Mark Roseland

Educational Background:

• Ph.D., School of Community and Regional Planning, University of British Columbia. Vancouver, British Columbia.
• Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (concentration in Social Ecology), Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut.
• Bachelor of Arts with High Honors in the College of Science in Society, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut.

Professional Affiliations and Memberships:

• American Planning Association
• Canadian Institute of Planners
• Planning Institute of British Columbia
• Institute for Corporate Directors
• Pando | Sustainable Communities, Founder and Director
• Community Capital Lab, Founder and Director

Mark Roseland is Professor and past Director of the School of Community Resources and Development, Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions, at Arizona State University, and Senior Global Futures Scientist with the ASU Global Futures Laboratory. Dr. Roseland is also Professor Emeritus at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Vancouver, Canada, where he was a professor of planning in the School of Resource and Environmental Management and director of the Centre for Sustainable Development.

He is a Registered Professional Planner (RPP) and a member of both the American Planning Association and the Canadian Institute of Planners. He has worked as Chief City Planner for a municipality in the Metro Vancouver area and is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD). He has been cited by The Vancouver Sun as "one of Vancouver’s top 50 living public intellectuals," has received both the SFU Sustainability Network Award for Excellence in Research on Sustainability and the SFU President's Award on Leadership in Sustainability, and he is a Fellow of the ASU Knowledge Exchange for Resilience.

Dr. Roseland advises communities, governments, and organizations on sustainable development policy, planning and implementation. He guides cities and organizations on a variety of sustainability-related plans and associated decision-support and implementation tools.

Dr. Roseland advises Boards on their sustainability practice and guides executives on their sustainability thought leadership. He has advised a range of organizations including local governments, state/provincial and federal agencies, foundations, developers and media organizations. He has produced sustainability plans, performance assessments, policy documents, communications strategies, and tools for monitoring, decision-support and implementation.

In addition to his field-defining research, teaching and publications, Dr. Roseland helps produce practical innovations in areas such as mobility, food, housing, energy, climate, planning and economic development.

Dr. Roseland is also the Founder and Director of Pando | Sustainable Communities, Pando LinkedIn, and the Community Capital Lab.

Board of Directors Experience

• Realize Solutions, 2020-
• RAIL Community Development Corporation, 2020-
• Simon Fraser University Community Trust, Founding Member, 1999-2018
• Catalyst Community Developments Society, Founding Member, 2013-2018
• Canadian Society for Ecological Economics, Vice President, Research and Education (elected), 2008-2009
• International Institute for Sustainable Cities, 2004–2010
• New City Institute, 1998–2008

While I have not served on a credit union board, I do have a long history of working in the cooperative sector. For example, I bank with Vancity, I get insurance from The Cooperators, I am on the Board of a cooperative professional services organization, I lived in a housing cooperative for 10 years, and I taught community economic development at Simon Fraser University for many years.

I have many years of Board of Directors experience (UniverCity, Catalyst, Realize, RAIL CDC), including understanding and interpreting financial reports in relation to an organization’s strategic plan and financial outcomes. I have taught and trained both students and professionals in leadership development and in strategic planning. I am also a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Vancity has been a consistent force for good in my world. I have been contemplating serving as a director on the Vancity Board since becoming a member 34 years ago – now is the time in my life when I can make that commitment.

Being a financial force for change means having an impact and making a difference in Vancity’s goals and values. I am particularly focused on climate action and affordable housing, and on the connections between them.

I have deep experience in sustainability and in community economic development, including the cooperative sector. I am well-positioned to contribute to the Board’s desire for a member who can strengthen Vancity’s commitment and track record with respect to climate justice/action in a financially prudent way that is also in keeping with the values of the cooperative sector.

I am a collaborative leader by nature. Issues like climate action and affordable housing are too complex for any single person, organization or sector to address single-handedly, so collaboration is essential. Since many people are not well-educated or experienced in working collaboratively, successful collaborations often require training and/or professional development as well as skilled facilitators.

I will represent the diverse needs of our membership by bringing these values to my role as a Director of the Vancity Board:

• A rigorous, evidence-based approach to decision-making, regardless of what’s in vogue at the moment.
• Collaboration and inclusion: I don’t need to be the smartest person in the room, but we all need the whole room to be smart.
• Innovation, Integrity, Responsibility, Reconciliation, and a conviction that together we can make a difference.