Board of Directors
Board Bios
Felix Irwin – After graduating from the University of Lethbridge, Felix moved to Victoria in 1993 to pursue graduate studies in English literature at the University of Victoria. Soon after graduating high school he joined his local militia regiment, the South Alberta Light Horse. During eight years of service, he attained the rank of Captain and retired from the Canadian Scottish Regiment in 1995. In 1996 he took his first accounting course by correspondence through the BC Open University. He was designated a Chartered Accountant by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia in December 1999. Since June 2004 he has operated his own practice in Sooke. He served as Treasurer on the Executive Committee of the Sierra Club of Canada-BC Chapter from 2003 to 2005. Felix has been a director of the Foundation since 2004, serving as treasurer. [Top]
Patricia Lane – Patricia is a former director on the Coast Capital Savings Credit Union board who worked to promote a sustainable environment as a top priority in that organization. Patricia has her own law practice with 27 years experience in mediation, consensus building, conflict management and communications enhancement, working with individuals, families, workplace and volunteer teams, policy makers, Boards, shareholders, CEOs, senior officials, middle and line managers, field staff, support staff, volunteers, stakeholders and communities. Patricia was elected to the SCC-BC Chapter ExCom in 2005 and became Treasurer in 2006. She joined the Foundation Board in 2004. [Top]
Doug McArthur - Doug is Professor of Public Policy in the Graduate Public Policy Program at Simon Fraser University, and Distinguished Fellow in the Institute of Public Policy at the university. He teaches graduate courses in the political foundations of public policy, the theory of public policy and the public policy process, resources policy, aboriginal policy, and negotiations. His research includes a broad range of topics related to resources policy, aboriginal policy, policy theory, education policy, social policy, and international development. From 1999 to 2003 he was Senior Fellow in Public Policy at the University of British Columbia.
He was for many years a senior public servant in the British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Yukon Governments. At various times he was Deputy Minister to the Premier and Cabinet Secretary in B.C., Deputy Minister of Aboriginal Affairs in B.C, Chief Land Claims Negotiator in the Yukon, and Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Deputy Minister of Northern Saskatchewan in Saskatchewan. He was Minister of Education in Saskatchewan from 1978 to 1982 and Chair of the Canadian Council of Ministers of Education.
He advises the Tsawwassen First Nation on treaty negotiations and on development issues. In December of 2004 he was an international observer for the Ukraine elections. He has been an advisor to members of the Afghanistan Parliament elected in 2005, assisting with the formation of parliamentary groups. He has also advised the democratic political parties in Pakistan on renewal, and continues to work on democratization projects in Pakistan.
He is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan, University of Toronto, and Oxford University where he was a Rhodes Scholar. [Top]
Brian Pinch – Brian has been a full-time, professional financial advisor since 1985 and is now widely recognized as a Canadian leader in green and ethical investing. He has a Masters Degree focusing on economic analysis and decision-making, and is also a Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute, one of the highest certifications within the investment industry. Brian has been a Sierra member for over 30 years and has held a variety of Board positions in both the Chapter and the Foundation. He has also been a fundraising coordinator for the United Way and has served on the Board of Directors for the Victoria Cool Aid Society, Kiwanis Village, and Friends of Ecological Reserves. He has previously served on the SCC-BC Chapter ExCom (to which he was recently re-elected, effective 2007.) Brian joined the Foundation Board in 2004 and is the current Chair. [Top]