COLUMBIA BASIN TRUST - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Program Coordinator, Delivery of Benefits
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Delivery of Benefits
- Vice President for Columbia Basin Broadband Corporation
Aimee Ambrosone, Executive Director, Delivery of Benefits for Columbia Basin Trust and Vice President for Columbia Basin Broadband Corporation (CBBC) has worked at the Trust since 2001. She was raised in Salmo and Trail and received her MBA in Strategic Management from UBC. She has generated, negotiated and managed major funding partnerships with local governments, Crown corporations and non-profit societies for both the Trust and CBBC. With extensive experience in community development, business management and strategic partnerships, she has developed and overseen strategies, programs and initiatives and manages a large team of staff. She resides in Castlegar.
Angus Graeme (Nelson) has lived in Nelson since 1990. He retired from an 11-year term as President and CEO of Selkirk College in 2022. Angus' 30-year career at Selkirk College included terms as Vice-President Academic, Dean of Health and Human Services, Environment and Geomatics, and Kootenay Studio Arts programs, and as a faculty member in the School of Environment and Geomatics. Angus has degrees in Forestry and Educational Leadership. He is a Registered Professional Forester (retired) and a Certified Executive Coach. He continues to serve on the Selkirk College Foundation Board and has previously served on the Colleges and Institutes Canada President's Advisory on Sustainability, and on the boards of British Columbia Colleges, Trades Training British Columbia, the Post Secondary Employers Association of BC, and a number of other boards, advisories, and task forces. He currently provides executive coaching and leadership advisory services to private, NGO, post-secondary, and public sector clients, is External Co-Chair of the BC Council on Admissions and Transfer, and is a Volunteer Advisor for the Canadian NGO Catalyste+. Angus lives in Nelson with Alison and has three amazing adult children.
His term expires December 31, 2025.
Job Titles:
- Communications Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Senior Accounting Technician, Finance & Operations
Job Titles:
- Community & Indigenous Relations Lead
Job Titles:
- Operations & Maintenance Lead, Mechanical
Betty Anne Marino (Trail) was born and raised in Trail and the Kootenays has been home to Betty Anne's family since the late 1800s. She attended Washington State University, which marked the beginning of a diverse career. Betty Anne has provided leadership across a wide spectrum of community engagement, health care, corporate and volunteer initiatives. As an experienced executive coach, she is a skilled facilitator and a strong and versatile communicator. She has a track record of successfully implementing major fundraising initiatives and has been an architect and implementer of various community enhancing projects, marketing strategies and engagement programs. She lives in Warfield with her husband and revels in the time she has with her three adult children.
Her term expires December 31, 2025.
Job Titles:
- Senior Project Engineer, Electrical
Bill van Yzerloo (Castlegar) was born and raised in Castlegar and returned most recently in 2014. Bill began his career in 1980 working in the public accounting field, and joined the former West Kootenay Power organization in 1984 as Internal Auditor. He completed his professional accounting designation in 1986 and worked his way through the WKP organization becoming Vice President Finance in 1992. His career with WKP and its US parent company took him and his family to Calgary in 2000, where he continued as Chief Financial Officer. In 2003 Bill joined Inter Pipeline Ltd. as Vice President, Corporate Development. Soon after Bill was appointed Chief Financial Officer, a position he enjoyed for the last decade of his career, playing a key role in the company's growth through corporate acquisitions and organic investment. He and his wife Shelly are retired with four children, three of whom live in the Basin, and four grandchildren.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Power Operations for Columbia Basin Trust Started With Columbia Power
Brandon Haney, Executive Director, Power Operations for Columbia Basin Trust started with Columbia Power in 2014 as an Electrical Engineer working on Asset Reliability and Plant Operations & Maintenance. He previously worked for BC Hydro in Design, Resource Management and Operations & Maintenance and is a practicing Professional Engineer with EGBC since 2009. His passion lies in renewable energy asset management, particularly through the application of predictive technologies to the O&M of hydro equipment to ensure high reliability. Brandon has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering, a Masters in Electrical Power Engineering and is a UBC Sauder MBA Candidate of 2022. He and his family are happy to call the West Kootenay home.
