Board Members

Mary Lynn Baum, Board Chair, has a background in education policy, governance, and the arts. A founding member of the Gifted Children’s Association of BC, she was a long-time representative to the Vancouver School Board’s District Gifted and Talented Advisory Committee and the VSB/UBC/Ministry of Education Transition Program. Professionally, she currently provides clinical assistance with aspects of psychoeducational assessment to psychologists in private practice. For 8 years, from 2010 through 2017, Mary Lynn served as a trustee on the Vancouver Public Library Board, including three years as Chair of the Board. Her extensive history of volunteerism was recognized in 2015 with the City of Vancouver’s Award for Excellence (Civic Volunteer) and in 2017 with a nomination for a Woman of Distinction award. Mary Lynn also has a background in the performing arts, having formerly taught at Pacific Ballet Theatre School and served on the board of Theatre Terrific Society; she is now a member of the dance performance group, Razzmatap.

(Term of Appointment: December 31, 2018 - July 31, 2025)

Willa Choy Willa is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a Chartered Director who believes that everyone has the potential to be their personal best when they are well supported and are given opportunities to grow. She is a seasoned audit professional with over 25 years auditing experience; and is a trusted advisor to both Management and the Board of Directors on risk, compliance, operational process improvements, and corporate governance. Willa is currently the Director of Internal Audit at Technical Safety BC. She is active in the community and serves on the Board of Directors for Brightside Community Homes Foundation as their Secretary/Treasurer and is the current Chair, Finance & Audit Committee. Willa also is a mentor for the Institute of Internal Auditors Mentorship Program. Willa holds aBachelor Degree in Economics and a Certificate in Human Resources Management, along with multiple professional designations. She was the 2012 recipient of the Top Talent Award for demonstrated strategic leadership and academic performance in the Certified Management Accountant Executive Program.

(Term of Appointment: May 21, 2024 - July 31, 2025)

Krisha Dhaliwal is an immigration lawyer with Larlee Rosenberg in Vancouver. She has a particular interest in equality rights, anti-discrimination work and access to justice issues for immigrant communities, racialized people, and women. Ms. Dhaliwal sits on the board of the College of Physical Therapists of BC and also serves on the South Asian Bar Association of BC. She holds a JD from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in the humanities from Simon Fraser University.

(Term of Appointment: August 1, 2018 - July 31, 2025)

Mark Goldberg recently joined the British Columbia Lottery Corporation as the Chief Information Officer, bringing strong leadership and experience as an Information Technology executive. Before joining BCLC, Mr. Goldberg was the Vice President/CIO, Information Technology and Global Real Estate and Facilities at Hootsuite. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of IT for Finning International. He is Founder and Principal at The Virtual CIO and, as a management consultant, Mr. Goldberg worked on digital transformation and strategy initiatives for such organizations as Rocky Mountaineer, No Limits/Saxx, Teck Resources and Intrawest. He is active in his community, serving as a volunteer Board committee member on the Workday Advisory Committee for the EPR and Student Systems implementation at Langara College, and as a member of the United Way British Columbia’s Campaign Cabinet.

(Term of Appointment: July 10, 2023 - July 31, 2026)

Stephen Howard, Board Second Vice-Chair and Chair, Governance and Nominating Committee, is an award-winning communicator and strategist with over 35 years of experience as a senior staff person and advocate in shaping public policy in British Columbia. Mr. Howard was Vice President at Strategies 360, Director of Communications at British Columbia Federation of Labour, Principal at Change Communications, and Chief of Staff for the Leader of the Official Opposition of British Columbia. He also was National Communications Director at Canadian Union of Public Employees, Communications Officer at British Columbia Government and Service Employees’ Union, and Director of Communications at Hospital Employees’ Union. Active in his community, Mr. Howard was Member of the Board of Governors at the University of British Columbia and President at Simon Fraser Student Society. He holds a Journalism Certificate from Vancouver Community College and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Latin American Studies from Simon Fraser University.

(Term of Appointment: July 31, 2022 - July 31, 2025)

Scott Michael Murray, Board First Vice-Chair and Chair, Audit and Finance Committee, is currently a Senior Manager with Ernst & Young LLP (EY Canada). Previously, Mr. Murray was a Senior Consultant with EY Australia. Active in his community, Mr. Murray volunteers as an Advisor with Science World and the Business Council of British Columbia. He is also involved in the UBC Saunder MBA Mentorship Program. Mr. Murray holds a Masters in Business Administration from Edith Cowan University, and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Australia.

(Term of Appointment: July 31, 2020 - July 31, 2026)

Cole Rheaume has over twenty years of experience working with non-profits, Indigenous groups and community based organizations facilitating dialogue. He has earned a reputation as a strategic thinker, a natural leader and an enthusiastic addition to any team seeking change and innovation for their projects and organizations. Cole has developed community programs, policies and initiatives through working collaboratively with boards, senior management and staff, community members, and various levels of governments. Cole works well with his clients to identify their needs and determine their priorities and strengths. He strives to ensure that the initiatives he’s involved with are culturally appropriate and led by the local communities. As the managing partner of Mi’kmwesu Management, Cole is currently working with:

• Shaw and Bell-First Nations Community Engagement Advisor
• BC Assembly of First Nations-Event Planning & Special Projects Advisor
• Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business-Progressive Aboriginal Relations Verifier

(Term of Appointment: July 31, 2020 - July 31, 2025)

