Our Board
The Museum Society is run by a volunteer Board Of Directors who are elected by members of the Society at an Extraordinary General Meeting called in the fall. The current members of the Board of Directors were elected in December, 2015.
Lisa Griffith
President
Lisa Griffith and her husband Jamie Doig finally moved into their log cabin on
Gabriola in 2013 after enjoyable careers in geology. Some of the job
responsibilities Lisa found most rewarding were mentoring, teaching, and leading
field trips for her peers in the industry. She has also spent some time editing
technical journals. With a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and an MSc in Geology, Lisa was drawn to
the research, education, and natural history aspects of the Gabriola Museum
showcased in Nick Doe’s well written Shale articles. She is looking forward to
contributing to the Board. Other interests include gardening, music, kayaking,
hiking, and learning.
Diane Cornish
Past-President
Diane Cornish is a retired lawyer who, with her husband Bill, moved to Gabriola
from Ottawa in 2010. Her interest in west coast issues led to her becoming a
Director of a First Nations’ company on northern Vancouver Island. This company
is developing a commercially viable closed containment salmon farm. On
Gabriola, she has held the positions of Vice-President (2012) and President of GHMS (2013 and 2014).
She is also a member of the Village Vision Committee. Diane’s other interests
include cycling, reading and traveling.
Elizabeth Iachelli
Vice President
Elizabeth Iachelli, together with her husband Giovanni, fulfilled a longcherished
dream by moving to Gabriola in June, 2014. Born in England, and after
gaining an M.A. in English Language and Literature at Oxford, Elizabeth started
working with international trade companies in Italy, the Middle East and
eventually in Canada. For the 22 years prior to moving to Gabriola, she was at
the helm of a non-profit membership organization based in Vancouver with the
mandate of promoting trade and business between Italy, the European Union and
Canada. She has experience in fundraising, institutional liaison and lobbying,
writing grant proposals, project management and event organization. She is
interested in volunteering with the GHMS as a way of learning more about her
new community and of nurturing her appreciation of history grounded in a sense
of place.
Gloria Filax
Secretary
Gloria Filax has lived with her partner on Gabriola Island for 12 years. She brings to the Museum board years of experience on other boards in Alberta and BC. Gloria currently teaches (inequality and justice studies) in the Master of Arts – Integrated Studies programme at Athabasca University and in the Gender and Peacebuilding graduate programme at the University for Peace in Costa Rica. Current research includes a project on intergenerational justice in the Age of Anthropocene. Gloria is passionate about how the past informs the present. When considering local or larger scale histories Gloria asks questions about who and what is represented from the past and how; what are the absences and gaps. What narratives do we reproduce in the present through our re-presentation of the past.
Kristin Hendriks
Treasurer
Ivan Bulic
Director
Ivan Bulic is a long-time Gabriolan with a long-standing interest in local history.
Ivan has been on the Board of GHMS for the past four years, and has been an
active participant on the Display and Presenting History Committees. His
extensive knowledge and talents are wonderfully reflected in the Brickyard, Free
Spirits – Changing Times and Gabriola Tides – Stories of Silva Bay exhibits.
Doug McKnight
Director
Doug McKnight and his wife Liz moved to Gabriola in 2007 after retiring from a
30 year teaching career that took him from Toronto to the Arctic, to Alberta and
finally to the Lower Mainland where he was a behavioural consultant for 17 years.
Since moving to Gabriola, Doug has served on the Theatre Festival planning
team, and has been a trustee for the Commons. He facilitates the Mac Users
group and volunteers at the elementary school. As a member of the Museum’s
Board of Directors for the past three years, Doug has been able to explore the
diversity of the people who call Gabriola home and all this island has to offer
Joan Merrifield
Director
Joan Merrifield has lived on Gabriola for 20 years. Her background is in
education and she has worked as an elementary school teacher for most of her
career, numerous years teaching grade 6 at Gabriola Elementary. Previous to this,
Joan managed the Morrell Nature Sanctuary in Nanaimo and developed
environmental education programs for Kindergarten to grade 10 students. As
well, Joan developed and carried out an annual training program for nature centre
docents. Joan was involved in developing interpretive nature walks, self guided
brochures and displays depicting native plants and animals of the sanctuary. Joan
is an avid gardener and landscaper and has a strong interest in native and edible
plants and their many uses historically and today.
Janet Stobbs
Director
Janet Stobbs was born in England and moved with her family to Ontario when
she was a little girl. Beginning in 1965, the Windsor area was her home where
she began her working life in the Cataloguing Department of the Windsor Public
Library. In 1982 she trained to be a registered nurse, an occupation that she had
had her sights set on for years. She retired in 2007 and moved to Gabriola to
begin the next phase of her life, that of working for fun, friendship and
intellectual stimulus. GHMS seemed like an ideal place to start where she took on
the roles of Director and Archivist allowing her to learn about the island’s flora,
fauna and people. She looks forward to continuing in both those roles.
Peter Bouthillier
Director
Our Staff
Jean Mallon
Gift Shop Manager
Jean Mallon, experienced Arts Production Manager and freelance designer,
moved to Gabriola in April 2016 to pursue new, innovative opportunities.
She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interactive Multimedia and Design from
the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland. Jean has had a special interest in
history for many years and she was delighted to take on the responsibility of
Gift Shop Manager for Gabriola Museum. She loves engaging with the community,
sharing stories and collaborating on projects. Other interests include photo editing,
cycling and reading.