home

Many members of the ACU community will recognize me as the Water Guy from my international water awareness initiative, and many others will know me from my years of volunteering with many local organizations such as the Friends of Sherbrook Pool and Meals on Wheels. Others still will know me from my involvement in amateur sport as a coach and referee or possibly from the dozens of school, community, and corporate presentations I have given and workshops I have facilitated over the years on topics such as human rights, blood donation, and conscious communitcation. But I want you to know me as the next member of ACU's Board, where I will bring a strong educational background and years of experience in governance and consensus building. I am confident that my passion for community engagement and ethics will contribute to making ACU an even stronger institution than it already is.

ACU is a rare company, one that explicitly puts the community in as central a place to its mission as profit. An excellent service provider to the largest credit union membership in Manitoba, ACU is just as well known as a staunch supporter of awesome local initiatives and the financial instituion of choice for non profit organizations and socially-minded individuals. A proud member for more than 15 years I am excited to seek a stronger role within ACU as a member of the Board.

What I Will Bring to the ACU Board:

Many years of governance experience from directorships with the Sexuality Education Resource Centre, the Manitoba Eco-Network, The University of Winnipeg Alumni Council, the Riverdale Institute for Health Research, and more.
A lifetime of community service with organizations as diverse as Canadian Blood Services, Friends of Sherbrook Pool, and Teen Touch.
A strong environmental background as an outspoken activist and founder of the world-renowned Water Conservation Challenge.
High ethical and moral standards and a desire to improve the reputation of the financial sector in Manitoba.
Expertise in strategic planning, finance, consensus building, and communications.

My Priorities:

I would like to see Assiniboine Credit Union at the forefront in helping kids, new immigrants, and eveyone else improve their financial literacy.
I would like to see ACU offer a wider range of ethical investments and support community lending whenever feasible.
I would like to see more programs to encourage staff to be even stronger members of their own communities by offering volunteer incentives.
I would like to see ACU as the largest credit union in Manitoba by assets as well as by membership which may mean working harder to attract agricultural and rural clients.

About Me
Most of my career has been in social services working with some of Winnipeg's least fortunate as a supervisor with the Salvation Army Booth Centre and as a group home manager with Macdonald Youth Services. I am an alumnus of the University of Winnipeg where I earned a BA I also have a Master's Degree in NonProfit Management and numerous other certificates including in strategic management.

An interest in travel has led me to lilve in three different countries and numerous cities over the past decade and a passion for the environment and community has pushed me to be a prolific volunteer. For my environmental and leadership work I have been recognized with several awards including the YMCA Canada Peace Medal, Water Polo Coach of the Year, and as an honourable mention for the Excellence in Sustainability Award given out by Manitoba Conservation.

I currently work in sport management as Exective Director of Traithlon Manitoba and casually at the Main Street Project and live with my fiance Arum, a recent permanent resident who I met while working as a human rights advocate in Indonesia.

How to vote

When your ballot arrives starting March 11, 2013:
1. Go to ACU's website, www.assiniboine.mb.ca and click on the link on the home page to go directly to our secure online voting site.
2. Select "Individual" or "Body Corporate/Association".
3. Enter your Voter ID and Voter Password as printed on your ballot. This will authenticate your online ballot.
4. Vote by clicking beside the name(s) of the candidate(s) you wish to vote for.
5. Review your selection(s).
6. Once you have reviewed all of your selection(s), click submit to send your online vote to our independent scrutineers.
*Online voting will close at 11:59 pm on April 5, 2013*