Board of Directors
Philip Calvert is Canada’s former ambassador to Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. He served for 34 years in Canada’s foreign service, with 3 assignments to Beijing, the last one as Deputy Head of Mission. At Global Affairs he served as Director General for North Asia, Director of the Technical Barriers to Trade Division, and Deputy Chief Negotiator for Canada during China’s accession to the WTO. He is a Senior Fellow at the University of Alberta’s China Institute, and an Associate at the Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives at the University of Victoria. Raised in Prince George, BC, and studied at UBC, York University in Toronto, and the University of Washington.
Mary moved to James Bay almost 30 years ago. Working at the legislature as Research Director, and later Executive Director, for the government caucus in the 1990’s and the opposition caucus in the late 2000’s, she supported MLAs in strategic planning, communications, and community outreach. As a small business owner for several years, Mary developed citizen engagement strategies, managed a public opinion research program to inform meaningful policy development, and delivered training and facilitation workshops for clients. From 2011 to late 2019, Mary lived in Iraq, Libya and Algeria working with political parties, civil society organizations and elected officials to help strengthen their democratic participation. Throughout her career in politics and international development, volunteer engagement and motivation to build stronger communities has been a consistent thread. She looks forward to continuing this endeavor with the James Bay Community Project.
Lauren was born and raised on Vancouver Island where she currently lives with her husband and young children. She has been involved with JBCP on the board and committees for ten years and remains passionate about the organization’s vision and mission. She has experience with working with NPOs in her career and is an active volunteer on boards and committees of non-profits in Victoria. Lauren is a Chartered Professional Accountant and it is important to her to use her skills and experience to give back to the community. Lauren enjoys spending time outdoors and time with her friends and family, especially if it involves physical activity.
Paul Green is the Product Manager for CanAssist at the University of Victoria. With a background in electrical design and specializing in power electronics, he is charged with understanding the needs of the marketplace and the assessment and articulation of the value to key stakeholders associated with projects. Paul has a passion for developing innovative technologies that aim to improve the well-being, quality of life and independence for people across the disability spectrum. He is passionate about cycling, good coffee and family.
Peter Jong is a Financial Planner with Desjardins Financial Security. Previously he was a Managing Partner with Desjardins and a Director of Advisor Development with Freedom 55 Financial. Active in his community, Peter has sat on the University of Victoria Alumni Association Board for the past ten years. During this time, he served as both President and Vice-President. Peter also currently sits on the Insurance Council of BC Board and on a review committee for FP Canada. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Royal Roads University, a Bachelor of Science and a Diploma in Business Administration from the University of Victoria. Peter is a Certified Financial Planner from FP Canada. He also holds his Chartered Investment Manager and Fellow of the CSI designations from Canadian Securities Institute.
Quinn was born and raised in Victoria, and graduated from University of Victoria in 2019. He works for the provincial government doing research and communications. Active in the community, Quinn sits on the board of the Hallmark Society and is the treasurer of Attitude Theatre, and also volunteers with the youth centre at Quadra Village Community Centre. In November of 2021, Quinn was appointed by Victoria City Council to the city’s Heritage Advisory Committee, and also serves as a volunteer member of the Downtown Land Use Committee.
Rory joins JBCP with many years of experience as a government and industry executive in the agriculture and food sector. He has particular interest in reconciling Canada’s tremendous food production capacity with the reality that far too many Canadian households, including many in Victoria, are food insecure.
Rory has been involved with national and provincial food security initiatives while serving as Executive VP of Government and Industry Relations for Maple Leaf Foods. Prior to that he served with the Canadian and BC governments as a Trade Commissioner in the Canadian Foreign Service, trade policy executive at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and as BC Deputy Minister of Agriculture Food and Fisheries.
With a passion for driving collaboration across governmental, non-profit and private sector organizations, Rory looks forward to helping JBCP grow its community impact.
Martin McCann has spent most of the last 45 years involved in non-governmental International Development and Humanitarian response. Starting from being a CUSO volunteer in the rainforest of West Africa to the Chair of the Geneva based organization that sets global standards for Humanitarian Action, he has shown a deep commitment to help create a better and more equitable world. He sees that commitment in the JBCP and aims to make whatever contribution he can to its direction and programmes.
Martin has a BA (Hons) from the University of Toronto and a MA in Rural Development from the University of East Anglia ( UK). He has served on over 15 Boards of Directors in the charity sector and presently also serves on the Board of ChildFund International.
Catharine Read values the focuses on community connections and building the resilience of community members that underlie the programs and service of the JBCP. The JBCP has demonstrated its ability to adapt its community programs and services, engage volunteers and thrive in the face of changes over the past 40 years and most recently with the COVID-19 challenges. Catharine has worked for governments and in the private sector. She has been Chair of an independent tribunal, Deputy Minister and Assistant Deputy Minister for the BC government (10 years) and for the Yukon government (10 years). As a consultant, she has worked for First Nation organizations, including negotiations, governance advice and treaty implementation. Catharine is also on the Board of Our Place Society and she has a master’s degree in economics from Queen’s University.
- Joined the JBCP Board of Directors in December 2021
- Has +20 years of accounting and finance experience in different industries
- Bachelor in Accounting, Master of MBA
- Freelance Accountant and Business Advisor