Douglas Nelson is Managing Director of The Discovery Group, a philanthropy and governance consulting firm based in Vancouver, BC. The Discovery Group was founded out of his belief that organizations and their leaders can change the world. Doug understands the complexity of leading organizations and institutions and the challenges of aligning governance and philanthropic performance. Doug has been called a ‘fundraising phenom’ by the Vancouver Sun and ‘a true innovator for a sector that can do so much more.’

As a philanthropic sector executive, he has led organizations in both Canada and the United States to new heights, raising nearly $1 billion. His focus on the alignment of engaged governance and revenue sustainability has been recognized with awards for governance, culture, advocacy, and innovative granting.

Ben Milne has been involved with the Simon Fraser Students Society where he was on board of directors and sat as board chair. He also served as a board member at the Pacific Cinematheque and is currently the Treasurer of Action at a Distance dance company and a board member of Portland Hotel Society. The Milne family has a charity, Unbounded Foundation where they support organizations such as Pivot and Union Gospel Mission, and help to fund research on illegal substances.

Ben’s work experience is mainly in Human Resources and Sustainability. He was in charge of global HR at InterWrap with 1600 employees in Canada, the US, China, and India. Currently he works at the family’s office where they have active and passive investments such as Virtuous Pie, Factory Brewing, a hop farm in Pemberton, and real estate holdings. He’s a proud father of one daughter and enjoys running and traveling.

We’re grateful for the support, expertise, and time that our volunteer Board of Directors provide to the Foundation. Learn more about each of our Board Directors and Advisory Board Members.

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In the earliest days of the Foundation, Dr Robert Brunham was integral in establishing and developing the Foundation and has dedicated his expertise and time to the organization. He has provided direction, advice and invaluable support to the Board of Directors.  Dr Brunham is head of the Vaccine Research Laboratory at the UBC CDC. He is a world authority in Chlamydia research, and is well known for his work on SARS and HIV.

Dr Jenn Gardy was also involved in the early days, helping the Foundation find the direction it would take in funding projects that were deemed a priority by the BC Centre for Disease Control and its researchers. During her time at the BC CDC, she was a Senior Scientist and Associate Professor at UBC’s School of Population and Public Health, as well as the Canada Research Chair in Public Health Genomics. Her work in pioneering whole genome sequencing of tuberculosis opened a new tools to understand pathogen transmission by incorporating bioinformatics, math modeling, information visualization and social sciences. Currently with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, she continues to keep in touch when we need her.

Additionally, we have always held an advisor position for whomever is the head of the BC CDC. Currently the interim Executive Lead is Dr David Patrick. He’s also the medical epidemiology lead for antimicrobial resistance at the CDC and a professor in the UBC School of Population and Public Health. An infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist with a career-long interest in responding to emerging infectious diseases, he is also keenly interested in reducing unnecessary antibiotic use in our communities. Having the head of the CDC as an advisor to the Foundation is truly key to ensuring that the Foundation is kept abreast of the CDC’s objectives and is best positioned to collaborate in a meaningful way.

For more information on our Board and Advisors, please visit our Board page.

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Both Dr. Judith Hall and Donald J. Avison joined the Board in 2014. Judy came with a clinical research background in pediatrics and non-traditional mechanisms of disease. Her career has been remarkable enough that she has been the recipient of a number of Lifetime Achievement Awards from prestigious colleges and associations, as well as earning a spot in the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and an appointment as Officer of the Order of Canada. Judy brought a unique perspective to the group, always grounded in public health and the question, “what if…”

Don Avison is the Executive Director & CEO of the Law Society of BC. Don brought extensive governance experience to his role as our Board Chair for 4 years. As well as being a lawyer, former deputy minister of a number of portfolios including Justice, Education and Health, and many years as Attorney General of Canada as Crown Counsel. Don has brought his experience with other major health-related non-profit boards and other committees.

…a time to plant, a time to reap…

As Don steps down, we are very fortunate to have Cathy Daminato step up to take the reigns as Chair of our Board, after having serving as a member for two years. Cathy’s leadership experience and fundraising acumen at educational institutions and hospital foundations have contributed to a career full of extraordinary commitment and support in aid of health and education in BC…and makes her a particularly good choice for Chair as we transition through a growth and change period for the Foundation. We look forward to continuing with her at the helm on our path set out in our Strategic Plan.

