Board

​Our Board is made up of volunteers from local communities with diverse experience and backgrounds.

Diverse Group of Volunteers

Our Board provides governance and oversight for the organization, ensuring our shared commitment to building equitable communities is at the centre of what we do.

Meet the Board

To ensure a diversity of perspectives, our Board Members come from a variety of cultural and professional backgrounds, speak more than 5 languages and are reflective of the diverse population on the North Shore. Each Member brings a unique perspective that helps improve Impact North Shore.

Yang Wang is a professional in real estate finance, development, and asset management across British Columbia and Ontario. He holds a master’s degree in business management from the University of British Columbia and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Southern California.
 
Yang currently chairs the Board of Impact North Shore and serves as a board director for the West Vancouver Police Board, Lions Gate Hospital Foundation, and Enhance West Van (formerly West Vancouver Community Centres Services Society). He has previously served with the West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce and the West Vancouver Foundation.
 
Yang has been honoured with several awards, including the King Charles III Coronation Medal, the District of West Vancouver’s Community Award, and the West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. In his spare time, he is also an avid USPA polo player.

With over 13 years of experience in public practice accounting, Laurence brings a wealth of knowledge and dedication to every role he pursues. He works diligently as a Partner and Business Advisor at a national accounting firm in Downtown Vancouver, holding a CPA, CGA designation. Laurence is past treasurer of the Rotary Club of Fort St. John and is currently co-chairing the Mandarin Committee for BC Children’s Hospital Foundation. Laurence lives in West Vancouver with his wife and two boys.

Adriana Watkins, CPA, CA, CIA, CAMS, CRMA, is a finance and audit professional with over 15 years of leadership experience. She currently works at the BC Financial Services Authority overseeing the province-wide Real Estate Audit Program. Her passion for helping immigrants stems from her own journey since arriving from Mexico in 2003. Adriana excels in fostering inclusive communities and empowering fellow immigrants in British Columbia. Her collaborative spirit and teamwork skills have been instrumental in driving initiatives that resonate with her commitment to diversity and inclusion.

With over a decade of experience in brand marketing, Amanda has deep experience and insight into diverse markets, having collaborated with many international brands. Amanda is an entrepreneur with strong local and international networks. Amanda excels at creating impactful social media campaigns that resonate with audiences and drive engagement. She is well-versed in advanced marketing AI software and is a guru at leveraging a range of analytics platforms to enhance organic traffic and drive brand optimization.  Amanda lives in West Vancouver with her family and is involved in neighborhood and community events that foster belonging for newcomers.

Betsy retired as a Senior Client Partner of Korn Ferry International, a publicly traded global organizational consulting firm. Betsy brings an extensive background in both human resources and governance. In February 2024, Betsy was appointed to the board of the BC Institute of Agrologists as a lay board member. As of June 2023, she completed twelve years as Chair of Health Employers Association of BC. For eight years Betsy was both the chair of the Governance and HR committee of the Provincial Health Services Authority and a member of the Judical Council of the Province of BC.  Betsy is also very involved in community and civic affairs as she is most recently the past Chair of the Kay Meek Arts Society, was past Chair of Women’s Hospital and Health Centre Foundation, past President of the Human Resources Management Association of BC, and past Chair of the SFU Faculty of Business Administration External Advisory Board.  She holds a BA (Ec) and an EMBA from Simon Fraser University and is the recipient of several professional awards.

David Walker is a Partner and Creative Director at Saint Bernadine Mission Communications Inc. – an award-winning communications firm that has developed brands for a wide range of public and private sector clients. David also participates in a number of boards, including Vancouver Chinatown BIA, where he is vice-president. David loves living on the North Shore with his wife and 3 children.

Joan Coert is a first-generation settler, manages the provincial operations of BC Girl Guides and provides strategic advice to the board. She holds a CPHR designation in addition to a degree in International Management and several HR and Leadership certifications. She has worked for several not for profit and municipal organizations including the City of Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and the National Canadian Freestyle Ski Association. After living in several European countries, Joan has lived on the North Shore for the past 16 years and currently resides in Lions Bay.  In her free time, Joan likes to ski, sail, and play golf.

Raheil was born in Tehran and moved to Canada with her family in 1998 as a teenager. She graduated with an honors degree in Political Science from University of British Columbia while pursuing her passion for entrepreneurship, starting her business at age 17. While building her business, Raheil completed her Master’s Degree in International Business Law and is currently pursuing her PhD.
 
Raheil is currently the CEO and President of Monarch Group of Companies with a history of working in finance, hospitality, and real estate VC. Raheil’s everlasting passion for mentorship and teaching has led her to take on various teaching positions at University Canada West and Vancouver Community College.
 
She has been involved in the community in various capacities since arriving to Canada, serving on boards of West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, Aboriginal Housing Association Management, Save a Child Foundation International and The Aga Khan Foundation to name a few.

Raji Sohal is a broadcaster and independent podcast host. Previously, she was a talk show host on Weekend Mornings with Raji Sohal at Global News’ Vancouver radio station, CKNW. She worked as an arts and culture journalist for CBC radio and television in Montreal, and was the Canadian correspondent for PBS’ Art21. She is involved with the diversity, equity and inclusion committee at her local PAC, and is a representative for Canadian Parents for French where her daughters attend school in North Vancouver. Outside of work, Raji enjoys hiking and biking on the North Shore trails with her family.

Rosalie Cress is a labour and employment lawyer with over 17 years’ experience advising clients in the public and private sector.  Rosalie received her law degree from the University of Victoria and holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Environmental Biology from the University of Alberta. In her spare time while practicing law, Rosalie also completed the University of British Columbia (Robson Square)’s Immigration Practitioner Certificate Program and has volunteered for Access Pro Bono, the Canadian Bar Association (BC Branch), MOSAIC and the Immigrant Services Society of BC. Rosalie is grateful to live in North Vancouver with her husband and two sons.

With over 14 years in the financial services industry, Shanya has an extensive background in strategic planning and implementation. She is currently a business leader at the Royal Bank of Canada where she held progressively senior roles across the enterprise. Shanya is actively involved in promoting inclusion in the workplace as a Cabinet Member for the RBC B.C. Women’s Resource Group and is dedicated to mentoring professionals in the business community. 
 
In her free time, Shanya enjoys hiking with her husband, young kids and their dog in North Vancouver, B.C. 
 
Shanya holds a BA from Simon Fraser University and an MBA from Dalhousie University.

Zubin is a retired Senior Aviation Consultant who has worked on multi-billion-dollar airport transaction due diligence efforts for various airports worldwide. Zubin has an MBA from the University of British Columbia and prior work experience in the airline, aircraft manufacturing and airport sub-sectors within aviation.
 
As an immigrant to Canada in the mid-nineties, then later a volunteer with the Immigration Services Society and a certified Immigration Consultant, Zubin has walked in the shoes of newcomers to Canada contributing to his interest in Impact North Shore. Zubin is passionate about world travel and has visited over 35 countries. Zubin also enjoys classical music and plays piano publicly at an advanced amateur level. He and his twin boys enjoy hiking and biking together in their leisure time.

About Us

Impact North Shore is a for-purpose, social impact organization creating opportunities for success for im/migrants.

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