Our Board
Darlene K. Hyde
Chairperson — Appointed Director
MBA, ICD.D, ACCUD, CAE, CCD, CRAE
Darlene is a retired Chief Executive Officer, a seasoned Board Director and an Advisor to senior executives and boards in Canada. With pan- Canadian executive experience in a range of key economic sectors, including insurance, organized real estate, commercial real estate development, automotive retail, energy and telecommunications, she also has nearly two decades of board experience in financial institutions, regulatory agencies and not for profits. Darlene is currently Strategy and Governance Advisor for tng, and provides a range of governance solutions to not for profit and member-driven organizations.
Darlene also has experience in mergers and acquisitions, having been instrumental on a team which delivered the largest credit union merger to date in Canadian history, the merger of Westminster Savings and Prospera Credit Union in 2020.
As CEO of the BC Real Estate Association, Darlene won the Business in Vancouver award for CEO of the Year in 2020 in the not for profit category. BCREA was also in the top 50 organizations in Canada in its class for several years in a row, as measured by the rating agency, A Great Place to Work.
Darlene earned a BA Honours (English) from McGill University and an MBA from Memorial University of Newfoundland. She has also earned the following governance designations: ICD.D from the Institute of Corporate Directors; ACCUD (Accredited Canadian Credit Union Director) from CCUA/CUDA/CuSource; and CCD (Certified Corporate Director) from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. In 2021, she served as Director in Residence for the Rotman Governance Leadership Institute for organized real estate. Currently, she chairs the McGill Women in Leadership and Philanthropy board, Vancouver chapter.
Linda Bowyer
Vice Chairperson — CEO, First Credit Union
BBA, MBA
Linda joined First Credit Union in February of 2018 as President & Chief Executive Officer. With over twenty years of experience in Senior Executive roles within Canada Trust, TD Bank, CIBC and the insurance division of BCAA, Linda has developed expertise in change management, leadership, & continuous improvement. Since joining First Credit Union, Linda has had the opportunity to lean into her passion for values based community banking.
Linda holds a Bachelor & Master of Business Administration degree from Simon Fraser University, and has earned a Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma. She also attended the Canada DE program at St Mary’s University, and holds the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D) designation.
Linda is currently Vice Chair of the Board at Stabilization Central Credit Union, is a Director on the Board of the Canadian Credit Union Association (CCUA) and Vice Chair of the HR Committee, as well as being the CCUA delegate on the Board of the World Council of Credit Unions.
Bill Chan
Director - Director, Vancity Credit Union
CPA CGA, MBA, ICD.D
Bill Chan sits on the Board of Directors of Vancity Credit Union since 2018 and is the Chair of the Audit Committee and member of the Governance and Risk Committees.
Bill also sits on the BC Provincial Health Services Authority that provides specialized health services (i.e., BC Women’s Hospital, BC Children’s Hospital, BC Cancer, BC Transplant, BC Centre for Disease Control). He is the Chair of the Finance and Operations Committee and a member of the Audit Committee.
Bill has over 25 years of executive management experience with Encorp / Return-It depots in BC and was their Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He directed, managed, and led a dynamic team to deliver a convenient, effective recycling network of Return-It depots. Bill’s career path has focused on building successful programs that brings together financial sustainability while being environmentally and socially responsible.
His formal education includes a Chartered Professional Accountant designation (CPA, CGA), a MBA from Asia Pacific University and the Institute of Corporate Directors designation. (ICD.D).
Anita Braha
Director — Appointed Director
MA, LLB, ICD.D
Ms. Braha currently serves as Board Chair of Vancity Community Investment Bank. She was past Chair of Vancity Savings Credit Union.
At Vancity Credit Union, she served as the Chair of Risk Committee, the Chair of the Human Resources Committee and the Governance and Conduct Review Committee.
She sat on the Board of Central 1 Credit Union and served as Vice Chair of that Board.
