Lynn Hunter, Chair

Lynn is a Councillor for the City of Victoria, elected in November 2008 to a three-year term. She is Chair of the MS Society of Canada, BC & Yukon Division Board of Directors. She is also Chair of the national Government Relations Committee for the MS Society of Canada.

From 1988 to 1993, Lynn was NDP Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands. During that time, she served on the Parliamentary Committee for the Environment and on numerous other temporary committee assignments.
She has a BA in political science and history from the University of Victoria.

Lynn is the mother of two adult children. Her daughter was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in March 1999. (page top)

Marilyn Lenzen, Vice Chair
Chair, Client Services Committee

Marilyn Lenzen was diagnosed with MS at 40 after a career in sales/training and administration. She chose to focus her energy on her health and family and opted to stop working outside the home. 

Marilyn was introduced to the MS Society in 2003, and soon began volunteering to plan an MS Walk. She continues to be involved in event planning, fundraising and now serves on the BC & Yukon Board of Directors. She finds her involvement with the MS Society rewarding.  It provides her with an opportunity to help other people with MS while still using her professional skills.

In 2008, Marilyn was recognized for her 5-year contribution to the MS Society. Marilyn is also founder of the SUCCESS MS Self-help group. The self-help group is a dynamic and supportive resource to those with MS living on the North Shore of Metro Vancouver.  The group also forms a dynamic MS Walk fundraising team which achieves top fundraising status each year as a friends and family TeamMS. (page top)

David Head, Secretary

Dave Head is Chief Executive Officer, South Okanagan Similkameen Brain Injury Society in Penticton B.C. He retired from the Product Care Association in 2002 where he worked as director of program development and executive director. His career includes roles as Director General for Human Resources Development Canada and for Industry Canada. 

Dave has a PhD from UBC and has always been an active volunteer in his community. Currently, he is the Chair of the MS Society of Canada, South Okanagan – Similkameen Chapter and Vice Chair, Penticton and District Hospice Society.

Dave brings skills in strategizing and executing multiyear business plans involving business and financial analysis, contingency planning, service and program delivery. He has extensive experience on Boards of Directors of non-profit social service agencies including board member and president for the Okanagan Families Society (Kelowna) ; board member and Vice-President, Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa-Carleton. Director and chairman of Ottawa Intercity Ministries; and founding member and president of the board of Directors of Phoenix for Young Offenders (Ottawa). (page top)

Iain Ball, Treasurer

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Mike Hennessy, Director
Chair, Government & Community Relations

Mike Hennessy is a management consultant with over thirty years of business experience including twenty years focused on business performance improvement projects; business case studies and program operations. He is currently on a long term project as the executive director of Tire Stewardship BC, an industry-managed scrap-tire recycling program.

Mike has no direct connection to MS–the disease. He became involved in 1994 as a participant of the Vancouver MS Bike Tour. At the Victoria MS Bike Tour he met the South Vancouver Island Chapter's executive director and was recruited to the board of directors soon after. Mike acted as a special advisor to the board and later became Chair of the board.

Mike helped the chapter navigate through a number of complex issues which helped build capacity and improve governance. He continues to hold the role of Director on the board of the South Vancouver Island Chapter. (page top)

Roberta J. Stewart, Director
Chair, Governance Committee

Roberta J. Stewart is a lawyer with Heather Sadler Jenkins LLP in Prince George. Her practice includes corporate/commercial transactions and loans, residential conveyancing, wills and estate planning and estates. 
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Roberta was born and raised in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan where she lived until she moved to attend the University of Saskatchewan to obtain a B.Comm. in 1999 with a double major in finance and economics. She attended the University of Saskatchewan, College of Laws and graduated in 2003.

In Prince George she articled at Heather Sadler Jenkins LLP and was called to the bar in May 2003. 

Roberta has served as president of the Prince George Crime Stoppers and is also involved in the Prince George Estate Planning Counsel as secretary. She is a marathon runner and ran her second marathon October 2009 in Kelowna. Her spouse is an independent contractor for BC Hydro, they share a house on four acres with an new kitten and a young Sheppard-blood hound. (page top)

Andrew Britnell, Director

Andrew Britnell is President and sole owner of Student Works Painting in western Canada. He grew up in Toronto earning a BA in Economics from the University of Western Ontario and a B.Comm. from Windsor.

Andrew moved to Vancouver and started the Student Works Painting West in 1990 after working for the company as a student. The company is a highly successful business named by PROFIT Magazine in their “PROFIT 100, Next 100” list of the 200 fastest growing companies in Canada between 2002 and 2007.

Student Works Painting has supported the MS Walk fundraisers for many years including as a National level sponsor since 2007. Together with SWP East, his company has contributed over $375,000 to support the mission of the MS Society. Andrew has also served as president of the Kiwanis Club of Vancouver. He lives in North Vancouver with his wife and two sons. (page top)

Chelsea Seaby, Director

Chelsea Seaby is a senior human resource leader with over 15 years of progressive experience. She started her career working with a multi-national consulting firm focusing on benefits consulting, and then moved into a human resource leadership role within Intrawest Corporation. Most recently she was at lululemon athletica as Vice President People Resources. She left lululemon last fall to spend more time with her young family and give back to her community. 

