Expertise and Community Service

We’re proud to have attracted so many eminent volunteers to serve on the board of the Focus Foundation. With backgrounds in business, law, finance and social sciences, our board members work hard year after year to help make Focus programs successful. Their broad spectrum of skills, knowledge and experience ensures a balanced approach to our governance and growth.

Chairman: Gary Powroznik, FCA
Gary joined the Board in March 2005 and took on the role of Chairman. Gary is the founder and Managing Director of G-Force Group, a Vancouver based professional services firm helping clients enhance or recover their investments in business, real estate or loans. Formerly, Gary was a partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers for 27 years and President of PricewaterhouseCoopers Real Estate Inc. Gary was also the Managing Partner for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in British Columbia for thirteen years. Gary has had extensive involvement with professional and community organizations including currently serving as a Director of the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation Board, and formerly as a Director of the Sauder Business School Advisory Board at the University of British Columbia, a Director of the BC Business Council and a Vice Chair on its Executive Committee for several years. Gary was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia in 1996 for his distinguished service to his profession and the community.

Secretary: Justice Grant Burnyeat
Justice Burnyeat was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 1996. Justice Burnyeat graduated in law from The University of British Columbia in 1973 and was called to the Bar of British Columbia in 1974. He practiced law with the firm Davis & Company in Vancouver, specializing in the areas of general insolvency and real estate law before he was appointed a Judge in 1996. His involvement with the community covers a wide spectrum, and includes a term as President of the Law Society of British Columbia, the Option Youth Society, Bard on the Beach, Vancouver Planning Commission, and political involvement at the federal, provincial and city level. Grant is presently serving as the Treasurer of the Arts Club Theatre Board of Directors. Grant joined the Board of Focus Foundation in 2007.

Treasurer: Lisa Payne, CGA
Lisa Payne is the CFO and Vice President, Business Development for the BC Innovations Council. Lisa has over 20 years of senior leadership experience at public and private companies. She has founded three companies and serves as a mentor and advisor to several technology startup companies. Most recently, Lisa served as President of Aegis Mobility. Prior to this, Lisa was the President of TeraSpan Networks Inc., a fiber optic micro-trench solution manufacturer. Until 2003, Lisa built her finance credentials as Director of Finance and Business Operations for Wavemakers Inc, a voice-enhancement software company where she was instrumental in raising two rounds of private financing and the eventual acquisition by Harman International in 2001. Lisa developed extensive experience in sales, business development, operations, industry research, finance and human resources while at Scientific Atlanta Canada and Criterion Service Laboratory which she cofounded. Lisa joined the Focus Foundation Board in 2005.

Directors

Claire Alter
Claire is a Senior Consultant at NATIONAL Public Relations in Vancouver and has close to ten years experience in communications and marketing. At NATIONAL, she provides a range of communications services to clients including issues management, corporate communications, public affairs, public consultation and media and stakeholder relations. She works with clients in a number of sectors including infrastructure development, construction, oil and gas, mining, energy, security, forestry, healthcare and education. Claire worked with a key security provider of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games providing strategic counsel, media relations and issues management support leading up to and during the Games. Before NATIONAL, Claire worked in marketing and communications for Hostelling International’s Pacific Mountain Region and ran all marketing efforts for Lonsdale Quay Market. Claire was the volunteer Program Coordinator for over five years on the CIBC Run for the Cure’s Planning Committee and has volunteered with Kids Help Phone. Claire joined the Board of Focus Foundation in 2010.

Bob Boase
Bob advises the United Nations and developing countries in reforming their governance, particularly countries in transition and those recovering from disaster and years of conflict. Bob has worked and traveled in 60 countries, and has a total of 15 years resident in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. Bob’s recent work includes 13 years as the principal advisor in Laos, Vietnam, China, Afghanistan and Iraq on major governance reform programmes funded by the UN and the Asian Development Bank. Bob’s earlier career was as a senior public servant and then consultant to the Government of Canada having advised over 30 ministries and agencies of the Government of Canada on issues of policy, organization and re-engineering. Bob holds a bachelor of arts in sociology and economics, and an MBA specializing in Management and Industrial relations, both from the University of Toronto. Bob is a past board member of the Institute on Governance, the Ottawa Carleton Immigrant Services and past member of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada and Pollution Probe. Bob joined the Board of Focus Foundation of BC in 2010.

