About

Brenda was elected as MoveUP’s Secretary-Treasurer in July 2024. Prior to that, she served in a number of union capacities, including job steward, executive councillor, and on the executive board. Brenda has a background in law, having worked as a solicitor in Hong Kong specializing in money laundering and fraud. Brenda is also a trustee for the BC Federation of Labour. Brenda is fluent in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese.

David Levi currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Columbia Institute. Outside volunteering his time to the non-profit, David is the President & CEO of Working Enterprises Ltd. In 1992, he founded the Working Opportunity Fund (WOF), BC’s original labour-sponsored investment fund, and was CEO until 2016. WOF has invested $600 million in more than 130 growth-oriented, entrepreneurial BC companies. GrowthWorks was founded by David in January 1999 and grew to be a leading venture capital fund manager, having five offices and nine venture capital funds under management which have made investments in over 200 companies across the country David has grown assets under management to $800 million for GrowthWorks, the second largest manager of labour-sponsored investment funds in Canada. Today, he serves as Executive Vice President. In addition to his entrepreneurship and strategic leadership, David has over 10 years of investment management experience and an in-depth knowledge of the brokerage community, having previously been chair of VanCity Credit Union and Vice-President of Broker Services at C.M. Oliver. David has provided strategic direction to many portfolio companies and currently serves on the boards of Avcorp Industries and Xantrex Technology. He also chairs Verite, an independent, non-profit social auditing and research organization and is involved in a number of community organizations.

Irene is currently the Associate Director of Finance at SHARE (Shareholder Association for Research and Education), our longtime strategic partner. Irene emigrated to Canada from Belarus in 1999 and started her accounting career in 2001, building on her economics background, in which she earned a Bachelors of Economics from the Academy of Public Administration in Minsk. Irene joined Columbia Institute in 2005 and, since then, has provided accounting services to the organization. Irene says this experience has given her a deep understanding and appreciation of the important role of nonprofits and charities in supporting progressive values. Irene received a Certified Canadian Accountant (CGA) designation in 2012.

Aidan joined the Centre for Civic Governance in 2019 and has remained continuously involved in varying capacities, including as a housing panelist at High Ground. He is the CAO of CityState Consulting Group, a boutique Planning and Design consultancy whose mission is Building Better Communities. He also leads the firm’s Sunshine Coast projects and select Metro Vancouver projects, working closely with local electeds and municipal staff to address the housing crisis. He holds a BA in Applied Geography and serves on the Vancouver City Planning Commission. He previously served on the Renters Advisory Committee during the final drafting stages of the Vancouver Plan and Broadway Plan, advocating for stronger tenant protections City-wide.

Ela Esra Gunad is a long-time advocate for social justice and human rights. She created award-winning education programs and has run advocacy campaigns that transformed government policies and practices and informed institutional changes on issues relating to human rights, women’s empowerment, minorities, migrant justice, and democratic governance. Recently, Ela started the #LostVotes Campaign with young leaders advocating for permanent residents to vote in municipal elections in BC. She is the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Officer at Hospital Employees’ Union. Ela studied international relations, global advocacy, public relations and holds a Master’s degree in Human Rights Law.

Seth is the BC Director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, a public policy research institute committed to social and economic justice. Seth holds a BA in international relations and a B.Ed from the University of Toronto, and an MA in political science from Simon Fraser University. He has been a social activist for over twenty-five years. A former teacher, Seth is co-chair of the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, a board member of the Canada Without Poverty Advocacy Network, and an advisor and instructor for Next Up, a leadership program for young people committed to social and environmental justice. He is a frequent media commentator and public speaker on public policy issues. He lives with his wife and daughter in East Vancouver.

Cheeying is the Executive Director of the Whistler Centre for Sustainability. She has worked in the non-profit sector in policy, planning and education on transportation, land use and smart growth for over 10 years. Cheeying was the Executive Director of Smart Growth B.C. – a province-wide non-governmental organization promoting sustainable land use and development and Executive Director of BEST (Better Environmentally Sound Transportation). Cheeying is a former high school and college teacher of science and mathematics. She served as a member of the Prime Minister’s External Advisory Committee on Cities and Communities, as well as a term on the Board of Vancity Credit Union and currently sits on a number of other advisory boards and committees including the Mayor of Vancouver’s Greenest City Action Team.

Ken Melamed is a former mayor of Whistler in BC. He is a businessman, conservationist and former Green Party of Canada candidate in West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country. Ken Melamed was first elected to the Whistler council in 1996, serving as a councillor until 2005. He was elected as mayor in 2005 and served in that position until 2011.