Steering Committee
Rosalind
Chair, Steering Committee
Rosalind Warner I am a Continuing College Professor in Political Science at Okanagan College in Kelowna. As an educator, I’m struck every day by the impact that education can have as a means of social change. In my volunteering, I’m motivated to help groups find solutions to problems, whether that is something small like serving Nanaimo bars at an event or speaking to an audience of 200 about the Global Goals. In my youth I travelled the globe for 9 months as a part of a travel-study tour and learned an incredible amount about how people everywhere in the world face challenges and hardships that we can all relate to. In my work, I’ve studied global environmental politics, international development, and Canadian foreign and development policy. I’m seeing more and more how the Sustainable Development Goals are having an impact on thinking and acting in the world in positive and exciting ways, and I want to be (even a small) part of that movement.
Gill
Steering Committee
Gill Drakeford-Lewis I was born in England, but lived in Belfast, Northern Ireland for all of my school years. We moved there 3 months before the conflicts in Northern Ireland started which made life very interesting growing up. I studied Business Studies at Portsmouth University, England. I have (allegedly) had several ‘big’ jobs in business, such as managing a brewery and an airport, to name a couple. I became increasingly frustrated, as I wanted to put effort into something I felt was worthwhile. A major accident and subsequent spinal injury gave me some much-needed perspective and helped me to focus on what was truly important to me. My husband, Chris, and I gave up the rat race, and spent several years backpacking, and working at various orphanage, and at an HIV charity in Thailand. This is the best thing we ever did. It gave our lives so much purpose. To make a difference to one life makes everything worthwhile. Our lives are now busy as we have two children, Ella, aged 9, and Sam, aged 7. I work as a Community Outreach Coordinator for local NGO, Hope For The Nations. I love the integrity, the people, and the work that HOPE does throughout the world. I am passionate about making a difference, helping vulnerable children, and bringing people together to join in the joy of changing lives.
Joyce
Steering Committee
Joyce Brinkerhoff I am one of the founders and continue as the volunteer executive director of Global Citizen Events (previously known as Global Citizen Kelowna) – a volunteer initiative promoting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. I have been recognized for my community work through various awards but the best ‘reward’ is seeing the positive changes in people’s lives! I have been actively involved in multicultural and immigration issues for many years. I am a certified ESL teacher and served as co-president of the Intercultural Society of the Central Okanagan for over a decade. I am on the board of Society of HOPE which provides affordable housing in the Kelowna area and I am active with Hope for the Nations, a charity working with children at risk world-wide. I have been able to travel to numerous nations and projects overseas. I am married to Dr John Brinkerhoff – a family physician and I am the proud mom to 4 adult children and 11 grandchildren.
Meghan
Steering Committee
Meghan Wise I am a graduate student in the Department of Political Science at the University of British Columbia. My research, writing, community engagement, and organizing are rooted in three primary areas. One, researching far-right populist climate denialism as barriers to climate policy and action. Two, analyzing the lessons we can learn from the Covid-19 pandemic to better understand and address the gendered impacts of climate change. Three, researching the impacts of climate change on community mental health and wellbeing and building community resilience amid climate change. I currently hold a joint appointment as the UBC Campus Climate Initiatives Lead with Sustainability and Engineering and the UBC Climate Hub, focusing on capacity building and stakeholder engagement. I am also an artist and use my work to explore how art can help to meaningfully mediate complex issues of environmental sustainability and climate change.