Claudia Salem is an advisor and independent director with over 25 years of global expertise within the financial services and telecommunications sectors. She also actively contributes to emerging ventures by mentoring start-ups in the fintech, insuretech, and cleantech sectors. Claudia's most recent role was as the CEO Property & Casualty for Asia Pacific at Allianz, where she successfully managed the P&L and functional development of the company's business in the region. Prior to Allianz, Claudia served as the Singapore CEO and Head of Southeast Asia at AIG. Her 15-year tenure at AIG included various leadership roles with contributions to operations management, business development, and customer solutions. She holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a Bachelor's degree in Computer and Communications Engineering from the American University of Beirut. She is currently pursuing a Professional Certificate in Sustainability from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

(Term of Appointment: July 10, 2023 - July 31, 2026)

Nick Smith is a lawyer at Miller Titerle Law Corporation (MT+Co), specializing in Indigenous business. He is of Cree and European descent, and his family is from the Ermineskin Cree Nation (a Treaty 6 Nation). In his practice, Nick works primarily with First Nations and Indigenous-owned businesses and not-for-profit societies. He provides a range of solicitor services, including those relating to economic development, governance, and government-to-government agreements, and supports the ongoing implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

Nick previously worked for a global law firm in Vancouver and holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Civil Engineering from the University of British Columbia and a Juris Doctor from the Peter A. Allard School of Law at UBC. Nick is active in his community as a mentor to law students through the Canadian Bar Association (BC Branch) mentorship program, an alumnus of the Indigenous legal studies program at the Peter A. Allard School of Law, and a member of the Indigenous Bar Association. At MT+Co., Nick is the representative for the firm’s associate lawyers and sits on the student committee, and in his personal life, Nick loves competitive athletic activities.

(Term of Appointment: December 8, 2023 - July 31, 2025)

Rose Palozzi, staff-elected Board Member, joined Langara College in January 2014 and works as a Financial Business Analyst.  She is a former member of Langara Council, an active member of the United Way committee and a Shop Steward.  She worked in finance in the private sector before joining Langara, and studied arts at the University of Toronto, and financial accounting at BCIT.  She enjoys ice hockey, cycling and volunteers running game nights at her local neighbourhood house.

(Term of Appointment: October 15, 2019 - October 14, 2025)

Armor Valor Corrales, student-elected Board Member, is a Political Science student at Langara College. He was first elected as a student Langara Board Governor in 2021 for a one-year term and has been re-elected for additional one-year terms in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Armor served as the executive representative for SUVCC to the British Columbia Federation of Students. He also studied culinary arts at VCC and now operates as a private chef.

(Term of Appointment: October 1, 2021 - September 30, 2025)

Melissa Roberts, faculty-elected Board Member, joined Langara College in August 2011 and is a faculty member and the current department chair for Criminal Justice. In addition to teaching, Melissa is an active member of the Langara College community. She serves as a Langara Faculty Association representative, is an ambassador for the Langara Sexual Respect initiatives, and represents Langara on the Status of Women committee for the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of B.C. She has also been sessional instructor at Simon Fraser University and Columbia College and has been teaching Criminology in post-secondary since 2005.  Melissa holds both a Bachelor and Master of Arts in Criminology from Simon Fraser University, with her research focus being restorative and community justice, and research methodology. She has completed research projects evaluating restorative justice programming and most recently was the project coordinator for a study at SFU investigating the settlement of refugees in the City of Surrey. Melissa is an avid cook, loves to travel, and is a long-distance walker, having completed two half-marathons to date.

(Term of Appointment: October 15, 2019 - October 14, 2025)

Akashdeep Singh, student-elected Board Member, is a second-year student in Computer Science at Langara College. He serves as a Langara Global Student Ambassador and works as a Student Assistant at the Engagement Kiosk with the Office of Student Engagement. Additionally, Akashdeep is the Vice-President of the Langara Punjabi Association, a cultural club promoting Punjabi culture. His passion for community service is also reflected in his roles as a GO Team volunteer, Mental Health Ambassador, and iGuide mentor, with over 300 registered volunteer hours.

(Term of Appointment: October 1, 2024 - September 30, 2025)

Tess MacMillan, Chair of the Education Council, has been an instructor at Langara College since September 2002. Before arriving at Langara, she taught at UBC's Writing Centre and at Douglas College.

A native Vancouverite, she earned a BA (Hons.) in English from UBC before heading to London, Ontario where she received an MA in English from the University of Western Ontario.

Tess's areas of academic interest include First Nations literature (particularly the works of Thomas King), multicultural literature (especially Canadian and Caribbean), short fiction, and English grammar. Her non-academic interests include popular culture, yoga, and fashion as an artistic medium.

Tess teaches a wide range of first year courses including English 1107, 1110, 1127, and 1129. She enjoys teaching students grammar, writing skills, and literature and believes that everyone can find a poem to love.

(Term of Appointment: September 17, 2021 - April 30, 2024)

Dr. Paula Burns is Langara College's fourth president and CEO. With over 25 years of experience in higher education, Paula has demonstrated innovation in leadership that prioritizes diversity and inclusivity, collaboration and community building, and the ability to cultivate a progressive, positive, and welcoming culture.

Paula has established herself as an active leader locally, provincially, and nationally. She is committed to advancing education and creating a safe and respectful learning environment for students, faculty, and staff.

Paula is also the board chair of Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan). She previously served on their National Indigenous Education Advisory Committee as the governance committee chair who developed CICan's Indigenous Education Protocol.

Paula has a Respiratory Therapy diploma from Fanshawe College, a B.Sc. from the University of Waterloo, an M.Ed. from Central Michigan University, a Ph.D. from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto, and an MBA from Royal Roads University.