Maria Salzl, Chair

Ms. Salzl was a member of the RCMP for 27 years, serving primarily in BC (Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island). In November of 2007, she retired and is now working as Manager, Programs Administration at Richmond Fire Rescue. Ms Salzl is also busy with her 11 year old twins.

Jocelyn Wong, Vice-chair

Jocelyn Wong held a Board position at Touchstone Family Association back in 2001 and 2002 and is happy to be returning to the Board this year. She is looking forward to working with staff and connecting with the community about the program and services Touchstone offers. Jocelyn believes in the work social service organisations provide in communities. Jocelyn has been working and volunteering in the field for over 10 years, and brings with her knowledge on community development, facilitation, and program and policy planning. Jocelyn believes in engaging community members in learning about community services and issues, and that families and support come in many different forms. Jocelyn currently works at Volunteer Richmond Information Services as the Manager for Information and Referral Services, and is near completion of her Masters of Education program at UBC.

Lisa Martella, Secretary

Lisa Martella is currently the Executive Director with A Loving Spoonful. A Loving Spoonful provides free, nutritious meals to people living with HIV/AIDS in the Greater Vancouver area. Every week, all year round for over 18 years, volunteers deliver approximately 1200 frozen meals and 1200 snack packs to men, women and children who are primarily homebound with AIDS. Prior to working at A Loving Spoonful Lisa was the Associate Director at the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society which is the 3rd largest food bank in Canada and the largest in British Columbia. Lisa’s experience is invaluable as she is able to put a strategic plan into place, increase public awareness about important issues and create new and exciting opportunities working towards the betterment of our communities. Lisa continues to move forward bringing innovate and sustainable solutions to operating a not for profit organization. With a warm smile, enthusiasm and dedication for helping others, Lisa is a true leader in her field.

Lawrie Portigal, Treasurer

Lawrence Portigal is a native of Calgary, attended the University of Alberta where he received degrees in Science and Law. He is a member of the Alberta Bar. Lawrence was first employed by the City of Calgary and later was a senior executive in the coal, electricity and natural gas industries. He moved to Richmond in 2002. Lawrence is active in the volunteer sector and is the immediate past President and a Director of Volunteer Richmond Information Services and is a Director and Secretary of Volunteer BC.

Ian Chian, Director

Ian Chian became involved with Touchstone Family Association as a youth board member through the Volunteer Richmond Youth Now program. Following the completion of the program Ian requested to stay on board with Touchstone as it was such a productive experience for him. Ian graduated from UBC with a double major in Philosophy and Sociology and is currently the Family Services Coordinator for The Salvation Army in Surrey. He hopes to bring a fresh perspective to the board through both his youth and his experience working directly with clients and families at work. Ian is a firm believer in how individuals can make a big impact in the lives of families simply through providing care and addressing their needs.

Kim Howell, Director

Kim is a new resident to Richmond, and BC. In November 2007 she relocated. with her husband and two children, to take the position of Deputy Chief of Administration with the Richmond Fire Rescue Department. Kim previously held a similar position with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta for the previous 5 years. Kim’s entire work career, over 30 years, has been in municipal government including 25 years involved with Community Services. Kim joined the Touchstone Board of Directors in 2008 because of the agencies strong commitment to family, her desire to give back to the community, and have her children learn the importance of giving back to the community.

Joyce Ip, Director

Joyce is an aspiring Psychology Major in year two of her BA at the University of British Columbia. The objectives of Touchstone Family Association motivated her to become more involved. Through the Youth Now program, she has been able to gain contact and a valuable opportunity to work with the Board of Directors of Touchstone. Joyce is a firm believer in positively influencing youth to develop strong citizens of the future. Working with various other non-profit organizations and juggling part-time jobs, Joyce hopes to bring exposure to Touchstone and provide innovative ideas for future development.

Satnam Lalli, Director

Satnam is a 4th year BBA degree student at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. She will be pursuing her CA designation upon completion of her degree which specializes in accounting. Since taking a not-for-profit accounting course at Kwantlen, she wanted to put her skills and knowledge in to action. She feels that the stewardship and accountability of an organization’s resources is very important in enabling an organization to meet its goals and be successful. She got involved with the Touchstone Family Association through the Youth Now Leadership.

Mahmood Awan, Director

I have been the Owner and President of Premier Transmissions since 1979 until the present. Currently, I serve the City of Richmond on Board of Variance and the Olympic 2010 Committee. I am an advisory committee member of the BC Multicultural Advisory Council and am the Chair and Founding member of the Muslim and Canadian Federation. Other committees on which I’ve served the community of Richmond in the past include: the Richmond Advisory Committee on Policing, The Inter-cultural Advisory Committee, Richmond Caring Place, Vancouver/Richmond Health Committee, and Richmond General Hospital. I am a member of the Rotary Club of Richmond Sunrise.