The BOB volunteer board is responsible for the stewardship of BOB. Its directors represent a cross section of businesses and organizations that practice corporate social responsibility. They demonstrate a particular interest in improving the inner-city’s business climate while enhancing the quality of life of residents.

Executive

Chair
Lee Davis Vancity Capital

Vice Chair
Pamela McDonald TELUS

Secretary Treasurer
Brian Dolsen 2010 Legacies Now Society

Directors

BOB 2007-08 Board of Directors
Left to right: Chris Gora, Linda Coady, Brian Dolsen, Michelle Neilly, Hendrik Hoekema, Norm Silins, Lee Davis, Joel Solomon, and Fred Leonard

Photo – Lori Oliver

LINDA COADY - Vice President, Sustainability, Vancouver Organizing Committee-2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC)

Linda Coady is currently Vice President, Sustainability, Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). She was previously Vice President, Pacific Region for World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF-CANADA). Ms. Coady has also worked for more than 20 years in the private sector, notably in the area of forestry. She held the position of Vice President for MacMillan Bloedel and for Weyerhaeuser's British Columbia's Coastal Operations.

LEE DAVIS - President & CEO, Vancity Capital Corporation

Lee directs the venture investing activities of Vancity Savings Credit Union. Since 1999, VCC has invested $40 million in small and medium-size enterprises in several BC industries including the sustainable sector. Lee joined VCC in 2000. Previously he spent 20 years with TD Securities/TD Bank involved with mergers & acquisitions, public equity and debt underwritings and corporate banking. Lee has an MBA from Queen's University and is a director of VON BC and the UBC Entrepreneurship Advisory Board.

BRIAN DOLSEN – Managing Director – Legacy Initiatives, 2010 Legacies Now

Brian Dolsen was appointed Chief Operating Officer of 2010 LegaciesNow on secondment from his Assistant Deputy Minister position in the Ministry of Small Business and Economic Development. Prior to this assignment, he was the Assistant Deputy Minister, Olympic Bid, Community Initiatives and Vancouver Agreement of the Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women’s Services, He served as the Chair of the Finance Committee for the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation and Chair of the 2010 LegaciesNow Society in this position. .

Brian has held numerous executive positions including: Assistant Deputy Minister, Tourism and Corporate Policy Division of the Ministry of Small Business, Tourism and Culture; Vice President, Finance and Corporate Secretary for Forest Renewal BC, where he was instrumental in the design and set-up of the crown corporation; Executive Director, Management Services for the Ministry of Employment and Investment, responsible for liaison and integration of six crown corporations’ business plans; Vice President, Business and Finance, and Corporate Secretary for the BC Trade Development Corporation, establishing six foreign investment and trade offices. As Director of Finance, Communications and Small Business Services for the Ministry of Industry and Small Business, Brian successfully project-managed the $100 million Federal/Provincial Industrial Parks Agreement, $50 million Tourism Agreement and Expo 86 windup. Brian’s experience also includes work with the Columbia Gas Development Ltd. and Ashland Oil Ltd. as a key member of the team that structured the Hibernia Newfoundland offshore drilling partnership and Brae oilfield in the United Kingdom and was a business auditor for revenue in Toronto.

Brian received his Bachelor of Economics and Commerce from Simon Fraser University and attained his Certified Management Accountant degree in 1976.

He has served on various committees for the Conference Board of Canada, the BC Chamber of Commerce, the Certified Management Accountants Society of Canada, the Simon Fraser University Business Advisory, and played a significant role in Expo 86 and the XV Commonwealth Games.

LEONARD GEORGE - Director of the Economic Development Department for the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, Chief Negotiator, Chief Executive Officer of Takaya Developments, President of Takaya Tours Inc., President of Healing Our Spirit, President of the First Nations Employment Centre, and President/Leader of Children of Takaya.

Leonard George is one of the founding members of the Vancouver Aboriginal Centre, where he served as the Executive Director for seven years. Leonard served for 12 years as the elected Chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. During this time he developed Takaya Developments Ltd, an economic development company that is majority owned by the Nation. This unique venture broke new ground for doing business on reservation lands. Leonard George is the current Director of the Economic Development Department for the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, Chief Negotiator, Chief Executive Officer of Takaya Developments, President of Takaya Tours Inc., President of Healing Our Spirit, President of the First Nations Employment Centre, and President/Leader of Children of Takaya.

