Our People
Deb Jack
Deb has been honored to be involved on the board of what became Atira WRS since early 1990s when we were one transition house, Atira, in Surrey.
A primary focus has been violence and oppression of women and girls and the creation of residences and programming for them.
She spent 32. 5 years with BC Corrections (Probation) during which she wrote a significant paper on spousal abuse/assault and a 1982 Project Report (book) on Community Service later requested by The Law Reform Commission of Canada.
Over the years she has had extensive experience on boards of a variety of community organizations enjoying the collaborative aspects.
Her other main interest is Urban Biodiversity Conservation (ubc).She is a co-founder, President of and chief spokesperson for Surrey Environmental Partners; also, vice-President and Conservation Chair of White Rock and Surrey Naturalists. ubc. is critical for health and well-being.
Deb’s activities pretty much flow from her graduation in Sociology and History from McGill, 1965. City of Surrey designated Deb as Citizen of The Year 2012. Other awards include 2005 Silver, Community Spirit Award Spirit of the Cranes Burns Bog Conservation Society; 2011 Outstanding Individual Recognizing Leaders in Environmental Stewardship Green City Award City of Surrey; 2013 Environmental Leader Community Leadership Awards, 11th year The Leader Newspaper; 2017 Community Group Recognizing environmental leaders who take action and inspire White Rock and Surrey Naturalists (Vice-President and Conservation Chair) Green City Award City of Surrey; 2019 Environmental Leader, Honourable Mention Community Leader Award, 17th year The Now-Leader Newspaper. Deb is now a board member of Atira Women’s Arts Society.
Emma McLagen
Emma is a dedicated advocate for empowering all people, especially women and marginalized people, through the transformative power of creativity and storytelling. As the founder and CEO of EmotivContent Inc., Emma brings almost two decades of experience in creative content and brand strategy for national and global corporations.
Her expertise extends to building in-house creative teams, collaborating with industry talent worldwide, and telling compelling stories from diverse corners of the globe. As a Board of Director for Atira Women’s Art Society, Emma will leverage her extensive background, including as a former schoolteacher, to contribute meaningfully to the organization’s mission. This includes fostering meaningful peer relationships, building community connections, and creating economic opportunities for women through the transformative medium of art, music, and entrepreneurship.
Ghislaine Chan
Ghislaine is an experienced business computing leader who is capable of building commitment and delivering results. She specializes in business development and technology-intensive projects in either a start-up environment or an established global corporation as a leader who understands the importance of organizational leadership, business acumen and technology application.
Her leadership perspectives are founded on strong relationships, executive presence, great communication, sound decision-making, and influence. I am an energetic and entrepreneurial manager who thrives on leading growth and change. I have a proven track-record of business success from client on-boarding projects to product innovations while motivating teams of highly-driven professionals.
Rhiannon Mabberley
Rhiannon is a senior executive with Westbank Projects where she has been involved in some of the company’s most notable developments over the past 15 years, including Woodward’s, TELUS garden and Oakridge.
From sustainability initiatives to district energy systems to complex permitting and everything in between, Rhiannon’s experience speaks to the finer details of real estate development. Rhiannon is passionate about bettering the City she calls home, Vancouver, through a variety of outreach, mentoring and volunteer positions.
Cindy MacMillan
Cindy MacMillan is Vice President, Asset Management at Grosvenor, a property owner, investor, and developer with 70 years of experience in North America.
Part of a global property company with a track record of over 340 years, Grosvenor develops, manages, and invests to improve property and places across many of the world’s leading cities, promoting sustainability within the built environment and enhancing the wellbeing of customers and communities – to deliver lasting commercial, social and environmental benefit. Cindy garners two decades of commercial real estate experience with a strong background in finance, leasing and asset management and a proven track record in repositioning assets and creating value for a portfolio of income producing properties. Cindy is the Investment team lead for Grosvenor’s transit-oriented development sites delivering 5 million sq. ft. of urban master planned communities in Metro Vancouver. Together with the development team, she shapes the build-to-core strategy for multifamily rental, retail and office that will add $2 billion in value to Grosvenor’s investment holdings in North America. Cindy resides in Vancouver, BC, and enjoys reading and listening to podcasts covering topics such as leadership, human behaviour, science, and comedy. She is an avid runner, cyclist, skier, and fitness enthusiast. Inspired by nature, she feels most at home on a lush, single-track trail deep in the North Shore mountains.