Seniors First BC is managed by a volunteer Board of Directors and the Executive Director. The Board of Directors is recruited from the membership and consists of individuals with a wide range of professional and practical experience. The board meets ten times per year and separate executive meetings are held ten times per year.
Edward Macaulay is an experienced estate litigation lawyer. In addition to his more than two decades of work representing clients in estate issues, Mr. Macaulay is a prolific writer of legal materials, for members of the legal profession as well as for a general audience. He is a former co-chair of the Elder Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association.
Sam Zeitoun, BHM, has over thirty years of experience in the hospitality industry. He held many positions in the hospitality industry including Vice President, Regional Director of Operations, General Manager and Director of Operations with various companies such as Marriott International, Renaissance, Delta, Fairmont, Mayfair Hotels & Resorts and Retirement residences companies, which include Tapestry Senior Living, Revera and Leisure World (now Sienna).
After his last position with the hotel industry, he joined Vancouver Premier College to teach hospitality topics such as operations, human resources, hospitality law and business communications. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in hospitality management in Vancouver, British Columbia. He considers himself a well-balanced leader, and has strengths in operations, human relations, sales & marketing and finance
areas.
Sam has also volunteered on a number of different boards and also drives cancer patients with VCDS in the lower Mainland. He has a passion for serving and helping seniors in his community.
Christine Jones was born in Vancouver. She has enjoyed a 25-year nursing career starting at Burnaby Hospital and then moving on to Surrey Memorial Hospital. During this time she provided care predominantly for elders whilst acting as a front line advocate for resident-centred care. In 2016 Christine graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Psychology. Remaining with Fraser Health, she changed careers and is currently working in Health Protection as a Practice Consultant with the Community Care Facilities Licensing program. In this role, she is able to continue her dedication in ensuring that care for our most vulnerable populations is safe and dignified. Within her community, Christine was instrumental in developing a school-based program to serve families facing barriers in supporting their children’s literacy development. Away from work, Christine enjoys time with family and friends, hiking the trails, and traveling.
Chelsea Belyk is a CPA with over 10 years’ experience in providing services to not for profit organizations and charities. She also served as Treasurer on the boards of the Port Moody Arts Centre and St John’s Anglican Church. Chelsea has close ties with Seniors First BC as she was on the board from 2012-2015 and subsequently provided financial consulting services to the organization from 2015 until 2019. Since 2019 she has been full time with her 2 kids, ages 4 and 2. She wished to join the board of Seniors First due to her long history with the organization and love for the mission and staff. Aside from accounting, she loves hiking, canoeing, baking, gardening, and spending time with her family. She recently relocated back from the Kootenays to Vancouver Island.
Gloria Gutman founded SFU’s Gerontology Research Centre and Gerontology Department. Currently, she’s the immediate Past-President of the International Network for Prevention of Elder Abuse, Vice-President of the International Longevity Centre-Canada, a member of the Research Management Committee Canadian Frailty Network, and a Board Member of the International Society for Gerontechnology. Her research and publications address elder abuse, seniors housing, long term care, health promotion, disaster preparedness, and gerontechnology.
Andrea Rolls lives in Port Moody and had a career with provincial government, including the Corrections Branch and Victim Services and Crime Prevention Division. A focus on responding to family violence, inter-agency protocol development and restorative justice, led her to see the essential role of community to make justice accessible and service delivery effective. One of the best experiences in this regard was to work on practices and training to implement Section 3 of the Adult Guardianship Act. In retirement Andrea has served on the board of the BC Law Institute and Canadian Centre for Elder Law, 2010 to 2019, chairing the advisory committee for the Older Women’s Dialogue Project. This addressed structural barriers impacting the lives of older women in the Lower Mainland and resulted in new tools, policy recommendations and promising practices. Andrea currently enjoys her faith community and engaging with a growing number of grandchildren.
Pam brings 23 years of experience across multiple roles in software development and management consulting within the IT industry. She’s consulted in the public and private sector, across diverse industries and in different countries. Pam holds a Ph.D. in Informatics, a number of industry certifications and has authored several publications and presentations.
Pam enjoys volunteering and giving back to her community, which she has done consistently since a teenager. She has helped animals, children, adults and seniors and has volunteered within the field of IT. Pam volunteers her expertise on the Board of Directors at Seniors First BC to make a meaningful contribution through the society to improving the lives of seniors living in British Columbia. In particular, Pam is eager to offer expertise in technology to help seniors combat loneliness and isolation.
Tom has been working in Healthcare IT for 20 years as a Project and Program Manager managing system deployments in Radiology, Cardiology, Pathology, Oncology, and Hospital Informations Systems for medium and large healthcare organizations in Canada, the US, and Europe. Tom currently works for Island Health managing a large project to upgrade the Medical Imaging System covering Vancouver Island and other Island Health facilities. He has a passion for working with the elderly and with his background in Healthcare IT, he'd like to use his skills to provide support for the Board to help seniors access the programs offered by Seniors First BC.
