Current Board of Directors for the year 2013/2014:
Troy Dungate, Chair
Troy was born and raised in Prince George. He is a graduate of the University of Victoria’s Bachelor of Commerce program and the University of Saskatchewan’s Bachelor of Law program. Troy has previously managed offices focusing in business development in Prince George, Langley, Victoria and Vancouver for TD Waterhouse. He now practices law with his family at their Prince George based law firm.
Catherine Wishart, Vice Chair
Catherine joined CF-FFG as a director in September 2005 and has brought her experience to numerous committees. She has been employed by the College of New Caledonia since 1992 and is currently the VP of Student Services.
Leslie Lax, Treasurer/Secretary
Leslie Lax joined the board in November 2009. He has a keen interest in regional economic development and has extensive experience working with communities throughout northern BC. Leslie brings experience in both the public and private sectors to his work with CF-FFG.
Sherry Sethen
Sherry has always asked what she can do for her community, not what her community can do for her. During Sherry’s 17.5 years as the Director of the Prince George Chamber of Commerce and 10 years as Chair and trustee for School District 87, a committee chair on the Northern Lights College board, dedicated member of the board of health fighting for equal health services for her community, Justice of the Peace or managing a business Sherry always brings courage of conviction and a genuine belief that she has something to offer to each endeavor.
Murray Carlson
Murray has been with Community Futures since 2004. His business knowledge and progressive approach has been a great asset to CF-FFG.
Greg Halseth
Greg Halseth is a Professor in the Geography Program at the University of Northern British Columbia, where he is also the Canada Research Chair in Rural and Small Town Studies and the Acting Director of UNBC’s Community Development Institute. His research examines rural and small town community development, and community strategies for coping with social and economic change, all with a focus on northern B.C.’s resource-based towns.
Bill Kruisselbrink
Bill has been a member of the Board of Directors since 1999. Bill has resided in the Valemount area as a business owner/operator for most of his working life.
Dave Forshaw
Dave Forshaw, has been a resident of Mackenzie since 1972, and a Mackenzie and is a District Municipal Councilor. Dave is the president of the Northern Interior Mining Group, representing the mining service companies of our region. Dave is a long time prospector of the mining industry in BC, and in particular the Northern Central region. Dave joined the CF-FFG Board as a Director in the spring of 2010.
Dr. Albert Koehler
Albert Koehler graduated as an Engineer, B.Sc. Agricultural and Forestry Machinery in Cologne, Germany. He received his M.Sc. and his Doctoral degree from the Technical University of Aachen, Germany. Albert has received many awards and honors including the Community Service Award by the Professional Engineers Association for substantial and continuing contributions to the well being of the Prince George community. He also received the Business Excellence Award from the Federal Business Development Bank for three consecutive years. He is an author of 40 publications with half of them being scientific in nature. He is the Honorary Consul of Germany for all of the Northern BC. Albert is the Founder and President of Tribotec International Ltd., A&A Tools Inc., Maintenance Technology and the Training Institute of Canada Inc.
Lane Zirnhelt
Born and raised in Prince George, Lane graduated from the University of Victoria in 1997 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and went on to earn his Chartered Accountancy designation in 2000. After graduating, Lane worked with KPMG in the Audit and Advisory groups in Vancouver and in Europe before entering the airline industry where, among other things, he helped start-up airlines raise equity and debt capital. Lane has since returned home to Prince George and has rejoined KPMG as a Partner in their Prince George office. Lane has been a director with CF-FFG since September 2011.
Shauna Harper
Shauna Harper is a communications strategist and entrepreneur in Prince George. She joined the CF board in Jan 2013. Bringing to the table her 5 years in corporate management and 13 years as an entrepreneur, she helps businesses look at both their internal and external communication strategiesThrough her online and in person programs, she has coached over 500+ businesses.
Her latest community project is helping to bring more attention to the business Startup community through events like Startup Weekend, mentoring in the Youth Mean Business program, co-founding Startup Drinks PG and getting Prince George visibility as 1 of 15 startup cities on the Startup Canada National website.
Planning for the Board’s succession is an on-going activity. The following criteria are considered when recruiting new members:
- Profile of the current Board’s composition
- Gaps in skills, knowledge, and representation that will exist upon the completion of current members’ terms
- Special skills or qualities that will be required to achieve the organization’s strategic plan and goals
- The Board’s commitment to diversity