Robert Hungerford
Robert is a Principal of the firm Hungerford Tomyn Lawrenson and Nichols which he helped found seven years ago. Robert is a litigator with extensive experience in insurance, personal injury, aviation, product liability, administrative and employment matters. He appears regularly in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, the Court of Appeal for British Columbia and before (and as counsel to) a number of administrative tribunals. Prior to founding HTL&N in 2003, Robert was a partner at Campney & Murphy for 26 years. Robert received a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of laws from the University of British Columbia. Robert joined the Board of Focus Foundation in 2010. In the past Robert served as a Director of the Vancouver Public Library, Director of the Community Care Foundation , Chair of the Endeavour Auction Society , Member of the Youth Committee of the Vancouver Foundation and supported many other charitable organizations.

Bob Kissner
Bob is the Executive Director of the Focus Foundation of British Columbia. He is also the founder and the creative energy of Focus Foundation. After graduating from Simon Fraser University, Bob obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He is a former board member of both the Senate and Board of Governors of Simon Fraser University. Bob is a Past President of the British Columbia Association of Social Workers and currently serves as the BC board member of the Canadian Association of Social Workers. He has taught at the college and university level. Bob is a non-voting member of the Board.

Tim McEwan
Tim is President & Chief Executive Officer of Initiatives Prince George, a corporation owned by the City of Prince George that is responsible for facilitating economic development in Prince George in synergy with its vast service base in Northern BC. Prior to this role, Tim was the Principal of T. M. McEwan Consulting Ltd., a firm providing an array of public policy and management consulting services in Vancouver, BC. He was the founding Executive Director of the BC Progress Board, a blue chip advisory Board to the Premier and Government of British Columbia. Prior to that, Tim was Director, Programs and Policy with the Business Council of BC and held lead staff responsibility for the BC Business Summit initiative. He was also responsible for the Council’s work on a variety of labour and economic policy issues. Tim joined the Board of Focus Foundation in 2007.

Vicki Prince Wright
Over her 20 year career, Vicki has filled “acting” executive positions, successfully founded and run two small businesses, worked with a Fortune 10 company, and consulted to a wide varied of organizations across a spectrum of industries – from utilities to high-tech. Vicki’s expertise lies in assisting organizations to integrate strategy into operations through organizational structure, process improvement, and culture. She has conducted marketing studies for existing products looking for new markets as well as developed marketing strategies for the introduction of new products. A skilled presenter, instructor/ trainer, and negotiator, Vicki’s experience in implementation of quality improvement strategies has led her clients to affect the bottom line as well as achieve certification of quality standards. Vicki’s background includes an undergraduate studies in Organizational Behaviour and an MBA. Vicki joined the Board of Focus Foundation in the summer of 2009.

Sandra Wear
Sandra is a serial tech entrepreneur skilled at identifying optimal solutions within turbulent environments to help start-ups become “grown-ups”. Her extensive experience in the tech sector encompasses creating, building and selling tech companies along with their respective intellectual property. Ms. Wear co-founded Tykra, a growth management consulting firm, to assist expansion-stage companies better navigate through the Wind Tunnel™ – the state of flux between start-up and “grown-up” – to ultimately attain corporate maturity and profitability. Ms. Wear has held executive positions in North America and Europe while playing a critical role in defining and executing corporate strategy and negotiating with investors and key corporate accounts. Most recently she cofounded Atalum Wireless S.A., a cleantech company based in Madrid. Her previous accomplishments include the successful launch to market of award-winning patented business applications for Fortune 500 companies as well as founding a company named one of the Top 100 Emerging Companies by Computerworld and also subsequently acquired by Critical Path Inc. Sandra holds a B.Sc. in Genetics from the University of British Columbia and is a Marketing Management Graduate of BCIT. Sandra joined the Board of Focus Foundation in 2010.