The West Vancouver Foundation works with highly qualified expert leaders and advisors with a broad range of knowledge and experience. They generously volunteer their time, leadership and financial expertise on our Board of Directors and our committees. Their knowledge and dedication helps shape our work and ensures we remain connected to the community we serve.
board members

Naomi Denning
Chair

Naomi Denning
Chair
Chair, Board of Directors
Board Liaison, Youth Philanthropy Council
Member, Investment Committee
Member, Finance & Audit Committee
Member, CEO & Board Development Committee
Fund Holder

Paul Robillard
Vice-Chair

Paul Robillard
Vice-Chair
Member, Board of Directors
Chair, CEO & Board Development Committee
Member, Governance Committee
Fund holder

Darrell Ert
Secretary

Darrell Ert
Secretary
Outside of his personal life, Darrell brings 35 years of professional experience in helping families build legacies that go beyond their wealth, as well as mentoring young entrepreneurs with a focus in optimizing their potential. Community stewardship has long been at the core of Darrell's values; he sits as Vice-Chair of the Collingwood Foundation, and has been involved with Social Venture Partners (SVP) and a number of other well known NFP enterprises in the lower mainland. His alignment with these organizations all have varying mandates but they all hold the commonality of doing their part to enhance the lives of others.
Darrell sees being part of the West Vancouver Foundation as a great privilege and opportunity to give back to a community that has allowed his growing family to flourish and excel. His hope is to influence other families to embrace the spirit of stewardship and make a difference in their own backyards.
Secretary, Board of Directors
Fund holder

John Parker
Treasurer

John Parker
Treasurer
When not at work, John enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters, as well as playing golf, hiking and skiing.
Treasurer, Board of Directors
Chair, Finance & Audit Committee
Fund holder

Carolyn Coleclough
Director

Carolyn Coleclough
Director
Carolyn's past board experiences include the West Vancouver United Church and the Vancouver Club.
Vice-Chair, Board of Directors
Chair, Governance Committee

Zahra Jenab
Director

Zahra Jenab
Director
Zahra is keenly aware of the cultural differences that often play a significant role in conflict resolution. She has had the privilege of volunteering in a number of different organizations, and has presented workshops for numerous multicultural organizations, assisting immigrants to Canada to better understand, and benefit, from the Canadian legal system and culture. Her knowledge of Persian language and her experience with cultural and legal issues allows her to overcome language and cultural barriers and provide legal services tailored to her clients’ specific needs. Throughout the years, she has been actively involved in numerous cultural and social associations, advancing the interests of the Iranian-Canadian community. Zahra is a director of the BC Hear the Child Society, Civic Association of Iranian Canadians, past-Director of Access Pro Bono, and past-President of the North Shore Bar Association. In 2017, Zahra was honoured to be a recipient of a Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers.
Member, Board of Directors
Member, Governance Committee

Jonathan Stewart
Director

Jonathan Stewart
Director
Jonathan has held volunteer positions with Simon Fraser University, Fraser Academy and Ecotrust Canada. He graduated from the University of BC and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Born and raised in West Vancouver, Jonathan returned here a few years ago after living “across town”. He enjoys cycling, skiing, kayaking, as well as regularly hiking in the mountains of the North Shore.
Member, Board of Directors
Chair, Investment Committee

Justin Yoo
Director

Justin Yoo
Director
Justin worked for OCI Company (South Korea, India and Hong Kong from 2010 to 2018) in business development and strategic planning for utility-scale solar Photovoltaic installations (solar farms) in new emerging markets. He has also worked in new technology start-ups for AI and unmanned aerial vehicles after OCI.
Member, Board of Directors
Chair, Community Grants Committee
Board Liaison , Youth Philanthropy Council (YPC)
Grants Committee members

Justin Yoo, Chair

Nancy Farran

Yang Wang
The volunteer grants committee is comprised of members from the community. The committee oversees the Community Grants and Give Where You Live Grant programs.

