Board of Directors

Jane was born and raised in Montreal. After graduating from the University of New Brunswick with an Elementary Education degree, she landed in this spectacular province. In addition to teaching for the Coquitlam School District, Jane was contracted with the City of Surrey for 10 years to convey the principles of the “3R’s”, water conservation, and bin/worm composting to students and youth organizations. She continued her schooling at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, completing a certificate in Career Counselling, after which she worked with Work BC and also launched Crossroads Career Counselling to support high school students and career professionals. Jane and her husband Zoltan have been on Sakinaw Lake since 1995. She now spends time kayaking, hiking, reading, biking, and seeking new adventures with genuine appreciation for the natural landscape and surrounding beauty.

Locke moved to Halfmoon Bay just a few years ago. Prior to his move, he was a Distinguished Professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Toronto. His research interests centre on the theories of evolutionary biology and the evolutionary ecology of a variety of organisms residing in aquatic habitats. While in Toronto, he also served as a department chair, dean and vice-provost. He has served on a number of other boards and councils focused on scholarship and biodiversity. Although most of his time is now spent on the coast, he also spends a significant amount of time in Sweden, where he has enjoyed a number of academic appointments. He is a Fellow of the Royal Societies of Canada, and Lund in Sweden. On the coast he enjoys the easy access to local nature, fishing and other outdoor activities.

Ryan has worked in the investment industry since 2003, providing wealth, estate and tax advisory services to high worth clients, businesses and charities in North America. Ryan holds a Bachelor of Business and Economics from Flinders University in South Australia; a Masters in Business Administration (Finance) from Edinburgh Business School and a Bachelor of Laws from Queensland University. Ryan has completed all levels of the CPA In-Depth Tax Course, a 3 year program focusing on Canadian taxation, as of 2022. Most recently, he will be completing the ICD Directors Education Program through the Rotman (University of Toronto) School of Management for 2024 to achieve the ICD.D. Over the years Ryan has been actively involved in the not-for-profit sector for a number of organizations in Vancouver in the role of Chair, Vice-Chair and member at large. Ryan looks forward to continuing to assist the Loon Foundation and its initiatives over the years ahead.

Jim was born in Garden Bay and, after graduating from Pender Harbour Secondary, received his BSc from Simon Fraser University in 1984. Jim started gillnetting for Sakinaw Lake sockeye with his mother at only 4 years old. He has since fished for salmon and herring, as well as dogfish, halibut, cod, and prawns. He fished with his father for many years on “Britannia 1,” gillnetting and trolling for salmon as well as seining for herring, before buying his own license and boat, “Miss Barbara”, in 1985. Jim has been a member of the Pender Harbour Volunteer Fire Department since 1988 and is currently the Assistant Fire Chief. He is also a highly experienced professional biologist and has been helping to secure the survival of the unique Sakinaw Lake sockeye populations for many years.

Rhian is originally from the UK, then married and came to Canada in 1998. She is now retired, after having worked as a teacher and librarian in Britain, the Middle East, Canada, and Myanmar. Over the years Rhian has always been active in the communities she has lived in, serving on many boards including the Sechelt Library Board which she currently sits on. Rhian and her husband are enthusiastic, active volunteers with the Loon Foundation monitoring program. They have been coming to the Sunshine Coast since 2003, own a lot in Pender Harbour, and moved to Sechelt in 2020.

Jeff has deep experience within the financial services industry, with over 25 years leading teams in product management, marketing, strategy and new business development. Most recently, he held leadership roles with a fintech start-up and a global provider of financial services. Prior roles with advisory boards, new ventures and consumer packaged goods round out his career. Jeff holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Wilfrid Laurier University. After re-locating from Toronto to the Pender Harbour area of the beautiful Sunshine Coast in 2022, Jeff is thrilled to be supporting the visionary work of the Loon Foundation.

Brendan is an environmental and social justice advocate, and communications professional of 15 + years. He is currently the Pembina’s Institute’s Senior Director of Communications. Previously, he was Director of Communications with the David Suzuki Foundation. Brendan began his career in journalism, then led communications efforts for three national NGOs and a full-service marketing agency. He has a BA in journalism from St. Thomas University and a MA in media studies and music from the University of Western Ontario. Brendan is grateful to live and work on the traditional unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations, and is an advocate for the full recognition and adoption of Indigenous rights, title and Sovereignty. He lives with his family – Alaya, Coco and Garrett – in Gibsons / the ancient Sḵwx̱wú7mesh fishing village of Ch’ḵw’elhp.