Board of Directors

Maurine Karagianis

Chair

Appointed for a two-year term ending July 31, 2020.

Maurine Karagianis served three terms in elected office as an MLA from 2005 to 2017, taking on a variety of Opposition portfolios including Transportation and Children and Families. In January 2011, Ms. Karagianis was elected as Opposition Caucus Whip and served in that role until 2017. She retired from provincial politics in May 2017 and is currently keeping bees and working with the non-profit sector. Prior to serving as an MLA, Ms. Karagianis was elected as a municipal councillor in Esquimalt in 1996, and re-elected in 1999 and again in 2002. During that time she also served for five years as the CRD Arts Chair. Starting in 1998, Ms. Karagianis served three years with the provincial government as assistant to three NDP cabinet ministers – in the Social Services ministry and then in Transportation and Highways. From 2001 to 2005, she ran a consulting company working with non-profit organizations and First Nations to create seniors housing in BC. Prior to 2001, Ms. Karagianis was an entrepreneur, opening her own retail fashion store, operating a wholesale venture and a successful import/export business. She was also a co-founder of the Sunshine Folkfest in Powell River, BC.

Chamkaur Cheema

Vice Chair

Appointed for a two-year term ending December 31, 2021.

Chamkaur Cheema has a broad range of experience in both the private and public sector. He has been an Instructor with the School of Business at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in the Entrepreneurial Leadership program since 1997. Besides his teaching duties, Mr. Cheema has served in a variety of other capacities including the University Senate, Departmental Chair and several administrative and faculty committees. His current and past board experience also includes the Insurance Council of BC, B.C. Original Minds Association, the governing body of Destination Imagination B.C, CMABC, Leadership Vancouver, and the Langara College Foundation Board.

Besides post-secondary education, Mr. Cheema has substantial experience in several industries including; finance, real estate, technology, retail marketing, and consulting. In addition to his role as an educator, he is the Principle of Chip Properties, a holding company that specializes in small multi-family apartments. In the past, Mr. Cheema was the Principal of HeadStart Business Solutions, a Senior Manager with HSBC Bank Canada, President of Great Ideas Marketing, and a marketing representative with IBM Canada.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Victoria and a Masters of Business Administration from Queen's University.

Sarf Ahmed

Appointed for a two-year term ending December 31, 2021.

Sarf Ahmed is a Queen’s Golden Jubilee medal recipient with a distinguished career in the BC Public Service spanning 26 years, including 5 years as an Associate Deputy Minister. A position from which he retired in early 2018. He has led large diverse organizations providing corporate shared services, finance, real estate, procurement and children and family services to British Columbians. Prior to joining the BC Public Service, Sarf worked in UK and Asia in the accounting profession and private industry in key financial management roles for 15 years.

He has extensive experience of leading complex organizations, setting vision, developing strategy, fund raising, financial management and executing for results. He has led organizational change, transformed services and helped establish new organizations. He was BC government’s lead executive responsible for Knowledge Network Corporation from 2013 to 2017.

Sarf is a chartered accountant and is married with one adult son. He lives in Victoria, BC.

Tony Knox

Appointed for a two-year term ending July 31, 2020.

Tony Knox is a barrister and solicitor, who has practiced business, mining and aboriginal law in two of Canada's largest law firms, Borden & Elliot in Toronto, now Borden, Ladner, Gervais LLP, and McCarthy Tetrault LLP. He now practices law under the name Knox & Co. Mr. Knox is the former Chairman of both Committee 3 (Indigenous Peoples and Development) of the International Bar Association and the Business Law Section of the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association. He is Past President of the Vancouver Oxford and Cambridge Society, Past President of Early Music Vancouver and a Director of the Tribal Resources Investment Corporation. He has published a number of articles relating to topics in aboriginal law and is currently working on a book about the Canadian Law of Reconciliation. Mr. Knox holds a BA from the University of Victoria, an LLB from Dalhousie University and a PhD from Cambridge University.

Doreen Manuel

Appointed for a two-year term ending December 31, 2021.