Hoon Choi

Melina Tai

Carmen Ryujin
Honorary Governors' Council
Honorary Governors are appointed by the Board in recognition of their exceptional role in the support of the community and they serve as ambassadors and advocates for the Foundation. The Mayor of West Vancouver is always an Honorary Member of the Governors Council.
- Nancy Farran (Chair)
- Tom Baillie
- Merla Beckerman
- Mary-Ann Booth
- Moh Faris
- Pamela Goldsmith-Jones
- Gerry Humphries
- Mark Sager, Mayor
- Jo-Ann Wood
- Ron Wood
Committees
The primary roles of the CEO & Board Development Committee is to attract and grow leadership, both at the CEO and the Board levels.
- Paul Robillard (Chair)
- Naomi Denning
- Gord Holley
- Rob Gloor (CEO)
The purpose of the Finance & Audit Committee is to provide financial oversight for the organization including budgeting and financial planning, reporting and internal controls and accountability policies.
- John Parker (Chair)
- Naomi Denning
- Gordon Holley
- Alexandra Pearson (Staff)
The purpose of the Governance Committee is to ensure that the Board fulfills its legal, ethical and functional responsibilities. Key responsibilities also include the recruiting and nominating Board directors, evaluating the performance of the board.
- Carolyn Coleclough (Chair)
- Naomi Denning
- Gord Holley
- Zahra Jenab
- Paul Robillard
- Rob Gloor (CEO)
The purpose of the Grants Committee is to adjudicate the grants applications that are submitted to the West Vancouver Foundation for funding, ensuring that the generosity of donors is directed to the causes that inspire them and to the issues that matter most on North Shore.
- Justin Yoo (Chair)
- Hoon Choi
- Nancy Farran
- Carmen Ryujin
- Melina Tai
- Yang Wang
- Denise Howell (Staff)
The role of the Investment Stewardship Committee is one of strategic direction and oversight of the WVF investments. The Investment Manager is responsible for the operational implementation and execution of the Statement of Investment Policy & Guidelines, which is developed by this Committee and approved annually by the Board.
- Jonathan Stewart (Chair)
- Naomi Denning
- Dave Mason
- Alison Parry
- Stephen Wilson
- Rob Gloor (Staff)
- Merla Beckerman (Chair)
- Louise Adams
- Lori Cameron
- Kim Campbell
- Judy Duncan
- Lorna Duncan
- Kelly Richter
- Rebecca Johnson (Staff)
The purpose of the YPC is to improve the quality of life for youth on the North Shore through granting, by encouraging community philanthropy to address changing needs.
- Priyanka Chopra, Grade 12, WVSS
- Zoe Da Roza, Grade 12, WVSS
- Isabella Pejman, Grade 12, Collingwood
- Christina Zhang, Grade 12, Sentinel
- Alexa Hartvikson, Grade 12, WVSS
- Frank Lu, Grade 11, Mulgrave
- Ella Thompson, Grade 12, Collingwood
- Naomi Denning (Board Liaison)
- Justin Yoo (Board Liaison)
- Christine McDonald (Staff)
The purpose of the Vital Signs Advisory Group is to provide guidance on the 2021 Vital Signs report from a community perspective.
- Stephanie Hall (West Vancouver Library)
- Sue Ketler (District of West Vancouver)
- Reverend Simon LeSieur (West Vancouver United Church)
- Chief Constable John Lo (West Vancouver Police)
- Wendy McCulloch (Impact North Shore)
- Charlotte McLaughlin (West Vancouver Citizen Working Group Volunteer)
- Barbara McMillan (Research Advisor)
- Murray Mollard (North Shore Community Resources)
- Mustel Research (2022 Community Research Partner)
Past board members
Since the Foundation was formed in 1979, many wonderful community leaders have served on the Board of Directors.
Peter Ackhurst, Director
Kassem Aghtai, Director
Tom Allison, Director
Robert Annable, Director
Tom Baillie, Chair
Mark Ballard, Director
Merla Beckerman, Director (Honorary Governor)
Robert Bentall, Director
Peter Bogardus, Director
Patricia Boname, Mayor (Honourary Director)
Helen Boultbee, Director
Jim Boyd, Director
Barbara Brink, Director
Brooke Campbell, Director
James Cameron, Chair
Craig Cantlie, Director
Jim Carphin, Director
Colleen Cattell, Director
Naomi Chard, Director
Malcom Clay, Director
Stuart Clyne, Director
James Dixon, Director
Margie Driscoll, Director
Keith Duncan, Director, Chair
Mohammed Faris, (Honorary Director)
Nancy Farran, Director, Chair
Nassreen Filsoof, Director
Peter Finch, Director
Margaret Forsyth, Director
Donald Gardiner, Chair
Robert Gayton, Director
Marjorie Gibson, Director
Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, Mayor (Honorary Director)
Brayden Gordon, Director
James Green, Director
Catherine Greyell, Director
Frank Griffiths, Jr., Founding Director
Ann Hamilton, Director
Bill Harvey, Director
Byron Hender, Chair
Gordon Holley, Director
Charles Hopkins, Founding Director & Chair
Gerry Humphries, Chair
Derrick Humphreys, Mayor & Founding Chair
Bill Hyndman, Founding Director
Stephen Hynes, Director
Patricia Jarvis, Director
Geoff Jopson, Director, Chair
Don Lanskail, Mayor
Ray Leeden, Director
Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia, Director
Chris Loat, Secretary
Carol Ludvigsen, Director
Claire Lynch
Barbara MacDougall, Director
Kristin MacMillan, Director
David Mathieson, Founding Director
Cowan McKinney, Director, Chair
Stuart McLaughlin, Director
Philip Mcleod, Treasurer
Barbara McMillan, Director
Dave Mason, Director
Kay Meek, Founding Director
Bruce Milley, Chair
Sara Mohamadkhani, Director
Ed Moul, Director
Coleen Nemtin, Director
Liisa Ohara, Director
Jennifer Orum, Director
Robert Paterson, Treasurer
Fanny Patterson, Director
Mary Pattison, Founding Director
Keith Pelletier, Director
Les Peterson, Director
Tim Porteous, Director
Richard Rees, Director
Ken Rekrutiak, Director
Martin Roberts, Director
Frank Robertson, Director
Gordon Rowntree, Founding Director
Ron Royston, Director
Mark Sager, Mayor (Honorary Director)
Shirley Sager, Founding Director
Don Saunders, Director
Azad Shamji, Director
Pat Shannon, Director
Michael Smith, Mayor (Honorary Director)
Audrey Sojonky, Director
Peter Speck, Director
Ann Sturrock, Director
Judy Summers (Okazaki), Director
Gary Sutherland, Director
Doug Taylor, Director
Rob Travers, Director
Peter Van Drimmelen, Director
Richard van Liempt, Director
Helen Vanee, Chair
Jo-Ann Wood, Chair
Ron Wood, Mayor (Honorary Director)
Thank you to all past Board Members for your time served at the Foundation.