The Naramata Centre Society
Board of Directors
We are honoured to work together toward a vital goal: the long-term sustainability of Naramata Centre.
Toward that end, we apply our collective experience and diverse professional backgrounds so that Naramata Centre may continue its mission to inspire individual and collective transformation in a safe, inclusive, sacred space.
Our work is meaningful, dynamic and engaging. Our conversations emulate the Centre’s purpose. We celebrate the Centre’s spiritual nature. We are deliberate in making connections with one another.
While members of our team live across Alberta and British Columbia, each of us is connected and committed to the life and community of the Centre and its Society. We are grateful for this opportunity to serve.
With gratitude,
Naramata Centre Society Board of Directors
Meet the Board
Linda McCandless, Chair
Nanaimo, British Columbia
Naramata Centre is part of Linda’s DNA. For 40 years, the Centre has had a profound impact on her life, starting with a transformative experience as a member of Summer Staff. Naramata has connected four generations of her family and changed the pathways of their lives through programming in personal development, social justice and self-discovery.
Linda has dedicated her life’s work to adult education, community board membership, strategic planning and policy development through a lens of social justice, inclusion and diversity, and reconciliation with First Nations. For the past 28 years, she has instructed and coordinated adult basic education courses and programs at Vancouver Island University (VIU) and Tillicum Lelum Aboriginal Friendship Centre. She holds a Master’s in Education in Adult Education and Higher Learning from the University of Calgary.
Alison Stewart, Vice Chair
Kamloops, British Columbia
Alison was introduced to Naramata Centre through a Wild Church program. The land and the spirit of the organization permeated her heart and soul. She is excited to have the opportunity to contribute to the development of the strategies and plans that will support the important work of Naramata Centre in the years ahead.
Alison grew up in Kamloops and after high school moved to Edmonton to attend university. She practiced law for 10 years and then made a career change to work in the tourism industry. She has extensive experience in strategic and operational planning, financial management, guest services, human resources, and program development. She is known as someone who sees the big picture but has an eye for the details.
At this time in her life, Alison is on personal journey to find new ways of living in the world focused on kindness, reciprocity, and regeneration. She is on the board of a cooperative focused on the development of a cohousing community and is pursuing studies in eco-spirituality.
Sharon Birney, Treasurer
Surrey, British Columbia
Sharon lives in Surrey BC and is a longtime member of Peninsula United Church where she has served on the Board as Treasurer for several years and is involved as a volunteer in many capacities. As her children were growing up, she was a member of daycare, preschool, and gymnastics not-for-profit boards.
Sharon holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Carleton University in Ottawa, an MBA from the University of Toronto, and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA CMA). With her strong financial education and background, Sharon often found herself in the role of Treasurer. She has significant work experience in various financial roles within the municipal and charitable sectors covering all areas of finance, budget, and accounting.
Sharon was introduced to Naramata Center by Barb Gregg and remembers feeling “Wow, you don’t know what is missing until you are here”.
Karen Botsford, Secretary
Naramata, British Columbia
Karen’s first experience of the Naramata Centre was in the summer of 2006. Her children were in Grade 11 and first-year university. The whole family was immediately welcomed and enfolded into the community; immersing themselves in all that the Centre offered. It was a unique vacation where they were nurtured spiritually, physically, and mentally all while sharing their experiences in community and small groups. It was a wonderful entry into a new way of being cared for and they knew then that the Centre would become an annual priority. Karen and her family returned to the Centre every year and have been nurtured, challenged, and inspired to live out their faith journey. Their experience of Naramata being a thin space led them to move to the Village in 2018 from Surrey.
Karen has over 20 years of experience as an Executive Assistant supporting the Boards of Education in Surrey and Okanagan Skaha. She has a strong faith foundation through worship, retreats, workshops, and sharing her faith journey with various study groups. She has served on two United Church boards and two non-profit society boards. Karen brings a variety of skills to the Board with her work experience, service in the church, faith foundation, and previous board experience.
Karen is excited about the future of the Centre and feels very strongly that in these challenging times the Centre has an important role to play. The fostering of ongoing reconciliation and social justice are important cultural issues. She believes that more than ever folks need to be able to come together in a safe inclusive community to be supported, nurtured, educated, inspired, and empowered in an environment that provides an opportunity for spiritual growth and wellness.