For more info on our Board of Directors, visit the Board page and the brief and full versions of our Strategic plan, the Strategic Plan page.

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Last week, Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada, announced 83 new appointments to the Order of Canada. Among the list of Members of the Order of Canada is our very own Dr. Perry Kendall, CM, OBC.

The Order of Canada is one of our country’s highest honours. Dr. Kendall has been recognized for his leadership in the public health sphere both in British Columbia and across the country, notably as an advocate for harm reduction and as a champion for indigenous health.

Dr. Kendall has been one of BC’s most outspoken voices in the ongoing opioid crisis, having been the one to declare the situation a public health emergency in 2016…which unfortunately continues today. He presided over the opening of Insite in Vancouver, the first legal supervised injection site in North America. He said in a 2018 interview with CBC, that one of the main challenges now is changing public opinion. “Over 80% of the people who are now dying are dying because they are using drugs alone. I think a lot of that has to do with the stigma around illegal drug use and dependency.” 

Dr. Kendall also helped create the First Nations Health Authority, a province-wide body dedicated to providing health, addiction and prevention services for First Nations people – the only one of its kind in Canada. 

Perry was appointed as the first Provincial Health Officer for BC in 1999 and held this position for nearly 20 years. During this time, British Columbians dealt with SARS, the H1N1 pandemic, the 2010 Winter Olympics emergency preparedness, as well as the start of the overdose crisis, with Dr Kendall at the helm – advising the public on health issues and the need for legislation and policy/practice change on various public health issues.

We couldn’t be more proud of Dr. Kendall, and to have him on our Board of Directors. For a more complete bio of Dr. Kendall, and all of our Board Members, click through to our Board Member listings. 

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Dr. Gardy is a Senior Scientist at the BC Centre for Disease Control, and an Associate Professor in SPPH at UBC, where she holds the Canada Research Chair in Public Health Genomics and a Michael Smith Scholar award. She obtained her BSc in Cell Biology & Genetics from UBC in 2000 and completed her PhD at Simon Fraser University in 2006 under Dr. Fiona Brinkman, working on bacterial genomics and bioinformatics-based predictive methods. She completed three years of postdoctoral training in the R.E.W. Hancock laboratory at UBC, using systems biology techniques to study the mammalian innate immune response and working on visualization tools to facilitate scientists’ exploration of biological network data.

Dr. Gardy joined BCCDC in 2009, where she works in the emerging field of genomic epidemiology, combining whole genome sequencing with both new and old epidemiological techniques to understand the origins, evolution, and transmission dynamics of outbreak organisms, including tuberculosis. In 2018, she was recognized as one of BC’s most influential women in STEM by BC Business magazine, building on other accolades, including a YWCA Women of Distinction award in the Science, Technology, and Research category. Dr. Gardy is also a passionate science communicator involved in a number of science media projects, including regular appearances on CBC Television’s documentary series The Nature of Things. Her first children’s book, “It’s Catching: the Infectious World of Germs and Microbes” was published by Owlkids Books in 2014.

Dr. Gardy has been an advisor to the BCCDC Foundation Board of Directors since 2011. For more information on our Board of Directors and advisors, please visit our website.

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Most BC residents recognize Perry Kendall’s name from his nearly 19 years as Provincial Health Officer.  However, his career has taken him back and forth between BC and Ontario. After two years in general practice in Toronto, he first moved to Vancouver to work at a free clinic (Pine Community Clinic) while working on his Masters in Health Care Planning and Epidemiology and a Fellowship in Community Medicine.

Returning to Ontario to manage the Ministry of Health’s Disease Control and Epidemiology Services for three years brought him along the path of returning to BC as Medical Officer of Health in the Capital Regional District for a couple years before returning to Toronto as the city’s Medical Health Officer, where he pioneered AIDS/HIV programs and implemented innovative harm reduction policy regarding substance abuse and was involved in developing tobacco control by-laws.

Dr. Kendall’s time as President and CEO of the Addiction Research Foundation of Ontario was notable for its collaboration with the World Health Organization. Moving back to BC in 1999, he became Vice President, Senior’s Health in Victoria, until his appointment to Provincial Health Officer.

