Carmen Zabarauckas

Carmen - or Dr. Zabarauckas - has an amazing background with over 25 years of public service, with much of it dedicated to improving access to justice. She began her career in 1997 at the Forensic Psychiatric Services in Victoria, BC, providing assessment and treatment for individuals who had committed sexual abuse. She transitioned to research and teaching while earning her PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Victoria in 2007 and completed her postdoctoral studies at Simon Fraser University in BC in 2008.

Carmen joined the public service that year as the Director of Research, Planning, and Offender Programming with BC Corrections, where she worked both nationally and internationally on developing and evaluating innovative programs, research, and data. In 2017, she became the Executive Director of the Tribunal Transformation Initiative, managing government relations and overseeing 19 administrative tribunals. In 2021, she was promoted to Assistant Deputy Minister of Labour Relations at the Public Sector Employers’ Council Secretariat, overseeing bargaining for the public sector.

Carmen received the Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2014 for her dedication to public service, and in 2023, she was awarded the BC Lieutenant Governor’s Silver Medal for Excellence in Public Administration, one of the highest recognitions of public service excellence.  She continues her work in research and advocacy as a Fellow of the Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse and an Adjunct Professor of Criminology at SFU. 

When not working, she enjoys travelling and the outdoors with her family, walking, surfing, writing, and exploring local culture and cuisine. And advancing her Spanish language speaking abilities.