Anita also served as Chair of the Governing Board Forum, part of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values.
She is a lawyer, and educator who has practiced in the area of human rights for over 25 years. She served on the executive of the British Columbia Industrial Relations Association for 10 years. Anita is a founding member and President of the Galiano Island Loan Fund Society. She was an appointed member of the Employment Standards Review Commission, the City of Vancouver Women’s Task Force and the Galiano Parks and Recreation Commission.
Anita has taught at Capilano College in the Political Studies, Women’s Studies and Labour Studies departments. She has a BA (Hons) from York University, an MA from the University of Toronto and an LLB from Osgoode Hall Law School. She is called to the Bar in Ontario and British Columbia. She completed the director education program at the Institute of Corporate Directors. She was the consulting editor of the Annotated British Columbia Human Rights Code.
Jody Burk
Director — CEO, StellerVista Credit Union
ACUIC, FCUIC, CUDA
Jody is currently the CEO of East Kootenay Community Credit Union and volunteers in his community as a member of the Rotary Club of Cranbrook.
Jody Burk has over 30 years of forward-looking experience in the credit union system, with understanding in every facet of the business. Jody strives for growth using collaborative and cooperative strategies while maintaining compliance.
With his passion for collaboration, he holds the position of CEO for East Kootenay Insurance Services Ltd., a property and casualty insurance company and East Kootenay Financial Services Ltd., a wealth management service company. He also holds the position of director on CUSO Wealth Ltd., Kootenay Insurance Services Ltd., MoneyWorks and previously, the BC Solutions Centre and CUPP Services Ltd.
As an advocate for continual learning, Jody holds his Certificate of Advanced Strategy from the UBC Sauder School of Business, his Certificate of Leadership Excellence from the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and is an Associate of the Credit Union Institute of Canada (ACUIC) and a Fellow of the Credit Union Institute of Canada (FCUIC).
Jim Zimmerman
Director — CEO, Williams Lake & District Credit Union
BA Cert, PBDM, ACUIC, FCUIC
Jim is the CEO of Williams Lake and District Credit Union. Prior to moving to BC in 2012 Jim was the CEO of several prairie Credit Unions.
Over the years he has acquired experience and knowledge in all areas of Operations, Leadership, Governance, and Risk Management.
Jim enjoys the rural lifestyle, which aligns with his desire to solve the ongoing challenge of keeping small credit unions viable, relevant and a positive contributor to the credit union system.
Kelly Marshall
Director — Chief Executive Officer Summerland and District Credit Union
ACUIC, ACCUD, CCE, CCD, ICD.D
Kelly is President & CEO of Summerland & District Credit Union and has been for the past 17 years.
He has been in the Western Canadian Credit Union System for 33 years and prior to coming to Summerland was CEO of an Alberta Credit Union and held various capacities at a multi-branch Saskatchewan Credit Union, including Marketing Manager and Manager of Retail Operations.
Kelly is an Associate of the Credit Union Institute of Canada and Dalhousie University, with honours and a specialty in Lending Studies. Kelly is the Board Chair of the Credit Union Executives Society (CUES) and holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors as well as a Certified Chief Executive designation.
Mike Schilling
Director — President & CEO, Community Savings Credit Union
Mike Schilling is President & CEO of Community Savings, a full-service financial institution and the largest provider of banking services to BC’s labour movement.
He is passionate about placing the control of capital into the hands of workers through a member-owned financial system which ensures money works for people. Mike’s global financial services career has spanned the United Kingdom, Singapore, India and most recently Vancouver, Canada. With his experience, Mike brings a global perspective of finance, technology, compliance, and talent development in cooperative finance and traditional “big bank” environments. Mike has held the positions of COO-Asia Pacific for Compliance, Barclays in Mumbai, India and COO-Asia Pacific & Head of Business Operations in Singapore. Mike holds a B.Sc. (Hons), Mathematics from the University of Sheffield and an ACA from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.