswick. Her daughter and son attend the public school system. The whole family has fallen in love with Saint John, and are very happy to call it home.
Before joining our team, Doaa was active in the community. She volunteered at the YMCA, Prude Inc. and the Saint John Newcomers Centre as well, working as an interpreter and an English language instructor for kids.
Doaa was attracted to working at the Centre, because she loves helping people and believes she can make a positive difference in the lives of newcomers.
Services offered in: Arabic and English
Edris Bernard
Newcomer Settlement Advisor Assistant
Edris came to Saint John in 2014, after moving to the city from Campbellton, New Brunswick, to be closer to family. She began volunteering at the Saint John Newcomers Centre in 2019, after being introduced to the organization. She began working at the Centre a few months later.
Always known as a people person, Edris is the first contact at the Centre for newcomer families. She has several roles, such as administering the Volunteer Program and language classes in English and French. It is a job that fits her outgoing personality.
A life-long learner, Edris knows how important diversity is to the future growth of Saint John and enjoys helping newcomers find the resources they need in the community.
Services offered : in English and French
Siham Ouahhabi
Francophone Settlement advisor
Services offered in : English, Arabic, and French
Béatrice Vermaut
Newcomer Settlement Advisor in Francophone Schools
beatrice.vermaut@sjnewcomers.ca
Beatrice and her family settled in Saint John in 2017. Originally from France, she studied law and worked in the French education system, creating and evaluating learning programs for handicapped children. She also helped create working groups that studied the academic and social learning of students in French schools.
When Béatrice and her family settled in this city, it fulfilled her husband's dream of living in Canada. It Inevitably led her family to fall in love with Saint John.
Béatrice went on to working with families in many areas of early childhood education. It also led her to work with educators, the school system, social services, and medical professionals. At the Saint John Newcomers Centre, she uses her experience to help the children of newcomer families flourish in the Francophone school system.
Services offered in: French
Sochi Azuh
Communication Specialist
Sochi Azuh is originally from Lagos, Nigeria. He has worked as a marketing and communications specialist across various industries including advertising, financial services, and non-profit.
He is a multi-disciplinary storyteller with a wealth of experience in communications and marketing. He is excited to work for the Centre because he believes its programs can help newcomers develop a sense of belonging in the community.
Services offered in : English
Zara Larionova
Anglophone Settlement Advisor
zarui.larionova@sjnewcomers.ca
My name is Zara Larionova, and I am a Settlement Advisor at the Saint John Newcomers Centre. I was born in Armenia but grew up and live in Ukraine my whole life, until 6 months ago my family and I moved to Canada. Before that, I worked as a journalist and a video producer for almost 10 years. I can speak 4 languages and currently learning another one, pretty good at singing but never do it in public, I like cooking noodles and always keep my hands busy with knitting.
Services offered in: English, Ukrainian, Russian & Armenian
Hiba Hachicha
Allophone Newcomer Settlement Advisor
Hiba is originally from Tunisia. She graduated with a Multimedia and Web Technologies degree. She has seven years of sales and marketing experience, as well as customer service. She has moved to Canada since her marriage.
Hiba moved to Saint John with her husband in Jun 2022. After a couple of months of being our dedicated volunteer, she started working at SJNC in August. She enjoys helping new arrivals find their own way and encouraging them to be independent.
Services offered in: Arabic, French, and English
Chaymae Bellaka
Community Development Worker
chaymae.bellaka@sjnewcomers.ca
Chaymae is originally from Morocco and has a diverse educational background. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Digital Technologies and possesses diplomas in Multimedia Development (2D/3D) as well as Architectural Drafting. Throughout her career, Chaymae has gained experience in various fields such as Art, Technology, and Education.
In 2023, she moved to Canada with her family. She was initially a client of the center, where she witnessed and appreciated the dedicated efforts made by the staff to assist newcomers. Inspired by their work, she eagerly joined the team, aiming to contribute positively to her new community.
Services offered in: French, English, and Arabic
Sarah McAdam
Job Developer
Sarah is originally from Ottawa, ON and moved to the East Coast after graduating from the University of Ottawa in May 2022 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences. After living in Fredericton for one year, Sarah decided to move to Saint John after falling in love with the city’s history and ocean views. Throughout her career, Sarah has had a passion for formal writing and helping people in need. She believes that her professional background, passion for people, community, and attention to detail have equipped her with the skills and knowledge required in providing newcomers with employment support to help them to reach their full potential.
Services offered in: English
Leonardo Gamarano
Headstart Navigator
leonardo.gamarano@sjnewcomers.ca
My name is Leonardo Gamarano, and I am a Pre-Employment Profiling Advisor at Saint John Newcomers Centre. I was born in Brazil and 6 months ago my family and I moved to Canada. I have 12 years of administrative management as well as commercial manager and customer service. I graduated with a degree in accounting. I like barbecuing, camping, soccer and read.
I was first introduce to Saint John Newcomers Centre as a Client several months before coming to Saint John and I know the great support and service we do here, and now I am able to provide this same service helping newcomers with Pre-Employment services. I enjoy meeting people from different backgrounds and enjoy learning from them all.
Services offered in : Portuguese and English
Senhao wang
Pre-employment Profiling Advisor
Senhao Wang, originally from China, holds an MBA from UNB Saint John and a Diploma in University Teaching. As a Pre-Employment Advisor, Senhao guides newcomers through strategic pre-employment processes, overseeing the development of tools for accurate skill assessment. His role involves researching tools for data analysis, coordinating stakeholder consultations, and organizing focus group discussions for data validation.
Senhao is committed to engaging newcomers and employers, facilitating enrollment in Align and Magnet job match platforms, and providing assistance with the signup process, including translation support. With a diverse background and recognized for outstanding communication and organizational skills, Senhao ensures newcomers acquire the skills needed for job market success.
Services offered in: English, and Mandarin
Neene Ediru
Settlement Advisor (Economic)
Neene is originally from Nigeria where she obtained a Bachelors in Economics and a Masters degree in Business management. She worked in the financial services industry for 12 years in standards management, customer satisfaction, commercial banking and human resources. She is passionate about travelling to new destinations, music and movies. She arrived Canada in 2022 for her MBA at the University of New Brunswick and started her journey at the SJNC through the BCP program. The center provides Neene the opportunity to apply her skills, experience and passion in client support, relationship management and training. Relating with and supporting newcomers daily through advisory services and programs is a rare privilege and opportunity she feels blessed to be accorded with by the SJNC. “The work culture here is fantastic, the genuine interest and support for newcomers is profound” and I am delighted to be part of the family.
Services offered in: English
Mehdi Mantseur
Process improvement advisor
Mehdi, originally from Algeria, continued his studies in Chemistry at the University of Houari Boumediene. With a 14-year career in the pharmaceutical industry, he has acquired varied expertise in quality assurance, production, logistics and distribution. His experience has distinguished him in systems management, strategy development, data collection and analysis, and service adjustments as needed.
In 2023, Mehdi immigrated to Canada with his wife and their two children. As a recent French-speaking immigrant, he benefited from the services of the newcomer center as a client and also contributed as a volunteer. Delighted to join our French-speaking team, Mehdi is ready to use his skills to serve the settlement of newcomers and promote the development of the community in Saint-Jean.
Services offered in: French, English, Arabic