Job Titles:
- Records & Information Management Analyst, Information Services
Job Titles:
- Senior Accounting Technician, Finance & Operations
Job Titles:
- Member of the Social Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Social Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Environment Advisory Committee
Christine Hoechsmann (Cranbrook) has been a member of the Cranbrook community since 2003 and was raised on the coast of British Columbia. After completing her Bachelor of Science Degree from UBC, Christine ventured into the business world with her partner and took over the family furniture enterprise, expanding operations to multiple locations and different businesses. Christine has served on the Cranbrook Chamber board including two years as president, the East Kootenay Foundation for Health, Kimberley Ski Team and the Cranbrook Lacrosse Association. She spends her time with her husband and two children chasing adventure and staying active.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Finance
- Executive Director, Finance & Operations
Christine Lloyd, Executive Director, Finance & Operations, started with the Trust in 2000 as an Accounting Technician. She was born and raised in Castlegar. Prior to the Trust, Christine worked in a legal office, and then a large construction company, and studied accounting and Business Administration. Christine later pursued her CGA designation and completed her Bachelor of Accounting through Thompson Rivers University. In her current role at the Trust, she oversees Human Resources, Accounting, Information Services and Corporate Operations. Christine lives in Castlegar with her husband Ken, and has two daughters, Emma and Maxie, and two dogs, Ozzy and Archie.
Job Titles:
- Broadband Project Lead, CBBC
Codie Morigeau (Cranbrook) was raised in the Ktunaxa Nation community of ʔaq̓am, and lives in Cranbrook. She is married with four children and one grandson. She has been employed with the Ktunaxa Nation since 2001 and is currently the Director of Education and Employment on a temporary assignment as the Director of Traditional Knowledge, Language, and Culture. Codie is the President of the Ktunaxa Kinbasket Child and Family Services Board. She has served on many boards and committees including the Ktunaxa Kinbasket Treaty Financing Society, ʔaq̓am Chief and Council, and the Ktunaxa Nation Executive Council. In 2020, she completed her Master of Arts in Leadership through Royal Roads University. Codie sees similarities in the visions of the Trust and the Ktunaxa Nation and looks forward to contributing her skills, education and experience to the Trust board.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Environment Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Compliance
Delphi Hoodicoff, Director, Communications, joined the Trust in 2008. She was raised in the West Kootenay and holds a BBA from Simon Fraser University, with a focus in Marketing, and a Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from BCIT. Prior to the Trust, Delphi worked in communications for the BC Government Caucus and the Premier's Office from 2001-2006. She and her family live in Crescent Valley.
Job Titles:
- Program Assistant, Delivery of Benefits
Job Titles:
- Office Services Assistant
Don McCormick (Kimberley) is serving his third term on Kimberley City Council, his second as Mayor. Originally from Saskatchewan, Don and wife Bev moved to Kimberley in 2003. Don's first community commitment was the Kimberley Rotary Club, of which he is a Past-President; Don is also a Past-President of the Kimberley Chamber of Commerce, a founding Director of Tourism Kimberley and a past Chair of the Community Futures East Kootenay Board of Directors.
Don's business experience includes 17 years of corporate sales and marketing; adventures with several start-ups; and as consultant to entrepreneurs whose companies are start-up or early revenue stage. He continues this work through Synersales Management, his consulting company.
Don is passionate about the potential for business expansion in the Kootenay region. He is actively involved in Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Alliance, the East Kootenay Columbia Community Investment Co-op and the Cranbrook-Kimberley Development Initiative.
His term expires December 31, 2024.