Leonard George is an active member of many political, business and community organizations and has been acknowledged for his many accomplishments, such as the Governor General of Canada Citizens Medal of Honor. He is an active member of the following organizations: Aboriginal Health Association of British Columbia; Simon Fraser University- Deans Council on First Nations Education, in which today Leonard has founded the Chief Dan George Education Centre in affiliation with S.F.U.; Capilano College – Board of Directors; Board Member: Vancouver Airport Foundation: C.E.S.O Board Member; Citizen Award – District of North Vancouver; Aboriginal Film Association of Canada; B.C. Native Film and Video Society; Vancouver Board of Trade; Friends of Canada; Tsleil – Waututh Nation Platinum Eagle Feather Award for commitment and community leadership;

Leonard George has been published in many newspapers and books, such as British Columbia’s Who’s Who. He is an annual presenter at Yukon International Story-telling Festival and a spokesperson for Jane Goodall Society.

CHRISTOPHER E. GORA - Barrister and Solicitor - Farris, Vaughan, Wills, Murphy LLP

Christopher Gora is a member of Farris’ Intellectual Property and Corporate Law Practice Groups, practising in the areas of alternative energy, internet/software and privacy.

Christopher received his law degree from the University of Windsor and his BA (Hons.) from Queens University. He is a member of BC Technology Social Venture Partners, a philanthropic foundation employing a “venture capital” approach to supporting positive social change in the community (www.bctsvp.com).

FRED LEONARD - Co-chair, Downtown Eastside Task Force, Vancouver Board of Trade

Fred spent the majority of his career working for the provincial government in various Ministries-Finance, Economic Development and Management Services; primarily in the field of supply management. He progressed through from an entry level job to a member of the executive team simultaneously completing various management/executive development courses.

He was elected local president of two of these professional development organizations along the way and became involved in many change management efforts both inside and outside government; always focusing on the core value of continuous improvement of systems designed to deliver customer service. At the close of his public sector career he was on special assignment to several Deputy Ministers to help program directors implement these changes.
From his many learning experiences Fred had the good fortune to learn from and get to know Dr. Edwards Deming, the late, internationally feted quality scholar and guru.
Over the past few years Fred has been in the private sector as part of a team of business consultants serving both the public and private sectors.

Fred has been an active member of the Vancouver Board of Trade for many years and is currently co-chair of the Downtown Eastside Task Force as well as being active on several other Task Forces and Committees.

PAMELA MCDONALD - Senior Director - Public Affairs, Western Canada, Telus

Pamela McDonald is the Senior Director Community Affairs Western Canada for TELUS. With a strong public affairs and communications background, Pamela is responsible for TELUS’ philanthropic and public affairs activities in Western Canada. As well, she works closely with the TELUS executive leadership team in the strategic leveraging of TELUS activities in Western Canada.

Prior to joining TELUS in April 2006, Pamela was the Director of Public Affairs and Community Relations for Bell Canada in British Columbia, responsible for all community affairs activities in BC as well as supporting other Corporate Marketing activities related to sponsorships and Olympics.

Prior to that, Pamela worked for ten years with the Federal Government. Seven of those years she worked as Prime Minister Chrétien’s Senior Advisor in British Columbia. In that role, Pamela served as advisor on current and emerging issues in the province by developing strong working relationships with key business and industry leaders, senior elected officials and bureaucrats at all government levels.

Pamela is Vice Chair of the Board of Building Opportunities with Business and is also on the Board of Directors of Arts Umbrella (Chair of the Governance Committee). She is an active member of the Vancouver Art Gallery and is involved in other Vancouver community associations. Pamela continues to be active in politics and is Co Chair of the Federal Liberal Campaign in the next federal election for British Columbia.

JOEL SOLOMON - President of Renewal Partners Company; Executive Director of the Endswell Foundation

Joel Solomon is the President of Renewal Partners Company and Executive Director of the Endswell Foundation. Renewal is a seed capital firm and Endswell is a charitable grant-maker, both focused on sustainability models in British Columbia. Joel also serves on various boards, including Tides Canada Foundation, Hollyhock, Happy Planet Foods. He is a Director of the Vancouver Economic Development Commission and on the 2010 Subcommittee.

JANICE ABBOTT - Executive Director, Atira Women's Resource Society &CEO, Atira Property Management Inc.

Janice Abbott has been the executive director of Atira Women's Resource Society for more than 15 years and the CEO of Atira Property Management Inc. since its launch in October of 2002.

Since assuming the role of executive director Abbott has lead Atira through its growth from a single transition house located in South Surrey with a staff of seven and an annual budget of $180,000 to a large multi-service agency with a single mandate and a staff of more than 100 women, 11 sites and an annual budget of more than $5 million. Atira Women's Resource Society is the largest single-mandate women’s organization in Canada.

