The three are being nominated to fill vacancies left by departing members from the same organizations.

Teichroeb made no mention in his report to Council of any attempts to get members of the public to sit on the powerful committee. Mayor Bruce Banman had made a commitment at the beginning of his term of office to get more average citizens into the City’s powerful committee system.

With over 30 years’ experience for residential, commercial, industrial, institutional and agriculture losses, he has previously been employed with large restoration contractors as a senior project manager in the Lower Mainland. Dan is a welcomed addition to the firm.

He looks forward to renewing old acquaintances in his new role as a building damage consultant and can be reached at (604) 657 – 2545.

Integral Building Damage Coordinators are financial advisers for insurers, brokers, adjusters, building owners, etc. We are there to help when life, sometimes pushed by “Mother Nature” or time delivers devastating losses through disasters such as fires, floods, and wind or just plain age and redundancy. Our expertise and ability to assess, and scope a resolution for property damage, or redesign an existing structure for remedial work is paramount in finding restoration solutions.

Founded upon our fundamental values of integrity, knowledge and professionalism, we are building loss specialists with many years of diverse experience in the insurance, restoration, and consulting fields.

Ingrid has been actively involved in the Abbotsford corporate community since 1993, when she moved from Calgary to Abbotsford and joined the Chamber of Commerce. In 2002 she became Executive Director of the Abbotsford Downtown Business Association and was there until 2010.

Since 2010, Ingrid has been Manager, Guest Experiences at the Dairy Innovation Association (Bakerview EcoDairy Learning Centre) in Abbotsford.

She has extensive special event, fundraising, public relations and community-building experience. Ingrid is very civic minded and is excited about coming to The Reach. “I was involved in the early planning of The Reach as a community member and I look forward to working with the Board, Staff and community to ensure that The Reach continues to grow and be successful.”

Ingrid Epp

Cindy Schafer

John Sutherland

The election was held at the special public meeting of the Board tonight (December 4.) Committee assignments and school liaisons will be announced next week at the Board’s next regular meeting, December 11th.

The directors are appointed each year during the proceedings of our Annual General Meeting, which is typically held in June.

Tourism Abbotsford has had two recent director resignations – President Janice McDonald from the Best Western Regency who left Abbotsford to take a position in Alberta and Ken Baerg from the City of Abbotsford, who left the City to take a position in the private sector.

New Tourism Abbotsford , Board of Directors, 2012-2013

• Jas Dhatt, President – Alpine Motor Inn
• Rick Rake, Vice President – Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce
• Kathleen McCarthy, Treasurer – Sandman Hotel & Suites
• Jas Dhadda, Director – Comfort Inn
• Katherine Jeffcoatt, Director – City of Abbotsford

All five directors are appointed by our three members – the City, the Chamber and the Accommodation Sector. The City has one appointee, the Chamber has one appointee and the Accommodation Sector (comprised officially of those properties who collect the Regional District & Municipal Hotel Room Tax – commonly referred to as the 2% Tax.

Karen Matty

Mr. Bubber, a Chartered Accountant who also serves as the first Chancellor of Kwantlen Polytechnic University, was appointed to the Fraser Health Board in 2010. The Board functions as Fraser Health’s governing body and oversees the conduct of the organization’s business through the Executive Committee, which is responsible for day-to-day operations.

“Our newest board member Karen Matty is very familiar with the demographic and other challenges facing our rapidly-growing and aging communities. She brings professional experience ranging from health care and business to community service,” said Mitchell. “Fraser Health welcomes Karen and looks forward to working with her to improving the health and quality of life of residents in our communities.”

Karen Matty is the President of Matsqui Developments Co. Ltd., a second-generation family business in the real estate and lumber industries. In 2011, Matty received the Order of Abbotsford for bringing distinction to the City of Abbotsford in a broad range of endeavors. Earlier in her career, Matty earned an Associate Degree in Nursing from Eastern Washington State University and served as the Head Nurse of the Pediatric Ward for Cariboo Memorial Hospital in Williams Lake. She is also a member of the Abbotsford Police Board and has served on a number of other boards, including the University of the Fraser Valley, the Abbotsford Airport Authority and the Abbotsford Foundation.

Fraser Health’s Board consists of nine Directors appointed by the Minister of Health through a process established by the government’s Board Resourcing and Development Office to ensure that all provincial appointments are made on the basis of merit following an open, transparent and consistent appointment process.

For information on board membership and roles, visit our Board of Directors section.

That’s the way that Jody Gordon, the newly hired Vice President of Students at the University of the Fraser Valley, thinks about the student population that she is mandated to support.

