Board of Directors
Four new board directors were elected for three-year terms at the IPS Society AGM held on September 14, 2009.
David McCullum - Board Chair
David McCullum is the newly elected Board chair . David will also be a member of the Recruitment and Marketing Committees.
David received a BA (Political Science & History) from UBC and is one of the principals of Digitally Hip Corp.—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 (Class of 2009) and Eliza who currently in Grade 7. 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 Spear and his wife, Dyan, over dinner and heard Ted’s plan for what became IPS. They put Ben’s name on the list shortly after he was born.
Ross Allan - Director (Finance)
Ross and his wife Suzanne (who worked as the French teacher/head of the French department at IPS from 2001-2006) were both born and raised in Vancouver, and have lived on Bowen for almost 20 years. Their three daughters, Danielle (IPS Class of 2004), Emily (IPS Class of 2006), and Lissy (currently in Grade 8), have all benefited greatly from the school. Ross recently joined the IPS Board, bringing with him 25 years of experience running his own financial firm to his position as the Director of Finance.
Ross spends all the time he can out in his boat (including his daily commute from Bowen to downtown Vancouver), and loves spending time with his family, playing basketball (re-living his glory days as a Physical Education major at UBC), and embarrassing his children whenever possible.
He and his family are thrilled that he is on the Board, giving back to the well-loved school that has given them so much over the years.
Michelle Gibson - Director (Annual Giving)
Michelle Gibson has a BA in Psychology and Recreation Management from the University of Victoria. She and her husband, Jim, are the owners of “Par-T-Perfect," a children’s party and event company franchised across North America. They just launched Par-T-Ware, an online party product store. Michelle has a working background in the YMCA running kids camps, and with the City of Burnaby as Recreation Programmer and Special Needs Camp coordinator. She is a member of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, and the Canadian Franchise Association. Her skills include experience working with children and families, business development, and extensive fundraising. She has been elected by the Board to hold the official position of Treasurer, replacing Lisa Day.
In addition she sits on the Marketing, and Advancement Committees and help to organize the Gala.
Jon Heath - Director
Jon Heath and his wife, Karin, have lived on Bowen for 15 years, and they are finally reaping the rewards of having put down a deposit at IPS for two of their three children, Conrad and Elsa, in 1998. Their youngest, Rex, should enter the school in 2016. Jon is the Executive Director (and head dishwasher) at Camp Bow-Isle and the Bow-Isle Outdoor Centre. He has enjoyed leading/driving/chaperoning groups of IPS students on high ropes course activities and various excursions including the Spring Reign Ultimate Frisbee Tournament and, recently, hiking and climbing the Black Tusk, near Whistler, BC. He loves outdoor activities including but not limited to, skiing, running, sailing, hiking, and international travel. Jon attended public grade schools and high school, but had the good fortune to attend a private school for grades 7 and 8. He attended Principia College and the University of Oregon, graduating in 1990.
Jon has agreed to join the Marketing Recruitment Committee, as well as the Advancement Committee.
Paul Tennant – Director (Secretary)
Paul Tennant served as the Board secreatry last year and continues this year as a director.
Paul is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of British Columbia. After graduating from UBC in 1961, he held a Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship at the University of Chicago, obtaining his MA in Public Administration and his PhD in Political Science. He then spent a year working and studying in the United States Congress as the first non-American citizen awarded a United States Congressional Fellowship.
He served on the UBC faculty from 1966 to 2006, specializing in local government, British Columbia government and politics, and the politics of aboriginal peoples. In 1998 he became the founding director of UBC Foundations, an enriched, multi-disciplinary, first-year program designed to provide a welcoming, but challenging, small-college atmosphere within the large university. In establishing the program he consulted extensively among grade 12 students and teachers in BC high schools.
Among his awards are the UBC Master Teacher Prize, the "Just Desserts Award" from the UBC Student Government for outstanding service to students, the Roderick Haig-Brown Prize for the book published in 1990 "contributing most to a better understanding of British Columbia," and the BC Lieutenant Governor's Medal for publications advancing the understanding of British Columbia history. He has four sons (with 13 university degrees among them) and eight grandchildren, and has lived on Bowen Island for the past six years -- and was recently appointed to the Municipality's Advisory Planning Commission. His hobbies are gardening, woodturning, and kayaking.
Deb Thompson - Director
Deb holds a BSc in Secondary Education and an MA in Counseling and Guidance. She brings her background in public school teaching and counseling, outdoor education, other Board work in the community and home schooling to her role as an IPS Board Director.
This is just the most recent chapter in Deb’s 10-year relationship with Island Pacific School, having been involved as a volunteer and Board Director when her children were younger. She’s excited to be back for another stint as Director, this time with the added perspective of a parent with two children attending the school.
She looks forward to helping the Society and Board of Directors continue to develop within the new governance structure, and will Chair the Governance Committee.
Kim Brooks – Ex Officio Director
Kim Brooks is a former Board Chair and serves the current as an ex officio, non-voting director. This ensures smooth transition for the new Board.
Kim holds a BA Honours from SFU in Anthropology/Psychology. With twenty years leading Technology search firm, Corporate Recruiters, Kim is a strong supporter of BC’s technology industry and sees a 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: in her own home she has developed a sustainable and revolutionary green building material. Kim has been a Bowen Island resident since 1993. Her daughter Sachiell (Class of 2009) currently attends Sentinel Secondary School in West Vancouver. Kim has been involved with Island Pacific School since 2005, having served on the Board, initially as Director Recruitment and Marketing, and then as Board Chair from 2007 - 2009.