Dr. Kendall retired from public service in January 2018 and joined the Board in March 2018. For his full biography and more info on our entire board, please visit our website

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Andrew Hazlewood is the former Assistant Deputy Minister of Population Health and Wellness for the British Columbia Ministry of Health Planning. Mr. Hazlewood began his career in Public Health in 1972 with the Saskatchewan Department of Health. In 1986, he joined the British Columbia Ministry of Health and has held increasingly responsible positions in the public and preventive health field. He was responsible for developing policy frameworks for all health prevention, promotion and protection programs, including specific strategic initiatives targeted towards Women’s and Seniors health issues, Aboriginal Health, HIV/AIDS and Tobacco Issues. Mr. Hazlewood provided direction and leadership on all aspects of British Columbia’s tobacco reduction strategy. Andrew has been serving on the Board of Directors since June 30, 2011.

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Cathy Daminato is recognized as an innovative, energetic and strategic executive with the ability to motivate and inspire extraordinary commitment and support in aid of health and education initiatives in Greater Vancouver. Over the past 28 years, Cathy has held leadership roles at Douglas College, BCIT, the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation and Simon Fraser University.

In 2003, she became the first Vice-President of Advancement and Alumni Engagement at Simon Fraser University, tripling the fundraising activity, building endowments and raising significant funds for key capital projects. Most recently under Cathy’s leadership SFU launched and successfully completed its largest fundraising effort to date, the $250 million Power of Engagement 50^th Anniversary Campaign, raising $275 million.

Cathy’s leadership ability, authenticity, strategic thinking, marketing acumen and communication skills have been critical to her success. As a volunteer she led the creation of a new fundraising management certificate program at BCIT, and served on various boards and committees of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Vancouver Chapter. She has also been a board member of the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education, the SFU University Trust, President of the SFU Foundation and Friends of SFU Foundation, and a member of BC Pets and Friends.

Cathy was awarded the AFP’s Giving Hearts Lifetime Achievement Award in November 2014 and was a finalist for a Woman of Distinction Award in the Non-profit and Public Service category in 2007.

Cathy holds a BSc (Life Sciences with Honours) from Queen’s University, and MBA from the University of British Columbia and an ICD D designation by the Institute of Corporate Directors in Toronto, ON.

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As the CEO of the Immigrant Employment Council of BC (IEC-BC), Kelly Pollack is a Canadian leader in strategic initiatives to support the employer recruitment and development of internationally trained talent. She has a keen understanding of the economic and demographic drivers associated with global talent shortages, having worked at the intersection of immigration, labour markets and the economy for more than 20 years.

Kelly is an expert on employer best practices for hiring and retaining immigrant talent. Her leadership and consultation with hundreds of employers has enabled her organization, IEC-BC, to develop innovative online and practical tools for organizations to tap into international talent.

Kelly has worked with most major industry sectors in BC, including construction, hospitality and tourism, mining, LNG, manufacturing, oil and gas, post-secondary education, public administration and technology. She advises on the implications of how international mobility, migration and talent development have become a top human capital concern for most sectors and occupations.

We are excited to have Kelly’s passion and skill added to our team. For more information on our Board of Directors, please visit our website.

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Don Avison is a lawyer and consultant with Avison and Associates in Victoria, British Columbia. Prior to returning to private practice, he had a long and distinguished career in the public sector. With the federal Department of Justice, he served in many roles including General Counsel, Regional Director General and as the first Director General responsible for the Aboriginal Justice Initiative. This was followed by an appointment as Deputy Minister of Justice for the Northwest Territories. He then returned home to BC, where he held Deputy Minister appointments in Education, Advanced Education (Education, Skills and Training), Crown Corporations and Health. He left government in 1999 and spent the next 10 years providing leadership as the first president of the University Presidents’ Council (now the Research Universities Council) of BC. Don served on the Providence Health Care Board from 2010-2013 and joined the Board of the Centre for Drug Research and Development in February of 2014 and has been the Chair of that Board since June of 2016.

For more information on our complete Board of Directors, please visit: https://bccdcfoundation.org/bccdc-foundation-board-management/

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