Vivek is a seasoned leader and brings to the board over fifteen years of diversified work experience in finance, strategy development and operations management. Vivek currently works at Newmont, a leading gold mining company, as their Director of Investments & Value Management. Vivek’s career spans multiple mining companies and various management consulting firms, where he has excelled in managing and executing strategic and key projects for various stakeholders and clients.
Prior to joining Senior First BC’s board, Vivek served as a Board Member for a local nonprofit that focused on building healthy school communities in BC for two years, and prior to that as a Board Member for a local health care service provider in Ontario for over eight years.
Vivek’s educational background includes a BASc in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo, and a MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University. He is also a licensed Professional Engineer in the province of Ontario.
Kenneth (“Ken”) Armstrong KC is a senior trial lawyer who lives in New Westminster and practices law in downtown Vancouver. He has served the legal community as past President of the New Westminster Bar Association and the Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch, and he currently serves on the national Board of Directors for the Canadian Bar Association. He is also very active in youth sports as a coach and baseball umpire. Ken hopes to bring his governance and advocacy skills and knowledge learned from his time serving the CBABC, as well as his time as an (unsuccessful) candidate for public office, to further the work of BC Seniors First. His interest in advocating for seniors arises from having to help his elderly, hearing impaired mother navigate the health system while she battled terminal cancer during the pandemic.
Curt Van Ardenne is a retired professional and has worked in retail for over forty years with experience on both the selling and vendor sides of the business. His roles have included sales, systems training, marketing presentations, and people management. As a result, he developed a strong understanding of the Canadian market place.
Curt worked for Clarins Canada during the last twenty years of his career. Clarins Canada is a subsidiary of a family owned French cosmetic company. Respect is one of its core values with focus placed on respect for women, children and nature. The company has had a long commitment to international, national and regional charities which his team and retail partners were invested in. He has a long standing experience in the execution and coordination of special events at store level, trade shows and at outbounds to support the development of business and foster lasting relationships with the company’s retail partners. He is a well respected person in the cosmetic and retail industry with a passion to support, mentor and nurture people. He is currently enjoying being an active volunteer in many of Vancouver’s major festivals.
Curt would like to offer his experience to assist Seniors First BC in continuing to build its exposure and accessibility for the valuable services that it offers the seniors' community.
Abdul Sana has a diverse career journey including private and public sector experience and impactful contributions to non-profit organizations. He has served a diplomatic tenure and has gained experience in the private sector managing contracts with international agencies. Since his move to Canada, Abdul has made significant contributions to various programs in the non-profit sector. These roles reflect his dedication to community welfare and his ability to lead and facilitate meaningful initiatives. Abdul's educational journey includes a Master of International Service from the American University and a graduate degree in political science and public administration from Indra Gandhi University. His values are deeply rooted in promoting strong, equitable institutions that champion social justice and equal opportunities for all.
Nicole Krige is a litigation lawyer in the Trusts, Wills, Estates and Charities group at Fasken. Born of a Portuguese immigrant family in South Africa, she practised extensively as a barrister in South Africa for over ten years before immigrating to Canada. As a granddaughter of immigrants and now an immigrant herself, Nicole is particularly sensitive to the vulnerabilities of elder immigrants and the unique challenges they are confronted with. Nicole is proud to work and live in beautiful BC and eager to dedicate her time, knowledge and experience to serving her community and advancing the valuable work of Seniors First BC.
Penny Bain (LLM) is a retired member of the BC Law Society and a former Executive Director of Seniors First BC. Her career was largely in management of legal services and legal policy development (Legal Services Society of BC) and management of not-for-profits addressing violence against vulnerable persons (BC Institute Against Family Violence and CEAS). In retirement, she serves as the Secretary of the Board of CEAS and the Vice-Chair of the Board of WAVAW (Women Against Violence Against Women). She is also active in the Liberal Party of Canada and serves on the Executive of the Vancouver Quadra Electoral District Association.
While delivering a legal information counseling service on the North Shore in the 1980s, Pearl McKenzie developed educational materials about legal issues that affect seniors, writing “Guide to Legal Issues in Elder Abuse Intervention” in 1992. Pearl was a member of the BC Task Force on Family Violence (report 1992) and the Advisory Committee to the Federal Panel on Violence Against Women (1993) and, during this period, worked with senior citizen counsellors and health and social services workers throughout BC to develop a community response to problems of isolation and lack of services so often linked to abuse and neglect. This same group of people went on to found BC CEAS and Pearl volunteered her time to be the first executive director. She was a member of the joint government/community working committee which drafted recommendations for new adult guardianship legislation in BC; helped to implement Part 3, which safeguards the rights of adults who are abused and neglected; and develop a provincial policy framework for designated agencies and police working together. Living in the Comox Valley, Pearl volunteers with a local wildlife rehabilitation centre, serves on a local residents association and an area advisory planning commission and enjoys retirement.
Seniors First BC is a charitable, non-profit society that provides information, advocacy, and support to seniors across BC who are dealing with issues affecting their well-being.
