Brad Mcphee - Co-Chair

Business Name: Investors Group Financial Services

Board Director: 1st year as a Board Director

I have many years experience in Boards both with private industry having co-founded a company and non-profit Boards too. Most recently I was the President of eLearning  BC but have also served the Gay Community as the Resident Producer of the Vancouver Men’s Chorus some time ago. I was involved with GLBA when it first began back in the early 1980’s and it is privilege to return to serve the members almost 30 years later. I joined the GLBA and now the Board because I want to foster the success of Gay and Lesbian Business Owners and Professionals. Vancouver has the oldest GLBA in Canada and it is important that we ensure its continued success and value for its members. There are three reasons I have joined the Board and they are the metrics I will evaluate my participation against. I want to increase the Revenues of GLBA members, increase Referrals to GLBA members and increase the Reach of GLBA into the broader business community for partnerships and business development.

Professionally I head up a dynamic wealth management practice at Investors Group and have enjoyed being a Top 5 Pillar Award winner in the past three years. Many of my clients are gay and gray like myself and my value proposition Is to manage downside risks to build wealth and protect wealth. I simplify the complex world of financial planning and create and apply strategies for my clients to make their money work harder and smarter. In addition I have just authored a book entitled “How to get your BE CALM as an Investor” which should be published by May 2009.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve and support the GLBA.

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Lisa Paley - Co Chair

Business Name: TD Canada Trust

Board Director: 1st year as a Board Director

I am looking forward to all the great experiences to come from my involvement with the GLBA of BC.  I am committed to giving back to a community that has done so much for me and hope that my involvement with the GLBA will allow me to positively impact others.

My opportunity to work with the GLBA came through my involvement with the TD Canada Trust Diversity Committee in Vancouver.  I have worked at TD Canada Trust for 5 years and look forward to sharing my experiences with the GLBA.  I am proud to say that I work for a company that values diversity and equity in the workplace. I am committed to ensure that our customers have a comfortable experience every time they walk into a branch regardless of their background.  

Currently, I am the Manager of Customer Service at the West Broadway branch in Kitsilano where I work with a team of fantastic individuals.  Please feel free to contact me anytime!
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Tyler Wozny

Business Name: BMO Nesbitt Burns

Board Director: 2nd year as a Board Director

It certainly has been quite a year for the Gay & Lesbian Business Association of BC.  With the economic downturn casting a dark shadow over our business affairs, it would have been easy to let up on our goals.  Instead, I am proud to say that we have  accomplished a considerable amount together. In my short time on the Board, I have witnessed the growth of the GLBA not only as as an organization, but also in terms of the myriad services we provide our members.

One of our most inspiring achievements was the creation of the LOUD Foundation, bringing together Leadership, Opportunity, Unity, and Diversity. As the philanthropic arm of the GLBA, LOUD awards full-time students who contribute to the GLBT community with financial support and mentoring. This unique endeavor benefits both the community and our association by providing exposure to our diverse membership base.

Over the course of the next year, I hope to expand the Foundation so that these benefits can be further realized.  I also hope to improve the use of technology and social networking tools to support our burgeoning activities and membership.  After all, our Association is only as meaningful and valuable as those individuals who make it what it is.

As usual, please don’t hesitate to call or email me at any time.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours truly,

Tyler Wozny    

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Gary Serra

Board Director: 2nd year as a Board Director

When I first became a Realtor in 1996, one of the first things I did was to become a member of the GLBA. I knew the value of being community minded and of meeting like minded business people. Volunteering and contributing to the community has always been a top priority for me.  The experience I bring to the GLBA includes being an ongoing fundraiser for AIDS Walk for Life (over $15,000 to date), I have served on several committees and have volunteered extensively. I hope to bring new ideas and perspective to the board, help broaden its membership base and be a part of the GLBA’s continued success.

I look forward to working with the rest of the board, the businesses, and members of the community over the coming year.

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Ryan McKinley

Business Name: Vancity, Mortgage Development Manager; PINQ.ca Director of Making Friends

Board Director: 1st year as a Board Director

I have been with Vancity for over 7 years and a member of the GLBA for a majority of that time.  I have held a myriad of positions throughout the organization and have learned what it means to run a business while being accountable to the membership we serve. From Vancity I bring to the GLBA my experience in sales, finance, and community leadership.

My business partner and I also recently launched our website, PINQ.ca, which focuses on the GLBT community.  Through this I have experienced the other side of business as an entrepreneur and all it entails.  Through PINQ.ca we have also been fortunate enough to partner with many organizations in the GLBT community and to witness all of the extraordinary work that they do.  PINQ.ca is an online resource, and as such, I have been exposed to how powerful online media can be.  I hope to bring this experience to the GLBA as we move into the future.

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Isabelle Swiderski

Board Director: 1st year as a Board Director

Isabelle is founder and creative director of Seven25. Design & Typography Inc., a Vancouver-based multidisciplinary consultancy with international experience focusing on work for not-for-profit and educational organizations. Isabelle holds a Master’s Degree in Communication Design from the Royal College of Art and has been a sessional lecturer in the undergraduate design program at Emily Carr University since 2003. Her work has been featured in national and international competitions, books and magazines.

Isabelle has been active with the GLBA for the past two years as part of BNG2, one of the GLBA's breakfast networking groups, and as member of the LOUD Foundation committee. As a new board member Isabelle hopes to offer her expertise as a design & marketing specialist for both on- and off-line applications. Her extensive experience with not for profits coupled with the skills of the other fabulous board members makes her optimistic about the future of the GLBA and its reach into and beyond the GLBT community.