Board of Directors

Shirley Kamerling-Roberts

Shirley completed a career with Human Development Resources Canada, funding community development and managing retraining initiatives. She accepted several secondments to the Government of BC, including to the inistry of Jobs, Tourism, and Skills Training, and to the BCMinistry of Forests. In 2000 Shirley joined Langara College as Manager of Student Financial Assistance, including student awards, and subsequently Student Development. Shirley has adjudicated awards for The Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, the Garfield Weston Foundation, and the Irving K. Barber British Columbia Scholarship Society. She served as Board member for the BC Association of Student Aid Professionals and as Vice-Chair on the Board of the Canadian Association of Student Aid Administrators, providing field input to the Government of Canada on student borrowing and grants. She also served on the Board of Directors of the United Way of the Lower Mainland, and on Vancouver Foundation funding committees. Recently retired from the post secondary sector, Shirley remains active in the scholarship community, adjudicating Transfer and Aboriginal awards for the Irving K. Barber Scholarship Society, and serving as Board member for the bursary awarding Stepping-stone Foundation. Shirley completed her BA(Hons) at Simon Fraser University, and MEd at the University of British Columbia.

Kendra Underwood

ÍY SȻÁĆEL HÁLE. Kendra Underwood is a First Nations adult educator from Tsawout First Nation. She holds a Master of Adult Education from St. Francis Xavier University and an undergraduate degree from the University of Victoria. For the past eleven years, Kendra has worked as Director of the Saanich Adult Education Centre (SAEC), which is part of a larger organization, the W̱SÁNEĆ School Board, located on Tsartlip territory in Brentwood Bay, BC. The SAEC offers numerous courses and programs to serve the local community including early literacy, adult upgrading, post secondary programming, onsite childcare services and a hot lunch program.

Prior to being the SAEC’s Director, Kendra worked as the W̱SÁNEĆ School Board’s Post Secondary Adviser. In addition to her role with the SAEC, she sits on the Board of Directors for British Columbia’s First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC), and has served a term on their Executive as Vice President. Currently, Kendra is Chair of FNESC’s Post Secondary Sub Committee. She has also served on the Board of Directors for Literacy Victoria. Kendra finds the opportunity to focus on First Nations education at both the local and provincial level to be invaluable. HÍSW̱KE HALE.

Robyn Quinn

Founder and President of Big Bang Communications and Big Bang Analytics Inc. and recently retired Chair of Island Women in Science and Technology (iWIST), Robyn Quinn is a dynamic communications professional with 20 years’ experience working in military, technology, government, not-for-profit, association and transportation sectors.  She developed and delivered award winning public relations and marketing campaigns from coast to coast and is passionate about supporting the growth of women in leadership roles. In 2018 Robyn became a certified SCRUM Product Owner, she is also a certified Change Management Professional.

A graduate of Royal Roads University (MA Professional Communications) Robyn is a long time accredited member of the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS). She was CPRS National President 2004/05.

Robyn currently serves on the Board of the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea and is a mentor with the University of Victoria Gustavson School of Business.

Volunteer Victoria recognized her commitment to iWIST with a Leadership Award in 2018 presented by Lt Governor Janet Austen. In 2013 and in 2015 Robyn was nominated for the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards.

Lindsay LeBlanc

Lindsay is a partner with the law firm of Cox Taylor, located in Victoria, B.C. Lindsay obtained a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons.) from U.N.B.C. and her Law Degree from the University of Victoria.
Lindsay maintains both a solicitors and litigation practice focused on property development, municipal and administrative law and corporate structuring.
Lindsay is appointed to the Attorney General’s Supreme Court Rules Committee, a committee formed to provide advice on Rules reform; the Law Foundation of British Columbia which funds projects and programs throughout British Columbia in the areas of legal education & research, legal aid, law reform and law libraries; and is appointed as a member of the Law Society of British Columbia’s Hearing Panel which adjudicates on disciplinary matters, application for enrolment in articles, call and admission and reinstatement as a member of the Law Society.
Lindsay was appointed as a Governor to the University of Victoria and completed the maximum term of 6 years in July, 2017. Lindsay continues to sit on the University of Victoria’s Property Board. Lindsay has also served on other boards in British Columbia, including the Canadian Bar Association Aboriginal Law Student Scholarship Trust Committee and the Vancouver Island Sexual Health Association. Professionally, Lindsay is a member of the Law Society of British Columbia, the Canadian Bar Association and the Victoria Bar Association.

