Board Director
Biographies
| Paula Lindner | Jenny Peng | Greg Allen | Rafael Aquino |
| Daniel Louie | Patricio Ibarra | Alexandra Gunn | Muriel Ann Rivard |
| Davy Chiu | Jasbir K. Parmar | Jean Kavanagh | Stephanie Baufeld |
Paula Lindner, President
Paula owns her own business in the Hastings-Sunrise area, a local wool and
fibre store named Baaad Anna's Yarn Store. Previous to venturing into
entrepreneurship, Paula worked for 15 years in non-profit management in
organizations such as St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation, the Alzheimer’s Society
of BC, BCIT Foundation and McGill University. Paula completed her Masters
in Philanthropy and Development at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
and graduated with a BA in Psychology and Philosophy from SFU. Paula has
also worked as a journalist for the English section of Radio Praha and the
Prague Post. When she is not working, Paula chases after her two very active
daughters who are no strangers to the Collingwood Early Learning and Care
Centre. She also enjoys knitting and playing field hockey, albeit not at the
same time.
Jenny Peng, 1st Vice-President
The Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood has been Jenny’s home since 2006
after moving home from Montreal to study at UBC. Throughout her
undergraduate years and after, she volunteered at the CNH Youth Centre and
Morning Star Breakfast Program where she made many friends over the
years. She is a journalist, writer, and communications consultant.
Greg Allen, 2nd Vice-President
Greg is a lawyer with a broad-based practice at a litigation boutique in
downtown Vancouver. He currently serves as the President of a small local
non-profit which provides grants to organizations that research and combat
childhood illnesses. Greg moved to Renfrew-Collingwood in 2012 with his
family from the wilds of Port Moody, and has enjoyed exploring the hidden
charms of his new neighbourhood and its community. He and his partner
have two young children who spend their weekdays learning and playing with
the superheroes who work at CNH’s early learning and care centres.
Rafael (RJ) Aquino, Treasurer
RJ co-founded Tulayan, an organization that reintroduces young Filipino-
Canadians to their culture, heritage and language. Wanting to plant firm
roots in the city of Vancouver, he has become more involved in municipal
matters. RJ also was one of the founders of OneCity, a progressive municipal
political party. When he’s not managing projects for his day job or organizing
workshops and conferences, he gets a workout trying to keep up with his
three young children and his wife.
Daniel Louie, Secretary
Daniel Louie is a life-long Metro Vancouverite along with his wife Karen and
their three children. He is the pastor of Urban Village Church, a diverse
congregation that has been a part of the Collingwood neighbourhood since
2008. Before going into Christian ministry, Daniel was in the financial services
field with the CIBC at Kingsway and Joyce. Daniel's ongoing hope is to see
people of diverse backgrounds mobilize for the betterment of their
neighbourhoods through their gifts and talents, whether as a resident, a
volunteer, business, or community group. When not meeting people in the
community, Daniel enjoys a variety of sports, playing music, and being the
daddy cheerleader at his kids’ activities.
Patricio Ibarra, Past President
Patricio moved to Renfrew-Collingwood in 1998 and since then has
participated in programs and services out of CNH. Patricio has extensive
experience participating in Boards of non-profit societies and has
volunteered with several community organizations. Patricio is a Program
Advisor with the Economic Immigration Program of the BC government and
has 24 years of experience in the provision of social and immigrant services,
strategic planning, program design and evaluation and community
development. Patricio looks forward to continuing with his volunteer work in
CNH's Board to help improve the quality of life for Renfrew-Collingwood
residents.
Alexandra Gunn
Alexandra is a manager at a post-secondary institution and has also worked
in non-profit organizations and government. She has over 9 years of
experience serving on several Boards. She has lived in the neighbourhood for
almost all her life and wants to make the community a better place for
everyone. Alexandra received Vantage Point’s Leaders of Tomorrow Award
for her community leadership and service. She is educated in human
resources management, project management, leadership, and teaching. In
her spare time, she likes to hike, climb mountains, and volunteer.
Muriel Ann Rivard
Ann was born in Vancouver and never wanted to live anywhere else. She has
lived in Collingwood Towers, 5 blocks from Collingwood Neighbourhood
House (CNH), for the past 19 years. At the Towers, she met a volunteer from
CNH and soon started to volunteer, too. She attended a literacy meeting and
with the instructors helped the tenants to learn English. She also would bake
muffins, banana loaves and tea and bring them each week. She attended the
Walking Club for about 3 years and met many new friends. She enjoyed
dancing, exercise, etc. As she isn’t as active right now she attends the Seniors
Advisory and Literacy meetings plus other get-togethers at CNH. She
represents Seniors on the Board of Directors.
Davy Chiu
Davy created his first web page when dial-up was still cool. He has over a
decade of experience developing web technologies for end-users and
optimization of internal processes. His focus now is on applying the best
technologies and practices available to streamline workflows and improve
business web security. Davy graduated from the University of British
Columbia with a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Science/Computer Engineering,
and from the University of Waterloo with a Master’s degree in Business. He
holds a PMI Professional Project Manager (PMP) designation. Davy works on
applications as a project manager with the federal government and as a
technology consultant privately. He also runs a homestay agency with his
wife. He volunteers with Junior Achievement BC.
Jasbir K. Parmar
Jas Parmar and her family have resided in Vancouver for a long time. Jas is a
Branch Manager for Vancity Savings Credit Union at the Collingwood
location. Before joining the Board of Collingwood Neighbourhood House in
2016, Jas served on the Board of Burnaby Neighbourhood House. When not
serving the Collingwood community, Jas enjoys spending time with her kids,
hiking, and reading.
Jean Kavanagh
Jean has lived in Renfrew-Collingwood for 12 years and loves living across
from the Renfrew Ravine and occasionally walking the labyrinth. She was
delighted to have the opportunity to join the CNH Board and learn more
about the community. Jean works in communications, and has held senior
positions in the government and non-profit sectors. She was a reporter, and
worked in Vancouver, Toronto and Central America.
Stephanie Baufeld
Stephanie moved into the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood in 2013 and
since had two children who both attend CNH Child Care programs. She was
elected to the Board of Directors in Fall 2017 and has enjoyed becoming
more involved with her community. Stephanie loves learning and education,
holds an undergraduate degree in Archaeology and Economics from McGill
University, and is always looking for opportunities to learn something new.
Stephanie works at Haywood Securities, a Vancouver-based investment
brokerage firm, in a financial advisory team. Her career path has included
varied roles in the investment industry, many winters coaching alpine ski
racing across Canada, as well as teaching athletics in Lower Mainland
schools. Outside of work, Stephanie loves skiing, playing soccer, golfing,
travelling to new places, and playing outside with her two boys.
