Governance
PRESS’ current Board of Directors brings a compelling range of experience, viewpoints, and skills to the table, reflecting our core value of engaging diverse partners around shared goals.
James Delorme, Board Chair: James served as the elected Chief of Klahoose First Nation from 2011 to 2017. An Indigenous thought leader, James is an established social media and Indigenous tech innovator, a multimedia producer, the founder of First Sky Media Group and President of Indigeknow. James is fascinated by technology’s potential for preserving and passing on cultural knowledge.
Mavis Kok: Mavis is a Klahoose elder and former Band Councillor for Klahoose First Nation. Mavis has worked to support the Klahoose Nation’s economic and cultural growth on many different levels. She is deeply committed to honouring and protecting the precious women and girls who are the source of life for the future generations of Canada’s First Peoples.
Dawn Holmen: Dawn is the former Manager of Logistics & Marketing at Raven Events and Communications, a Tla’amin-based, event management business that has used its proprietary business matching technology to create a vibrant, national Aboriginal business development network. Dawn joined PRESS’ Board of Directors in 2019.
Chris Roddan: Chris is the License and Compliance Manager for Evolugen British Columbia. Highly skilled in strategic planning, problem-solving, management, leadership, renewable energy, and government relations, Chris is a strong business development professional with more than 25 years of experience in Indigenous economic development. He holds an M.Sc. from UBC that focused on resource management and community economic development.
Management
Our management team combines more than 100 years of experience in educational leadership and project and program management, with specialized skill sets that encompass:
- Educational leadership
- Training needs/labour market analysis
- Human resource development
- Integrated community & economic development
- Project-based skills training programs
- Financial management
- Disability services and programming
- Outdoor adventure & resiliency training
- Specialized business sector and market research
Dr. Jay Yule, Executive Director: Jay has been the Superintendent of School District 47 since 2005 and the Executive Director of PRESS since 2008. Jay has established and delivered educational and technical training programs for diverse communities and organizations. He has a doctorate in Educational Leadership and seeks ground-breaking partnerships that support PRESS in pursuing economic and social initiatives with long-term benefits to at-risk groups.
Kathleen O’Neil, Director of Programs and Research: Kathleen supports PRESS and its partners by conducting research, creating presentations, writing business plans and funder proposals as well as writing policy and plans, and developing agency processes and documentation. Her key focus is fostering initiatives that promote PRESS’s core values of community-based innovation and multiple-level benefits to a range of stakeholders.
Michelle Murray, Director of Administration: Michelle has worked for PRESS since the society was founded in 2008 and is truly the friendly and helpful face of the agency. Michelle has 25+ years of accounting and administrative experience and directly manages the society’s day-to-day business and accounting. Prior to joining PRESS, Michelle worked for Pinch and Associates
Allan Richardson, Manager of CLBC Programs / Community Inclusion Programs: Allan has managed PRESS programs since 2015 and served in the disability services sector for more than 30 years. Allan oversees the Managers of PRESS residential programs and also hires, trains and oversees the team of people who support clients in PRESS’ community inclusion programs across a range of activities and locations.
For more information, please read the organizational chart below.