Meet Our Staff – HIV Legal Network

André Capretti

André Capretti, (he, him) Policy Analyst

acapretti (at) hivlegalnetwork.ca

Since joining the HIV Legal Network in 2022, André has taken on a variety of work on HIV-related human rights issues, including in relation to Indigenous peoples, HIV criminalization, harm reduction in the prison context, and in different pieces of strategic litigation.

André’s previous experiences include working as a litigator for the federal government, as a public interest articling fellow for Amnesty International Canada, and with a boutique litigation law firm in Montreal. During his studies, André clerked with Quebec’s Human Rights Tribunal and volunteered with various legal clinics, student groups, and research institutes. André also spent summers interning in Phnom Penh, Cambodia with a local human rights NGO and in Geneva, Switzerland with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

André holds a joint civil law and common law degree (BCL/JD), with a major in international human rights and development from McGill University. He also earned a Master’s degree in human rights and democratization (MA) from the Global Campus of Human Rights (Venice, Italy), with a thesis focusing on the role of children’s rights in the climate litigation movement.

He was called to the Quebec and Ontario bars in 2020.

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Anne-Rachelle Boulanger

Anne-Rachelle Boulanger, (she, her) Policy Analyst

Anne-Rachelle joined the HIV Legal Network in April 2023. Fluent in English and French, Anne-Rachelle works with our Research and Policy team on a variety of HIV-related human rights issues.

Before joining the HIV Legal Network, Anne-Rachelle worked as a lawyer, specializing in forced migration and international human rights. She represented clients in refugee claims and appeals, pre-removal risk assessments, humanitarian applications, and other matters. Anne-Rachelle also worked as a consultant for the United Nations Independent Expert on the enjoyment of the rights of persons with albinism, where she drafted several reports on the rights of people with albinism for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations General Assembly, the Pan-African Parliament, and the African Union.

Anne-Rachelle holds a BA in International Development from McGill University and a JD and MA from the University of Toronto. She also holds an LLM from the University of Cambridge, where she specialized in international law and developed a thesis on the constitutionality of deporting children from Canada.

Anne-Rachelle was called to the New York bar in 2020, and to the Ontario bar in 2021.

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Cécile Kazatchkine

Cécile Kazatchkine, (she/her) Senior Policy Analyst

ckazatchkine (at) hivlegalnetwork.ca

Cécile Kazatchkine has been working with the Legal Network for more than a decade. Previously based in Toronto, Cécile is now back in Paris, France.

Fluent in English and French, Cécile leads our work with HIV Justice Worldwide — a global coalition against HIV criminalization where she supports a Francophone network of activists. Cécile is also deeply engaged in our work with the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria providing regular technical assistance in West and North Africa on human rights program and HIV. Cécile, who has long experience combatting HIV criminalization in Canada, continues to support advocacy domestically and works on drug policy related issues.

Before joining the HIV Legal Network, Cécile worked as a lawyer in Paris and was an intern at the Open Society Foundations’ Harm Reduction Program in Budapest, where she wrote a report on the risks of HIV transmission between people who use drugs and their sex partners in Eastern Europe, focusing on women who use drugs.

Called to the Paris bar in 2007, Cécile studied law in Paris and in Oxford and holds the equivalent of a LLM degree in Public International law and International Organizations from the University Paris-Panthéon Sorbonne.

Cécile finds inspiration and urge to act through interactions with others and regular feelings of outrage. Mother of two girls, Cécile loves laughing, going to art museums, and trees.

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Doriana Schiavi

Doriana Schiavi, (she/her) Finance Manager*

dschiavi (at) hivlegalnetwork.ca +1 416 595-1666 ext. 226

Doriana joined the Legal Network staff in January 2006.

At the Legal Network, Doriana leads the Finance Team. She creates and manages budgets, assisting with applications for funding and preparing financial reports to funders. She also performs the day-to-day tasks required with respect to the Legal Network’s finances.

Dylan DeMarsh

Dylan DeMarsh, (he/him), Digital and Strategic Communications Officer

d.dmarsh (at) hivlegalnetwork.ca

Dylan joined the HIV Legal Network in June 2022 and is responsible for producing digital media content and supporting other aspects of HIVLN communications activities.

