Meet Our Board Members

David has over 15 years of leading and facilitating significant management and change initiatives with corporate, non-profit and government organizations. He has led and supported the development of partnerships across organizations and sectors, particularly in the areas of social enterprise and non-profit supportive housing. He is now the Director of Employment, Language, and Social Enterprise at MOSAIC, a non-profit that serves newcomers to Canada. David is an Accredited Partnership Broker and Trainer through the Partnership Brokers Association in the UK.

Terry Alleyn is very well versed with the Operations of NCS, having worked as the Director of Operations for 12 years before retiring in 2015. In his professional capacity, he has been a business owner, he has worked as a General Manager of the Maple Ridge Branch #88 of the Royal Canadian Legion, and also as a consultant for seniors housing developments. He has served on the boards of the Earl Haig Society and the Cloverdale Seniors Citizens Society. He also volunteers with the Burnaby Fire Fighters’ Charitable Society, BC Firefighters Burn Centre and Sources Community Services.

Jan Robinson, CPA, CMA, is the newly retired, former Executive Director of Brightside Community Homes Foundation, one of Vancouver’s largest and longest standing affordable housing providers. Jan has worked in the non-profit sector since 2001, initially for the BC Apartment Owners and Managers Association (now LandlordBC) and then the Vancouver Regional Construction Association; both member-based associations. During those years, Jan was also a member of the Canadian Society of Association Executives and served on the BC Chapter board, as well as the on the Board for Brightside for several years.

Helen Akeroyd has served on the Board of New Chelsea Society for 13 years, as an Executive Officer, 2nd Vice President and Chairperson of the Activities and Honors & Awards Committees. She is very active as a volunteer with a variety of benevolent organizations and since her retirement, Helen has been very active with the Legion and in particular with Burnaby seniors’ groups.

Jim Howard is currently the Administrator with the Vancouver Poppy Office and prior to that was Chairman of their Board for 20 years. He has been a member of the New Chelsea Society Board for over 25 years holding many positions of leadership up to and including being President. He is very involved with the Royal Canadian Legion, having served in the positions of President, Zone and Deputy Zone Commander for various Zones.

Sheran Lee Thomas has served on the New Chelsea Society board of directors for over 10 years in various capacities, including as a member on the Activities Committee and Honours & Awards Committee. She has also been a dedicated volunteer in various leadership positions and member of the Royal Canadian Legion for 45 years, and an executive officer since 1982. She also has served on the board of Amos Gordon Ferguson Housing Society for 27 years.

Jaraad has a Masters in Community and Regional Planning. He has dedicated his career in helping charities and non-profit housing societies strategically manage their real estate and development objectives. As a Senior Development Manager, Jaraad has managed the planning, approvals, construction and lease-up of over 800 units of rental housing.

Marita Luk is the Business Development Manager in the School of Construction and the Environment at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). Since 2003, Marita has been managing the needs of her School in student recruitment, marketing and promotions, websites, social media, industry relations, fund development, and special events for about 80 programs, 270 part-time courses and many other special initiatives. She passionately represents BCIT to promote Applied & Natural Sciences, Engineering & Design; and Trades, Apprenticeship & Technician education to thousands of high school educators, parents and potential students. She supports students and alumni in various stages of their careers with suitable programs and courses and industry connections leading to a fulfilling career. Marita’s involvement in recruitment has strongly benefited the construction and environmental sectors’ human resource needs. As a result, Marita was recognized by the Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA) with the Education Leadership Award; by the British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) with the BC Construction Month Community Leadership Award; and by her own BCIT colleagues with the BCIT Employee Excellence Extra Mile Award. Prior to BCIT, Marita worked for over 16 years in various positions in the financial industry. Marita has a Bachelor of Arts degree, with a Double Major in English and French, from the University of British Columbia, and she has a Master of Arts Degree in Leadership from Royal Roads University.

Lisa Wolfe has 15+ years of experience in project management, with the last seven years overseeing Indigenous community projects. Lisa was the Manager of Training for Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of BC (AFOABC) from 2014-2019, working with BC Indigenous communities in the areas of capacity building and financial management. As Principal of SpiritWolfe Consulting, our work has included research for an Indigenous Career Youth Network, writing a workforce plan for Haisla Nation and working as an executive in residence with Foresight Cleantech Accelerator Centre. Previously, Lisa held the position of Director of Education for the Vancouver Regional Construction Association and worked as a project manager for the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association (CME) for 4 years. Lisa completed the Certified Aboriginal Professional Administrator’s program in 2017 through AFOA Canada. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Simon Fraser University. Over the past 15 years, Lisa has contributed to many non-profit organizations including Yaletown Rotary Club, Aunt Leah’s Place and Share Community Services. She is the Past President of Communities Embracing Restorative Action (CERA) and past board member of Theatre Terrific.

Steve McConnell, CPA, CGA, CRM, is the Vice President, Construction Services at John Ross Insurance Service Ltd, which is Part of the InsureBC Group. Steve has decades of experience in the insurance and construction industry with experience on the Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA) Board of Directors and Awards Committee. He is an owner of an insurance and surety portfolio of construction companies in the institutional, commercial and industrial sectors. His experience involves working with contractors and developers, and in procurement issues, complex corporate structures, companies going through ownership change, rapid growth, financing issues, First Nations ownership, project accounting, financial analysis, and cash flow projections.

Stuart Evans has been a member of RCL Branch 60 since 1980. In February 2021 he retired from the RCN Reserve after 30 years where his last appointment was Executive Officer of HMCS Discovery. He has served on the Board of Governors of Commissionaires BC since 2012, including serving three years as Chairman and a member of the National Board. He retired from his Management Consulting practice in 2018; most of his civilian career was in business management, specifically in high-tech. Stuart’s education includes Diploma of Engineering Technology (Robotics) from BCIT, Marketing & Sales Diploma from UBC Sauder School of Business, and MBA in Executive Management from Royal Roads University. He holds the CMC designation (Certified Management Consultant) from CMC Canada and the AScT (Applied Science Technologist) designation from ASTTBC.