Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island (CHFVI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Cory Herrera as board chair and the election of four new members to the CHFVI board of directors. Cory has served on the board for the past five years, most recently as vice chair. New board members include public accountant Lindalee Brougham, former COO of Reconciliation Canada Leslie Dickie, public relations professional Catherine Pate, and Island Parent publisher Jim Schneider.

“I am delighted to welcome Lindalee, Leslie, Catherine, and Jim as new board directors and Cory as our new board chair,” said Veronica Carroll, CEO of Children’s Health Foundation. “These individuals bring a wealth of experience and expertise in their fields and help us to ensure that our board represents the communities we serve. They will be tremendous help as we continue to work actively to address the lack of equitable access to health services and supports for Island children, youth, and families.”

CHFVI’s board of directors is comprised of individuals from the medical, business, financial, cultural, and volunteer communities of Vancouver Island and the surrounding islands. The full slate of board members for 2022-23, approved at the Foundation’s September 20 Annual General Meeting, will provide counsel and guidance in the direction and operation of CHFVI’s islands-wide programs and services, such as the Homes away from home program (Jeneece Place in Victoria and Q̓ʷalayu House in Campbell River), the Bear Essentials family support program, and the Sooke and West Shore Child, Youth, and Family Centres.

Cory and Veronica expressed their gratitude to outbound board chair Bryan Thomson and directors Doug McCorquodale and Owen Matthews for their outstanding terms of committed service to the board.  They also thanked Thomson for agreeing to remain on the board as a director for an additional one-year term, citing his inspirational leadership through the pandemic and the construction of Q̓ʷalayu House, the Foundation’s new home away from home in Campbell River.

The following is a full list of the board of directors for 2022-23:

Board chair: Cory Herrera, provincial public servant (retired)

Vice chair: Paul Murray, Principal Consultant, Brentwood Advisory Group

Directors: Lindalee Brougham, former Principal with Grant Thornton

Leslie Dickie, former Chief Operations Officer of Reconciliation Canada

Colleen Evans, Councillor, City of Campbell River

Don Hubbard, President and CEO of Hubbard Consulting Ltd and Chairman of Atlas Engineered Products Ltd. (AEP.V)

Dr. Megan McFadden, Shoreline Orthodontics

John McKendrick, infrastructure consultant

Catherine Pate, public relations professional

Dr. Norgrove Penny, orthopaedic surgeon

Jim Schneider, Publisher, Island Parent magazine

Pat Schneider, President, Macro Consulting

Joanne Schroeder, former Executive Director at the Comox Valley Child Development Association (retired)

Bryan Thomson, BC Investment Management Corp. (retired)

“The dedication and commitment of our board of directors continues to motivate and inspire all of us at the Foundation,” said Veronica. “With the leadership of our board and the generous support of donors, the Foundation invested over $4.6 million in the community in the past year.  We look forward to continuing to collaborate with and support our colleagues in Island Health and other pediatric health care professionals to increase access to care for all Island children with physical and mental health challenges.”