WLC: Mentor & Mingle at Whiskey Richard's

Date and Time

Thursday Apr 13, 2023
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM PDT

Thursday, April 13, 2023
6 - 9 PM

Location

Whiskey Richard's
45886 Wellington Ave
Chilliwack, BC

Fees/Admission

Member rate: $45/person
Non-member rate: $65/person

Contact Information

Heather Simpson
Send Email

Description

Presented by:

Join the Women's Leadership Collective as the Chamber hosts another fantastic panel of female leaders from our community. This is your chance to brainstorm with 10 of Chilliwack's most inspiring women!

Located at Whiskey Richard's (the old Wellington pub), your ticket will include a welcome drink and appetizers, 15 minutes of mentorship time, and ample networking opportunities.

Info on our incredible mentors to come out leading up to the event. Looking forward to having you with us!

A little more on our Panelists:

Kim McLandress:
Kim grew up in Grande Prairie, AB and moved to the Fraser Valley in 1999 to attend the University College of the Fraser Valley. Kim has a Master of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from UFV and a Master of Arts degree in Applied Legal Studies from SFU.
While completing her degree in Criminal Justice she began volunteering for Chilliwack Restorative Justice. Kim spent 13 years at Chilliwack Restorative Justice, eventually leading the organization from 2008-2013 as Executive Director. From 2013-2019 Kim owned and operated a women's clothing store and co-owned a men's clothing store in Chilliwack.
Kim has been practicing as a Notary at Simpson Notaries since receiving her commission in June 2018.
Kim has been very involved in the community as a director for Chilliwack Restorative Justice, Chilliwack Community Services, The Chilliwack Curling Club (including as president), sitting as a member of the Chilliwack Citizens Advisory Committee, and as a Rotarian with the Rotary Club of Chilliwack Mount Cheam since 2010 including as president from July 2018 to June 2019. Kim is currently the Assistant Governor for Rotary district 5050.

Courtney Steeksma:
Courtney is the Senior Manager of the Scotiabank Women Initiative for BC & Yukon. With over 10 years of experience in the finance industry holding various roles in Retail, Agriculture and Commercial banking. Courtney is passionate about working with women to pursue their best professional and financial futures. She is committed to being engaged with her community through volunteer work & fundraising. Courtney is an active board member of the Risk Management Association Fraser Valley Chapter, Co-Chair of the Ridge Meadows Hospital Foundation Gala committee, and sits as a Board of Director for the Association of Women in Finance.

DJ Pohl:
DJ Pohl is the first vice-chairperson of Component 12 – Administrative Professionals, chair of local 1204 executive and the 2nd representative to the BC General Employees Union (BCGEU) Provincial Executive. She has been employed with the BC Prosecution Service, Ministry of Attorney General for nearly 15 years and is currently a growth paralegal. DJ sits on the BCGEU Provincial Executive Environment Committee and is involved in the BCFed standing committee on climate change and is currently in her third term appointed to the Climate Solutions Advisory Council to the Premier of B.C. She graduated from the University of the Fraser Valley with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice in 2009 and is currently completing her paralegal certification. DJ has been the president of the Fraser Valley Labour Council for the last 6 years and was the inaugural vice-president representing labour councils from the pacific region to the CLCs Canadian Council. In addition to labour, criminal and environmental justice pursuits, DJ is politically engaged in her community and was a candidate in Chilliwack-Hope in the 2021 Federal election. She spends significant time volunteering in the community and has held a number of volunteer and board of director positions including 10 years with Chilliwack Restorative Justice and most recently joining the Chilliwack Fair board. As a lifelong advocate for fairness, justice and equality DJ hopes to give back to her community while continuing to learn and build upon productive momentum bringing about positive change, accountability and engagement.

Keely Johnson:
Keely started her career with Molson Coors in our Burrard Street Brewery following the completion of her Master of Science in Food Safety and Microbiology from the University of British Columbia. She has held positions in both the Quality and Brewing Department through her career. In 2016 Keely was selected for the Molson Coors Management Production Trainee program, providing an opportunity for high potential candidates to train across the business and gain a wide exposure to our supply chain. The successful completion of this program, along with attaining her Diploma in Brewing from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling, led to various leadership roles in the brewery. In 2019 Keely happily moved to Chilliwack for a new challenge! She was an integral part of the successful start-up of the Fraser Valley Brewery and has been leading a comprehensive and sustained culture of continuous improvement, spearheading one of the most advanced, world class supply chain systems in the Molson Coors network.

Sandra Bonner-Pederson:
Ey Swayel, my traditional name is Í:lhót and my given name is Sandra Bonner-Pederson. I am not only a member of the Tzeachten First Nation, but I am also a leader in my community and hold the position of Councillor. I am the Owner/Operator of Bear Image Productions, a video production company established in 2002 located on the Tzeachten First Nation. I started in the Television industry in 1989 as a volunteer host for a First Nation program entitled: “Rebirth of a Nation.” I wanted to learn how to help behind the scenes of this program, so I collected the prerequisites over a 2 year period necessary to enrol at BCIT in the 2 year Television Broadcasting Diploma Program . I graduated from BCIT at the top of my class in 1994 and worked first at ITV in Edmonton as a Writer/Producer in Promotions and then carried this same title over to Super-channel/Family Channel. I then returned to Chilliwack BC and worked as a part time shooter and editor for Shaw Cable. This all led me to start my own video production company business. We have produced a variety of Indigenous and Non-Indigenous videos across Canada. Please visit our website to view some samples of our work: www.bearimage.ca.

Kara Bertram:
Kara worked in the international affairs office at the post-secondary education level for 15 years before making the leap to small business entrepreneurship. She firmly believes in capitalizing on the here and now and that those experiences, skill-sets, and connections will start a domino effect for future opportunities.