Board Members
Vancouver Public Library Board 2011
For biographical information on Board members, please click on their names above or scroll down.
Constance Barnes Commissioner
Mary Lynn Baum
Carellin Brooks
Angie Chan
David Chariandy
Heather Deal City Councillor
Kyla Epstein
Catherine Evans Chair
Erfan Kazemi, Vice Chair
Mike Lombardi, School Board Trustee
Debra Millward
John Swift
Alan Twigg
VPL Board Biographical Notes
Constance Barnes is Chair of the Vancouver Park Board in her second term as a Commissioner. Constance is a community activist and not-for-profit leader. As a single mother, she is a strong advocate for accessible and affordable childcare and learning, and sits on the Joint Council of Child Care. Constance focuses on innovative ways to use discarded green waste and is also a supporter of the arts, including art in parks and performing arts that are accessible to all. Constance brings strong strategic marketing skills to the Park and Library Boards. She is passionate about women's righs, accessibility, equality for all people, and healthy and fit families. Constance is an advocate for the environment and creating a sustainable city for future generations. She works at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden as Sales and Marketing Manager.
Mary Lynn Baum is a consultant with a history of experience in education policy, government, and the arts. A founding member of the Gifted Children’s Association of BC, Mary Lynn was a representative to the Vancouver School Board’s District Gifted and Talented Advisory Committee from 1985 to 2006. She also served on the Steering Committee of the VSB/UBC/Ministry of Education Transition Program. Until this past December, Mary Lynn served as a member of the Board of Directors of Theatre Terrific Society, Vancouver’s premier theatre company for people with disabilities. Mary Lynn’s diverse background also includes a period as constituency assistant to a Member of the Legislative Assembly of BC, where she gained first-hand knowledge of local community issues and government practices. For 15 years she taught ballet at Pacific Ballet Theatre School, and she is now a member of the award-winning amateur dance group, Razzmatap.
Mary Lynn holds a BA in liberal arts from Sarah Lawrence College (New York) and pursued graduate studies in English Literature at UBC. After her many years in the performing arts, non-profit, and community sectors, Mary Lynn earned a Guidance Studies diploma from the UBC Faculty of Education. She currently provides assistance to a clinical psychologist through report writing and evaluating the writing skills of children and young adults.
Carellin Brooks has been an enthusiastic Vancouver Public Library user since 1981, initially at the Point Grey branch and later moving east. Today she lives in Vancouver's West End with her two daughters, aged eight years and ten months. She is an instructor with the Department of Women's and Gender Studies at the University of British Columbia, has worked as a managing editor for local trade book publisher New Star Books, and is the editor of two books and the author of two more. Her freelance writing has appeared in The Vancouver Sun, Xtra West, and Vancouver magazine, among other venues. Carellin is a member of the Writers' Union of Canada, an avid cyclist and a voracious reader of 1940s British manor-house murder mysteries.
Angie Chan has extensive experience in community-based and public health research and program management. Her research interests are race, racism, and immigration. She has co-authored several research papers, including publications in the New England Journal of Medicine and the Canadian Medical Association Journal. She has managed and conducted research and capacity-building projects in Africa, the United States and Canada. Angie has a Bachelor of Arts, specializing in Political Science and Economics, from the University of British Columbia, and a Master of Public Administration, specializing in Non-profit Management and Public Policy, from New York University. In addition to being a Library Trustee, Angie is a member of the City of Vancouver’s Family Court/Youth Justice Committee. Angie and her husband have two young children who are avid users of the library.
David Chariandy is an Assistant Professor in the department of English at Simon Fraser University. He is also a fiction writer whose first book, entitled Soucouyant, was completed on the 4th floor of the VPL's Central Library, where he often still works. David brings his passionate interests in literature, community, lifelong learning, and the culture of libraries to his work on the VPL board. He lives in False Creek, a brisk thirty minute walk to the Central Library, with his partner and two small children.
Cllr Heather Deal is beginning her third term on Vancouver City Council and earlier served as a Vancouver Park Board Commissioner.
Sustainability, arts and culture, accessibility and affordability are among Heather's passions and she has brought forward green initiatives including waste reduction in Metro Vancouver, programs supporting artists and expanding creative spaces in the city, increasing the number and types of food carts in Vancouver, improving accessibility throughout the city, heritage retention and increasing pedestrian safety.
Heather is a professional biologist, environmental educator and activist who also sings in the Vancouver Bach Choir. She holds a Master of Science from the University of British Columbia in Microbiology/Immunology and has worked as a cancer researcher, developed science/envionmental programs for UBC Continuing Studies, designed and taught courses for people restoring fish habitat and worked on marine habitat issues with the David Suzuki Foundation.
Heather is an avid cyclist, camper, hiker and enjoys gardening on her Kitsilano balcony.
