The mission for Sunshine Coast Tourism is to build a strong tourism economy on the Sunshine Coast consistent with the values of residents. Sunshine Coast Tourism will:

• Promote the Sunshine Coast destination in targeted markets through a strategic, research-based marketing strategy
• Facilitate the continuing evolution of the destination
• Increase awareness of the value, contribution, and importance of tourism among the government, population, and businesses on the Sunshine Coast.

Judy Spears; President

Judy worked as a Director of Nursing in Vancouver until her retirement in 1999 when she and her husband moved to the Coast and opened Soames Point B&B in their newly built home. Judy has worked on many Boards on the Coast, most recently as:
• President of Elder College (Cap College in Sechelt)
• Gibsons & District Chamber of Commerce Board for 4 years serving as: Vice President, President, Past President.
• SCBBCOA Board for 4 years: Vice President - 2 years, President - 1 year
• Currently a Director on BCI (Gibsons and Area Economic Development Board)
• Member of Civic Leadership Advisory Committee - Cap University Sechelt


Chris McNaughton; Vice President Gov't/Community Relations

Chris is a City of Powell River Counselor and also the president of Tourism Powell River. Chris has been active in community development both as a volunteer and in his professional life.  
~ Chair of the Sunshine Coast Tourism Partnership
~ Founding member and past-president of the Sunshine Coast Bed & Breakfast, Cottage Owners Association
~ Chair of the Dakota Ridge Society
~ Sechelt and District Chamber of Commerce board member
~ Chair of the Sechelt Economic Development Partnership
~ Chair of the Sechelt Marine Access Committee
~ Sunshine Coast Community Economic Development Society board member
~ BC Ferry Community Advisory Committee alternate appointed by the Sechelt Council
~ Sunshine Coast Spirit of BC Committee board member
"I welcome the opportunity to continue to work with a dedicated group of volunteers to build a strong and vibrant Tourism Sector on the Sunshine Coast."  


Celia Robben: Vice President Marketing

Celia is currently president of the Sunshine Coast Bed & Breakfast, Cottage Owners Association and on the BC Spirit committee promoting Olympic activities. She has demonstrated a strong background in web based and social media marketing as well as a commitment to tourism initiatives on the Coast.



Charlene SanJenko: Treasurer

Charlene SanJenko, Creative Catalyst for Positive Change and Social Entrepreneur, enjoys bringing an entrepreneurial edge to social change.  She currently works as a Business Development Consultant for non-profits and was the Founder and Creator of the CSJ Active Wellness Centre, a social enterprise committed to women's wellness, including personal and professional development.  Charlene has lived on the Sunshine Coast since 2004 and passionately believes in the potential of our Coastal community. She encourages the growth of tourism through unique destination events and continually building solid corporate relationships.  


Yvonne Johnson: Secretary

Yvonne & husband Len are owners of SunCatcher Oceanside B&B in Powell River.  Following their wedding in 2003 on Savary Island they stopped in Powell River, loved the city and area, looked at real estate, put an offer on a home and returned to Edmonton to announce to their families that they were moving to Powell River.  After working in the airline industry with 30 years of shift work, Yvonne wanted to remain at home and felt that the Customer service skills honed in the airline industry would serve her well as a Bed & Breakfast host.  Upon retiring from Delta Airline management in Edmonton  Yvonne worked as a Financial Adviser's assistant for 4 years.  Widowed for 10 years with three young teenage children the family remained on their large acreage till post secondary years began whereupon they moved into Edmonton and it was there at the curling rink that Yvonne met her husband Len.

Traveling and tourism have always been part of the family's life.  Yvonne also brings other skills and experience which includes:
~ co-founding Canadian Parents for French chapter in Parkland School District - Spruce Grove,Alta
~ authoring the Delta Air Lines emergency response at Edmonton International Airport
~ Owned a clothing business and still remains in the Fashion industry working for an Agency at the  Fashion Markets in March and September.  
Yvonne became a first time grandmother this summer while Len just recently welcomed his second great grandchild.  Their large family keeps them busy traveling to Edmonton as well as welcoming the children to coastal life in Powell River.  Yvonne looks forward to working with Sunshine Coast Tourism helping to promote this wonderful area to the world


Jean Billingsley: Chair Membership
 
After graduating from Gladstone High School in 1963 Jean went to work for a lady who owned a wholesale jewellry business. She taught Jean a lot about running a business and Jean stayed with her for 8 years. She left the work force to raise her 3 children.
During the 12 years of raising her family she was involved in all aspects of community life. She was president of the PTA, a Brownie leader, volunteered for the Mothers March, and also helped her husband in his business.(Langley Esso)
When their youngest child went to school, Jean got a job in Surrey Memorial Hospital and worked there for 21 years in food services and took early retirement in 2004.
She and her husband, Dick, moved to Sechelt in the fall of 2004 and opened Sechelt Inlet B&B - by far the best job she has ever had! Jean has served on the Sunshine Coast Bed and Breakfast, Cottage Owners Board for the past 3 years


