Instructors

Our instructors are accomplished practitioners

Faculty are associated with the Sustainable Community Development Centre at SFU.

The majority of students rated the quality of instruction exceptional. Click here to read the full evaluation.

Nicole Chaland is a founding member of Roofs and Roots Housing Co-op, which converts private rental buildings to co-operative ownership and green buildings. Nicole worked with the Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet) and among her accomplishments include kick-starting CCEDNet’s CreateAction internship program and Immigrant Community Action Network. Nicole is proud to be an associate member of Sustainability Solutions – a worker co-operative that nurtures and embodies a holistic understanding of sustainability and works with clients and collaborators to meaningfully integrate social, ecological and economic practices in their organisations and work.

Currently, Nicole provides advisory services on behalf of the BC Co-operative Association and is the Program Director of the Certificate Program for Community Economic Development.

Melanie Conn has been involved in CED in British Columbia since 1971. In her early work with co-ops, credit unions and women’s organizations, she developed an approach to community economic development that blends theoretical analysis with practical application. As an educator and consultant, Conn has provided technical assistance for dozens of organizations and individual projects as well as for provincial and federal government departments.

An Associate of the Centre for Sustainable Community Development at Simon Fraser University since 1997, Conn is the former Program Director for the Certificate Program for CED. She is on the boards of the Canadian Women’s CED Council and Genuine Progress Index-Pacific (GPI-P). She is also a member of Devco, a worker co-op that provides the full range of development services to groups and organizations as well as offering training for developers.

Victor Cumming has 30 years of experience on community and economic development projects spanning three continents. He is committed to helping rural communities that are experiencing change. While most see regional economists as experts huddled over statistics and charts, Victor believes successful community and economic development requires an ability to listen and a desire to empower people to make a difference. With this belief, and an approachable style and sense of humor, Victor has assisted individuals, organizations, and all levels of government prepare regional economic strategies. Victor has worked with more than 50 local and regional governments and more than 100 First Nations groups, Tribal Councils, and Aboriginal development corporations across Canada. “As a regional economist, I’m the plumber who fixes leaky taps,” he likes to say. A dad for four, and granddad to two more, Victor works from the company office next to his rural, lake-view home in Vernon, BC, where he lives with his wife and Border Collie.

Anne Docherty is the Director of Community Learning for Storytellers’ Foundation in Hazelton, where she has lived and worked for 29 years. For the past decade Anne has been designing reflective processes for practitioners in the northwest of BC. This has led to published research and practical tool kits on learning for social change. Anne coordinates the Rural Roots Regional Peer Learning Network. The network supports practitioners in the northwest of BC to connect their daily practice with the social, cultural, economic and political development of their community.

Marty Frost is member of Devco a worker co-op that supports and develops Canadian Co-operatives. Marty has 26 years experience in co-operative development. Marty has facilitated the incorporation of over fifty co-operatives, provided training for co-op boards of directors, management and members, assisted in the writing of business plans and with policy development, negotiated contracts, organized conferences and written resource materials for co-ops and non-profit enterprise. Marty has served on the boards of the BC Co-operative Association, and the Canadian Worker Co-op Federation and on advisory boards to the Ministers responsible for Co-operatives at both Federal and Provincial levels.

Sean Markey is an Assistant Professor with the Explorations in Arts and Social Sciences Program at Simon Fraser University and an Associate with the Centre for Sustainable Community Development. He served as the Centre’s Research Director from 2002-2004. Sean received his Ph.D. in Geography from Simon Fraser University in 2003. Sean’s research concerns issues of local and regional development and rural sustainability. Sean is the principle author of Second Growth: Community Economic Development in Rural British Columbia (UBC Press, 2005). Sean also works with municipalities, non-profit organizations, Aboriginal communities and the business community to promote and develop sustainable forms of local economic development.

Rebecca Pearson is the Investment Manager at Vancity Capital where she structures innovative financing packages for mission-based businesses, social enterprises, non-profit organizations, co-operatives, and aboriginal ventures. Rebecca holds an MBA from the University of British Columbia, with a specialization in Sustainability & Business. She holds a BA from the University of California at Berkeley in Sustainable Development and Industrial Engineering. Rebecca is Vice President of Net Impact Professional Vancouver, where she convenes professionals to offer pro bono consulting to for local nonprofits and social enterprises. Rebecca is also a lead researcher for BALTA, a social economy research collaboration amongst universities and community based organizations in Alberta and British Columbia.

Brian Smith's involvement in CED and social enterprise spans more than a decade and includes almost as many perspectives in the movement. Here is a shortlist of his engagement: Business Advisor and Loans Administrator, Community Futures of the Sunshine Coast; Social Enterprise, Social finance and Social Purpose Real Estate Consultant, Vancity Credit Union; Chief Operating Officer, Atira Property Management Inc.; Business and Social Enterprise Developer, Building Opportunities with Business Inner-city Society (BOB); Co-founder and Vice President, Hastings Crossing Business Improvement Association; Director of Social Enterprise, Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network (PLAN).

Guest Speakers

Guest speakers share stories and advice from the frontiers of leading edge solutions. A sample of our past guest speakers are below.

Ann and Gord Baird, Natural Home Builders
www.eco-sense.ca

Tim Beachy, CEO, United Community Service Co-op
www.ucscoop.com

Lindsay Cole, Greenest City Planner, City of Vancouver
www.vancouver.ca/greenestcity/

Doug Donaldson, MLA for Stikine
www.dougdonaldson.ca

Mark Holland, Principal, HB Lanarc
www.lanarc.ca

Bruce Irvine, Senior Planner, HB Lanarc
www.lanarc.ca

Elizabeth Lougheed Green, Manager, Social Enterprise, Vancity Community Foundation
www.vancity.com

Stewart Anderson, Manager, Aboriginal Banking, Vancity Community Investment Division
www.vancity.com

Emily Beam, General Manager, Street Youth Job Action, Vancity
www.vancity.com

Catherine Ludgate, Manager, Community Investment, Vancity
www.vancity.com

Shawn Smith, Global Agents for Change
www.globalafc.org

We are pleased to announce a partnership with Selkirk College and the Upper Columbia Co-operative Association to bring the Certificate Program for Community Economic Development (CED) program to the Kootenays.

This partnership allows us to launch a new Community Economic Development summer studies option starting July 2012.

Download the program brochure here.

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