People

Sheena Sargeant

Executive Director

Sheena joined the Friends For Life team as Executive Director in April 2007. She brings a background in strategic HIV/AIDS work, having previously been employed as Executive Director of YouthCO AIDS Society, Canada’s only youth-driven organization providing HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C services to young people. Her transition into Friends For Life marked a natural extension of her role and interest in health and communications, having started her career in HIV as Director of Communications of YouthCO from 1999-2003, and then as Communications Officer at Positive Women’s Network in 2004. She has also provided expertise as an independent consultant, working alongside local community-based organizations, universities and the Public Health Agency of Canada to further develop the field of HIV/AIDS community-based research.

Currently, Sheena serves on the Board of Directors for Dining Out For Life International. Additionally, for the past nine years, she has participated as a member of the Ministerial Advisory Council on the Federal Initiative to Address HIV/AIDS Canada, advising the Minister of Health on current and emerging HIV/AIDS issues, as well as evaluating and monitoring the Federal Initiative and offering a vision for the long-term. Previous to these volunteer commitments, Sheena also served as co-chair of the British Columbia HIV/AIDS Advisory Committee.

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Michael Smith

Operations Manager

Michael Smith is thrilled to be back in Vancouver and working for this amazing organization. Mike brings nearly 20 years of administrative, event and fund development experience to Friends for Life. When not dealing with the day-to-day operations of the society, he is training for his first marathon, getting his yorkie, Foxy accustomed to life on the West Coast, or taking in all that this great city has to offer. Mike is an unabashed GLEEk.

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Sarah Evans

Wellness Services Manager

Sarah Evans has always had a close relationship to holistic therapies. Growing up she was often taken to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor instead of a medical doctor. She took her first degree in Reiki twice before the age of 18 as well as Touch for Health. At the age of 20, she became enamoured with yoga then went on to become a certified Hatha Yoga teacher. Her journey with yoga took her to India where she studied Yoga Therapy which ultimately led to her finding Friends For Life where she has been working since 2008.

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Amy Saini

Programs Coordinator

Amy Saini joined Friends For Life as Programs Coordinator January 2009. Amy has always had a strong interest in non-profit organizations and has spent several years developing her career in this field. After completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences, she was interested in gaining knowledge about the Human Resources field. She completed a postgraduate diploma in Human Resources which prepared her for her HR Advisor position at the YMCA of Greater Toronto. Amy worked at the YMCA for three years during which she also volunteered at the Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention (ASAAP) and AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT). While with the YMCA, she was also given an international opportunity to work in West Africa (Ghana) working with women on employment skills and HIV/AIDS education. These experiences have given Amy the knowledge, skills and compassion that is required in the non-profit sector. In 2009, Amy completed her Master’s Degree in Adult Education and started her wonderful journey with Friends For Life. She loves that she works with such great staff, volunteers and members in an amazing organization.

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Craig Matsu-Pissot

Manager of Volunteer Services

Craig Matsu-Pissot has worked in the medical field for 11 years in HIV care where he coordinated a referral service for persons with HIV in search of mental health services and for 4 years in hospice care as a spiritual care counselor. He has also been involved in alternative care, offering psychotherapy, dream work, and therapeutic touch. In addition, he has practiced Buddhist meditation, t’ai chi and qigung since 1986 and for the last 15 years has offered retreats and taught courses and workshops on Buddhist Meditation, Buddhist Psychology, Dream Work, Healing through Myth and Ritual, and Qigung both privately and at undergraduate and graduate colleges and universities.

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Robert Kaiser

Special Events Coordinator

Robert Kaiser is Friends For Life's Special Events Coordinator. Robert is best known by his stage name and alter ego "Joan-E" who is a well known Vancouver fundraiser and entertainer who has been raising funds for Friends For Life since the organization began in 1993. In addition to overseeing Bingo For Life, Robert organizes Queens Care, The Friends For Life Receptions, our Yard Sales, Pride events and other special programs which help to provide much needed funds for Friends For Life.

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Lisa Schaffer

Board Chair

Lisa is a Vancouver-based professional with a record of achievement in business development, public relations and events coordination. For over 15 years, she has worked for the world’s most recognized coffee purveyor, Starbucks Coffee Company. In 2006, she was named Territory Sales Manager for Starbucks’ Foodservice and Business Development division, where she built successful relationships for the Starbucks Coffee, Seattle’s Best Coffee, Torrefazione Italia, and Tazo Tea brands with national foodservice partners like Aramark, Compass, and Sodexo. In 2010, Lisa joined the team at Paul Nixey Communications, managing selected arts and cultural public relations accounts, and providing business development expertise to the team, and is currently employed as the Director of Sales & Business Development at Lonsdale Event Rentals.

