IPS Board - Island Pacific School

The Island Pacific School Society Board of Directors is very active in the school. They meet once a month and discuss many pedagogical issues pertaining to the school; they also take care of fund-raising, budget, recruitment, admissions, and community liaison.

Kim Brooks - President/Chair
Kim holds a BA Honours from SFU in Anthropology/Psychology
Through 20-years with the leading Technology search firm Corporate Recruiters, Kim is a strong supporter of BC’s technology industry and sees the future in harnessing our ultimate renewable resource – the brainpower of BC’s entrepreneurs. Having served on numerous Boards, including Bowen Island Community Foundation, she has won Awards for consulting excellence, and helped to build some of BC’s best technology successes stories by focusing on Innovative Technology Leadership. Innovation runs in her personal life as well-for her own home she has developed a sustainable and revolutionary green building material. An Island resident since 1993, her and Jayeson’s daughter Sachiell is in Grade 8. She has been involved with Island Pacific School since 2005, having served on the Board initially as Director Recruitment and Marketing, and as Chair for the last two years.

Lisa Day - Treasurer
Lisa holds a BA from UBC in History. She is a Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Business Valuator. She spent over 10 years in the Corporate Finance Group of Deloitte and Touche where she advised on numerous mergers and acquisitions. Lisa is currently at home with her four children, ages 15, 14, 3 and 1. Her interests include kayaking, skiing, trail running and photography. A North Shore resident, her stepson Philip graduated from IPS in 2007 and stepdaughter Juliette is currently in grade 9. Lisa has been involved with IPS since 2002 and has served on the finance committee for the past two years. She is currently Director of Finance.

David McCullum - Secretary
David received a BA (Political Science & History) from UBC and is one of the principals of Digitally Hip Corp, who is a provider of outsourced technical support to many Greater Vancouver companies. David has been intimately involved in the entrepreneurial efforts of countless Canadian companies, both as a facilitator and as a leader. His interests lie in racing sailboats, reading, photography and other areas of arcane technology. David and Emily (his wife, business partner and founder of Digitally Hip) have two children: Ben is in Grade 8 at IPS; and Eliza is eagerly anxious to start Grade 6. It was Ben’s decision to attend IPS that prompted David to become involved at the school. Just after arriving on Bowen Island in 1994, David and Emily met Ted & Dianne Spear over dinner and heard Ted’s plan for what became IPS. They put Benjamin’s name on the list shortly after he was born.

Joanne Forbes - Director
Joanne holds a BSc. Geology from the University of Calgary and an MBA from Simon Fraser University. She has worked extensively in the field of mineral exploration for both major and junior mining companies and has served on several Boards in the junior resource sector. Joanne has worked in management and administration in both the mining industry and in the educational arena. Joanne is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC.

Joanne has been a long time supporter of both Dr. Ted Spear’s visionary educational ideas and the result of those ideas-Island Pacific School. She attended the initial coffee houses hosted by Doctor Spear prior to IPS starting up, and in 1995 put her newborn daughter’s application into IPS to ensure she would be able to attend in Grade 6. Joanne served two years on the Board during the early IPS years and was also a member of the IPS Founder’s Circle.

Believing strongly in commitment to family and community and the critical importance of parental involvement in education, Joanne has volunteered in many organizations committed to education and/or the fostering of close community ties. As a volunteer and or board member she has hung her hat at B.I. Family Place, B. I. Pre-School, B.I. Community School, Skylight School, B. I. Montessori School, as well as B. I. Brownies and Girl Guides.

Brianna, Joanne and Greg’s daughter, is currently in Grade 8 at Island Pacific School and is loving every minute of it-literally!!!

Joanne’s volunteer activities at IPS have included participation as a Board Member since 2006 as well as serving on the Advancement Committee, Recruitment Committee, Search Committee (for Head of School), and the Gala Committee. She has also done grant writing, provided administrative support, compiled the current administrative policy manual, arranged for community service activities and global education speakers, designs the front entry board and decorates for Halloween and Christmas.

Richard Helm - Director
Richard holds a BA in Geography from UBC. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers. He worked as a trader and broker of crude oil and petroleum products in London, England including as Manager of Energy Div., Elders Finance Group. For the past 17 years he has worked as a shipbroker for CTL Westrans Shipbrokers, Vancouver negotiating the chartering and leasing of vessels for the carriage of bulk commodities worldwide.

Richard volunteered with Scouts Canada for 10 years as a leader (Beavers, Cubs, Scouts) in West Vancouver and on Bowen Island. Previous Boards/Committees included: Bowen Scouts, Bowen United Church, Vancouver Grain Exchange. He is currently working with: Bowen Youth Centre (Chair); Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (past Chair, Canada Branch and currently Membership Committee of Controlling Council); Canadian Grain Clearance Association (Dispute Resolution committee).

Richard started his volunteer efforts at IPS with 2 sticky terms in the recycling depot. He was the driver during a previous Quebec trip and is now in his 3rd year serving the Board of IPS. He is the father of Natalie 13 years old at IPS in grade 8, and Matthew 16 years old, IPS alumni (currently at West Van High IB programme grade 11). Richard enjoys being part of the strong volunteer force at IPS which he believes is important to the success of any organization working with youth. He has observed that kids respond well to seeing adults in the community roll up their sleeves to support them – no matter the task.

Boudewijn Neijens - Director
Boudewijn was educated in Spain, Switzerland, Belgium and France, and holds an MA in Engineering from the University of Brussels and an MBA from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France. Boudewijn has spent most of his career in the high technology world – mainly in the printing and publishing industry. He was a principal of one of B.C.’s most famous startups, Creo Inc., until its sale to Kodak. He currently divides his time between a number of high-tech startups and his passion for bluewater and local sailing. Having been educated in four different school systems, this topic has always interested Boudewijn. He is currently the chairman of the board of the Ecole Française Internationale de Vancouver. He has been a Horseshoe Bay resident since 2003 and his daughter Alexandra is in grade 9. Boudewijn has led recruitment efforts on the North Shore, has coordinated the West Vancouver parade and has been a regular participant in the school’s outdoor activities.

Janis Sarra - Director
Janis Sarra holds a Doctorate in Law from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, as well as an LL.M. and LL.B. She also holds a M.A. and Honours B.A. in Political Science and Economics from the University of Toronto. Janis is a full Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of British Columbia and Director of its National Centre for Business Law, with scholarship and teaching in the areas of corporate law, corporate finance, securities law, insolvency law, and law and economics. She holds the title of Distinguished University Scholar and is a Senator of the University. She served as Associate Dean from 2003- 2007. A resident of Bowen Island since 2003, her son Alexander is in grade nine at IPS, his forth year at the school. Janis and her partner Ron Davis and Alex are avid hikers, gardeners and cooks. Janis has been involved with Island Pacific School since 2004 as a volunteer parent in such activities as the annual fundraising event, the science fair and rites of passage. She joined the Board of Island Pacific School Society in September 2007 and serves on its Governance Committee.