Events Archive

Honourable Jennifer Whiteside - Minister of Education and Child Care

Jennifer Whiteside was elected as the MLA for New Westminster and appointed as Minister of Education in October 2020. Jennifer was the chief spokesperson and lead negotiator for the Hospital Employees’ Union, where she fought for strong public healthcare and healthcare workers’ rights. She has dedicated her career to advocating for working people. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked tirelessly to protect seniors and workers in nursing homes across the province. While leading B.C.’s first campaign for a living wage, she fought to ensure that work lifts people out of poverty and allows them to support their families and fully participate in their communities. Jennifer has championed a wide range of social justice issues from accessible post-secondary education and affordable public childcare, to Medicare and health equity. She has worked for community organizations and labour unions at the provincial and national levels. Jennifer was born and raised in New Westminster, holds a degree in History from Simon Fraser University, and is passionate about making life better for people in her city and across BC.

Christina Zacharuk - Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education and Child Care

Christina Zacharuk joined the Ministry of Education in January 2022. Prior to becoming the Deputy Minister of Education, she was the Associate Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Office and before that, spent more than five years as the President & CEO of the Public Sector Employers’ Council Secretariat, reporting to the Minister of Finance. Christina joined the BC Public Service in 2004 and moved to PSEC Secretariat in 2005. In February of 2012, she led the transition of the independent BC College of Teachers to the Teacher Regulation Branch in the Ministry of Education. She has over a decade of experience in every aspect of public sector bargaining. In addition, she has broad expertise in policy development, including corporate governance, strategic labour relations, executive and exempt compensation across the public sector. Christina graduated from the University of Victoria with a Bachelor’s degree (Hons) in Sociology and she has a Master’s degree in Public Administration, with co-op experience at both the federal and provincial levels of government.

Dr Jennifer Charlesworth - BC Representative for Children & Youth

Dr. Jennifer Charlesworth is B.C.’s Representative for Children and Youth. Jennifer has worked in the B.C. social and health care sectors since 1977 in front-line child welfare, social policy, program management and executive roles. She has taught child and youth care at the University of Victoria, has been the Executive Director of the Federation of Community Social Services of BC, and is the founder of the Federation’s Leadership 2020 program. Jennifer has also worked with Chief Wedlidi Speck and many others to inspire culturally safer workplaces. 

Rebecca Winthrop - Senior Fellow and Co-Director, The Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution

Rebecca Winthrop is a Senior Fellow and Co-Director of the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution. Her research focuses on education globally, with special attention to the skills young people need to thrive in work, life, and as constructive citizens. Dr. Winthrop works to promote quality and relevant education, including exploring how education innovations and family and community engagement can be harnessed to leapfrog progress, particularly for the most marginalized youth.

Mike Bowden (District Principal of Indigenous Education, SD73 Kamloops-Thompson)

Mike is Secwépemc te Pelltíq̓t and the District Principal for Indigenous Education for School District No. 73 Kamloops-Thompson. School District No. 73 is located on the territories of seven local First Nations and Mike oversees Indigenous Programs and Services for over 3100 self-identified Indigenous students and their families.

Roxane Letterlough (Co-Chair, SD73 Indigenous Family Voices for Education)

Roxane Letterlough (Co-Chair of the SD73 Indigenous Family Voices for Education) is a mother of four and is from the St’at’imc Nation. She completed her undergrad at Simon Fraser University and her Masters degree from the University of British Columbia. Being a classroom teacher at the time, her Masters looked at what the indicators of academic success were for Indigenous students. Roxane is currently a PhD student at the University of Waikato in New Zealand. She is also a tenure track lecturer in the School of Education at Thompson Rivers University.

Jacqueline Turvey, RRT CRE CTE (Co-Chair, SD73 Indigenous Family Voices for Education)

Jacqueline is a mother of two and member of the Secwepemc Nation (Whispering Pines/Clinton Indian Band). She has been a Respiratory Therapist for 28 years and is a Certified Respiratory/ Tobacco Educator. She is the owner/operator of JT Respiratory Consulting Services providing work for BC Lung Foundation, Health Canada, and the College of Physicians of Canada. She volunteers for an International project in Guyana called GASP, teaching local physicians and other healthcare staff on how to diagnose and manage Asthma and COPD. 

Julia Hayos - Operations Lead, Foundry Virtual

Julia Hayos is the Operations Lead for Foundry Virtual supporting the overall implementation and ongoing development of the program. Julia’s professional and educational background includes work in public health, health promotion and community development, with some focus on ehealth and virtual care for the past few years. 

Sierra Turner - Communications Coordinator, Foundry BC

Sierra Turner is the Communications Coordinator with Foundry BC, bringing past lived experience with an Eating Disorder and anxiety. Starting initially in the role of a Peer Supporter and growing into a role supporting communications, Sierra is passionate about raising mental health awareness and helping others understand how to support loved ones with mental health challenges.

Brenda Mattman - Family Peer Support Worker, Foundry Virtual BC

Brenda Mattman is a Family Peer Supporter with Foundry Virtual BC. She draws on her lived experience supporting her 3 youth through various mental health challenges. For 15 years Brenda was a stay-at-home mom, avid school volunteer and PAC executive. Drawing on these lived experiences, Brenda enjoys witnessing the healing that takes place each day at Foundry Virtual as caregivers walk this path together and discover that we are not alone in our journey.

Samantha Gambling - Project Coordinator, BC Chapter of the Coalition for Healthy School Food (BC-CHSF)

Samantha (Sam) works for the Public Health Association of BC, coordinating the BC Chapter of the Coalition for Healthy School Food. She formerly worked for PHABC as a Community Animator with Farm to School BC. She is an MSc. alumna from UBC's Faculty of Land and Food Systems where she studied agricultural policy and food sovereignty, and a graduate of the UBC Farm sustainable agriculture practicum and United Way's Public Policy Institute.

The Coalition for Healthy School Food is a growing network of 180+ organizations from all provinces and territories, seeking public investment in a cost-shared Universal Healthy School Food Program for Canada to support the health, well-being and education of all K-12 students. The BC Chapter of the Coalition for Healthy School Food, administered by the Public Health Association of BC, engages with school communities and stakeholders across BC and advocates both federally and provincially

Cpl. Kerry Ann Johnson – Federal Policing Prevention & Engagement Unit, RCMP

Cpl. Johnson and her colleagues work to educate police and community in current crime trends by supporting divisional and national RCMP outreach activities to raise awareness, build trust through partnerships and ultimately increase Canadian’s resiliency against criminality through proactive, prevention and engagement initiatives. Cpl. Johnson has been with the RCMP for 15 years.