Job Titles:
- Director, Business Development & Technology, CBBC
Job Titles:
- Member of the Environment Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- DIRECTOR
- FOUNDING DIRECTOR
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Delivery of Benefits
Job Titles:
- Corporate Secretary
- Executive Assistant
Job Titles:
- Program Coordinator, Delivery of Benefits
Jocelyn Carver (Nelson) has been living and working in the West Kootenay since the mid 1990s, having lived previously in Nova Scotia, Ontario and Alberta. She was immediately struck by the commitment to community development and regional self-determination that characterizes so many of Basin communities. This led to many years happily engaged in the development of regional cooperatives and non-profit initiatives. She worked in both Human Resources and Marketing/Outreach at the Kootenay Coop in Nelson, as it grew to become Canada's largest natural foods retail consumer cooperative, as well as sitting on the founding board of Kootenay Cooperative Radio and contributing to the creation of the Upper Columbia Cooperative Council. Since 2015, she has been the Executive Director of Kootenay Career Development Society, providing a variety of employment and career development services in in the Boundary/West Kootenay and Central Kootenay region. She has served on multiple boards and advisory committees including the Nelson & Area Economic Development Partnership Advisory Committee, the ‘Nelson at its Best' Poverty Reduction Initiative, City of Nelson's Cultural Advisory Committee and the Columbia Basin Development Corporation. She is excited and honoured to be part of the Columbia Basin Trust Board. She lives in Nelson with her husband and daughter.
Her term expires December 31, 2025.
Job Titles:
- Program Coordinator, Delivery of Benefits
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Information Services
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Executive
- President
Johnny Strilaeff was born and raised in the Basin region. He joined the Trust in 2005 after working for several years in the financial services sector. He became Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer in 2012, and the Board of Directors promoted him to President and CEO in November 2016. In 2017 Johnny also assumed Acting CEO responsibilities for Columbia Power Corporation, and following a reorganization he continues to have oversight responsibilities for all power project related business.
Job Titles:
- Senior Financial Analyst, Finance & Operations
Job Titles:
- Coordinator, Compensation & Benefits
Job Titles:
- Human Resources Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the Social Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Manager, Delivery of Benefits
Karen Hamling (Nakusp) moved to Nakusp in 1971 from New Westminster. She worked at Arrow Lakes Hospital for 30 years as Health Record Administrator and casual Licensed Practical Nurse. Karen served on Nakusp Village Council as a councillor for 11 years and Mayor for 13 years serving on a multitude of committees including vice-chair of the Columbia Basin Treaty Local Governments Committee working on community values for 11 years. She was the first female elected chair of the Regional District of Central Kootenay and held that position for four years until her retirement in 2018. Karen and her husband John are the proud parents of two, grandparents to six and great-grandparents to four.
Her term expires December 31, 2025.
Job Titles:
- Operations & Maintenance Lead, Electrical
Job Titles:
- Communications Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Communications Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Special Initiatives
Job Titles:
- Research Coordinator, Special Initiatives
Job Titles:
- Program Assistant, Delivery of Benefits
Job Titles:
- Senior Reliability Engineer - Electrical
Job Titles:
- Communications Coordinator
Krista Turcasso (Fernie) grew up in Fernie and after attending university and working in Calgary, AB returned to the community to set down roots. She immediately started Claris Media with a business partner, publishing a monthly magazine and guides to share their love and appreciation for their mountain town and the Kootenay region.
Krista has worked with the Fernie Chamber of Commerce and Fernie Historical Society at the board level, and currently sits on the Emily Brydon Youth Foundation and Fernie Trails Alliance boards. She also co-organizes an annual mountain duathlon, Fernie Tears & Gears, which draws people to the valley to enjoy mountain biking and trail running.
Krista is passionate about community, history and outdoor recreation and enjoys sharing these passions with her partner and two young children.
Job Titles:
- Environmental Lead, Delivery of Benefits
Job Titles:
- Operations & Maintenance Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Engineering
Job Titles:
- Program Coordinator, Delivery of Benefits
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Social Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Assistant, Delivery of Benefits
Job Titles:
- Senior Reliability Engineer, Mechanical, Power Operations
Job Titles:
- Office Services Assistant
Job Titles:
- Manager, Commercial Business, Investments & Economic Development
Job Titles:
- Acting Senior Accounting Technician, Finance & Operations
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer, CBBC
Job Titles:
- Member of the Social Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Senior Infrastructure Systems Administrator
Job Titles:
- Member of the Environment Advisory Committee
Provides strategic advice to guide our support for social well-being in the Basin. Read the Terms of Reference.
