Audrey Ackah
Audrey Ackah attended the University of British Columbia where she obtained an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 2000 and a Master of Arts degree in Political Science in 2002. Audrey was an intern at the British Columbia Legislature in 2002. As an intern, Audrey had the opportunity to work with civil servants and with Members of the Legislative Assembly. Audrey graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Toronto with a Juris Doctor degree in 2005. Audrey practices labour and employment law and is called to the Ontario and British Columbia bars. Audrey was a member of the Canadian Women Voters Congress 2009 Women’s Campaign School Committee.
Lori Ackerman
Lori Ackerman was raised to get involved in the community and to believe that nothing is impossible. Her career is in Economic Development and she has filled many Volunteer roles over the past 20 years including Scouts Canada; United Way; and the FSJ and District Chamber of Commerce.
She received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for the work done in the community and became a Councillor with the City of Fort St John in November of 2005, a Director on the Peace River Regional District in 2006 and a Director on the Northern Development Initiative Trust in 2009. She continues to hold these positions.
Married with 6 grown children, Lori has lived in the Peace Country for over 30 years. She enjoys gardening; reading, camping and golfing.
Shirley Anne Claydon
Shirley Anne Claydon has been active in the Canadian arts community for over 25 years. She graduated with honours from Simon Fraser University’s School of Contemporary Arts, where she studied film and fine art, and did graduate work in Women’s Studies. She has been a director of Cineworks Independent Filmmaker’s Coop and a director and president of the Independent Film and Video Alliance. She has taught at SFU, The Vancouver Film School and Langara College. Ms. Claydon has a long standing interest in politics, especially encouraging people to become more involved in the democratic process. She has done extensive research into the role of women in politics.
Nancy Coldham
Nancy Coldham is the founding partner of a leading, privately-owned Canadian public affairs consulting firm, The CG Group. She started the company in 1981. Her career includes more than 25 years’ experience in journalism, public relations and public affairs consulting that include senior positions in federal, provincial and Commonwealth governments. Her expertise at reputation, issues and crisis management, media relations and well-planned, well-executed internal and external communications programs has benefited a number of major Canadian and multi-national corporations, professional associations and governments.
She has been nominated twice for a Canadian Woman Entrepreneur Award for Lifetime Achievement, a nominee for the 2009 Canadian Women in Communications Award and recipient of the Markham Board of Trade Business Excellence INNOVATION Award in 2007.
Gayle Gardner
Jennifer Gervès-Keen
Jennifer Gervès-Keen, M.A. is a talented learning and development consultant and coach with over 15 years experience in corporate and adult learning and coaching. Her areas of expertise include customized soft skills training design and delivery, professional coaching, and effective communication skills.
Jennifer holds a Master’s Degree in Adult Learning from the Open University in the UK, and a BA in History from the University of Victoria. She has completed the Coaches Training Institute coaching program. Jennifer spent 12 years living and working in France, and is fluent in French. She is on the Board of Directors of the Richmond Women’s Centre, and created and runs a pro-bono coaching service for the RWC.
Trina Isakson
Trina Isakson is passionate about non-profit capacity, engaged citizenship, community development and education, and lives her passion by consulting with organizations to help them recruit, engage and retain their next generation of staff, volunteers and donors. She holds an MBA in community economic development through which she completed research on a leadership model of volunteer engagement. She also holds a Certificate in Dialogue and Civic Engagement and Bachelors of Science and Education and is an instructor with the SFU Centre for Sustainable Community Development.
Trina is an avid traveller, having spent five months in 2010 exploring Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. When she isn’t working, learning or travelling, Trina enjoys cycling, backyard gardening and playing board games.
Tara McPhail
Tara McPhail attended Queen’s University where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree in Political Science in 2000. Tara then worked on Parliament Hill as a correspondence writer in the Office of the Official Opposition and subsequently as a Legislative Assistant to a Member of Parliament. Tara graduated from the Faculty of Law at McGill University in 2005. Tara is employed as a lawyer with the Law Society of British Columbia, and previously worked for five years as a management side labour and employment lawyer with a national law firm. Tara is a public member of the College of Dental Hygienists of British Columbia. In 2010, Tara spent five months with the United Nations Development Programme in Kenya, Africa, where she worked in the area of democratic governance.
Raj Sihota
Raj Sihota was born and raised in British Columbia and a graduate of the University of British Columbia. Over the past 14 years, she has served both the Government of British Columbia, as a Ministerial Assistant to cabinet ministers and the Deputy Premier, and the Legislative Assembly as Outreach Director for a Leader of the Official Opposition. Her areas of expertise include outreach, communications and policy.
An outdoor enthusiast, Raj loves to paddle, hike and bike. She is also passionate about the arts, serving on the Roundhouse Advisory Council in Vancouver.
Raj is a veteran of many local, provincial and federal campaigns, including directing and running as a candidate herself. She is keen to share her experience to help empower more women to engage in the political process.