2012 Vancouver Chapter Board of Directors
Leona Pinsky Chair
Janet Brine Vice Chair
Brian Kerr Vice Chair
Duncan Gillespie Treasurer
Kim Bowie
Melanie Briggs
Bart Corbett
Robert Deane
Max Pinsky
Dean Recksiedler
Annette Saliken
Dr.James Zlosnik
Leona Pinsky – Chair
Co-Founder of the 65 Roses Gala & GearUp4CF and 2011/12 Chapter Board Member
Leona Pinsky has been a significant and ongoing contributor to the Chapter since 1999; shortly after her daughter Rina was diagnosed with CF in 1998. In the years since this initial introduction, Leona, a trained Lawyer, has used her legal, organizational and negotiating skills, as well as her personal resources to help CFC. Leona is a co-founder of two annual fundraisers that have directly raised over $3,000,000 since 2001. In addition, Leona has greatly assisted in the Chapter and CFC in countless other events and initiatives. Over the years, she diligently advocated for CF awareness, spoke at numerous events, lobbied on behalf of the CF community, and demonstrated leadership in major gifts and volunteerism. A Chapter Board member since 2009, Leona has used her leadership and strategic planning skills to revitalize the Chapter and hire new employees. Leona has served in various leadership capacities on several other not-for-profit Boards and Committees, including the Healing Environment Committee at the BC Children Hospital Foundation. In recognition of her invaluable contribution to CFC of national significance, Leona and her husband Max are the recipients the National Breath of Life Award, Volunteer Service Award, and the Diamond Jubilee Medal. Last year Leona was appointed Director-at-large on the new National Cystic Fibrosis Canada skills based Board of Directors. Leona is excited about the opportunity to continue her work on the Chapter Board and to improve CFC’s three core businesses – Fundraising, Research and Innovation, and Advocacy and Partnerships.
Janet Brine – Vice Chair
Principal, Peace Arch Elementary School
Janet Brine’s unbounded enthusiasm for the quest for a cure is evident from her instrumental involvement in building the legacy of her daughter Eva Markvoort who died from CF in 2010 at the age of 25. Janet has worked for many years in the field of education and has been involved with various community initiatives. Janet brings to the Board extensive experience in working with committees, creating vision statements and goals with working groups, and developing and facilitating strategic organization plans. Janet also served on the organizing committee for the highly successful 65_RedRoses Benefit Concert and the Passion for Fashion @ Circa Ici. She has been a member of the Gala Committee since 2010, developing the Key to a Cure appeal which to date has generated over $278,000. Her extensive knowledge of CF, understanding of CFC’s medical support for CF and experience with the Chapter will be an asset to the Board. Janet is excited to continue contributing to the CF cause as a Board member of the Chapter.
Brian Kerr – Vice Chair
Implementation Coordinator – BC Educational Resource Acquisition Consortium (ERAC) and Chapter Board Member
Brian’s involvement with the chapter began in 1999 after his son Darren was diagnosed with CF. He has been a member of the Vancouver Chapter’s Board of Directors since 2011, and also serves as Vice Chair for the BC Association. Aside from having first-hand knowledge and understanding the many needs of a child with CF, Brian has a wealth of knowledge and experience from working for 23 years in a large organization that serves the needs of both youth and adults. Over the past four years, Brian has worked through and gained understanding and appreciation for the challenges with organizational change. He believes that through the implementation of best practices we will not only comply with the new Canada Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, but we will be able to move CFC forward in building greater support for the research that is working towards finding a cure.
Duncan Gillespie – Treasurer
Portfolio Change Manager – Insurance Corporation of British Columbia
As the founding director of the Vancouver Leisure Society (VLS), Duncan Gillespie has been able to inspire a community of young philanthropists to action. With his leadership, the group has collectively raised over $100,000 since 2009 through its Lawn bowling Tournament in honour of Eva Markvoort. Duncan will bring to the Board his strong analytical and problem-solving skills and his experience in transitioning culture through strategic change management. He is also adept at using various communication tactics and avenues to reach broader audiences. Duncan’s experience as a leader, both in his career and in his role with VLS, is an asset to the Vancouver Chapter as the chapter strives to promote the CF cause to the next generation of fundraisers and philanthropists.
Kim Bowie
Marketing & Public Relations, Why Not Apparel Inc.
Kim has been actively involved with CFC for the last few years in a volunteer capacity. Kim’s involvement with cystic fibrosis began several years ago when she met Eva Markvoort though her friend Phillip Lyall who directed the film “65_RedRoses”. Through her work as a PR/marketing professional, Kim has brought CF and Eva’s story to the forefront in media, garnering awareness about the disease and helping with fundraising. Kim has worked tirelessly to continue Eva’s legacy by providing her support to several fundraising initiatives created in Eva’s honour, including Team Reddy for a Cure (Great Strides Walk), the 65_RedRoses Benefit Concert and the Lawn Summer Nights Lawn Bowling Tournament. In 2011/12, Kim served as the Chair of the Vancouver Chapter’s Junior Board. The combination of Kim’s professional skills, her passion for finding a cure for CF and her past experience with the Vancouver Board make her an ideal candidate for the Board.
