May 12: New Board Chair for Vancity

Vancouver – Elain Duvall has been chosen as the new chair of Vancity Credit Union’s member-elected board of directors.

Currently a consultant to community organizations, Duvall has played an influential role in both the public and private housing sector through various organizations and committees, including the Real Estate Foundation, the BC Pavilion Corporation, and as chair of the B.C. Minister’s Advisory Committee on Affordable Housing.

Duvall, a Vancouver resident, was first elected by Vancity members to the board of directors in 1997, and was re-elected in 2000 and 2003. In her role as chair, she plans to use her experience in the community and with Vancity to continue to represent members’ best interests and strengthen Vancity’s community leadership role.

Duvall replaces Surrey lawyer Bruce Ralston, who served as chair from spring 2002 to spring 2004, and continues to serve on the board of directors.

Reva Dexter will continue to serve as vice-chair of the Vancity board. Dexter, also a national director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, has been a Vancity board member since 1995.

The chair and vice-chair positions are chosen by the board each year, following Vancity’s elections. The appointments are effective immediately.

Vancity is Canada’s largest credit union, with $9.3 billion in assets, 305,000 members, and 41 branches throughout Greater Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and Victoria. Vancity was chosen as the best place to work in Canada for 2005 by Maclean’s Magazine as part of its annual Canada’s Top 100 Employers issue. Vancity owns Citizens Bank of Canada, serving members across the country by telephone, ATM, and the Internet. Both Vancity and Citizens Bank are guided by a commitment to corporate social responsibility, and to improve the quality of life in the communities where we live and work.