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Pamela Goldsmith-JonesPam was born and raised in West Vancouver and earned Bachelors and Masters Degrees from UBC in Political Science. She entered public life for the first time in 1992 (having just moved to North Vancouver) and served for one term on the North Vancouver District Council. |
| She and her family moved to San Francisco in 1999, where she led a Marin County community initiative. Returning home, Pam ran for West Vancouver Council in 2002 and then in November 2005, she was elected Mayor. This past August she announced she would not seek a third term.During her six years as West Vancouver’s Mayor, Pam has served on the Metro Vancouver Board of Directors, Waste Committee and Housing Committee, as chair of the EComm 9-11 Governance Committee and on their Board of Directors, and as Vice Chair of the TransLink Mayors’ Council. As Chair of the West Vancouver Police Board, she has an incredible reputation in the country for the reforms she led within the local police department. As a collaborator, she played a key role last year in working to keep lightstations on the coast staffed. Pam is an innovative leader particularly with regard to how citizen participation shapes our democratic institutions. She sets high standards for open government and devotes herself to help citizens connect with government at all levels. West Vancouverites have created a raft of public policy based on the working group model she created and implemented. She also has the ability to take criticism and adjust to find a new way forward. | |
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Rachel LewisChief Operating Officer – Whitecaps FC Rachel Lewis has been in the field of sport and event management for nearly a decade, joining Vancouver Whitecaps FC in 2003 as director of event management and stadium development. In 2007, she assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer. |
| Prior to joining Whitecaps FC, Lewis spent three years with Vancouver’s PGA Tour Stop: the Air Canada Championship. As tournament director, she was responsible for overseeing all day-to-day operations. Lewis also represented BMO Financial Group as project manager for their sponsorship of the BMO Financial Group Canadian Women’s Open. She holds a BA (honours) from the University of Victoria and an MBA from the University of British Columbia. Lewis has a strong passion for community. She currently sits on the board of the Gastown Business Improvement Society, is a member of the International Women’s Forum, is a former Director of both Sport BC and Kidsport Canada, and is a former Trustee with the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. She also volunteered as a member of the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007 Steering Committee. In 2008, Lewis was recognized as a recipient of the Business in Vancouver “40 Under 40” awards, while in 2011, she was named one of “BC’s 100 Women of Influence” by The Vancouver Sun. Rachel’s breakthrough moment: “As part of the UBC MBA program we were required to do a three month internship. I had always been interested in sport/event management but the job board didn’t have anything that fit and I really wasn’t sure if or how to get in the door. I also needed business experience (and to pay the rent) if I was going to be employable at the end of the program. I applied for a marketing job at a carpet manufacturing company. When they called to say I didn’t get the job I was distraught – I can’t even get a job at a carpet distribution company? That was it, I took a colleague up on the chance to meet with her Dad who volunteered for the PGA tournament in town. They needed business people to help with their sponsorship program. They couldn’t pay me but they guaranteed me great experience. It was the best decision I ever made….I loved every minute of it, and it formed the foundation for my career.” | |
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Shobha Kumari SharmaDirector – Free the Children Shobha was born and raised in Prince George, British Columbia. Fostered by her ancestral heritage from India, as well as the social issues within her community of Prince George, Shobha was influenced by the implications of colonization on individuals and society at large. |
| Determined to engage this dialogue, she pursued a Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia (UBC), where she majored in History with a focus on the impact of colonization on indigenous populations the world over. Presently, Shobha resides in Udaipur, Rajasthan where she is working as a Director for Free the Children, a path that was inspired from the very first SLC keynote, Craig Kilberger, founder of Free the Children. She is working alongside rural communities in India to integrate sustainable development that honours local worldviews and prescribes to indigenous knowledge. | |