Prior to joining the Legal Network, Dylan worked with PARN-Your Community AIDS Resource Network in Peterborough for 12 years and he has a BA in Journalism from Carleton University and a Public Relations Certificate from Langara College in Vancouver, BC.

Dylan has also served on the Board of Directors for the Peterborough Community Legal Centre since 2018 and volunteers with several local organizations working to respond to the opioid crisis in Peterborough. When Dylan is not at work, he is spending time with his three children or writing, performing and recording music.

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Janet Butler-McPhee

Janet Butler-McPhee, (she/her) Co-Executive Director*

jbutler (at) hivlegalnetwork.ca +1 416 595-1666 ext. 227

Janet joined the Legal Network staff in December 2010. She became Co-Executive Director in July 2021.

Janet is responsible for the Legal Network’s effective overall operation and implementing the organization’s mandate. She advises and supports the Board of Directors, especially in formulating strategic directions and organizational plans, and developing policy. She also guides the organization’s fundraising efforts.

Janet also manages the Communications and Development Team, including all strategic communications programming and work plans. She has authored publications for diverse audiences on many of the Legal Network’s issues, and oversees all public-facing communications for the organization. She works closely with the Research and Policy Team to coordinate joint advocacy interventions, and is also responsible for media relations, event planning and brand management, among others. She was also co-producer on the Legal Network’s documentaries, Positive Women: Exposing Injustice and Consent: HIV Non-Disclosure and Sexual Assault Law, and executive producer on Decriminalize Now: Akia’s Story, among others.

Previously, she worked as the Communications Director for the Reproductive Health Access, Information, and Services in Emergencies (RAISE) Initiative and the Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program, both multi-level international programs at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City. Her work focused on public health advocacy and behaviour change communications in support of reproductive rights and health care in development and humanitarian contexts.

Prior to living and working in New York, Janet held progressive communications positions within Environment Canada, most recently serving as a National Director of Communications, based in Ottawa.

Janet holds a First Class Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Saint Francis Xavier University, a Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Communication from Simon Fraser University and an Honours Master of Science degree in Strategic Communications from Columbia University. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Regent Park Community Health Centre and Results Canada.

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Megan Long

Megan Long, (she/her) Manager of Strategic Communications

mlong (at) hivlegalnetwork.ca +1 416 595-1666 ext. 228

Megan joined the Legal Network in March 2018 and became Manager of Strategic Communications in April 2024.

As the Manager of Strategic Communications, Megan is the lead writer and editor for all communications materials. She also strategizes and manages the production and promotional process for research publications, including reports and government submissions. Her role is to figure out how best to tell the story and what products will be most useful for communicating that story to the appropriate audience. Megan believes that words are key tools for changing hearts and minds, which will in turn lead to policy change. Advocacy needs to be compelling to be effective, and this is Megan’s strength. She honed her storytelling skills as a fiction editor in her previous career and still turns to novels as an escape from the everyday world of work and parenting. In her off hours, Megan can be found testing out new baking recipes, singing in a choir, or trying to convince her two kids to go for a walk with her along the Toronto boardwalk.

Mikhail Golichenko

Mikhail Golichenko, (he/him) Senior Policy Analyst

mgolichenko (at) gmail.com +1 416 595-1666 ext. 241

Mikhail is a Russian and Canadian lawyer, focusing on research and advocacy work in countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. His area of research spans from HIV criminalization and drug law reforms to the engagement of civil society in health policy and advocacy. Mikhail has been involved extensively in building the capacity of community legal workers and continues to assist in challenging cases related to drug use and human rights before various regional and international bodies, including the European Court of Human Rights and the UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies. He has authored publications on human rights, drug policy, and civil litigation issues in English and Russian.

Mikhail has experience working as a Legal Officer with the UNODC Country Office for the Russian Federation and Belarus, where his work focused on the promotion of human rights and addressing legal barriers to accessing effective HIV/AIDS prevention and care programs for prisoners and people who inject drugs.

He has also worked for the UN Peacekeeping in West Africa and the Russian police service in different positions, including as an instructor.

