Board

2024 Board of Directors

The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors represent all facets of Chamber membership. There are 13 elected and three appointed — two of which are non-voting: The Chamber CEO and an Emerge Committee representative.

The influential board works with decision-makers at all levels of government over the year to support our region’s business interests as well as maximize the value of membership with The Chamber. To view minutes from the Greater Victoria Chamber’s Board of Directors meetings, click here .

Executive

Kris Wirk • Chair • Dusanj + Wirk CPA
Christina Clarke • Vice-Chair • South Island Prosperity Partnership
James Gatsi • Secretary • TecNet Canada
Deborah Huelscher • Treasurer • Camosun College

Directors

Ann Squires Ferguson • Director • Western Design+Build
Dean Clarke • Director • Tru Value Foods
Jessica Stigant • Director • Ocean Networks Canada
Josue Dubon – Director • DesignWealth
Judith Ethier • Director • Greater Victoria Harbour Authority
Captain (Navy) Kevin Whiteside • Director • CFB Esquimalt
Pedro Marquez • Director • Royal Roads University
Richard Michaels – Director • MACCRIM Solutions
Rose Arsenault • Director • Agilus Work Solutions

Non-Voting

Bruce Williams • Chamber CEO
Frumsa Ibrahim • Director (Chair of Emerge Committee) Scandinavian Building Services

2024 Greater Victoria Chamber Board

Find out more about this year’s board when you click their name.

Kris Wirk • Chair

Kris is a partner with the accounting firm Dusanj & Wirk Chartered Professional Accountants.

Kris brings over 15 years experience in providing accounting and tax services for owner-managed businesses, individuals and non-profit organizations.

Kris is a former lecturer for the CPA School of Business and treasurer for the Victoria Prostate Centre. Kris began serving on The Chamber’s Board in 2016.

Christina Clarke • Vice-Chair

Christina Clarke is the Executive Director of the Indigenous Prosperity Centre, and the former CEO of the Songhees Development Corporation for the Songhees Nation. She started with the Nation in 1995 after graduating from the University of Victoria with a Bachelor of Arts in Canadian History and Anthropology.

Christina leads implementation of the First Nations Fiscal Management Act for Songhees Nation, helping to achieve the first FMA laws in Canada and first debenture bond issue by the First Nations Finance Authority. Christina has represented Songhees Nation as a board member of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority and the South Island Prosperity Partnership and on the Mayor’s Task Force on Social Procurement and Social Enterprise for the City of Victoria. She is The Chamber’s nominee for the Victoria Esquimalt Harbour Society. Christina’s second proudest achievement is her contribution to the planning and financing of the award-winning Songhees Wellness Centre. Christina’s proudest moments are with her daughter Katie. Christina also chairs The Chamber’s Public Policy and Advocacy Committee.

Christina has served on the The Chamber’s Board since 2018.

James Gatsi • Secretary

James Gatsi is a dynamic entrepreneur and skilled IT professional, renowned for his dedication and passion in the digital technology sector. As the CEO of CL Web Developers Inc., he has steered the company to become a trusted digital partner for small and medium businesses in Victoria and beyond.

Understanding the challenges of entrepreneurship, James empathizes with the diverse difficulties business owners face. He is committed to fostering a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive business environment in Victoria. His role as a board member reflects his dedication to promoting initiatives that advance these values within the business community.

Furthermore, James brings his forward-thinking approach to his role as a board member of the University of Victoria Alumni Association. In this capacity, he actively contributes to the institution, a place that has significantly shaped his educational and professional endeavors.

Deborah Huelscher • Treasurer

Deborah is the Vice-President, Administration and Chief Financial Officer at Camosun College and brings over 20 years of public sector financial knowledge. She started with the College in 2003 after completing the CMA program, and held several positions within the Finance department before moving into her current role in 2018.

Deborah has been a resident of Victoria since 1985; she enjoys spending free time with her daughter and her hobbies include a passion for nutrition and fitness.

Rose Arsenault • Director

Rose is Branch Manager at Agilus Work Solutions (formerly Talentcor), where she has been advising public and private employers on their recruiting and human resource needs since 1997.

Rose, who was awarded the Chamber Member of the Year in 2019, has been an active member of The Chamber since 2007. She has spent countless hours as a board and committee member — most recently, as an Ambassador providing outreach and assistance to new members.

Rose rejoined The Chamber’s Board in 2019. She is the current Chair of the Ambassador Committee.

Dean Clarke • Director

Dean Clarke is a Senior Partner Owner with Tru Value Foods and joined The Chamber Board in 2023 as the current chair of the Family Business Committee.

Dean has been connected to the community for more than 40 years through the retail grocery industry as an executive and owner with Woodwards Foods Stores, Thrifty Foods and, since 2011, Tru Value Foods group.

Josue Dubon • Director

Josue Dubon is a Co-Founder and Wealth Mentor at DesignWealth, a financial coaching service that focuses on human behaviours and accountability as individuals work towards their life and financial goals.

DesignWealth was inspired by the principle that those who want to become better versions of themselves should have access to the advice to move up and onward. Josue enjoys seeing people continuously improve their position as they navigate the hurdles life throws. Josue graduated with a double major from the I.H. Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba and has been serving clients as a Certified Financial Planner (CFP).

Josue is a Member of Advocis, an association of professional financial advisors in Canada that continuously strives to improve the financial aptitude of the industry. He loves to take his knowledge to the classroom where he volunteers with Junior Achievement British Columbia as a Program Facilitator to help improve the financial literacy of students.

Josue joined the Board in 2023 and is past-chair of the Emerge Committee.

