Amanda Dowhy considers herself to be a grateful visitor to the traditional lands of the T'Sou-ke Nation where she has built and fostered lifelong relationships and connections to the lands and waters that have sustained life on the West Coast since time immemorial. Amanda has called the town of Sooke home for most of her life, and today is fortunate to have the chance to enjoy life with her husband and two teenaged children in the Saseenos area.   

As a former student of the Sooke School District (and graduate of Edward Milne Community School), with a strong connection to community and a passion for education, it has been important to her that her children have the chance to build similar community connections. With deep roots in the community of Sooke, Amanda has been an active volunteer with many community organizations throughout her years including the Sooke Harbourside Lions, Sooke Rotary Club, and the Edward Milne Community School Society to name just a few.  

Alongside a strong connection to community, Amanda comes from a business background and has built a career supporting planning, policy, and budgeting. Hospitality trained with 17 years in the private golf industry, she spent years working in the food & beverage sector supporting daily operations, catering, and event planning before shifting into administrative operations. From the administrative side, Amanda supported accounts payable and receivable functions along with front line engagement with the membership before moving into a financial role responsible for the daily financial operations of the club as well as preparing monthly reporting to the board of directors through the Finance, Audit, and Risk Management Committee. 

Since 2023, Amanda has worked in the post-secondary sector starting in Financial Services covering roles in both Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable before moving into her current role as a Program Coordinator for Professional and Continuing Studies. A career and background steeped in customer service and business administration with deep connections to the governance structure of a corporate board setting has given Amanda an appreciation of the importance of healthy and productive relationships between a board and the senior staff of an organization. 

Amanda has served as an elected trustee on the Sooke School District Board of Education since October 2022, and currently serves as the Chair for the Board of Education. In addition to her role first as the Vice Chair, and later Chair of the Board, over the past four years she has served on every school district committee, including serving as the chair of the Audit Committee, Governance Committee, Personnel Committee, and the School Board Office Renewal Committee and maintaining a 100% attendance record. Amanda also serves as a member of the Municipal Leaders Advisory Team (MLAT) engaging in regional strategies to support youth and communities. 

Outside of work, Amanda loves to spend time outdoors enjoying the local beaches and sunshine, sharing good food and laughter with close friends, live music, learning new things, and reading. Her passion for education, her extensive experience, and her viewpoint that education can open all doors has supported her journey of public service where she is looking forward to continuing to foster spaces for our next generation through public education.