Melanie Briggs
Director of Sales, Alberta & BC – MAC Marketing Solutions
Melanie Briggs is a high achieving individual, having risen from the position of Site Sales Manager to Director of Sales for the Alberta and BC region in only six years with MAC Marketing Solutions. Her sales and marketing background has provided her with excellent communication and creative skills which will assist in improving our chapter’s marketing campaigns around fundraising events. Melanie has shown great dedication to our cause by volunteering to be a participant in the Longest Game 4 CF. She played ice hockey for ten days straight with a team of 40 other incredible women in August 2011. The team raised over $170,000 for Cystic Fibrosis Canada and attracted attention from media outlets across the country. Melanie has remained involved with the Vancouver Chapter as a donor and volunteer since the Longest Game 4 CF. We are confident that Melanie’s marketing and sales experience will be a great asset to our board of directors.
Bart Corbett
Senior Vice President, Office Leasing – Cushman and Wakefield
Bart Corbett is Cushman and Wakefield’s top producing Tenant Representative for the Metro Vancouver market. Bart brings to the Board his extensive organizational skills from his past experience on the Board of the Vancouver NAIOP (National Association of Industrial and Office Properties) and his wide-ranging connections with corporate executives in the downtown Vancouver. He has also acted in a volunteer capacity as a strategic advisor to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, Arthritis Society of BC and Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. Bart has involved Cushman and Wakefield in the 65 Roses Gala as a major sponsor since 2010 and also facilitated the Vancouver Chapter’s office re-location in 2011.
Robert Deane
Lawyer & Partner, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Robert Deane is a partner in Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, one of the largest law firms in Canada. He practices in the areas of international and domestic arbitration, commercial litigation, privacy law, intellectual property litigation, and advertising/competition law. He has much to offer the Vancouver Chapter Board of Directors, including his experience leading and working with large inter-disciplinary teams. On a more personal note, Robert’s sister Erin died of cystic fibrosis in 1995 at the age of nineteen. This connection has inspired Robert to become more involved with Cystic Fibrosis Canada and assist in the continued development of an organization that helped his family for so many years. Robert’s vast professional experience and strength in relationship building will be extremely valuable to the board of directors.
Max Pinsky
Lawyer – Max Pinsky Personal Law Corporation
Max Pinsky is an experienced corporate lawyer, familiar with all aspects of corporate governance and decision-making processes. Max has been involved with Cystic Fibrosis Canada in several capacities since 1999; one year after his daughter Rina was born and diagnosed with CF. He was the Chapter President from 2001-2005 and served on M/SAC as Initial Stakeholder Member for three years. As a businessman and lawyer, Max brings to the Board exceptional experience in strategic planning, legal and financial management, communications skills, fundraising, advocacy and policy initiatives. In addition, Max has pioneered the concept of using flow-through shares to make charitable gifts at CFC and continues to advise the National leadership team on how to effectively utilize and integrate planned giving strategies and vehicles into the overall development strategy. Max has also served on several other not-for-profit Boards and along with his wife, Leona, has been a generous supporter of the cause and recipient of many awards from Cystic Fibrosis Canada, including the National Breath of Life Award, Volunteer Service Award, and Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Dean Recksiedler
Managing Editor Mornings – News1130
As a father of a child with CF, Dean is excited to continue working with the Vancouver Board. He understands that he can contribute to finding a cure for CF by raising public awareness and funds for the Vancouver Chapter. In his role with News1130, Dean is responsible for all aspects of the station’s top rated day stories, including liaising with anchors and reporters, managing the day’s newscast and developing stories for the station. Because of Dean’s support, the Vancouver Chapter has received media sponsorship for the 65 Roses Gala as well as other public awareness exposure with News1130 in the past. Dean and his family have fundraised for, and participated in, the Great Strides Walk and continue to support the Chapter on various initiatives. Dean has previously served on the Board of Directors for the Osoyoos Chamber of Commerce.
Annette Saliken – Treasurer
Senior Manager, Marketing – KPMG Advisory Services
Annette is a seasoned marketing leader, a professional proposal writer and a CF donor who believes deeply in the fight against cystic fibrosis. As a published author of two books, Annette offers CF Vancouver valuable input on grant applications, proposals and strategic marketing, as well as tactical support. She was awarded the very first Vancouver Chapter ‘Champion of the Month’ award in August 2012 for her significant contribution to Lawn Summer Nights. Her collaboration with the LSN organizing committee was instrumental to their success. She collaborated with Geri Markvoort, a member of the KPMG Toronto office, to facilitate a relationship between CFC and KPMG and was able to successfully secure a title level sponsorship for Lawn Summer Nights. Annette’s skills and passion have made significant and growing contribution to CFC and we look forward to working with her into the future.
Dr. James Zlosnik
CF Researcher – CUPIC, BCCH, UBC
James Zlosnik is a senior post-doctoral fellow in Dr. David Speert’s lab at the Centre for Understanding and Preventing Infections in Children (CUPIC) located at the BC Children’s Hospital. James has a substantial experience in an academic environment where he has taken on leadership roles for the greater good of the organization, including infrastructure grant management. He also manages the Canadian Burkholderia cepatia Research and repository and has been a member of the institutional safety committee for over five years. In addition to his scientific expertise, James brings to the Vancouver Board his passion for fundraising. James has taken part in the GearUp4CF bike ride for the past five years and has been successful in fundraising over $40,000 for the event. James’ role as a public speaker has also been a great resource to the chapter in the past and will continue to be a valuable asset to the board.