Debra Bowman
Squamish, British Columbia
Debra is a minister, preacher, mentor, wife, mom, grandma, friend…the pull on her time varies day by day although the grandsons usually win out when it comes to space in her heart. Debra was ordained in the United Church of Canada in 1995. She served several congregations in the Lower Mainland, most recently Ryerson United Church (now Pacific Spirit United Church). Debra has also served as Executive Secretary of BC Conference (now Pacific Mountain Region) and as President of the Conference, as well as on the Executive of General Council of the United Church of Canada for several years. Although officially retired Debra continues to serve the church through guest preaching and until recently offering workshops and gatherings for congregations that are wondering about their future. An ongoing interest is the relationship between beauty, the arts and religion and how together they give voice to both wonder and injustice.
Sydney Cooke
Jasper & Edmonton, Alberta
Sydney started attending the Naramata Centre with her family in 2004. Visiting the Centre was always a valued time to reconnect with family, nature and create new friends. As a child, she regularly mentioned how much she wanted to work at the Centre when she was older. Although she never had the opportunity to become a lifeguard for the Centre beach or a program leader, Sydney looks forward to giving back to a place and community that holds such a special place in her heart as a board member.
For six months out of the year, Sydney works and lives in Jasper National Park working as a Visitor Service Attendant for Parks Canada. This position allows her to live, in her opinion, in one of the most beautiful places in the world and enjoy all the activities the mountain town provides: hiking, biking and backcountry camping. When she is not living in Jasper, she is either traveling or volunteering with harm reduction agencies and community services in Edmonton.
Sydney graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and with a minor in Psychology. Throughout and after her degree, she had the opportunity to volunteer and work with a wide demographic of individuals, some of which include those struggling with homelessness, sex work and addiction. Sydney values creating one on one connection and meaningful connections with those she works with. This is something she aims to implement in her volunteer and work positions, as well as in her day-to-day life.
Janet Groen
Calgary, Alberta
Janet is a Professor of Adult Learning at the University of Calgary. She came west with her family in 2002 to take up this position, after working as an adult educator, in a variety of settings, for many years in Kitchener, Ontario. She continues to be passionate about teaching and program design in adult learning at the university and out in the community, with a recent focus on mindfulness, spirituality, and contemplative ecology.
She is a recent graduate of the Soul Guiding Program (spiritual direction training), offered through Pacific Jubilee Programs (PJP), and is now enrolled in the Soul Mentoring Program with PJP. In addition, she is a trained Mindfulness Based-Stress (instructor) through the Centre of Mindfulness studies and is part of the Mindful Communities Teachers’ Cooperative in Western Canada.
Dawn Hein
Abbottsford, British Columbia
Dawn sees Naramata Centre as a sacred space where people can slow down, breathe and contemplate their connection to the divine. Over the past two decades her own spirit has been fed during the numerous retreats and workshops she has attended, and she and her wife were married in the Naramata Centre Chapel in 2005. Dawn holds the vision for a sustainable Naramata Centre that is available to serve future generations.
A leader in the social services sector for the past 30 years, Dawn is currently the CEO of Mission Association for Community Living (MACL). In her role at MACL, Dawn oversees a variety of services and programs that support people who have disabilities to live, work and play in their community. Dawn is a strong business development professional and a quality assurance enthusiast who is skilled at policy development, program management, human resource management, budget administration, and risk management. She brings a passion and strong work ethic for community engagement, diversity, and inclusion. Dawn holds a Masters in Leadership from Royal Roads University and is a Chartered Professional in Human Resources.
Erin Harvie
Surrey, British Columbia
Erin has been a lifelong visitor to the community of Naramata, cherishing many joyful moments with her children and extended family. Her deep-rooted connections to the community have inspired her to give back to a place that holds such profound meaning for her. Erin is eager to contribute her time and efforts to the board of directors, serving and supporting Naramata Centre in every way she can.
Erin has over 20 years of experience in community-based social service leadership and has cultivated a deep expertise at organizations such as Pacific Community Resources Society, the Ministry of Children & Family Development, and DIVERSEcity. Her extensive background primarily involves managing services for youth with complex needs.
Erin exemplifies transformational leadership by prioritizing the empowerment of clients in all decision-making processes, consistently advocating for their rights and interests throughout organizational management. Her leadership style inspires and motivates both clients and colleagues to strive for positive change and personal growth. Her commitment to creating a supportive and inclusive environment is underscored by her academic background, with a Bachelor of Arts in Human & Social Development and certification in Dare to Lead™. By fostering a culture of trust, innovation, and advocacy, Erin leads by example, driving transformative outcomes within the community and the organizations that she serves.
Samantha Palmer
Calgary, Alberta
For the past decade, Sam has been a familiar face at Naramata summer programs, where she has lovingly shared in the traditions and gatherings with her wife's family. Sam enjoys bringing her family to Naramata every summer and looks forward to continuing this tradition for years to come.