Eagle Walz: Director - Sunshine Coast Trail

R.E. Walz is a founding member of the Powell River Parks and Wilderness Society (1992) and the architect of the 180 km long Sunshine Coast Trail. Through PRPAWS he was also instrumental in the establishment of three provincial parks in the Powell River area. Eagle is now promoting the building of huts on the Sunshine Coast Trail. He wrote “The Sunshine Coast Trail” and “Along the Edge of the Salish Sea”, books of hiking trail descriptions in the Powell River area. Eagle also sits as a Director on the Vancouver Coast and Mountains Board


Linda Williams: Director:   - Coast Cultural Alliance

Linda moved to the Sunshine Coast as a permanent resident in 1994. She comes from a variety of backgrounds including running her own goat dairy for 20 years (the 1st
commercial goat dairy in Canada), working in the newspaper industry for 20 years and volunteering at many major events in Abbotsford and Vancouver, and continues in her 18th year organizing volunteers at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. She is a committed advocate for arts and culture, and has been involved in many non-profit organizations on the Sunshine Coast including:
~ Chair and webmaster of the Coast Cultural Alliance since 1998
~ President of the Sunshine Coast Jazz & Entertainment Society
~ Festival director and production manager for the Gibsons Landing Jazz Festival since 1996.
~ Representing CCA she was one of the founding members of the Sunshine Coast Tourism Partnership.
~ Past Chair of the Steering Committee for the Sunshine Coast Regional Cultural Strategy and continues in a leadership role to move the strategy forward.
~ Past member of the CKAY advisory committee
~ Current member of the Board of the Sunshine Coast Arts Council.
~ Produces the Music in the Landing Series sponsored by the Town of Gibsons, now in it's 6th year.
~ Music director and performer in 3 musical groups


Dale Schweighardt: Director  

Dale has 27 years of experience in the food and beverage/hospitality industry.  His roots are from Saskatchewan where he grew up & spent 6 years in restaurant management.  
He moved to BC in 1988 and spent 7 years in the Lower Mainland involved in the Hotel Industry. The next stop was Whistler for a 10 year stay where Dale was president of the Whistler Food & Beverage Association for 8 years.  
Dale sat on the board of directors for the Dandelion Daycare Society for 2 years
& spent 3 years as a member of the Whistler Village Enhancement Strategy Committee.  He was also on the annual Whistler Father Daughter Dance committee.  
Dale and his family became permanent residents of the Sunshine Coast in the spring of 2005, when he and a partner obtained the Lighthouse Pub and began the re-development of the facility.  
Dale is an active member of the Halfmoon Bay Volunteer Fire Department.  
He coaches girls soccer and occasionally plays in the over 30 men's league soccer.


Richard Clark: Director

Richard, together with his wife Anki are owners of West Coast Cottage near Myrtle Rock outside Powell River.  Richard is also a Realtor with Coast Realty Group. Prior to moving back to Powell River from his home province of Alberta he was Vice President, Wood Products for Millar Western Forest Products in Alberta.
Richard's previous board experience:
• President of the Alberta Forest Products Association - Edmonton
• Board of Directors Interex Forest Products - Vancouver, Tokyo
• Board of Directors Forintek Canada - Vancouver, Quebec City
• Board of Directors Canadian Wood Council
Richard and his wife Anki have fulfilled their dream of returning to Powell River and building their dream home and vacation cottage on their waterfront acreage overlooking Malaspina Strait south of the city. I am looking forward to working with and contributing my time to making the spectacular sunshine coast a tourist destination.


Christine Hollmann: Director
 
Christine is a founding Director and Operations Manager for Terra Centric Adventures in Lund as an adventure leader and educator who has worked in international youth development and adventure tourism as facilitator, guide, tours and programs director and manager since 1990. Christine is a creative and resourceful program planner with talents in building unique outdoor and adventure learning environments for people from all walks of life. Her adventure based workshops for students in alternate school settings have earned her a solid reputation as a leader in out-of-the box learning.

