Our board is the college's governing body. It receives its authority from the Health Professions and Occupations Act. The board is an oversight body and ensures that the college has the resources, leadership and strategy to meet the duties and objects specified in the Act.
- David Ayriss | Public board member
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David holds a BA in Economics from the University of British Columbia. He identifies as a white settler man, pronouns (he/him), and brings a lived understanding of diverse community needs to his role as a board member, including growing awareness of Indigenous perspectives. An investment professional who, prior to his retirement, served as Vice-President and Pension Portfolio Manager at a national investment counsel firm, he oversaw some of the firm’s institutional pension plans, endowments, foundations, and health and welfares trusts. His clients included First Nations, universities, unions, multi-employer pension plans, and crown corporations. In addition to his client responsibilities, David was involved in long term strategic planning for his firm.
Since retiring, David has focused on community engagement through board and committee service, for companies, not-for-profit organizations, and his local municipality. Alongside his BCCNM board and committee roles, he is a publicly appointed member of the Capilano University Board of Governors, past chair of the board, and chair of the finance committee. David continues to pursue opportunities that allow him to contribute his financial and strategic planning expertise and provide mentorship to organizations that serve the public good—values that align strongly with the mission of BCCNM.
- Leisa Belanger | Public board member
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Leisa Belanger holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA-CGA). She is an independent consultant working with Farris LLP, one of British Columbia’s leading law firms.
She previously served as Senior Director, Solutions Delivery, Finance for a major privately held North American beverage company and spent more than a decade as Director of Finance at the University of British Columbia. Leisa brings expertise in financial oversight, strategic planning, risk management, and organizational change, along with a strong commitment to governance excellence and public access to high-quality health care.
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- Pinder Cheema | Public board member
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Pinder Cheema received her law degree from UVIC and was called to the Bar in 1984. She practised with the BC Prosecution Service, as Crown Counsel until January 2023, and conducted trials at the provincial and superior courts. Pinder was also a member of the province’s bilingual prosecution team. She has served on a number of adjudicative boards, including the Mental Health Review Board, the Community Care Assistance Appeal Board, and the Safety Standards Appeal Board. Pinder also served as an elected Bencher of the Law Society of BC, for Victoria County and sat on the Governance, Ethics, Complainants Review, Rule of Law, Act and Rules, Lawyer Education committees, and a number of Task Forces. She also chaired a number of hearings inquiring into the conduct of lawyers allegedly breaching ethical standards and sat as a member on Review Panels. Pinder was nominated “Queen’s Counsel” in 2002. In her spare time, she assists with the Province of New Brunswick’s provincial court’s legal language education program. In 2024, she was appointed to the Patient Care Quality Review Board and the Board of Directors of the BC Administrative Tribunals. Pinder currently serves on the Law Society’s Discipline and Ethics committees. She also assists at UVIC’s student legal clinic.
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- Jenny Damstrom, Board Vice-Chair | LPN licensee board member
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Jenny Damstrom is a Turtle clan member from the Oneida Nation of the Thames (mother’s side) in Southern Ontario and Eastern European white settler background on her father’s side. She is a practising LPN who currently resides on the traditional, stolen and continually occupied territories of the Ktunaxa nation in k̓ukamaʔnam (Animal trail coming down to you) in a town colonially known as Kimberley BC. Her current role as a Regional Mental Wellness Coordinator of British Columbia finds her assessing and supporting mental health needs and resources for First Nations communities of BC. Jenny’s past experience includes: Mental Health and Substance Use, Hemodialysis, Education, Acute Care and Community Health Nursing. Jenny sits on the Governance Committee with BCCNM and on the Community of Practise for Indigenous Health Regulators. Jenny is an advocate for Indigenous peoples and strives to ensure that standardized health care is offered to all.
