VIRL Board of Trustees welcomes nine new Trustees, elects Executive Committee, and Officers  at 2021 AGM

February 1, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On January 30, 2021, the Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) Board of Trustees held its Annual General Meeting and elected its officers and Executive Committee members for the year. Due to the ongoing pandemic, this was the first time the AGM and elections have been held in a virtual environment.

Gabriele Wickstrom, Mayor of Port McNeill, was elected as Board Chair. Wickstrom has served as the Vice Chair for the past two years and previously sat on the Board’s Executive Committee from 2011 – 2014.

Daniel Arbour, Area Director for Baynes Sound, Hornby/Denman Islands at the Comox Valley Regional District, was elected as Vice Chair. Arbour has sat on the Board as a member of the Executive Committee since 2018. Wickstrom and Arbour will lead the Executive Committee as part of their duties.

The following nine members at large were also elected to serve on the Executive Committee:

  • Colleen Evans (City of Campbell River)
  • Penny Cote (Alberni Clayoquot Regional District)
  • Brenda Patrick (Village of Gold River)
  • Erin Hemmens (City of Nanaimo)
  • Vanessa Craig (Nanaimo Regional District)
  • Evan Putterill (North Coast Regional District)
  • Fred Robertson (District of Port Hardy)
  • Brenda Leigh, Past Chair (Strathcona Regional District)
  • Duncan McMaster (District of Tofino)

Nine Trustees are either serving in their first term on the Board or are returning after time away. They are:

  • Pat McKenna (Town of Comox)
  • Mike Wilson (Cowichan Valley Regional District)
  • Lorna Vomacka (Town of Lake Cowichan)
  • Karen Proctor (District of Lantzville)
  • Debbie Haggard (City of Port Alberni)
  • Scott Harrison (Town of Qualicum Beach)
  • Norm Kirschner (Village of Sayward)
  • Peter Wainright (Town of Sidney)
  • Barb Lewis (Village of Zeballos)

The Vancouver Island Regional Library Board of Trustees, which is comprised of elected representatives from 28-member municipalities and 10 regional districts, administers a budget of more than $38 million.

For more information about the 2021 Board of Trustees, including elected officers, please visit https://virl.bc.ca/about/library-board/.

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Media Contact
David Carson, Director, Corporate Communications and Strategic Initiatives
Cell: 250.327.365
Email: dcarson@virl.bc.ca

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