Doreen Manuel (Secwepemc/Ktunaxa) is the sixth child of Grand Chief Dr. George Manuel and spiritual leader Marceline Manuel. Doreen is a residential school survivor. She has a Master of Fine Arts degree in Film Production from UBC. She is an award-winning documentary and fiction film writer and director as well as a producer. She has been the program coordinator of the Capilano University Indigenous Independent Digital Filmmaking Program for the last 11 years; and is the sole owner of Running Wolf Productions.

As a media professional, Ms. Manuel has directed for television. She is also a Telefilm Partner with the Talent to Watch program through which, she has helped First Nations directors attain funding to develop their first feature films.

Ms. Manuel has an extensive background as a leader working in First Nations education and community development in both rural and urban centres. She has specialized in life skills programming, anti-gang violence, and youth at risk. As an educator, she has developed and led cultural and specialty programs for sexual abuse intervention and prevention, and First Nations recovery from violence and substance abuse. As a program manager she has assisted in the development of training programs for residential school survivor counsellors.

Ms. Manuel has served on the Indian advisory boards of the University of Washington and Idaho State University, Okanagan University College First Nations Advisory, Urban Images for Native Indian Women Board of Directors, the North Western United States Language Preservation Council and is the President of the George Manuel Institute.

Gerry Martin

Appointed for an 18-month term ending July 31, 2020.

For 36 years Gerry Martin and his partner owned Northern Drugs Ltd. a chain of independent drug stores operating in Northwestern B.C. Gerry is a graduate of the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and has served on the Board of the B.C. Pharmacy Association and is a Past President of the Chain Drug Association of B.C. He was awarded Pharmacy’s Bowl of Hygeia Award for outstanding service to his community. Throughout his business career Gerry has been active in a number of community endeavors both at the local and provincial level. He received a Paul Harris Fellowship for his service in Rotary and is a Governor and Fellow of the British Columbia Chamber of Commerce. Gerry is a past member of the Premier’s Technology Council, was a member of the B.C. Jobs and Investment Board, on the Advisory Council to the B.C. Agenda for Shared Prosperity, is the former Chair of the British Columbia Progress Board, and presently serves on the Resource Works Advisory Council.

Anne O'Shea

Appointed for a one-year term ending December 31, 2020.

Anne O'Shea is the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer at Vancouver Island Regional Library, where she leads strategic and operational planning, IT and library collections for 39 branch libraries across Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii, the Gulf Islands and on the Central Coast in Bella Coola. Prior to joining VIRL, she spent 10 years at the Vancouver Public Library in a variety of leadership roles. During her tenure there, Ms. O'Shea managed services in the Inspiration Lab -- a free community digital media centre supporting video production, podcasting and self-publishing -- and oversaw creative residencies in writing, Indigenous storytelling, documentary film-making and audio production.

Ms. O'Shea is a Director at Large with the BC Library Association and previously served as a student representative on the Board of Governors at Langara College, where she completed a Diploma in Arts and Sciences. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Simon Fraser University and her Master of Library and Information Studies from the University of British Columbia. In 2018 she earned a Certificate in Social Impact Strategy from the University of Pennsylvania.

Stacy Shields

Appointed for an 18-month term ending July 31, 2020.

Stacy Shields is the Vice President, Human Resources for the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE). She has held several positions on various boards, including the Chair of the Compensation Committee at ICBC. She has also served on the Board of Directors for Vancouver Coastal Health, as a member of the Audit and Finance Committee as well as the Human Resources and Compensation Committee.

Active in the Community, Ms. Shields has volunteered her time with the YWCA “Women of Distinction Awards” and has been a volunteer mentor through the Human Resources Management Association (HRMA). Ms. Shields studied Human Resources management at BCIT and is a Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP). She also graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology.

Eric Watt

Appointed for a two-year term ending July 31, 2020.

Eric Watt is a retired Senior Audit Partner at KPMG LLP. Mr. Watt has held numerous positions on several boards including Audit Committee Chair of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of BC, Audit and Finance Committee Chair of the Rick Hansen Foundation, Finance Committee Chair of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music and Founding Trustee of the Children’s Arts Umbrella Foundation. Previously, he was Board Chair of the Canadian Captive Insurance Association and a Trustee for the Vancouver Opera Association. Mr. Watt was a member of the judging panel for the BC 2014 and 2013 Chief Financial Officer of the Year Awards. He is a Chartered Accountant, a Certified Financial Planner and an ICD.Director.

Board of Directors

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