Judith Ethier • Director

Judith Ethier is the Chief Administrative Officer for the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA), overseeing risk management, legal, finance, human resources, information technology, leasing, administration and governance for the Board of Directors. Judith’s role includes supporting and developing the strategic initiatives that will ensure the organization enjoys long-term sustainability and growth.

Judith has been a resident of Victoria since 2017 and enjoys involvement within the community. In 2020, Judith took a role as a Board Member with the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce.

Judith is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a CPCC designation, as a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, where she enjoys working with individuals and organizations on strategic career and leadership development.

Judith is also on The Chamber’s Public Policy and Advocacy Committee and Finance and Audit Committee.

Pedro Márquez • Director

Pedro Márquez holds a doctorate degree from the University of Calgary in Management and Political Science and is Professor, Strategic Management & International Business at Royal Roads University. Pedro has been an active member of the community, serving on numerous boards such as the South Island Prosperity Project, West Shore Chamber of Commerce and Vancouver Island Economic Alliance, among others.

An academic at heart, Pedro has worked closely with businesses and the community to capitalize opportunities, synergies and advancement, both in Canada and Mexico. His research is focused on corporate governance, international education, business ethics and NAFTA. Pedro considers regional economic development and small business development as key issues for the future.

Pedro has served on The Chamber’s board since 2019.

Richard Michaels • Director

Richard Michaels is the president of MACCRIM Solutions, a land development consultant company, specializing in assisting investors, developers and landowners to facilitate and create a vision of well-planned, sustainable, land-use developments. Richard is a collaborative facilitator, providing essential information and detailed initiative support that enables his client’s to position their strategies congruent with sustainable land-use development and redevelopment projects, with smart growth potential.

Richard contributes his time to a number of community organizations. Currently, he is serving as chair of the Vancouver Island Better Business Bureau, President of the Victoria HarbourCats Foundation, a Commodore at the Vancouver Island International Rotary Yachting Club. He is also a member of the Victoria Inter-Cultural Association, the Urban Development Institute and the District of Saanich’s Economic Development Committee.

Richard began serving on The Chamber’s Board in 2021, and he is a member of the Ambassador Committee.

Ann Squires Ferguson • Director

Ann Squires Ferguson is a true cross-pollinator, with twin degrees in Interior Design and Electro-Mechanical Engineering. She comes to the design industry via the Canadian Navy, where she specialized in shipboard weapons and the audio engineering field, with a focus on the Asian Karaoke market.

As CEO of Western Design + Build, Ann leads an all-female team specializing in Commercial Design + Build. An avid community connector, Ann is past chair of the Interior Designers Institute of BC, Vancouver Island Chapter; and has led Western’s engagement in multiple pro bono projects with local non-profit organizations, serving Cool Aid, Our Place, GVHS, the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Society and Habitat for Humanity. At home, Ann is a proud military spouse and parent of 14-year-old twins Daring and Danger.

Ann began serving on The Chamber’s 2021 Board, and is a member of the Ambassador Committee and the Idea Committee.

Jessica Stigant • Director

Jessica Stigant joined the University of Victoria’s world-leading, Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) in 2012. As the Director External Relations, she is responsible for building strategic relationships that expand ONC’s global presence, engaging with local, national, and international partners.

Jessica moved to Victoria as a child from Winnipeg. She briefly stepped off the Island to pursue her love of the culinary arts. Before coming to ONC, Jessica worked as the Marketing and Communications Manager for Berwick Retirement Communities, cultivating Berwick’s ‘vibrant living’ vision.

Given the world’s climate crisis, Jessica is excited about the ONC-led project Solid Carbon, a global climate mitigation solution that can help meet planetary climate targets. Jessica is leading the Investor Acceptance aspect of this international, leading-edge initiative.

Jessica was elected to The Chamber Board in 2022, and also serves on the Public Policy and Advocacy Committee.

Captain (Navy) Kevin Whiteside • Director

Captain(N) Kevin Whiteside became Commander of Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt in July 2023.

Kevin is the father of three awesome children, and married to his life partner, Lesley Whiteside, an elementary school teacher in Victoria, BC. Joining the Canadian Armed Forces in 1998, Kevin’s operational experiences span the globe and many of the missions in which the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) participate. Amongst his various operational and strategic level roles, Kevin was Executive Assistant to the 35th and 36th Commanders of the RCN (January 2019 – December 2020), and most recently he served as Commanding Officer, His Majesty’s Canadian Ship Vancouver (January 2021- February 2023). Kevin’s amazing family have been active members of the Greater Victoria community for over 15 years. They look forward to furthering their involvement and strengthening their relationships with the community as they enter this next stage of their journey.

As with previous CFB Esquimalt Base Commanders, The Chamber appointed Capt.(N) Whiteside to its Board of Directors. He also serves on The Chamber’s Public Policy and Advocacy Committee.

Frumsa Ibrahim • Director

Frumsa is the Regional Director of Operations for Scandinavian Building Services. Skilled in operations management, customer services, training, client relations, and account management. Frumsa is a passionate and experienced leader who excels at motivating, coaching, and building successful and profitable teams.

Born in Oromia, Frumsa was five when he moved with his family to the Fraser Valley. Drawing from personal experiences, Frumsa firmly believes in fostering a welcoming environment where diversity thrives, and every individual’s story is celebrated.

He joined The Chamber to meet like-minded people and his experiences led him to getting further involved, including serving as Chair of the Emerge committee as well as on the Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Advancement (IDEA) committee. Frumsa is excited at the opportunity to give back to the local community.

Frumsa joins The Chamber Board in 2024.

https://web.victoriachamber.ca/Janitorial-Cleaning-Services,Supplies,Equipment/Scandinavian-Building-Services-9040