Gordon’s portfolio encompasses the Student Services division (including Counselling and Educational Advising, Disability Resources, Student Life, Residence Services, Financial Aid), as well as Athletics, the Career Centre, and the Writing Centre.

Gordon came to UFV from Kwantlen Polytechnic University, where she was Associate Vice President, Students, and an adjunct instructor in the Criminology department. She holds BA and MA degrees in criminology from Simon Fraser University and a certificate in executive leadership and management from WACUBO at Stanford University.

Her decision to come to UFV was inspired in part by the chance to advocate for students at the highest executive level.

“President Mark Evered deliberately placed the role at the vice president level. It was important to him that student voices be represented at the executive level and that appealed to me.”

She sees her role as being one of facilitating student life, student engagement, and student development.

“I think of my role as providing a bridge between the area of student services and the academic world,” she says. “There are so many types of support available, but students don’t always know about them. It’s important for the university to be proactive and through an early alert referral system so that students can get the help they need as quickly as possible. We need to ask why they are not being successful. Is it because they can’t afford the textbook and are falling behind in their readings? Well, a faculty member can’t solve that but they can help identify the challenge and refer the student so that Financial Aid can assist.”

Student engagement can take many forms.

“The more a student is involved and engaged outside the classroom, the more successful they will be in classroom setting,” she says. “Students spend so little of their time actually sitting in class, and so much time outside of class. Whether it’s being involved in student government, varsity athletics or intramurals, clubs, or volunteering at student orientation, or participating in work-integrated learning opportunities, these activities allow students to both give back to their university community and develop their skills, abilities, and leadership tendencies.”

Even those who don’t participate in extracurricular activities grow and develop as they progress through their studies, and the departments within Gordon’s portfolio play an important role in this process.

“Our educational advisors can help students find their academic pathway and make sure they’re taking the right prerequisites. Our Career Centre can help tie students’ aspirations to an eventual career through co-operative education and other services, and our counsellors can help them with personal and academic issues, and help them to develop study skills and cope with challenges such as exam anxiety.”

“Financial Aid can help ensure that students can continue to develop without funding being an impossible burden, the Writing Centre can help students develop as critical writers, Disability Services can support students with disabilities so they can be successful. All these areas, and ones that I haven’t mentioned, overlap to support the whole student and provide pathways to hope. If a student fails a midterm or runs out of funds we don’t want them to give up, we want to provide the help they need to succeed.”

If you’d asked Gordon what she wanted to do for a career when she was a 20-year-old undergraduate, she probably wouldn’t have dreamed up Vice President, Students at a major university as her eventual title. But if you’d showed her the crystal ball predicting this, she wouldn’t have been too surprised.

“By my third year of university I was a residence advisor and peer academic advisor at SFU, so I guess my career path did start there. I just didn’t realize it at the time.”

In addition to a career journey that took her from academic advisor, associate registrar, and associate VP positions at Simon Fraser and Kwantlen up to her vice president posting at UFV, Gordon has had the opportunity to teach.

“Being able to teach gave me the best of both worlds. I was able to meet students in the classroom environment, but I also enjoyed the sphere of influence in the student services world, in that there are so many ways we can reach out and help students.”

Gordon is a regular contributor to conferences and association meetings, in areas such as strategic enrolment management and support for student success.

She has also served on a number of provincial and national committees. She was the chair of the admissions subcommittee of the BC Council on Admissions and Transfer, and has held elected or appointed positions on the Association of Registrars of Universities and Colleges of Canada, the Pacific Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, The Western Association of Registrars of Universities and Colleges of Canada and the BC Registrars Association. Recognition of Gordon’s contributions include the 2009 Strategic Enrolment Management Award of Excellence for Canadian Institutions, presented by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, and the 2010 BC Registrars’ Association Professional BC Registrars’ Association Professional Achievement Award.

She lives with her partner John (a lawyer) in White Rock and is active in the White Rock Millennium Rotary Club there. She is an avid Canucks fan, so much so that her Twitter handle is @jodyloveshockey. She is quickly integrating herself into the UFV community, and has enjoyed several Cascades athletic events already. Originally from Brampton, Ontario, she has resided in British Columbia since coming out to attend university in 1987.

Gail Suderman

With a Master’s degree in Voice Performance, a Bachelor’s degree in Education, experience singing in Opera professionally, and years of study in piano performance, Suderman is equipped to lead Valley Festival Singers into a new chapter. Suderman has extensive experience teaching music at university, high school, and professional performance levels, and instructs musicians of all stripes, from award-winning classical vocalists to gospel choir singers. Suderman is currently Director of Voice and Choral Studies at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

Established over thirty years ago, Valley Festival Singers is an Abbotsford-based choir every community would be proud to claim as its own. Members span generations, joining to sing repertoire ranging from large classical works, such as Handel’s Messiah, to popular Broadway tunes. Valley Festival Singers rehearses on Wednesday evenings, from 7:30pm to 9:30pm.