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John RobinsonExecutive Director – UBC Sustainability Initiative John is the Executive Director of the UBC Sustainability Initiative, responsible for leading the integration of academic and operational sustainability on the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus. He is also a professor with UBC’s Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, and the Department of Geography. John was a co-author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report that shared the Nobel Prize with Al Gore in 2007. |
| John is passionate about moving beyond the old environmental agenda of doing things “less bad”—using less energy, throwing away less waste, doing the same harmful things but trying to do less of them—to a new agenda in which we make choices that actually improve the physical and human environments. John is the mastermind behind a prime example of this regenerative approach, the newly opened Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) which serves as a hub for sustainability teaching and learning, research, partnerships and operations at UBC. Housed in North America’s “greenest” building, CIRS brings together students, faculty, staff and partners to accelerate sustainability at UBC and beyond. ”Three years ago I wouldn’t have believed I could have the job I have now. It happened lightning fast; it’s the old story of the overnight success that took 20 years. Ideas that seem crazy and impossible can become ‘of course’. That gives me hope.” | |
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What to expect with Team Bravo? The perspectives of 3 generations, shared core values and a speed of trust that leads to creative, high-speed outcomes. And it’s always fun. www.bravolimaoscar.com
Judy BrooksJudy has founded, built and successfully sold 3 companies, in both business to business and in consumer service categories. In the role of CEO Judy has led these companies through start-up, survival, turnaround and growth modes. As an expert in business, brand and culture, Judy is asked to contribute advice and insight to media, as a keynote speaker and panelist. In addition to being on the Board for FWE and Small Business BC, Judy sits on the Business Advisory Board for the Smart Cookies, Nurse Next Door, Yyoga, and Young Women in Business and is a member of the Women’s President Organization. Twitter: twitter.com/judybrooks Devon BrooksAn entrepreneurial tour-de-force. Devon co-founded Blo Blow Dry Bar a first of its’ kind franchise concept, born from her second year University project. She was dubbed ‘The Business Mind’ as one of Canada’s Top 13 Bright Young Things in FLARE magazine, was named Chatelaine Magazine’s ‘Hot 20 Under 30’ 2011 Women of the Year, and represented Canada as 1 of 30 delegates at the G20 Young Entrepreneurs Summit in Nice, France this Fall. Twitter: twitter.com/devsdevelopment Val LitwinEntrepreneur and social-enterpriser, Val recently sold the first-to-market concept, Blo Blow Dry Bar. Known for creating and “owning” its business category, Val and his two business partners grew the Blo brand from zero to 12 locations in just three years. But business isn’t his only passion. Val also runs the for-profit Extreme Kindness (extremekindness.com) and not-for-profit Kindness Crew Society — both born to educate, inspire and mobilize people to commit good deeds. Val co-authored the best-selling book, Call To Arms: Embrace A Kindness Revolution. The Kindness Crew speak to and challenge corporations to engage in CSR and bring new meaning to the phrase “global warming”. Val leads Franchise Operations as a Vice President at Nurse Next Door. Twitter: twitter.com/vlitwin |
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Ajay PuriQuality Leader, Digital Media + Engagement – BC Patient Safety & Quality Council Ajay Puri is an advocate for evidence-based decision-making and community empowerment. For the past ten years, he has been volunteering, working and providing important scientific research to improve the lives of many marginalized populations including at-risk youth, visible minorities, sex workers, and people suffering from mental health and addictions. |
| Over the last several years Ajay has co-founded and continues to co-lead many initiatives including: (1) Coop Culture, an online platform for enriching the dialogue on multiculturalism; (2)Rangi Changi Roots, formed a non-profit society which seeks to bridge the multicultural communities and the green movement; (3) Bridge to a Cool Planet, a coalition of over 30 multicultural, green and social justice groups which in 2009 hosted the world’s largest 350.org Climate Action Day with over 10,000+ attendees; and (4) East Of Main, a site sharing community stories and events from the culturally diverse area of East Vancouver.He is currently a doctoral student at UBC researching the effects of acculturation and ethno-cultural identity on alcohol and drug use among immigrant and visible minority youth. He also leads the Ethno-cultural Heath Network. Ajay was acknowledged for his commitment and passion for research and engaging diverse communities as one of Canada’s top five volunteers in CBC’s Champions of Change contest in 2012 and as the Dean of Science Ambassador in 2001. Academically he holds the Western Regional Training Centre and the Leading Edge endowment Fund doctoral awards. | |