Mikhail holds a Candidate of Sciences degree (PhD equivalent) in Russian Civil Law from Saratov State Academy of Law and an LL.M. in Canadian Common Law from Osgoode Hall Law School of York University. He was called to the Bar in Saratov, Russia in 2007, in Moscow, Russia in 2011, and in Ontario, Canada in 2019.

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Richard Elliott

Richard Elliott, (he/him) Consultant

Richard joined the Legal Network staff in January 1999 as Director of Policy and Research, following an 18-month term on its board of directors. He became Deputy Director in 2005 and Executive Director in 2007. Following his departure from the Executive Director role, Richard began working as a consultant, focusing on human rights in the context of HIV.

Previously, he worked as a civil litigator in private practice, appearing before all levels of Ontario courts and the Supreme Court of Canada. He has appeared before legislative committees, served as an expert resource and technical advisor to UN agencies, taught or lectured at several law schools, and presented extensively on HIV and human rights across the country and internationally.

Richard served on the boards of directors of the HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario (HALCO) and the Prisoners’ HIV/AIDS Support Action Network (PASAN), and co-founded and chaired a local Amnesty International group in Toronto advocating for the rights of sexual minorities and people living with HIV. He is a founding member of the Global Treatment Access Group (GTAG), an affiliation of Canadian civil society organizations advocating for access to medicines in developing countries, and a member of the International Advisory Committee of the International Centre for Human Rights and Drug Policy.

Between 2001 and 2007, Richard was a member of the Ministerial Council on HIV/AIDS, the advisory body to Canada’s Minister of Health. In 2010–2011, he served as a member of the Technical Advisory Group of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law, and in 2015-16, as a member of the Expert Advisory Group to the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines. In 2012, he received a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions to the advancement of human rights related to HIV.

Richard holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Philosophy from Queen’s University, and both a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B., 1995) and Master of Laws (LL.M., 2006) from Osgoode Hall Law School (York University). He was called to the bar of Ontario in 1997.

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Sandra Ka Hon Chu

Sandra Ka Hon Chu, (she/her) Co-Executive Director*

schu (at) hivlegalnetwork.ca +1 416 595-1666 ext. 232

Sandra joined the Legal Network staff in September 2007. She became Co-Executive Director in July 2021.

Sandra is responsible for the Legal Network’s effective overall operation and implementing the organization’s mandate. She advises and supports the Board of Directors, especially in formulating strategic directions and organizational plans, and developing policy. She has also helped guide the Legal Network’s litigation in key court cases in Canada and internationally, including lawsuits challenging the Canadian government’s failure to adopt prison-based needle and syringe programs and criminal laws governing sex work.

Sandra also manages the Research and Policy Team and works on HIV-related human rights issues concerning prisons, harm reduction, sex work, women, and immigration. She has authored numerous publications, including an innovative legislative resource on women’s rights in the context of HIV, a compendium of affidavits describing prisoners’ experiences with injection drug use behind bars and briefing papers on sex work, and HIV and the law in Canada and internationally.

Previously, she worked in The Hague for the Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice, an international women’s human rights organization advocating for gender-inclusive justice before the International Criminal Court. Her broad international experience has also included assignments for development, human rights and UN agencies in Libya, Timor-Leste, Hong Kong and Vancouver.

Sandra holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of British Columbia, an LL.B. from the University of Toronto and an LL.M. from the Osgoode Hall Law School of York University. She was called to the bar of British Columbia in 2003.

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Terry Gould, (he/him) Program Support Manager*

tgould (at) hivlegalnetwork.ca +1 416 595-1666 ext. 223

Terry joined the Legal Network staff in October 1998 as an intern. He became the Program Support Manager in May 1999 on a part-time basis, assuming the post full time in April 2000.

At the Legal Network, Terry leads the Program Support Team. He assigns tasks to and supervises the work of the members of the Program Support Team, and manages the Legal Network’s Resource Centre and publication distribution, office workspace, IT, and membership base. He also supports the needs of the Board of Directors, and oversees the logistical and administrative aspects of planning and implementing the Legal Network’s annual general meeting and other Legal Network workshops and forums. Terry is also the first contact for volunteers at the Legal Network.

* Management team