Kyla Epstein is the Administrative Director for CoDevelopment Canada, a BC-based non-profit agency that works for social change and global education in the Americas. Kyla is an active volunteer having served on many governance boards including Check Your Head, PEDAL and Kiwassa St. David's Preschool. She currently sits on the board of directors for Genius/Next Up, a leadership program for young people committed to social and environmental justice, and is thrilled about her appointment to the Vancouver Public Library. To fill in her free time Kyla is lucky enough to have a wonderful son who is hard to drag out of libraries.
Catherine Evans is a lawyer and a partner in Ethos Strategy Group, a planning, research and public relations firm that works in the field of public interest communications and social marketing. Prior to co-founding Ethos in 2005, Catherine worked for more than 15 years in government as well as with community-based organizations to advance public policy goals on a broad range of issues including pay equity, employment equity, agency reform, public education and adult guardianship. Catherine has a BA from Dalhousie University, a M. Div. from the University of Toronto and a LLB from York University. She is active in a wide range of community organizations and was appointed to the VPL Board of Directors in 2009.
Erfan Kazemi is a senior manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers. He has over 6 years' experience in public practice, focusing on clients in a variety of industries. He has assisted clients in areas such as public financing, mergers and acquisitions, US/SEC securities filings, IFRS implementation and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. He has also co-authored several annual publications including the Global Annual Forest, Paper & Packaging Industry Survey and the BC Mining Industry Survey. Over the years he has served on several boards including the UBC Board of Governors, the UBC Alumni Association and the Canadian Institute of Mining (Vancouver Branch).
Efan attended the University of British Columbia where he completed a B.Sc. in Mathematics. While at UBC, Erfan was involved with various organizations including serving a term as President of UBC's Student Society. In his graduating year, Erfan was the recipient of the "Outstanding Student Award".
Mike Lombardi. Before seeking office as a school trustee, Mike served in the public education system as a teacher, professional development expert, and teacher leader. He sought public office as a Vision Vancouver candidate after serving in the teaching profession for 35 years. Prior to his retirement in June 2008, Mike served as Director of the BCTF Professional and Social Issues Division. He has a Bachelor of General Studies degree from Simon Fraser University and a Master of Education degree from the University of British Columbia. He now works as an education consultant.
Mike has a proud history of community involvement. He has served as the Chairperson of the Prince of Wales Secondary School Parent Advisory Council and as a coach for Dunbar Little League, Dunbar Soccer Association, and Vancouver Community Baseball. Mike is also a leader in the Italian community. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Italian Cultural Centre. Mike is also a director on COMITES BC (advisory committee to Consul General of Italy in Vancouver) .He is also president of the Basilicata Association of Vancouver and he participates on advisory committees of the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Canada.
Mike is Chairperson of the VSB Management and Coordinating Committee. He represents the VSB on the Vancouver Public Library Board and the Vancouver City Planning Commission. Mike is the trustee liaison for the Vancouver Technical Secondary School and the Magee Secondary School and their feeder schools.
Debra Millward is manager of news research for The Vancouver Sun and The Province, and is also an adjunct professor at UBC’s graduate School of Library, Archival and Information Studies. A former president and an active member of the Special Libraries Association’s Western Canada Chapter, Debbie holds a master’s degree in library science from the University of British Columbia and a BA (Hons) from Carleton University in Ottawa. She is a frequent participant in literacy/literary events. Debbie and her family are long-time residents of Champlain Heights in Vancouver.
John Swift is a lawyer in Vancouver, British Columbia, with an independent practice centered on organizing, financing and advising knowledge-based businesses and on the transfer of technology from public institutions and universities. From 1984 to 1986 John was Principal Secretary and Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister and to the Leader of the Opposition, Goverment of Canada and from 1973 to 1975, Executive Assistant to the Minister of Finance, Government of Canada. A native of Montreal, John studied at Bishop's University, the Universte of Dijon and in the Faculty of Law at the University of British Columbia.
John is currently a director of Connotative Intelligence Corporation and has served on the Board of Inex Pharmaceuticals, Ultrasonix Medical Corporation, NeuroMed Technologies and of Spark Integration.
As a volunteer, John is Chairman of the Central City Foundation, a member of the Advisory Board of the University of British Columbia New Ventures Program, a member of the BCIT Technology Management Program Advisory Committee and has served as a Director of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, of the Independance Foundation and of Arts Umbrella.
Alan Twigg is a fifth-generation Vancouverite and author of fifteen books on a wide range of subjects. He has produced the cultural newspaper B.C. BookWorld since 1987 and founded the BC Book Prizes in 1985. Alan also founded the VanCity Book Prize and the annual George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award for an outstanding literary career in BC, which continues to coordinate with the Library. In 2007, Alan became the second recipient of the Jack and Doris Shadbolt Fellowship in the Humanities at Simon Fraser University and in the same year was the first Writer in Residence at the George Price Centre for Peace in Belize.
