Director
Coralie Gregoire, a member of Component 7, was elected BCGEU Executive Vice-President at the 2024 Constitutional Convention – the first to mandate an Indigenous EVP. With almost 20 years of union activism experience, Coralie has held roles including steward and Occupational Health and Safety rep at Legal Aid BC, and various positions in Local 703 and Component 7.
Coralie was originally motivated to get more involved after witnessing workplace bullying and today is dedicated to recruiting and training shop stewards and advocating for living wages. Her notable projects include contributing to the BCGEU’s submission to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls National Inquiry and helping establish the BCGEU’s Indigenous Advisory Council. Coralie is active in the BC Native Women’s Association and the New Westminster & District Labour Council.
She enjoys playing and coaching fastball and learning her Indigenous language, Nsyilxcen. She is a proud member of the Okanagan Indian Band.
Research and Communications Coordinator
Ankita Goyal (she/her), with a background in journalism and public relations, is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia. Her academic focus is grounded in data analysis and innovative frameworks to critically examine and address systemic inequities. She aligns with Stuart Hall’s argument that understanding culture as a site where power and ideology intersect is crucial to challenging and transforming structural hierarchies.
Advisory Council
Tariq Tyab is a renowned non-profit leader and philanthropist with 25 years’ experience championing interfaith collaboration and empowering IBPOC communities. Co-founder of British Columbia’s Foundation for a Path Forward, Tariq focuses on breaking down barriers and promoting equality. His accomplishments include co-founding the Muslim Food Bank, Muslim Care Centre, and Islam Unravelled.
A former BC Muslim Association executive, Tariq’s expertise and passion have left a lasting impact in the non-profit sector.
Advisory Council
Susan Kim grew up on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples prior to moving to Lekwungen Traditional Territory in 2013.
She currently serves as City Councillor for the City of Victoria after having had opportunities to foster her leadership skills in government, healthcare, and non-profit settings. She is a proponent of equity-based decision making and grounds her work in supporting her communities. In her free time, she enjoys long distance running, kickboxing, playing the viola and spending time with her family and friends – especially her rescue dog Vafa!
Her academic background is in both biology and political science, and she brings experience in governance from her time serving on the Board of the Sierra Club of BC, Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness, and Greater Victoria Public Library.
Senior Program Officer
Isabella has been with the Columbia Institute since 2021, starting out as an Event Coordinator and Associate, and is now the Senior Program Officer. She holds a Master of Science in Environmental Sustainability from the University of Ottawa, and has previously worked in the Environmental Division at Global Affairs Canada, Ocean Wise, and the Council on International Educational Exchange.
Board Chair
Hermender Singh Kailley was elected BCFED Secretary Treasurer in 2022. Hermender’s first involvement with the labour movement began when he helped organize his fellow Vancouver Fringe Festival workers with IATSE Local 118. After a career change in 2004, he became a member of ILWU Local 502, joining the executive board in 2018 and becoming secretary-treasurer in 2019. A first-generation Canadian born to Punjabi parents, Hermender also serves on the executive board of the New Westminster and District Labour Council.
Irene is currently the Associate Director of Finance at SHARE (Shareholder Association for Research and Education), our longtime strategic partner. Irene emigrated to Canada from Belarus in 1999 and started her accounting career in 2001, building on her economics background, in which she earned a Bachelors of Economics from the Academy of Public Administration in Minsk. Irene joined Columbia Institute in 2005 and, since then, has provided accounting services to the organization. Irene says this experience has given her a deep understanding and appreciation of the important role of nonprofits and charities in supporting progressive values. Irene received a Certified Canadian Accountant (CGA) designation in 2012.
Advisory Council
Ela Esra Gunad is a long-time advocate for social justice and human rights. She created award-winning education programs and has run advocacy campaigns that transformed government policies and practices and informed institutional changes on issues relating to human rights, women’s empowerment, minorities, migrant justice, and democratic governance. Recently, Ela started the #LostVotes Campaign with young leaders advocating for permanent residents to vote in municipal elections in BC. She is the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Officer at Hospital Employees’ Union. Ela studied international relations, global advocacy, public relations and holds a Master’s degree in Human Rights Law.
Advisory Council
Dave (he/him) is grateful to live, work, play and raise his family in Lekwungen Territory – home of the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations.
He serves as a Councillor with the City of Victoria, and a Director on the Boards of the Capital Regional District and the Capital Regional Housing Corporation.
He has worked in the public, non-profit, and for-profit sectors. He practiced law in Ontario and BC, and co-founded a firm that works for and with Indigenous Communities facing industrial development on their territories. He and his partner are co-owners of Policylink Research and Consulting.
Executive Director
Kevin works as the Executive Director of the BC Libraries Cooperative where he is developing a project to support libraries engagement in helping tackle the climate crisis. He also works on a climate leadership program in Alberta. He co-founded Check Your Head and Next Up, has served as an elected Vancouver School Board (VSB) Trustee and subsequently worked for the VSB as their first Sustainability Coordinator. He serves on the boards of the BC Civil Liberties Association, the Wilderness Committee, and Upstream.net.
Advisory Council
Ken Melamed is a former mayor of Whistler in BC. He is a businessman, conservationist and former Green Party of Canada candidate in West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country. Ken Melamed was first elected to the Whistler council in 1996, serving as a councillor until 2005. He was elected as mayor in 2005 and served in that position until 2011.
Advisory Council
Seth is the BC Director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, a public policy research institute committed to social and economic justice. Seth holds a BA in international relations and a B.Ed from the University of Toronto, and an MA in political science from Simon Fraser University. He has been a social activist for over twenty-five years.
A former teacher, Seth is co-chair of the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, a board member of the Canada Without Poverty Advocacy Network, and an advisor and instructor for Next Up, a leadership program for young people committed to social and environmental justice. He is a frequent media commentator and public speaker on public policy issues. He lives with his wife and daughter in East Vancouver.