Board Members

Appointed by the Province of British Columbia

Mary Lynn Baum, Board Chair, has a background in education policy, governance, and the arts. A founding member of the Gifted Children’s Association of BC, she was a long-time representative to the Vancouver School Board’s District Gifted and Talented Advisory Committee and the VSB/UBC/Ministry of Education Transition Program. Professionally, she currently provides clinical assistance with aspects of psychoeducational assessment to psychologists in private practice. For 8 years, from 2010 through 2017, Mary Lynn served as a trustee on the Vancouver Public Library Board, including three years as Chair of the Board. Her extensive history of volunteerism was recognized in 2015 with the City of Vancouver’s Award for Excellence (Civic Volunteer) and in 2017 with a nomination for a Woman of Distinction award. Mary Lynn also has a background in the performing arts, having formerly taught at Pacific Ballet Theatre School and served on the board of Theatre Terrific Society; she is now a member of the dance performance group, Razzmatap.

(Term of Appointment: December 31, 2018 - July 31, 2025)

Willa Choy is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a Chartered Director who believes that everyone has the potential to be their personal best when they are well supported and are given opportunities to grow. She is a seasoned audit professional with over 25 years auditing experience; and is a trusted advisor to both Management and the Board of Directors on risk, compliance, operational process improvements, and corporate governance. Willa is currently the Director of Internal Audit at Technical Safety BC. She is active in the community and serves on the Board of Directors for Brightside Community Homes Foundation as their Secretary/Treasurer and is the current Chair, Finance & Audit Committee. Willa also is a mentor for the Institute of Internal Auditors Mentorship Program. Willa holds aBachelor Degree in Economics and a Certificate in Human Resources Management, along with multiple professional designations. She was the 2012 recipient of the Top Talent Award for demonstrated strategic leadership and academic performance in the Certified Management Accountant Executive Program.

(Term of Appointment: May 21, 2024 - July 31, 2025)

Krisha Dhaliwal is an immigration lawyer with Larlee Rosenberg in Vancouver. She has a particular interest in equality rights, anti-discrimination work and access to justice issues for immigrant communities, racialized people, and women. Ms. Dhaliwal sits on the board of the College of Physical Therapists of BC and also serves on the South Asian Bar Association of BC. She holds a JD from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in the humanities from Simon Fraser University.

(Term of Appointment: August 1, 2018 - July 31, 2025)

Mark Goldberg recently joined the British Columbia Lottery Corporation as the Chief Information Officer, bringing strong leadership and experience as an Information Technology executive. Before joining BCLC, Mr. Goldberg was the Vice President/CIO, Information Technology and Global Real Estate and Facilities at Hootsuite. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of IT for Finning International. He is Founder and Principal at The Virtual CIO and, as a management consultant, Mr. Goldberg worked on digital transformation and strategy initiatives for such organizations as Rocky Mountaineer, No Limits/Saxx, Teck Resources and Intrawest. He is active in his community, serving as a volunteer Board committee member on the Workday Advisory Committee for the EPR and Student Systems implementation at Langara College, and as a member of the United Way British Columbia’s Campaign Cabinet.

(Term of Appointment: July 10, 2023 - July 31, 2026)

Stephen Howard, Board Second Vice-Chair, is an award-winning communicator and strategist with over 35 years of experience as a senior staff person and advocate in shaping public policy in British Columbia. Mr. Howard was Vice President at Strategies 360, Director of Communications at British Columbia Federation of Labour, Principal at Change Communications, and Chief of Staff for the Leader of the Official Opposition of British Columbia. He also was National Communications Director at Canadian Union of Public Employees, Communications Officer at British Columbia Government and Service Employees’ Union, and Director of Communications at Hospital Employees’ Union. Active in his community, Mr. Howard was Member of the Board of Governors at the University of British Columbia and President at Simon Fraser Student Society. He holds a Journalism Certificate from Vancouver Community College and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Latin American Studies from Simon Fraser University.

(Term of Appointment: July 31, 2022 - July 31, 2025)

Scott Michael Murray, Board First Vice-Chair and Chair, Audit and Finance Committee, is currently a Senior Manager with Ernst & Young LLP (EY Canada). Previously, Mr. Murray was a Senior Consultant with EY Australia. Active in his community, Mr. Murray volunteers as an Advisor with Science World and the Business Council of British Columbia. He is also involved in the UBC Saunder MBA Mentorship Program. Mr. Murray holds a Masters in Business Administration from Edith Cowan University, and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Australia.

(Term of Appointment: July 31, 2020 - July 31, 2026)

Cole Rheaume has over twenty years of experience working with non-profits, Indigenous groups and community based organizations facilitating dialogue. He has earned a reputation as a strategic thinker, a natural leader and an enthusiastic addition to any team seeking change and innovation for their projects and organizations. Cole has developed community programs, policies and initiatives through working collaboratively with boards, senior management and staff, community members, and various levels of governments. Cole works well with his clients to identify their needs and determine their priorities and strengths. He strives to ensure that the initiatives he’s involved with are culturally appropriate and led by the local communities. As the managing partner of Mi’kmwesu Management, Cole is currently working with:

• Shaw and Bell-First Nations Community Engagement Advisor
• BC Assembly of First Nations-Event Planning & Special Projects Advisor
• Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business-Progressive Aboriginal Relations Verifier

(Term of Appointment: July 31, 2020 - July 31, 2025)

Claudia Salem is an advisor and independent director with over 25 years of global expertise within the financial services and telecommunications sectors. She also actively contributes to emerging ventures by mentoring start-ups in the fintech, insuretech, and cleantech sectors. Claudia's most recent role was as the CEO Property & Casualty for Asia Pacific at Allianz, where she successfully managed the P&L and functional development of the company's business in the region. Prior to Allianz, Claudia served as the Singapore CEO and Head of Southeast Asia at AIG. Her 15-year tenure at AIG included various leadership roles with contributions to operations management, business development, and customer solutions. She holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a Bachelor's degree in Computer and Communications Engineering from the American University of Beirut. She is currently pursuing a Professional Certificate in Sustainability from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

(Term of Appointment: July 10, 2023 - July 31, 2026)

Nick Smith, Governance and Nominating Committee Chair, is a lawyer at Miller Titerle Law Corporation (MT+Co), specializing in Indigenous business. He is of Cree and European descent, and his family is from the Ermineskin Cree Nation (a Treaty 6 Nation). In his practice, Nick works primarily with First Nations and Indigenous-owned businesses and not-for-profit societies. He provides a range of solicitor services, including those relating to economic development, governance, and government-to-government agreements, and supports the ongoing implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

Nick previously worked for a global law firm in Vancouver and holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Civil Engineering from the University of British Columbia and a Juris Doctor from the Peter A. Allard School of Law at UBC. Nick is active in his community as a mentor to law students through the Canadian Bar Association (BC Branch) mentorship program, an alumnus of the Indigenous legal studies program at the Peter A. Allard School of Law, and a member of the Indigenous Bar Association. At MT+Co., Nick is the representative for the firm’s associate lawyers and sits on the student committee, and in his personal life, Nick loves competitive athletic activities.

(Term of Appointment: December 8, 2023 - July 31, 2025)