Described by the Vancouver Sun as one of Canada’s leading social entrepreneurs, Abbott conceived of and launched Atira Property Management Inc. in 2002. Atira Property Management Inc. is a wholly-owned for-profit subsidiary of Atira Women's Resource Society. All of the profits earned by the property management company are donated to Atira Women's Resource Society to support its social profit activities. Since then Abbott has launched two more employment-based social enterprises; Enterprising Women Making Art and The Painter Sisters Painting Co. Abbott lives in the Downtown Eastside.

TOBY BARAZZUOL – Eclipse Awards

Toby Barazzuol was born in Vancouver and was raised in the Stanley Park Teahouse until the age of 6. His parents, both school teachers, then packed up the family and traveled through Europe and Asia for two years before finally settling along the Seymour River in North Vancouver. Toby graduated from Sauder Business School in 1992 with a degree in Marketing, traveled through Southeast Asia with a 6 month stay in Tokyo, and then started Eclipse Awards in 1998.

Eclipse Awards specializes in creating personalized crystal recognition awards and is now considered as one the world’s premier online awards suppliers with clients that include NASA, the United Nations, Microsoft, Habitat for Humanity, The Red Cross and recipients that include Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Ricky Martin. Eclipse Awards relocated from Yaletown to the Downtown Eastside in 2002 with a commitment to get involved with the local community, and currently employs 9 people.

In 2003 Toby joined the Strathcona Business Improvement Association (BIA) and currently serves as Vice-chair as well as chair of the Sustainability Committee. In 2004, Toby helped form the Strathcona Revitalization Committee (SRC) which brought together businesses, non-profits and community groups aimed at improving community conditions within the Downtown Eastside. He currently serves as Vice-chair of the SRC and also as Co-Chair of the Oppenheimer Park Redevelopment Committee. In 2005 at the age of 34, Toby was honored by Business in Vancouver as one of the Top 40 under 40 Business people in BC for his company’s continued growth and commitments to both environmental and social sustainability.

Eclipse Awards is strongly committed to the ideals of sustainability and works to set an example for other small businesses. Toby currently spends about 20% of his time on community efforts. The company has committed to purchasing 100% of it’s power from green energy sources until 2010; provides subsidies for employees who bus or walk to work; has reduced it’s water consumption by over 75% and continues to explore the challenges of integrating sustainability with business successfully.

“I have a positive and optimistic perspective on small businesses and the new role they must play in development of our society. Our goal is to create a happy and productive workplace that treats the environment and all people with respect, and then apply this to the community at large. Building a healthy and balanced community will create healthy and balanced businesses.” Toby is currently focused on the idea of reinventing Strathcona as Vancouver’s first Green Zone or sustainable business community and using sustainability as a framework for revitalization.

NORMAN SILINS - General Manager of Olympic Services for Bell Canada

Norm Silins is currently the General Manager of Olympic Services for Bell Canada. He currently leads a cross functional team to deliver the Olympic Games first ‘all IP’ telecom solution. In 2004, Norm led a cross functional team in the development of the telecom solution for Vancouver 2010 in pursuit of the Bell Canada’s sponsorship.

Prior to this position, Norm was the General Manager of Next Generation Services at Bell Canada this position involved the rapid deployment of a suite of products involving all of the BCE entities including: Bell Globemedia (CTV, TSN, the Globe and Mail), Bell Emergis, and Bell Canada including, ExpressVu, Mobility and Sympatico. He was also instrumental in starting and growing the Bell Canada’s Business ISP & E-commerce product platforms at Bell Canada.

Norm was previously the Director of Wireless Data & E-Commerce at Bell Mobility. In this role, Norm was responsible for the innovation, development and marketing of data, messaging and PCS (personal communications services) s ervices.

Norm has also held positions at Nortel Networks and Rio Algom PLC.

Norm holds an Engineering Degree from Queen’s University at Kingston, Ontario and received his Masters in Business Administration from the University of Toronto, Ontario.

Sean Heather

Sean Heather is an Irishman who has made Vancouver his home. He owns diverse & popular Gastown establishments: Irish Heather Gastropub, Shebeen Whiskey House, Salty Tongue Deli and Salt Tasting Room.

He has been in the hospitality business P/T & F/T for over 25 years and in that period he has worked FOH, BOH, in both fast food & fine dining.

Sean and his wife Erin live in East Vancouver with their two children, Ogie (4) and Orla (2)