For more information about Suderman and Valley Festival Singers, visit www.valleyfestivalsingers.com.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in international business administration and has worked in corporate and non-profit environments in both North America and Europe. Additionally, Gail is a Fulbright Scholar, a prestigious honour with which she spent a year teaching high school English in Austria.

“The executive board and I are thrilled to welcome Gail as the Abbotsford Arts Council’s new Executive Director,” says Charles Wiebe, President of the Abbotsford Arts Council’s board of directors. “With her diverse background as a business professional and her immense appreciation for the arts, she is the ideal person for the job.”

Gail comes to Abbotsford from Cincinnati, Ohio, where she managed the marketing department of an international distributor of industrial components, during which she coordinated the company’s exhibits at some of the largest trade shows in the United States. After moving to Abbosford three years ago, she worked as the marketing manager of an IT services firm in Bellingham, Washington, and as an independent marketing consultant to small businesses in the Fraser Valley.

Gail earned her bachelor’s degree from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she majored in international business administration and German language studies. During and after college, she lived, worked and traveled extensively in Europe and engaged in a wide variety of volunteer activities ranging from tutoring at-risk youth to comforting individuals suffering from HIV and AIDS to completing a service project in Haiti. Gail currently serves on the executive committee of the Business and Professional Women’s Club of Abbotsford and provides graphic design services for the CEED Centre Society (Community Education on Environment and Development) in Maple Ridge.

“The diverse responsibilities of the Executive Director position at the Abbotsford Arts Council fit my varied background and interests perfectly,” remarks Gail about her new role. “And who wouldn’t love a job where you can help bring the gifts of so many amazingly talented people to the world?”

Gail’s office hours are 9:30AM to 4:30PM Tuesday through Friday at the Kariton Art Gallery, located at 2387 Ware Street in Abbotsford.

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About the Abbotsford Arts Council
Established in 1972, the Abbotsford Arts Council acts as a resource for local artists while promoting the vision, creativity, and energy of the Abbotsford community through the arts. We consist of members, volunteers and directors representing diverse artistic, economic, and cultural interests of community members of all ages. We showcase the talents of local artists at the Kariton Art Gallery and at a number of events throughout the year including the Envision Concert Series, the Arty Awards and the Abbotsford Christmas Craft Fair. To learn more about the Abbotsford Arts Council, visit our website at abbotsfordartscouncil.org.

“It’s a great honour to receive this award from McDonald’s,” said April Powers, who works at the McDonald’s restaurant in Abbotsford, BC. “To be recognized for my efforts and successes at my restaurant is a tremendous achievement for me. I love my job and am thrilled to have the opportunity to build such a rewarding career.”

April began her 15-year career with McDonald’s as a crew person at the Ellwood Centre McDonald’s restaurant in Abbotsford, BC. Since starting with the company, she has been awarded the 2009 Restaurant of the Year Award as well as the 2009 Ray Kroc Award which is awarded to the top 1% of Restaurant Managers in Canada. April has held her current position as Restaurant Manager for the past nine years and truly appreciates the people she works with and the opportunity to build lasting relationships with customers and crew.

“This award is a well-deserved recognition for April,” said Sid Johnson, Abbotsford McDonald’s Owner/Operator. “Her willingness to always go above and beyond to bring quality service to our customers every day has been extraordinary. April is an integral part of the team here in Abbotsford and a key contributor to our success.”

From the newest employees to senior management, McDonald’s Canada offers its employees world-class training, benefits, flexibility and endless career possibilities. Sixty per cent of McDonald’s Canada’s top management and 50 per cent of its franchisees started behind the counter at the company’s restaurants as crew, including McDonald’s Canada’s past three presidents.

Candidates that are looking for a fun job in a dynamic environment with growth opportunities can visit their local McDonald’s or can go to www.worksforme.ca to apply online.

About McDonald’s Canada

McDonald’s is the leading foodservice company in the world. McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Limited and its Canadian franchisees own and operate more than 1,400 restaurants and employ more than 80,000 Canadians coast to coast. Approximately 75 per cent of McDonald’s Canadian restaurants are locally owned and operated by independent entrepreneurs. For more information about McDonald’s Canada, visit www.mcdonalds.ca.