Mayor Michael Smith, Chair

Michael Smith was acclaimed Mayor of West Vancouver in November 2011.

Mayor Smith was elected as a West Vancouver Councillor in 2005 and re-elected in 2008. He previously served on the West Vancouver School Board from 1982-1990. He was Chairman of the Finance and Facilities Committees of the Board for all eight years and was Board Chairman in 1985-1986. Mayor Smith has also served on the North Shore Union Board of Health, on several Municipal Committees and is an Honorary Director of the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation.
 
A West Vancouver resident for 50 years, Mayor Smith graduated from West Vancouver High School and the University of British Columbia. For the past 25 years, Mayor Smith has owned and managed M.R.Smith Limited, the  wholesale  distributor for Imperial Oil and ExxonMobil in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley. Prior to this, he worked as a  territory  manager for a  major  oil  company and as an  account  executive for a  national  commercial  lender. He has been a Director of several  public and  private  companies involved in finance, newspapers, oil and gas exploration, and mining. 

Ms. Haleh (Holly) Alexander

Fluent in Farsi, Holly Alexander is past president of the West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, member of the Vancouver Board of Trade, past member of the board of directors of the Coho Society of the North Shore, and adjudicator for the Canadian Youth Business Foundation program at Capilano University.

Holly holds a Masters Degree in the area of Business Administration as well as her Personal Financial Planning Designation. After graduating from university, she pursued a life-long interest in finance, was trained in bank management and has managed several different financial branches on the North Shore. She brings more than 17 years of financial services experience to her role on the Board.

Holly and her husband can often be found on the sidelines of the North Shore's many soccer fields, cheering on their three children. 

Ms. Barbara Brink

Barbara Brink is immediate past Chair of the Vancouver General Hospital Foundation and serves on the Executive committee of the Provincial Capital Commission Legal Services Society Board. She is Co-Chair of the Business Laureates of British Columbia Gala Dinner and Induction Ceremonies Cabinet. She chairs the Board of the West Vancouver Community Centres Services Society which runs the new award winning Aquatic and Community Centres in West Vancouver. Barbara is also a Board member of Junior Achievement of BC. She was the founder, Chair, and CEO of Science World when Science World was first established in 1989 and returned to act as CEO during a major restructuring. Barbara was a founder of Leadership Vancouver, a program to train and encourage the best of the community’s emerging new leaders to advance Vancouver’s tradition of volunteer commitment. She served for many years as Vice Chair of the Laurier Institution, an organization committed to research and education concerning the economic and social benefits of cultural diversity. She was the General Campaign Chair for 2 years for the United Way of the Lower Mainland.

Barbara sits on the Executive Committee of the Legal Services Society and will be joining the Board of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in April of 2011. She received her B.A. in Political Science and English from the University of British Columbia.

Ms. Carla George

Bio coming soon!

Mr. Robert McDonell

Rob is a long time resident of West Vancouver. He is a partner of the Vancouver law firm, Farris, Vaughan, Wills and Murphy LLP where he has been practicing law since 1983.  He attended the University of British Columbia graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1979 and obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Victoria in 1983. Rob’s law practice includes a broad range of general civil and administrative litigation before the British Columbia Supreme Court, the BC Court of Appeal, the Federal Court of Canada, and the Supreme Court of Canada, including representation of all levels of government.  Rob has acted as counsel before numerous regulatory boards, tribunals, and commissions. He has also acted as Commission counsel on Royal Commissions of Inquiry. He has substantial experience in the regulation of professionals.  Rob is a member of the Canadian Bar Association and the Vancouver Bar Association.

Rob is keenly interested in the future of West Vancouver. He has two daughters. One is employed as a  trainer of show jumping horses while enrolled at the University of Guelph’s equestrian science programme; the other attends the University of Toronto.

Mr. Doug Murphy

Doug Murphy was appointed to the Police Board effective June 30, 2008. He recently served as President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of BC, having being on its Council for 9 years. The Institute is the regulatory and oversight body for CAs in BC.

Doug worked in the accounting profession for over 35 years, recently retiring as a partner from KPMG. In the course of his career he served in various executive positions with KPMG including Office Managing Partner of the New Westminster and Surrey offices for over 10 years and the firm's national Board of Directors for six years.

Doug has completed the Institute of Corporate Directors governance essentials program for directors of not-for-profit organizations and is currently the Treasurer and a board member of the West Vancouver Community Services Society. He is also a financial advisor to Tire Stewardship British Columbia, a not for profit organization responsible for the province's tire recycling program.

Mr. Doug Walden

Doug Walden has held a variety of senior executive positions within public and private corporations in British Columbia. His organizational development and leadership skills have been applied within the financial services, manufacturing and high-tech sectors. As a business turnaround specialist, he’s had considerable experience in revitalizing privately held businesses from re-branding through to strategy development and implementation.

Doug currently holds the position of President and owner of a manufacturing concern in Coquitlam. He devotes his spare time to the West Vancouver Police Board, the British Columbia Association of Police Boards and to his community. He and his wife raised three children in West Vancouver and are long-time residents.