Vancity announces 2009 Board election results

Vancouver, British Columbia, April 9, 2009 – Vancity today announced the official results of its 2009 Board of Directors election, which took place between February 28 and April 4.

Eligible Vancity members re-elected current Board members Wendy Holm and Lisa Barrett and elected newcomer Jan O’Brien to three-year terms.

Wendy Holm

A Vancity member for 25 years, Wendy Holm has been re-elected to her second consecutive term on the Board and previously served as a Director between 1990 and 1996. She is a Canadian resource economist, journalist and writer with a graduate degree in Agricultural Economics. Since 1973, Wendy has managed her own consulting practice, providing economic analysis to Canadian and international clients in the government and private sector on matters of production, marketing, regulation, trade, technology, competitiveness, strategic planning and public policy.

Jan O’Brien

A 32-year member of Vancity, Jan has been elected to her first term on the Board. A labour relations specialist, Jan currently works for the BC Government Employees' Union. She has been actively involved in community organizations such as Everywoman's Health Centre and DOXA, Vancouver's documentary film festival. She is currently vice-president of the West Coast Legal Education Action Fund, an organization dedicated to defending and affirming women's legal rights.

Lisa Barrett

A Vancity member for more than 20 years, Lisa Barrett has been elected to her second consecutive term on the Board. Lisa spent nine years in local government, with two terms as Mayor and one term as Councillor for Bowen Island Municipality. She is currently practicing mediation through the BC Provincial Court Mediation Program practicum and is undertaking a Qualifying Laws Degree with the University of London.

This year, 25,602 ballots, totaling 70,195 votes were cast, a decrease of five per cent over 2008.

“Our members contribute to Vancity’s success in many ways, and electing the people who will represent them on the Board is among the most important,” says Elain Duvall, Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee. “It’s great to see so many members play an active role in creating our future.”

The Board of Directors provides leadership for the organization and is accountable to Vancity members for sound financial decision-making and a personal commitment to Vancity’s community involvement.

The newly elected Board Directors will join current Board members Doreen Braverman, Ian Gill, Catherine McCreary, Patrice Pratt, Virginia Weiler and Bob Williams at their first meeting on April 28, when a Board Chair and Vice Chair will be elected.

Vancity’s 63rd Annual General Meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 21 at the Italian Cultural Centre at 3075 Slocan Street, Vancouver, BC. Doors open at 6:15pm. For those not able to attend in person, they can log on to a live webcast from the comfort of their homes or attend a hosted webcast in Victoria. Members can register for the Victoria webcast by calling 1.888.Vancity and ask to be transferred to local 6548 or local 7663 by April 14.

For additional information on Vancity’s AGM, visit: https://www.vancity.com/AboutUs/WhoWeAre/AGM/

About Vancouver City Savings Credit Union

Vancity is Canada’s largest credit union, with $14.5 billion in assets, more than 400,000 members and 61 branches throughout Greater Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Victoria and Squamish. 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 improving the quality of life in the communities where they live and work.