Campaign Cabinet

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Meet our Luminaries

THE BIG IDEA’s Campaign Cabinet is a distinguished group of philanthropists, innovators and industry leaders who share our belief that creativity is our greatest natural resource.

HONORARY CO–CHAIRS

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Michael Audain
Chairman of Polygon Homes Ltd., one of BC’s leading home builders, Michael Audain currently serves as Chair of the Vancouver Art Gallery Foundation and the Audain Foundation for the Visual Arts. He is past Chair of the National Gallery of Canada, the Vancouver Art Gallery and a former member of the British Columbia Arts Council. Awarded three honorary doctorate degrees, he is an officer of the Order of Canada, a member of the Order of British Columbia and the recipient of a Business Laureate of the British Columbia Hall of Fame.

Peter Brown
Founder and Honorary Chairman of Canaccord Financial Inc., Canada’s largest independent investment dealer, Peter Brown is a passionate philanthropist and arts supporter. He is the recipient of numerous business honours and awards which include the Order of British Columbia, an Honorary Degree from UBC, and the Commemorative Medal for the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. In 2011, he was inducted into the Business Laureates of BC Hall of Fame.

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Simon Chang 
Founder, Simon Chang Fashions, one of Canada’s foremost fashion designers, Simon has built a company that now sells clothes in more than 300 stores across Canada. A 1971 graduate, he was recognized with the Order of Canada in 2008 for his contributions to the fashion industry as well as for his philanthropic and social engagement.

CAMPAIGN EXECUTIVE

John C. Kerr
Campaign Co-Chair, Campaign Executive Member and Chancellor of Emily Carr University, Jake is Majority Owner and Managing Partner of Vancouver Professional Baseball LLP. Jake is a recipient of the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia in recognition for his significant contributions to the province and the country and holds an Honorary Doctorate of Laws Degree from Simon Fraser University, Burnaby.

Evaleen Jaager Roy
Campaign Co-Chair, Campaign Executive Member and Chair of the Emily Carr University Board of Governors, Evaleen Jaager Roy is Founder and Principal of Jaager Roy Advisory Inc, a firm advising CEOs and executives on strategy and leadership. Her clients include some of the most successful organizations in technology, gaming, architecture, medical research and the environment.

Dr. Ron Burnett
Campaign Executive Member and President + Vice-Chancellor of Emily Carr University since 1996, Dr. Ron Burnett’s recent honours include the Order of Canada, the Chevalier de l’ordre des Art et des Lettres, a knighthood from France and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal among others.  He is a member of the European League of Institutes of the Arts (ELIA) Representative Board and the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD) Board.

Dr. George Pedersen
Campaign Executive Member and former Emily Carr University Board Chair, Dr. Pedersen is now retired. His career in public education has spanned 55 years, and he has served as: President of SFU, UBC, and the University of Western Ontario; interim president of the UNBC; and founding president of Royal Roads University.

Donald Shumka
Campaign Executive Member and President of the Emily Carr University Foundation Board, Don Shumka is President & Managing Director at Walden Management. Ltd. He has over 40 years’ experience in financial and management roles.


Broek Bosma

Broek Bosma is the Associate Vice President, Advancement + Alumni Affairs of Emily Carr University. Recent roles include Senior Campaign Director, Sunnybrook Foundation; Director of Development, Kitchener Waterloo Symphony; Director of Marketing and Development, Orchestra London Canada; and Director, Prince George Conservatory of Music.

CAMPAIGN CABINET

Miro Cernetig
Miro Cernetig is an award–winning journalist who also owns Catalytico—ideas in motion, a boutique firm that develops creative strategies and manages brands. He has worked in film, print and digital mediums for the Globe and Mail, the CBC, the Toronto Star and the Vancouver Sun.

Douglas Coupland
Douglas Coupland is an acclaimed author, visual artist, designer and graduate of Emily Carr (1984). He has published thirteen novels, two collections of short stories, seven non-fiction books, and a number of dramatic works and screenplays for film and television.

Harry Jaako
Harry Jaako is President of Discovery Capital, a Vancouver venture capital firm that specializes in advising early–stage technology companies, managing technology sector investment funds, and sourcing, analyzing and closing venture capital investment opportunities.

John S. Montalbano
John Montalbano is CEO of RBC Global Asset Management, the asset management division of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). He holds a Chartered Financial Analyst designation and a Bachelor of Commerce, with Honours, from the University of British Columbia and is a Leslie Wong Fellow of the UBC Portfolio Management Foundation.

Michael O’Brian
Michael O’Brian is president of Nairbo Investments Inc. He is also director of The Michael O’Brian Family Foundation which generously supports the arts, education and other social causes.

Bob Rennie
Bob Rennie is founder and CEO of Rennie Marketing Systems and has been at the forefront of marketing new developments and advising developers in the city of Vancouver and beyond. He is also a current Emily Carr Board of Governors member.

Jon Stovell
Jon Stovell has been involved in the real estate investment and development industry for more than 25 years. For the past eighteen years he has served as General Manager and now President for Reliance Properties Ltd., a privately owned Vancouver company that has been active in the development, ownership and management of a wide variety of commercial and residential real estate for over 50 years.