Meet Our Board Members

Over the last 20 years, David has worked with numerous non-profit organizations, both as a consultant and in leadership roles, with a focus on the social services, local employment and non-profit housing sectors. He is currently the Director, Employment and Social Enterprise at MOSAIC, a settlement and employment organization in BC. His work has involved engaging people and organizations across the 3 levels of government, local businesses, and non-profit sectors, and the individuals being served and supported. He has facilitated a wide range of consultations and planning sessions and guided the development of strategic plans and social enterprise business plans. In addition to having a Master of Business Administration from the UBC Sauder School of Business, David is an Accredited Partnership Broker and an Authorized Practitioner-Trainer with the Partnership Brokers Association.

Stuart Evans has been a member of RCL Branch 60 since 1980. In February 2021 he retired from the RCN Reserve after 30 years where his last appointment was Executive Officer of HMCS Discovery. He has served on the Board of Governors of Commissionaires BC since 2012, including serving three years as Chairman and a member of the National Board. He retired from his Management Consulting practice in 2018; most of his civilian career was in business management, specifically in high-tech. Stuart’s education includes Diploma of Engineering Technology (Robotics) from BCIT, Marketing & Sales Diploma from UBC Sauder School of Business, and MBA in Executive Management from Royal Roads University. He holds the CMC designation (Certified Management Consultant) from CMC Canada and the AScT (Applied Science Technologist) designation from ASTTBC.

Steve McConnell, CPA, CGA, CRM, is the Vice President, Construction Services at John Ross Insurance Service Ltd, which is Part of the InsureBC Group. Steve has decades of experience in the insurance and construction industry with experience on the Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA) Board of Directors and Awards Committee. He is an owner of an insurance and surety portfolio of construction companies in the institutional, commercial and industrial sectors. His experience involves working with contractors and developers, and in procurement issues, complex corporate structures, companies going through ownership change, rapid growth, financing issues, First Nations ownership, project accounting, financial analysis, and cash flow projections.

Jan Robinson has served on the New Chelsea Board of Directors for the past seven years. Jan holds a CPA, CMA designation and is the former Executive Director of Brightside Community Homes Foundation, one of Vancouver’s largest and longest standing affordable housing providers. Prior to that, Jan worked in the non-profit sector for many years, initially for the BC Apartment Owners and Managers Association (now LandlordBC) and then the Vancouver Regional Construction Association; both member-based associations. During those years, Jan was also a member of the Canadian Society of Association Executives and served on the BC Chapter board for several years.

Terry Alleyn is well versed with the Operations of New Chelsea Society, having worked as the Director of Operations for 7 years before retiring in 2015. In his professional capacity, he has been a business owner, he has worked as a General Manager of the Maple Ridge Branch #88 of the Royal Canadian Legion, and also as a consultant for seniors’ housing developments. As a former employee of the Maple Ridge Legion, he spearheaded the development of 4 seniors’ housing projects. He has served on the boards of the Earl Haig Society, George Derby Centre and the Cloverdale Seniors Citizens Society. He has volunteered with the Burnaby Fire Fighters’ Charitable Society, BC Firefighters Burn Centre, Sources Community Services and currently volunteers with the White Rock Red Cross.

Helen Akeroyd has served on the Board of New Chelsea Society for 13 years, as an Executive Officer, 2nd Vice President and Chairperson of the Activities and Honors & Awards Committees. She is very active as a volunteer with a variety of benevolent organizations and since her retirement, Helen has been very active with the Legion and in particular with Burnaby seniors’ groups.

Jim Howard is currently the Administrator with the Vancouver Poppy Office and prior to that was Chairman of their Board for 20 years. He has been a member of the New Chelsea Society Board for over 25 years holding many positions of leadership up to and including being President. He is very involved with the Royal Canadian Legion, having served in the positions of President, Zone and Deputy Zone Commander for various Zones.

Sheran Lee Thomas has served on the New Chelsea Society board of directors for over 10 years in various capacities, including as a member on the Activities Committee and Honours & Awards Committee. She has also been a dedicated volunteer in various leadership positions and member of the Royal Canadian Legion for 45 years, and an executive officer since 1982. She also has served on the board of Amos Gordon Ferguson Housing Society for 27 years.

Marita Luk is the Business Development Manager in the School of Construction and the Environment (SOCE) at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). BCIT is one of BC’s largest post-secondary institutions and is the largest provider of vocational and trades training in British Columbia. For over two decades, Marita has been passionately representing BCIT in student recruitment, industry relations, and fund development. She has been enthusiastically promoting educational opportunities to thousands of potential students – and she continues to nurture those relationships long after graduation. Marita’s involvement in student recruitment has strongly benefited the construction and environmental sector’s human resource needs. Her role includes managing the school’s needs in student recruitment; marketing and promotions; websites, media, and social media presence; industry relations and engagement; fund development; and special events and conferences. Prior to BCIT, Marita worked for over 16 years in various positions in the financial industry. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree, with a Double Major in English and French, from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Arts Degree in Leadership from Royal Roads University. The Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA) has recognized Marita with the Education Leadership Award. She also received the BCIT Employee Excellence Extra Mile Award, and the British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) Community Leadership Award.

Nikhil is a real estate professional with over 10 years of experience across Canada and India in development advisory, real estate valuation, and investment strategy. He currently works with Colliers International in Vancouver, focusing on the financial strategy and feasibility of large-scale, mixed-use and affordable housing developments. His background spans the full project lifecycle—from acquisition and feasibility analysis to funding strategy and delivery—serving both private developers and not-for-profit housing organizations. Nikhil holds an MBA in Real Estate & Urban Infrastructure (specialization in Finance & Investments) and a Bachelors in Civil Engineering.

Amelia Chen is an executive people operations leader that brings experience strengthening systems, governance, and organizational structures across complex, mission-driven environments. She currently serves as Vice President of the South Granville Seniors' Friendship Centre Society and Governance Chair for the Dunbar Community Centre Association, bringing a disciplined, future-oriented perspective to fiduciary oversight and risk management in community-serving assets. Amelia’s expertise anchors at the intersection of human capital, operational transformation, and long-term sustainability. Having served as Head of People Operations, she specializes in translating complex strategy into durable internal controls, robust policy frameworks, and long-term plans that support organizational continuity and resilience. Amelia holds MBA training from Boston University and the Senior Professional in Human Resources – International (SPHRi) designation. Her background is further backed by advanced studies in organizational leadership, financial management, data analytics and digital transformation completed through Northwestern University, Duke University, and Dartmouth College. Amelia is committed to supporting New Chelsea Society’s mission by helping ensure its housing and community assets remain well-governed, inclusive, resilient, and strategically aligned to serve residents and communities for years to come.

Kathleen Leahy has 30+ years of combined work and volunteer experience in the non-profit and public sector leading, developing and delivering community-based services and initiatives for youth, families and seniors, including affordable and social housing. She has served on a number of boards including the inaugural board of the Mole Hill Community Housing Society, which successfully preserved and built affordable housing for families and low-income urban singles in Vancouver's last intact block of heritage houses; and on the board of Association of Neighbourhood Houses of BC and its housing committee. As the Director of the UBC Learning Exchange for the last 18 years, which operates a unique, placed-based educational hub in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, she is currently collaborating with the Main and Cordova Housing Society, and all three levels of government, to realize a new space for the UBC Learning Exchange, within a mixed use building that will also provide 118 social housing units.