Chelsea is a founding member of Community of Eleven (C11), a “collaboratory” of eleven spirited leadership and organization development professionals who serve to support those making positive changes in the world.  C11 is currently working with a Women’s Shelter and the MS Society (BC/Yukon Division).

Chelsea also volunteered with the Dalai Lama Centre to prepare for the September 2009 Connecting for Change Dialogues. She is always looking for new challenges and opportunities to enrich the lives around her. (page top)

John Folka, Director

John Folka graduated from Simon Fraser University with a BA in Economics and went on to become a Chartered Accountant articling with KPMG LLP. He is currently a Senior Manager in the KPMG Enterprise practice working with private companies, as well as non-profit organizations.

In 1999, a member of John's family was diagnosed with MS. After receiving the diagnosis, they found the MS Society to be incredibly useful for obtaining information and receiving support. So far, the effects of the disease have been negligible but they want to put an end to the uncertain effects of MS. This led John to participate in the MS 100 Hole Golf Challenge, something he has enjoyed for several years. (page top)

John Hadley, Director

John Hadley is News Director and morning news announcer for three Vancouver radio stations owned by CTV Globemedia,103.5 QM/FM, TEAM 1040 & TEAM 1410, where he has worked continuously for well over 20 years (an eternity in the radio business!).

John was born and raised in Prince Albert, Sask.where he graduated high school before attending the University of Saskatchewan to achieve a BA in political science. He relocated to Vancouver to attend the University of British Columbia School of Law and has remained in Metro Vancouver ever since. John practiced law in Vancouver before realizing his dream to return to his true passion: radio broadcasting.

John has had an interest in MS since his older brother was diagnosed with the illness almost 30 years ago. He enjoys helping in the effort to support individuals who are living with MS and helping to raise money to end MS. He is married with four school-aged children and lives with his family in Metro Vancouver. (page top)

Mary Ellen Tabor, Director

Mary Ellen is the Regency Activity Coordinator at two retirement resorts in Kelowna, BC. She also works in marketing for the resorts. She is mother to two wonderful children, ages 21 and 19.

She was introduced to multiple sclerosis in 1983 when her husband, Don was diagnosed. Mary Ellen was Don’s primary caregiver and advocate until he passed away in early 2007. Mary Ellen promised Don that she would continue the fight against MS. 

Mary Ellen’s devotion to her husband led the MS Society to select her for the divisional and national level Opal Award for exemplary care giving. She was asked to become a board member of the MS Society BC & Yukon Division as well as of the Okanagan Chapter.

She is proud to be associated with the MS Society and hopes that her experience will help to bring a caring and compassionate view to the table. (page top)

Shushma Datt, Director

Shushma Datt is the founder, president and CEO of i.t. Productions Ltd. and its subsidiaries Radio Rim Jhim and AM radio station RJ1200. Multicultural programming is her focus. She produces three multilingual TV programs on Shaw Cable Television and OMNI TV.

Shushma began her career as a young reporter for the Times of India. She was recruited by the prestigious British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). After moving to Vancouver in the 1970s, she became a radio and television host and producer. At this time ethnic programming was limited. In 1979, Shushma helped found ShawTV’s Multicultural Channel.

Through her programming with i.t. Productions Ltd., Datt has become an ambassador for the South Asian community. Her programming is known for encouraging and inspiring young South Asian women. In 1992 she received an Order of B.C., in 1997 the YWCA recognized her as a Woman of Distinction, in 1998 Business in BC Magazine recognized her as one the most influential women in BC. In 2008 the Royal B.C. Museum included Shushma in an exhibit featuring 123 British Columbians who have helped shape the province’s history. (page top)

Helen Tremlett, Director

Helen Tremlett, PhD, is Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine (Neurology) and associate member of Health Care and Epidemiology, University of British Columbia. Dr. Tremlett earned her PhD, Welsh School of Pharmacy, University of Wales, Cardiff, UK in 1996 and a B.Pharm(Hons), School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Bath University, UK in 1994.

From 2001-2004, she was a post-doctoral fellow in the Faculty of Medicine (Neurology) University of British Columbia with funding from the MS Society of Canada and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.

Medical research expertise:

• Pharmacoepidemiology, epidemiology, multiple sclerosis
  
• Side-effects of the immunomodulatory drugs for multiple sclerosis
  
• Natural history of multiple sclerosis: disease progression and relapses
  
• Prognosis and predictors of disease progression in multiple sclerosis

Recent Honours and Awards:

• Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Don Paty Career Development Award
• Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, Scholar Award
  
• Winner of the 2008 Stephen C. Reingold Award for highest merit-ranked project
  awarded by the US National MS Society for the grant proposal titled: ‘The BeAMS Study, Long-term Benefits and Adverse Effects of Beta-interferon for Multiple Sclerosis’
  
• Winner of the 2008 European Charcot Foundation’s Young Investigators Award for Multiple Sclerosis Research. First prize for the poster presented at the European Charcot Foundation Symposium 2008, Sicily, Italy.
  
• Jacqueline Du Pre Grant from the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation's (MSIF) Scientific Programmes Committee (International Medical & Scientific Board) (page top)

Fred Nenninger, Director

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