Board of Directors

Christine is an outstanding adventure leader and educator who has worked in international youth development and adventure tourism as facilitator, guide, tours and programs director and manager since the mid 90’s. 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 and a B. Ed /Teacher Certification along with industry certifications, Christine was lucky enough to grow up in Powell River. Her early adventures were outdoors with her family, whether in the garden, taking extended boat trips, searching for chanterelles, camping or hiking. Today she gets outside with her family on a regular basis, doing much of the same things she did as a child.

Qaid began his career in project management at BC’s health authorities. In 2016, he founded a recruitment tech company with $3000, and grew it to over a million dollars in annual revenue within 6 years. Simultaneously, as a hobby he was also creating installations in the music festival industry. It was at these music festivals where he realized his true passion lay in building communities and creating spaces where people could come together and have a good time. In 2021, Qaid exited his startup to pursue hospitality development, with the goal of creating a series of projects on the Coast. This effort began with the redevelopment of a Vancouver century home into a fourplex, which includes one of the city's top-rated AirBnBs. In 2022, he began mentoring under John DeC. Evans, owner and founder of OPUS Hotel and formerly the lead developer of Whistler, to learn the craft of boutique resort development. After two years working with John in Mexico, Qaid took over The Stonewater Motel and rebranded it to become The Stonewater – a boutique hotel that boasts glamping sites and a custom circuit spa. After spending years taking frequent getaways to the Coast and now as a hotel-owner out here, Qaid is passionate about building tourism to the region. His goal is to promote projects that align with the history, communities, and natural beauty of the area. In addition to the above, Qaid has a degree in Business Administration from SFU, has experience working on non-profit Boards, and speaking engagements at universities, conferences, and in media.

Theressa graduated with Distinction in the Marketing Management and Communications program at BCIT. She moved to the Sunshine Coast in 2008 to find community and connect with nature. She currently is the Executive Director at the Sechelt Chamber of Commerce and Director of Marketing for the local floatplane business Sunshine Coast Air. “I am lucky to call the Sunshine Coast my home, this is a magical place with an amazing community feel.”

Heather is an ideas driven entrepreneur with long standing ties to the Sunshine Coast. Having lived in Powell River as a child, Heather & her husband chose Halfmoon Bay when they decided to return to the coast after a 28 year hiatus in Northern BC. With a combined degree in Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy, Heather utilized her rehabilitation background to make the leap to tourism and hospitality in 2003 with the opening of her first B&B in converted prairie grain silos. Heather is passionate about creating unique spaces where guests can connect with themselves, each other and nature in sustainable ways. She is proud that Pointhouse Suites has achieved a Gold Certification through Green Tourism Canada. Heather’s experience with other volunteer policy boards includes stints as President and Treasurer of Canadian Parents for French BC/Yukon Branch, Treasurer and Vice President of BC Association of Child Development Centres, and Secretary and current Director of Sargeant Bay Society. As well she was a member of various ad hoc committees of BC Innkeepers Guild, SCBBCOA, and Northern BC Tourism. She is looking forward to working towards a shared vision of success for the entire Sunshine Coast.

Jack is a Vancouver businessman who has been in the Real Estate industry for over 35 years and whose interests include Vancouver, Washington State as well as Powell River. Having a strong community commitment, Jack’s volunteer board activities include past experience as president of the Powell River Chamber of Commerce as well as President of the Sunshine Coast Tourism. Other volunteer positions include Fundraising Chairman of the B.C. Learning Centres for Children with Dyslexia in addition to President of the Vancouver Masonic Centre Association, which is currently developing a 150 unit affordable rental housing tower in the heart of Vancouver. His affinity for the Sunshine Coast comes from a lifetime enjoying the environs of Pender Harbour as his family has had roots there for close to a century.

Shangxuan and her family started running a 19 room motel in Sechelt in 2009 and in 2010, took over the Gibsons Garden Inn – at the time it was a retirement home. It took 2 years to convert it into a 52 room hotel. In the past 5 years of running the Gibsons Garden Hotel, they’ve not only renovated the hotel rooms, increased the room numbers to 55 rooms, updated the equipment and facilities but also enhanced the service experience to their guests. With their passion of tourism, hospitality and ongoing improvements, the hotel has become one of the most popular hotels in the southern Sunshine Coast.

Chris’ tourism career started during the Canadian Diamond Rush on the shores of Great Slave Lake, NWT, working at floatplane bases with fishermen, bush pilots, and prospectors. He grew up working in a ‘travel’ family alongside his father in Yellowknife, where he developed and managed the first business in Canada to bring Japanese travelers to experience the Aurora Borealis. Chris is a graduate of Tourism Management at Capilano University. Over the past 20+ years, Chris has worked in Vancouver with tour operators, luxury travel agents and consumers, connecting travelers to authentic experiences across Canada. In his role with Klahoose Wilderness Resort (formerly Homfray Lodge) he strives to develop travel experiences that allow guests to re-connect on a deeper and more meaningful level. Whether this means joining a grizzly bear viewing tour with an Indigenous guide or a naturalist lead tour, its about allowing guests to venture into a place that is different from home, giving them space to reflect and connect with fellow guests. From Howe Sound to Desolation Sound, the Sunshine Coast is perfectly positioned to offer some of the best authentic and genuine experiences in the world.

Linda has always realized the experiential and economic value of tourism on the Sunshine Coast and never misses a chance to “show it off”. She has been involved in the Arts and Cultural sector since 1995 when she moved here permanently from Vancouver. Her continuing experience with the non-profit society, Coast Cultural Alliance has given her the opportunity to work with people, governments and businesses from Langdale to Lund and provides an insight to the “Big Picture” overview of Arts, Culture and Heritage on the Coast. She is one of the organizers of the Sunshine Coast Art Crawl, the Gibsons Landing Jazz festival plus many other events throughout the coast and realizes the enriched cultural and economic value they bring as a destination for tourism, local businesses and participating artists in our creative community. She has been involved with the Sunshine Coast Tourism board and the former Vancouver Coast and Mountains board since the late 90’s.

Gary is actively engaged in the cultural community of qathet Regional District. A marketing and communications professional, he applies his practical knowledge to all aspects of the artistic visioning, financial stability, and organizational readiness of the qathet film society, their annual Film Festival, and the Patricia Theatre. As Executive Director for the Society, Gary is focussed on strengthening the role that film plays in the cultural and economic fabric of the region.

Alisha grew up discussing hospitality around the dinner table, having both a father and grandfather in the industry. Along with her dad, Shakil, she currently leads the Evergreen Hospitality Group, one of the largest family-owned hospitality & tourism groups in British Columbia. The company operates 27 properties (and counting!) across Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, and the Lower Mainland. Alisha's past roles include Director of the Portfolio Solutions Group at Atlas Partners, a Toronto-based private equity firm; Senior Strategy and Operations Manager at Uber, responsible for leading Uber's launch in Vancouver; and Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company, a leading management consulting firm. Alisha graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor's in International Relations and Master's in Computer Science. In her spare time, you can find her walking / running / biking along the seawall in Vancouver (on sunny days), or curled up with a good book and a cup of tea (on cozy days).