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- Janene Erickson | Public board member
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Janene Erickson is Dakelh, from Nak'azdli Whut'en, a First Nations community in northern BC, an adopted member of the Takaya Wolf Clan, FNHA family. As a 'customer-owner', she proudly serves First Nations people through her current role in the Office of the Chief Medical Officer at the First Nations Health Authority. Janene applies her Masters in Public Health to her work in health system partnerships facilitating better health outcomes for First Nations people, grounded in governance and championing the BC First Nations Perspective of Health & Wellness and Cultural Safety & Humility. A co-author and facilitator of the 'Remembering Keegan: A BC First Nations Case Study Reflection', she is an advocate to address with urgency the issues raised from the In Plain Sight Report; addressing Indigenous-specific racism in healthcare. Janene was appointed to the board of the BC College of Nursing Professionals and also serves on the Inquiry Committee of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC. An adjunct professor with the School of Population & Public Health at the UBC Faculty of Medicine, Janene brings her lived experiences, the teachings she has learned, and the education she has earned to her work and strives to do life with an open heart and open mind.
- Ashley Gueret, Board Chair | NP licensee board member
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Ashley Gueret, MScN, NP(F) identifies as Métis and mixed white settler ancestry who currently resides in the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Lheidli T’enneh. She is a primary care nurse practitioner and the Director of Nurse Practitioners for Northern Health. She is clinical faculty for UBC Faculty of Medicine Northern Medical Program as well as part-time instructor for UNBC undergraduate program. She acts as a preceptor both for the NP program and for RN/RPN OAT prescribers and a mentor to many new NPs within the North. She is committed to inclusive, equitable, and accessible healthcare for all patients and to upholding these values while serving on the BCCNM Board.
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- Ella Huang | RN licensee board member
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Ella Huang, MBA, RN, BN, identifies as a Chinese Canadian immigrant who currently resides and practices on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is a registered nurse with experience in various acute care settings and health system leadership. Ella advances nursing practice and health system improvement through her work in professional practice and policy development. She is committed to safeguarding the public interest and to upholding these values through leadership, collaboration, and service in her professional and governance roles.
- Tanya Momtazian | RM licensee board member
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Tanya Momtazian, RM MPH CHE is a practicing midwife and co-founder of a midwife/family physician collaborative practice called Apple Tree Maternity. She is privileged to be an uninvited guest in the lands of the Sinixt, Ktunaxa and Sylix people of the West Kootenays in Nelson, BC. Tanya is currently the Medical Director of Maternity Services for Interior Health and is mother of two tween/teens.
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- Tiffany Sayers, Métis (Ojibwe) | RPN licensee board member
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Tiffany Sayers (RPN) is Métis-Ojibwe (Adik Reindeer Clan of Lake Superior area) with mixed European white settler background. She currently resides on the unceded and stolen lands of the Stó:lō people, the Semá:th First Nation and Mathxwí First Nation. In her current role as Lead of Indigenous Employee Experience and Recruitment at Providence Health Care and the new St Paul's Hospital, she is working with the Recruitment and Indigenous Wellness and Reconciliation teams to build equitable hiring practices for Indigenous applicants, and to build support and opportunities for existing employees. This work is guided by recommendations set out in the
In Plain Sight report,
MMIWG: Reclaiming Power and Place,
UNDRIP and
TRC calls for action. Tiffany also sits on the governance committee with BCCNM, and on the Indigenous Community of Practice for BC Health Regulators. As a graduate of UBC Indigenous Health Administration and Leadership program, she was able to learn from thought leaders working in communities across BC. As a licensee RPN board member with 17 years nursing experience as both a direct care nurse and program manager, Tiffany brings an understanding of the unique role of the RPN within BC's health care setting.
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- Wayne Tang | Public board member
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Wayne Tang is a senior healthcare leader with extensive experience in health system design, disability management, and large scale operational transformation across the public and private sectors. He currently serves as Director of Life & Disability at Pacific Blue Cross, where he oversees disability and wellness portfolios focused on fiscally responsible strategies that support member recovery and workforce sustainability.
Wayne brings deep expertise in healthcare funding models, program implementation, and cross sector stakeholder collaboration at both provincial and national levels. Previously, he held senior leadership roles within the automotive insurance sector, where he contributed to the design and implementation of British Columbia’s care based insurance model, and has led multidisciplinary health service teams.
Wayne holds an Executive MBA from Simon Fraser University, a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from McMaster University, and a Bachelor of Human Kinetics from the University of British Columbia.