Jeanne Sedun

Jeanne Sedun has served with the Government of British Columbia in various executive and management positions for 20+ years. She is currently the Executive Director of the Sector Business Innovation Branch with the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training. Her team works in partnership with the province’s 25 public post-secondary institutions to increase the supply of affordable student housing, foster sector-wide collaboration and shared services, and support emergency preparedness planning.
Jeanne is also an author, and the President of Heart in Hand Books. She has partnered with local hospice and palliative care organizations in order to help patients and their families navigate the end of life journey. She also serves on the Community Outreach Committee of the Union Club.
She is fluent in French, and enjoys studying the harp with the Victoria Conservatory of Music. She holds degrees in arts and education from the University of Winnipeg, and a Master of Divinity Degree from the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary.

John Bowman

John Bowman is currently serving as President and Chief Executive Officer for North Island College (NIC, www.nic.bc.ca). Appointed to his current role effective August 1, 2013, John  previously served as President, College of New Caledonia (CNC), headquartered in Prince George, for the seven years.

John is passionate about the important role public community colleges play in enabling people to access advanced education close to home. He has worked in the BC post‐secondary system in several other capacities since 1990.   He holds a Master of Arts in Leadership and Training from Royal Roads University, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Manitoba.

Melvin Berg

Mel Berg CPA, CA had a 41-year career in public accounting with Andersen and Deloitte and he has followed that as a practice reviewer with the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia. As an auditor, he had significant experience leading audits of public and private companies, with particular emphasis on Canadian
subsidiaries of international entities.

Mel always had a strong interest in training and post-secondary education. His experience includes one year on the faculty of the College of Commerce at the University of Saskatchewan, director of the Canadian Scholarship Trust Foundation, leading Canadian accounting and audit training at both Andersen and Deloitte Canada and spending three years at the Andersen Centre for Professional Development in St. Charles, Il, where he was responsible for audit methodology and training development.

Mel’s interests include travel and photography, both of which were satisfied with roles with the International Accounting Education Standards Board of IFAC (International Federation of Accountants) and several projects with the World Bank Centre for Financial Reporting Reform.

Kelly McConnan

Kelly McConnan is an Executive Director with the BC Ministry of Advanced Education with responsibility for corporate planning, international education and intergovernmental relations.   Kelly joined the BC public service in February 2008 after six years working in Ottawa in a number of federal departments, including Human Resources and Social Development and Privy Council Office.   After three years and two provincial budgets at Treasury Board Staff in the Ministry of Finance, Kelly accepted a position in the Ministry of Advanced Education where she has led international education and intergovernmental relations files for the past five years.  Prior to accepting her current position, Kelly completed a temporary assignment as the acting Executive Director of child and youth mental health policy at the Ministry of Children and Family Development.  Born and raised in Victoria, Kelly holds a Bachelor Arts (Political Science Major) and a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Victoria.

Deborah Hull

Deborah received a law degree from the University of Victoria in 1995. Following her Call to the Bar in 1996, she did consulting work for various government ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, Ministry of Forests, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Deborah joined the Ministry of Advanced Education in 1998 as Senior Legislative Analyst. She has worked in a management role since 2000, first as Manager, Legislation for the Ministry of Advanced Education, and then as Acting Director, Child Care Policy, for the Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women’s Services. She was appointed Director, Private Institutions and Sector Initiatives for the Ministry of Advanced Education in December 2002, and as Director, Post Secondary and Industry Training for the Ministry in July 2004. In July 2006, she was appointed Executive Director, Universities and Institutes Branch. She is currently Executive Director, Universities and Aboriginal Programs Branch in the Ministry of Science and Universities.

Dawn Tipton

Dawn has over 17 years of experience assisting clients in meeting their personal and corporate objectives while minimizing their overall tax burden. She primarily works with owner-manager businesses and their shareholders in the areas of succession and estate planning, corporate acquisition and tax issues in relation to the sale of a business.

Dawn contributes to the National Technical Committee for Grant Thornton LLP’s Succession and Estate planning practice and has tutored In-Depth level II and level III In-Residence sessions as well as the 2015 Advanced Tax issued for the Owner-Managed Business course through CPA Canada. Dawn has presented on Cross Border Gifting at the Canadian Association of Gift Planner’s National Conference and currently presents to local accountants on various tax issues of interest.

Dawn has volunteered on the programming committees for the Canadian Association of Gift Planners Vancouver Island Chapter, Canadian Association of Family Enterprises Vancouver Island Chapter and the BC Canadian Tax Foundation.

Stuart Walton

After graduating from McGill University with his MBA degree in 1983, Stuart moved to the U.S. where he spent the next twenty-seven years of his career in the U.S. securities industry. He was employed as a proprietary fixed income and equity trader for Wood Gundy in New York City and later moved to San Francisco where he worked for several investment banking boutiques that participated in the financings of many Silicon Valley growth companies. Stuart received his CFA designation in 1992. In 1995, he launched his first hedge fund, Reindeer Capital LP, with the sole focus of investing in growth companies in the technology, health, retail and financial sectors. In 2011, Stuart and his family moved to Victoria where he continues to actively manage U.S. focused investment funds with his firm CSW Investment Services Inc.