With a BA in Psychology from UBC, Christine brings a strong human relations and group process aspect to programs, along with organizational and business management skills. Other technical and process skill certificates include Wilderness First Aid, Adventure Learning with Youth, Canadian Recreational Canoeing Association Sea Kayak Instructor and business management credentials. Christine is a highly knowledgeable about the Desolation Sound area having lead many overnight sea kayak trips over the past ten years.
Christine was lucky enough to grow up in Powell River, and her early adventures were outdoors with her family, whether in the garden, taking extended boat trips, searching for chanterelles, camping or hiking. After university, she spent two years traveling as both student and staff with the international youth organization “Up With People” . Based on an experiential model of learning, she gained valuable facilitation, workshop presentation, counseling and group management skills. Christine also returned to the organizations headquarters in Colorado for two years to assist with staff training programs


Director: Andy Cardiff

Andy is the owner and founder of Malaspina Water Taxi in Madeira Park and owner of C-Tow Marine Assistance Ltd.  In 2005 needing a lifestyle change, Andy ventured into the world of small business on the Sunshine Coast. Andy's pre Coast life was focused on Waste Diversion and Recycling technologies in Halifax, Toronto, Ottawa and most recently Grande Prairie.  

Director: Ann Nelson

Ann is the operator of the Historic Patricia Theatre in Powell River who represents the Arts & Culture tourism sector for the Upper Coast


Darren Robinson: Executive Director Tourism Powell River

Darren Robinson, Executive Director of Tourism Powell River moved to the Sunshine Coast in June 2009. He has spent the past 10 years in the tourism industry, the past three as Marketing Manager for The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. His education includes a Bachelor of Tourism Management degree from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, BC, where his studies included tourism research, marketing, branding, graphic design, resort development and entrepreneurship. He is a professional photographer with a focus on tourism, portrait, lifestyle and nature photography through Darren Robinson Photography. His photos have been published in ads, newspaper, stock photo websites and magazines. He brings to the Sunshine Coast his wife Stacy, and daughters Sadie and Holly.


Scott Randolph: Director

Scott Randolph was born in Toronto and raised in the Belleville, Ontario region. He made the move to beautiful British Columbia in 1997, first to Prince Rupert and eventually to Powell River where he and his partner Brandi are raising their two daughters Jenna and Karina.

Although Scott's educational background is journalism; he has spent a good deal of his career practising a number of different communications disciplines. Scott has worked for a decade in the Television and Radio Broadcast Industry as a Journalist, Announcer and Producer. He also has a good deal of Public Relations experience from being a communications officer with the Ontario Government; the Director of Corporate Communications and Community Relations for New Skeena Forest Products Inc; and as a municipal politician (City of Prince Rupert).

In 2003 he left his position with New Skeena and moved to Powell River to provide marketing and communications services to the Powell River Regional Economic Development Society. In 2006, Scott was appointed Economic Development Manager for the Powell River Region. In the following year he was appointed as Manager of PRSC Limited Partnership whose three shareholders are the Tla'Amin First Nation, Catalyst Paper Corporation and City of Powell River. In 2008 Scott assumed even greater responsibilities when he took over management of the Tourism Powell River Society.

The Sunshine Coast Tourism Partnership (SCTP) and Tourism Powell River joined forces in October 2007, through a Memorandum of Understanding to create Sunshine Coast Tourism. Since that time the Sunshine Coast Tourism Board, which is comprised of representation from the Lower and Upper Sunshine Coast, has been engaged in a number of fundamental activities to launch this new Destination Marketing Organization. Specifically, the Board has been focused on the following:

• Registering the DMO under the BC Society Act,and establishing the governance requirements to guide the Board.
• Finalizing Agreements with Tourism Powell River and Powell River Economic Development Society to provide DMO management and staffing.
• Initiating the procurement of UBCM phase One and Two grants, of which over $120,000 in funding has been secured
• Procurement of  Community Foundations grants from Tourism BC - $50,000 over the next three years
• Agreements with Vancouver Coast Mountains to provide community relations support, media design, placements and fulfillment.
• Collaborating with the five government bodies on the Sunshine Coast to garner support and sustainability initiatives for the DMO.
• Initiation and launch of the Global Media marketing campaign (print & TV) - Fall 2007
• Initiation and launch of the "Romancing the Coast" campaign (print & internet) - Spring 2008

Taking the Next Step

The SCT Board feels it is important that we now bring the stakeholders of the Lower Coast together to enable the Board to receive direction on our activities for the future. As a tourism business, support this new organization by becoming a member of Sunshine Coast Tourism, and take advantage of the many opportunities that membership provides.  For more information on membership, go to Member Information

With the launch of Sunshine Coast Tourism, there is now, after many years of development, an organization for government, associations and individual tourism stakeholders to pool their resources in an effective and coordinated manner to penetrate key target markets with our message, promoting the tremendous tourism experience the Sunshine Coast has to offer.
 
We hope that all businesses on the Lower Sunshine Coast whose bottom line is affected by tourism will join us to begin this important process of guiding Sunshine Coast Tourism as British Columbia's most successful Destination Marketing Organization.  

If you have any questions, please contact us through our Contact Us page for further information about becoming a member of Sunshine Coast Tourism.