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.

Celia Robben: President
Celia's first career included 13 years with Koch Industries and covered roles including accountant, financial analyst, project manager, IT training coordinator, and logistics analyst.  Starting a new chapter in 2006, Celia moved to the Sunshine Coast with her husband Stan and opened Arcturus Retreat Bed & Breakfast.  She has been active in the Sunshine Coast Bed & Breakfast Cottage Owners Association where she is currently serving as Past President.  Celia also volunteers with Grandmothers and Grandothers for the Stephen Lewis Foundation and with Gibsons United Church.  She loves travel, sports of all kinds and music.

Judy Spears: Past 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

Eagle Walz:  Vice President-Community Relations
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.

Charlene SanJenko: Vice President-Marketing
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
Yvonne & husband Len are owners of SunCatcher Oceanside B&B in Powell River. Upon retiring from Delta Airline management in Edmonton, Yvonne worked as a Financial Adviser's assistant for 4 years.  Traveling and tourism has always been part of family 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.

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.

Jamie Mani: Director - Tourism Operator

Operated Alpha Adventures for the past 10 years

Grown our tourism business from one location in Roberts Creek to 4 locations- serving Powell River to Langdale. Our new flagship store opened in Wilson Creek to better serve the Dakota Ridge area in winter.

Specialist, instructor and guide for sea kayaking, canoeing, cross country skiing, snowshoeing and other outdoor pursuits.

Actively involved in the tourism industry year round on the Sunshine Coast
Volunteered on a number of boards, including the Dakota Ridge Winter Recreation Society.

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 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.

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

Rachelle Gardner: Director - Event Planner
Rachelle Gardner moved to the Sunshine Coast from Ontario in October 2009 with her husband and two children, and decided to renew her wedding vows. Arriving in a new place but not knowing many people or the area, she utilized the web to find information for wedding venues, packages, and vendors.  Throughout this web search process, she quickly learned that there was a lack of information for off Coast clients to book an event such as a wedding or vow renewal.  The question arose:  How do non-residents find the perfect place for their event or wedding here on The Sunshine Coast?

Utilizing her education and experience in the travel and tourism industry working with Sears Canada, her many years creating large fundraising events, her strong administrative background, and her ambitious spark, Rachelle launched My Sunshine Coast to promote the Coast as a unique and year-round destination for weddings, retreats and vacations.


Ryan Schmidt:  Director - Food and Beverage
General Manager, The Restaurant at Painted Boat
Ryan Schmidt's entered into the world of food and beverage with a summer job while he was studying economics at University of Alberta. Wanderlust was fed with world travel for two years, when Ryan decided to move to be closer with his family in Calgary. He began working for Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts Divino Bistro, a family run company who owned and operated resorts and restaurants with a focus on culinary excellence. After adding Painted Boat on the Sunshine Coast to their portfolio an opportunity arose to work closely with David Cox on the West Coast and launch the Restaurant at Painted Boat.

Ann Nelson: Director - Arts and Culture
Ann Nelson, with her son Brian, has been the owner/operator/steward of the 1928  Patricia Theatre in the National Historic District of the Powell River Townsite since 1982, and has lived and worked in Powell River since 1977.  She has been active in the business and artistic community for all of those years, having created and delivered the Basic Entrepreneurship Training program for what was then Malaspina College, operated her own businesses, managed/consulted for many others and represented the business community on various municipal committees and organizations.  Her involvement in the arts has been as a marketing partner for the visual arts with her businesses (Gallery Tantalus; Synergy FrameShop), as a musician and a theatrical designer, and as the organizer of various arts related festivals.  


Christine Hollmann:  Director - Tourism Operator
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. 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.

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.

Sunshine Coast Tourism has 360 members. If you would like more information on becoming a member please visit our Membership Infomation section.