Expertise

• More than 20 years with the Province of BC, with experience in the income assistance program, gaming policy and enforcement, sustainable communities and economic development. Experience included project design and management, social and economic policy analysis, briefing notes for executive, communications, marketing and promotion, and media relations.
• Small business owner of Atrium Publishing, a communications and marketing company that served both private and public sector interests.
• Former associate editor of Business Examiner, responsible for interviewing small business owners, researching and writing articles, designing and coordinating ad materials.

Volunteer Work

Ecoforestry Institute Society Board Director

As Vice Chair and Communications Director, I am part of the EIS team that fought to acquire Wildwood Ecoforest. During the three years when Wildwood, a publicly donated property, was in danger of being sold to a private individual, I coordinated the communications, media relations and fundraising work and was a member of the core strategic team. Over that time I developed the social media strategy, spearheaded fundraising campaigns and grant applications to obtain legal fees ($100,000) and land acquisition ($250,000 in six days) funds. I also assisted with the EIS BC Supreme Court presentation, during which we won Wildwood. Since the acquisition in December 2016, I have continued to take on a major role in the financial and business plan development, communications strategy and event production needed to ensure the financial stability of both EIS and Wildwood.

Education

M.A. Environment and Management, Royal Roads University

• Ecosystem management
• Environmental economics
• Environmental law
• Leadership
• Systems methods
• Thesis: sustainable community forestry in British Columbia

B.A. University of Victoria – Majors

• Political Science (Canadian Law & Politics)
• Psychology (Neuropsychology)

Diploma of Criminology, Camosun College

• Canadian Criminal Law & Process
• Sociology
• Psychology
• Forensic Anthropology
• Research Methods; Statistics

Major Projects

Web Application Design and Delivery

• Enhanced Web Orientation website: researched, wrote, designed, implemented and managed the enhanced Web Orientation in 12 languages in native script with audio. Website was the official public-facing online access to the Province of BC income assistance program and services. Nominated for a Premier’s Award.
• BC Ideas Exchange: researcher, writer and community liaison for this online website available to communities to showcase their economic development stories, challenges and strategies used to produce solid economic outcomes such as business attraction and job creation.

Project Management

• Project Manager for the WebAOBlink access for provincial employees: managed the design and implementation of the policy and procedures to provide provincial employees with access to the Government of Canada Employment Insurance database. Required six different rollout processes and procedures to accommodate regional administration processes across the province. Required embedding of security and audit trail processes to satisfy federal requirements. Allows income assistance workers real time access to EI information on behalf of income assistance clients.
• Project Manager of the Testimonial Accommodation for Vulnerable Witnesses. Development, funding and implementation of a five year program to equip BC courthouses with hard-wired and portable CCTV equipment to improve testimonial conditions for vulnerable witnesses such as children, disabled persons and sex workers.

Research

• Economic development research related to rural community economic development, and development of a cross-government regional framework to stimulate and promote economic development.
• Regional economic analysis of various communities and regions across BC. Research into economic development services and funding programs available for First Nations across BC.

Policy Analysis

• Corporate oversight and ongoing analysis of the regional economic development trusts and crown corporations to provide issues management, executive briefings, advice and recommendations for senior government officials.
• Ongoing analysis of economic development status and potential economic opportunities for regional economic development strategies.
• Analysis of proposed government brown fields funding strategy and business case.
• Analysis on behalf of the Inter-agency Drought Working group of historic and current drought trends for BC.

Relationship Building

• Employee Advisory Council (EAC): as co-chair and founding member, and with the support of council members, I helped build bridges and improve lines of communications across the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training, Province of British Columbia. After 3 years of active engagement, the work of the Council paid off in positive outcomes and an improved work culture.