New Appointments to Victoria Foundation Board and Staff
Victoria, B.C., Jan. 16, 2012 – The new year brings some new faces to The Victoria Foundation with the appointment of a new board chair, two directors and two staff members.
Deirdre Roberts is the new chair of the board of directors while Karen DeMeo and Judy Pryce join the board as new directors. The appointments are effective immediately, with the first board meeting of 2012 to take place Jan. 27.
Roberts is a former broadcaster who began her career with the BBC in London and continued at CBC in Vancouver for 25 years before she retired to become a full-time artist. She is the recipient of The Generosity of Spirit Award from the 2011 Philanthropy Day Awards in recognition of her work with Pacific Opera Victoria, The Victoria Foundation, Victoria Hospice, The Partnership Walk for Global Poverty, and Friends of UVic Libraries.
DeMeo is a cabinet analyst in the Office of the Premier. Pryce, a chartered accountant and a certified management consultant, is president and principal consultant of Pryce.ca Consulting Inc. and co-owner of The myo Clinic in Victoria.
Steve McKerrell will continue to sit on the board as past board chair. Other returning board members are Gloria Back, Sandra Harper, Andrew Jackson, Mark Litwin, Peter Malcolm, Heather Raven and Bob Worth.
Chuck Burkett, Kathryn Dawson and Richard Izard leave the board – Burkett to become president of the foundation’s honorary governors. Past-president Ian Izard will remain a member of the honorary governors.
The Victoria Foundation also formally announced the appointment of two staff members who joined the community foundation in late 2011. Rita Lord, CA, is finance director while Stephanie Slater is communications director.
Lord was previously the director of financial planning and analysis and divisional controller at Coast Capital Savings. She is also an associate faculty member at Royal Roads University in the School of Business and the Continuing Studies Division. She replaced Susan Lucato, who now has a financial consulting practice providing contract services to businesses and non-profit organizations.
Slater had previously worked for Royal Roads University as director of community relations. She replaced Shannon Drew-Burrows, who is now the senior admissions associate at St. Michaels University School.
Background: The Victoria Foundation manages funds gifted either in perpetuity or for specific purposes. The funds or the earnings from them are then distributed as grants for charitable or educational purposes. Established in 1936, the Victoria Foundation is Canada’s second oldest community foundation and the sixth largest of 180. To date it has invested more than $100 million in people, projects and non-profit organizations that strengthen communities in B.C. and across Canada. Read more about the Victoria Foundation’s vision and mandate.
For more information, please contact:
Stephanie Slater, Director of Communications
The Victoria Foundation
Office: 250.381.5532 ext. #227 Cel: 250.686-8477
Email: slslater@victoriafoundation.bc.ca
victoriafoundation.bc.ca