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Operations & Maintenance
Job Titles:
- Program Coordinator, Special Initiatives
Job Titles:
- Broadband Project Lead, CBBC
Job Titles:
- Member of the Environment Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Controller, Finance & Operations
Job Titles:
- Environment, Health & Safety Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Manager, Delivery of Benefits
Job Titles:
- Staff Accountant, Finance & Operations
Job Titles:
- Business Development and Services Coordinator, CBBC
Owen Torgerson (Valemount) is a life-long resident of Valemount and currently serving as its Mayor. He also leads operations in the civil construction sector, particularly earth works, and oversees Crown tenure permits, land-use planning, mapping, 3D-modelling, emergency response, Indigenous relations and provides multi-organizational logistics on larger projects.
Beyond the telling of many fishing stories, Owen is very well-versed with Kinbasket Reservoir and its operations. Since 2011, Owen continues to volunteer on the Kinbasket Debris Management Committee and now relaxes as Past-President of the Valemount Marina Association, a non-profit organization that manages Canoe Reach Marina.
He has been actively involved with local government since 2011, volunteering at first with the Village of Valemount Advisory Planning Commission, their Integrated Sustainable Community Planning Team and the Columbia Basin Trust Community Initiatives Adjudication Committee. In 2014 he was elected municipal Councillor where he focused on recreational development and tourism, forestry, municipal infrastructure asset management and emergency planning. In 2018, Owen was elected Mayor of his hometown, where he and wife Korie live, work and play.
His term expires December 31, 2024.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Environment Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Manager, Commercial Business, Investments & Economic Development
Ron Oszust (Golden) is a journeyman tradesman who was owner/operator of multiple different businesses during his working career. He served as a director on the Trust's board from April 2000 to March 2008 and from April 2010 to March 2012. Ron is currently the Mayor of Golden and has been on Council for seven years; he also served his community as Electoral Area Director for 12 years and School Board Trustee for six years. Ron continues to be involved with his community serving on many local boards including the Rotary Club, over 25 years with BC Ambulance Service, and he volunteered with Golden and District Search and Rescue, Golden Fire Department, Kinsmen Club of Golden and many youth sport and development organizations. With his wife Carmen, they have lived in Golden for the past 30 years and are fortunate enough to have all three grown children (Michelle, Richard and Anik) reside in the community with them. They are proud grandparents of Aven Chantal.
His term expires December 31, 2024.
Job Titles:
- Manager, Projects and Infrastructure, CBBC
Job Titles:
- Accountant, Finance & Operations
Job Titles:
- Senior Dam Safety Engineer - Civil
Job Titles:
- Technical Support Analyst, Information Services
Job Titles:
- Broadband Project Lead, CBBC
Job Titles:
- Operations and Maintenance Engineer
Job Titles:
- Corporate Secretary & Executive Assistant, Delivery of Benefits
Job Titles:
- Investments Associate, Investments & Economic Development
Job Titles:
- Manager, Procurement and Operations
Job Titles:
- Manager, Delivery of Benefits
Job Titles:
- Director, Investments and Economic Development
Tim O'Doherty, Director, Investments and Economic Development, joined the Trust in 2008. He was raised in Burnaby and spent a number of years in the Kootenays prior to working at the Trust. He worked in financial services for 30 years, primarily focusing on commercial lending and investment management. He now resides in Castlegar with his family and is an active member of the local Rotary Club, and enjoys the Kootenay lifestyle.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Social Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Systems Analyst, Information Services
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Delivery of Benefits
Job Titles:
- Manager, Business Systems
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Environment, Health & Safety
Job Titles:
- Member of the Environment Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Delivery of Benefits
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Human Resources