The Minister of Energy and Mines and Responsible for Housing, Rich Coleman, today appointed five members to the BC Housing Management Commission Board.

The board provides guidance to BC Housing to meet government priorities and build on the accomplishments under the Provincial Housing Strategy, Housing Matters BC.

The expanded board of commissioners will provide oversight, accountability and transparency and ensure BC Housing continues to meet industry standards and best practices for Crown corporation governance.

The chair is appointed for three years with annual remuneration of $15,000. Members are appointed for a two-year term and will receive $7,500 annually. Compensation levels for Crown boards are established by Treasury Board to ensure consistent and transparent remuneration is in place across government. All appointments are effective immediately.

Over the last decade, the Province has invested $2.8 billion to provide affordable housing for low-income individuals, seniors and families - almost four times more than in the previous decade. Today, more than 95,000 B.C. households benefit from a diverse range of provincial housing services.

New commissioners are:

• M. Judy Rogers (chair)
• Melvin Kositsky
• Sabrina Kunz
• Robert P. Rennie
• Faye Wightman

A backgrounder follows, with biographies of each member.

Contact:

Sandra Steilo
Media Relations
Ministry of Energy and Mines and Responsible for Housing
250 952-0617

BACKGROUNDER

April 27, 2012 Ministry of Energy and Mines

and Minister Responsible for Housing

Biographies: BC Housing Board of Commissioners

M. Judy Rogers (chair)

Judy Rogers was the former city manager with the City of Vancouver. She was responsible for the overall operations of the city with an annual operating budget of $900 million, a capital plan of over $1 billion and a staff of 9,000 employees. Previously, she was the deputy city manager and assistant city manager for the City of Vancouver and the director of the Equal Employment Opportunities Office. Active in the community, Rogers has served as a director for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, chair and director with 2010 LegaciesNow and chair of the Institute of Public Administrators of Canada.

She is the recipient of numerous awards and honours including her enrolment in the Women's Executive Network Hall of Fame in 2008, Vancouver Magazine's Power 50 Award recipient in 2008, Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada since 2003 in 2007, and the Lieutenant-Governor's Award in 1993. Rogers holds a bachelor of physical education in recreation from the University of British Columbia and her masters of public administration from the University of Victoria.

Melvin S. Kositsky

Mel Kositsky is currently the recreation co-ordinator of Horse Council BC and principal of Kositsky Consulting and Associates. He is a director of the BC Recreation and Parks Association and the Pacific Parklands Foundation. Kositsky served as a Langley Township councillor from 1993 to 2011 and during that time he was a director of the Metro Vancouver Regional District Board.

He was a long standing member of a national committee on affordable housing and homelessness of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Kositsky holds his graduate diploma in journalism from the University of Western Ontario and his bachelor of arts in political science from the University of British Columbia.

Sabrina L. Kunz

Sabrina Kunz is the corporate secretary at BC Assessment Authority. Previously, Ms. Kunz was the executive officer at the Crime and Misconduct Commission in Queensland, Australia and was an associate at Minter Ellison, one of Australia's top law firms and practised in the area of corporate and commercial litigation and insolvency.

She is currently a director for Threshold Housing Society which aims to address youth homelessness in Greater Victoria by providing safe and supportive housing solutions. Kunz holds a bachelor of laws and bachelor of international business from Queensland University of Technology. In addition, she is an associate of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators.

Robert P. Rennie

Bob Rennie is the owner and director of Rennie Management Corporation and a director of Rennie Marketing Systems, which specializes in the sales and marketing of presale condominium communities. In addition, he serves as a director with Rennie and Associates Realty Ltd. and Rennie Marketing Systems USA Inc.

Active in the community, he is a director with Streetohome, a director with the Dean's Advisory Board to the faculty of arts at the University of British Columbia, a director and chair of the Northern American Acquisition Committee of the Tate Modern London, and chair of the Rennie Collection at Wing Sang Museum.

Faye L. Wightman

Faye Wightman is the president and chief executive officer of the Vancouver Foundation, Canada's largest community foundation. Prior to joining Vancouver Foundation, Wightman was president of BC Children's Hospital Foundation for 14 years and spent two years as vice-president of external relations at the University of Victoria. She served as executive director for Sunny Hill Foundation for Children as well as the campaign director for the United Way of the Lower Mainland.

Active in her community, Wightman is chair of Imagine board of directors and Community Foundations of Canada, a member of Giving in Action Society, a member of the Immigrant Employment Council, a director of Abbotsford HEAT Foundation, and a council member of the Advisory Council for Social entrepreneurship. She holds a bachelor of science in nursing from the University of British Columbia and ICD.D certification from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Contact:

Sandra Steilo
Media Relations
Ministry of Energy and Mines and Responsible for Housing
250 952-0617