Sam is a dynamic 35-year-old, affectionately known as "Mama" to her spirited five-year-old twins, Isla and Barrett. Hailing from the East Coast, she was born and raised in Nova Scotia. Growing up, Sam was deeply immersed in the Roman Catholic Church, but her journey took a new direction after she met her wife, Lisa. Since 2011, she has been an active member of Gaetz Memorial Church in Red Deer and presently Hillhurst United Church in Calgary, where she found a supportive and inclusive spiritual community.
Sam has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax with a double major in Criminology and Sociology. Additionally, she has a certificate in Fire Service Leadership from Dalhousie University. Sam has worked for the federal government for the past 10 years where she focused on rehabilitating and reintegrating federal offenders. Her passion is working with marginalized communities such as women, indigenous peoples, and the LGBTQ community.
Throughout her life, Sam has served on a number of boards such as a local Scouts Canada group, a volunteer fire department, and as founding co-president of the Central Alberta Pride Society.
Jennifer Frolich
Calgary, Alberta
Jenn’s connection to Naramata Centre is deeply personal, as it has been a cherished and annual place of retreat and growth since she was in diapers. Jenn and her husband, Nico, were married on the Naramata Bench, and every year her family enthusiastically awaits their annual summer stay at the Centre. Jenn looks forward to working with a dedicated team to explore and create a vibrant, inclusive environment for all who visit Naramata. She wishes to bring her passion of childhood development and programming, as well as the perspective of young families, to the conversation.
Jenn is a dedicated and inspirational educator and registered dietitian, whose multifaceted career reflects her unwavering commitment to the well-being and development of children. As a
complex needs teacher in Calgary, Jenn transforms her classroom into a sanctuary of learning, where functional living skills and socioemotional development are at the forefront. Her approach is characterized by a nurturing and supportive environment, empowering children with neurodiversities to thrive. Before transitioning to education, Jenn made significant contributions as a pediatric dietitian. She played a crucial role in a provincial community kitchens initiative and provided nutritional counseling to families at the Children's Hospital.
Outside the professional sphere, Jenn finds balance and inspiration in her personal life. She is a mother of two young children, an energetic five-year-old son and a goofy two-year-old daughter. For the past two years, she has served on the Board of Directors for her children's outdoor and nature-based preschool. She is a lover of lakes, an avid waterskier, and yummy food connoisseur. Jenn cherishes the joy of witnessing children’s sense of wonder and curiosity about the world. Children’s boundless energy and inquisitive minds fuel her dedication to create enriching experiences both at home and in the classroom.
Jeremy Church
Bowen Island, British Columbia
Jeremy and his family arrived for their first taste of Naramata Centre in 1986. At the time, Jeremy was ten years old, but even then, he knew that Naramata Centre was a place he belonged. Opportunities to participate and receive at Naramata Centre, as well as work, lead, and offer, have had a profound, lasting, and ever-present impact on his life, and the lives of the people with whom he intersects. Jeremy previously served on the Naramata Centre Society Board and looks forward to being able to offer back to the Centre what it has nurtured in Jeremy for nearly 40 years.
With over 30 years of leadership working with children and youth, and over 20 years of leadership within the education field, Jeremy’s practice focuses on his relationship with self, others, and land, and is supported by his unfolding understanding of indigenous ways of knowing and being. Jeremy is a firm believer in the power of community and has trained his eyes to always see the unending possibilities that are presented when communities intentionally align vision and action. He is currently serving in a senior executive role with the North Vancouver School District, where he brings his experiences teaching, learning, and leading in Alternative Schools supporting children, youth with complex and challenging life circumstances, to shape the vision and direction for all schools (and communities) in North Vancouver.
Jeremy and his partner and have raised three amazing daughters on the island of Nex̱wlélex̱wm (Bowen Island), and are settlers on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, and Musqueam Nations.
Linda Sahli
Edmonton, Alberta
The Naramata Centre has been an important part of Linda’s life for the past 18 years. She is looking forward to the opportunity to serve the Centre on the Board.
Linda is a lawyer, specializing in governance, public administration, and professional regulation and has career experience in regulatory and political environments – in roles such as trustee, policy analyst, legislative drafter, governance advisor, and strategic planning. Linda also served as the City Clerk for the City of Edmonton. Since 2019, she has been working in the public interest in health regulation. Linda has a passion for justice and inclusion and for fostering environments where people can be their whole and best selves.
Linda is a proud mother of three young men and a rescue dog. Her other important roles include partner, daughter, sister, auntie, and friend. You will find Linda outdoors with friends and dogs as much as possible – skiing, hiking, cycling, and enjoying a glass of Naramata wine while doing so.
News from the Board
The Centre community was deeply saddened to hear of the death at the end of January of our dear friend and colleague, Chris Grauer.