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Graeme Keirstead

Board Vice-Chair

Graeme comes to the FFL Board with relevant experience with A Loving Spoonful, where he was a director for ten years and board president for eight of those. Graeme was appointed an honorary board member upon leaving the elected board.

His current community engagement is with Trinity United Church where he has served as a Trustee since 1997, providing stewardship and oversight of church property including investments and the St. James Community Hall. Past board membership has been with the Vancouver New Music Society and Pride Vancouver.

Graeme's most effective contribution to this non-profit is in the area of governance. He has been a lawyer for 18 years, and has worked with the Law Society of BC for the past 11. Since late 2006 Graeme has been Manager of the Special Compensation Fund and Custodianships department of the Law Society, with a full-time staff of 12. This experience has given him some deep and not always enjoyable, although always rewarding, experience in the human resources area that he draws from in assisting Friends For Life.

Friends For Life is a good way for Graeme to be involved in the larger community. The mission of Friends For Life is one with which he connects fully: He is a believer in the power of wellness and alternative therapies, has participated in yoga training and retreats, Zen meditation, and the benefits of regular massage therapy. Being part of an organization whose goal it is to make such therapies available to people facing significant health challenges is an honour.

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Peter Cheung

Board Treasurer

Peter completed his accounting degree at BCIT and completed the CGA program in 2009. Peter has been doing some volunteer work in preparing tax returns for seniors for the past 5 years and has perform some bookkeeping for a non-profit organization for 6 months. Always wanting to give more back to the community, he is excited in the opportunity to help
Friends for life achieve its missions and goals!

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Stephen Dunne

Board Secretary

Stephen has a keen interest in contributing his skills and insights in support of the work that Friends for Life does to promote health and wellness in his community. Stephen holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration and recently completed his master's degree in Public Administration at the University of Victoria. He has worked in various public sector research and non-profit arts administration positions and is currently employed at the BC Cancer Agency as a Business Analyst.

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Cameron Barker-Fyfe

Board Member

Cameron joined the FFL Board of Directors because, in his mind, Friends For Life is very much a grass-roots organization and strives to serve the community at the local level. The breadth of programs offered and the fact that all services are provided free-of-charge shows the level of commitment the organization and its volunteers have to the community at large.

Cameron's operations and general management background in the hospitality and the transportation sectors allow him to bring value to the Board of Friends For Life. He leads and directs a team of more than 200 employees and 11 managers with an operating budget in excess of $15 million annually.

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Paul Nixey

Board Member

Paul Nixey is the President of Nixey Communications, a Vancouver-based communications firm. He has been providing public relations and marketing services to Fortune 500 corporations, media outlets, non-profit organizations and public figures in Toronto, Seoul, and Vancouver for more than a decade, working with brands like Starbucks Coffee, Nature's Path Organic Foods, Modo and the University of British Columbia.

Mr. Nixey studied communications and political science at Capilano and Simon Fraser Universities, and is a guest lecturer for SFU's Public Relations Program. 2011 marks his second term as a Director at Friends for Life.

Mr. Nixey lives in Vancouver’s West End with his partner Paul Crosby. On the web: www.nixey.ca / Twitter: @paulnixey

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Bobby Parmar

Board Member

A vegan naturopath born and raised in Vancouver, Bobby obtained his Bachelor of Applied Science Degree (Kinesiology, Psychology and the Humanities) from Simon Fraser University and proceeded to complete a four year program in naturopathic medicine at The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto. As a Naturopathic Doctor, his scope of practice includes: Nutrition, both Western and Eastern Herbology, and Acupuncture. He has a special interest in hormones and has additional certification in treating subclinical hypothyroidism (Wilson's Temperature Syndrome). Bobby has been volunteering as a practitioner at Friends For Life since 2008.

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Cam Routledge

Board Member

Cam Routledge is a Vancouver based marketing professional with both domestic and overseas experience. He manages multi-million dollar budgets and directs a worldwide team. He has extensive knowledge of the strategic development required for successful branding, media relations, public relations and consumer advertising. Cam resides in the False Creek area of Vancouver. He enjoys exploring diverse locations around BC in the summer and spending part of the winter in warmer climes.

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Stephen Wahl

Board Member

Bio coming soon.

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Drew Dickenson

Board Member

Bio coming soon.

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Ian Baillie

Board Member

Bio coming soon.

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