IPAC Vancouver Executive Committee

IPAC Vancouver is run by volunteer board members with the commitment and willingness to advance our mission. The programming and events offered by our regional group would not be possible without their time and dedication.

Blair Polychronopolous, Chair

Blair Polychronopolous has been involved with IPAC since 2008, holding various Committee roles throughout the years. Blair has worked within the Federal Public Service for over a decade. Currently holding the position of Western Region Senior Manager of Real Property and Asset Management for Employment and Social Development Canada, she has also occupied positions with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as Asset Manager, and previously, with Public Services and Procurement Canada as a Real Estate Advisor. During this time, Blair worked on a wide range of Real Estate projects with a range of federal clients, as well as assignments with P3 National Centre of Expertise and Asset and Facilities Management. Blair holds a Bachelor of Arts from Simon Fraser University and will earn a Diploma of Urban Land Economics at University of British Columbia in April 2018.

Victoria Heron, Vice Chair

Penny Bruin, Treasurer

Penny has extensive local government finance experience both in Canada and in South Africa. Her areas of expertise include strategic planning, leadership, organizational development, succession planning, financial management and interest based problem solving. She holds a Master’s in Business Administration and has a Chartered Professional Accountant designation. Penny is a long term member of the Government Finance Officers Association of US and Canada and provides conference program planning services to the Canadian Association of Government Finance Officers, formerly GFOA of Western Canada. She is also a member of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada and volunteers with the IPAC Vancouver Regional Group. In addition, Penny is a Volunteer Advisor with the Canadian Executive Services Organization (CESO) and volunteers in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. In her spare time, she loves to hike, go four-wheeling and travel with her family. 

Laura Aucoin, Programming C0-Lead

Laura Aucoin's current role is to support Community Initiatives for Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. Throughout her career she has remained dedicated to supporting community-led development. In addition to her experience in British Columbia and Alberta, she worked in Kingston, Jamaica, as an Advisor through Cuso International to a non-governmental organization. Laura joined IPAC to extend this experience, and further collaborate with diverse communities in order to better encourage dialogue and promote opportunities for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to build a more integrated future. She completed a Bachelor degree in Community Health from Brock University.

Lizzie Cheung, Programming and Incite C0-Lead

Lizzie has joined us on the West Coast after living in Fredericton, New Brunswick for more than 13 years. Lizzie has been an active IPAC volunteer after joining the IPAC Fredericton Regional Board in 2011 where she held the New Professional Representative role and later a Learning Events Chair position. Lizzie also volunteered as a Conference Chair at Government of New Brunswick New Wave (New Professional) Executive Committee from 2011 – 2013. She worked as a Team Lead for Settlement and Multiculturalism in the Government of New Brunswick. Lizzie received a BA in Economics from St. Thomas University and MBA in University of New Brunswick. Lizzie is currently a Citizen Services Officer in Service Canada.

Ashley Steuck, Incite Co-Lead

Ashley Steuck is an analyst at Health Canada. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of British Columbia and started in government as a Co-op student in 2013. As a new professional herself, Ashley was inspired to take on the Incite Co-Lead role in order to connect a wide range of new professionals and to provide opportunities for career development. During her spare time, Ashley enjoys: running with her 100 pound Bernese Mountain Dog, Bear; getting lost in a good book; listening to country music; and skiing on the local hills. 

Lisa Nye, National/Regional Representative for Western Canada

For the last seven years as the CEO of Pinpoint Consulting Inc., Lisa has engaged with First Nations/Aboriginal groups, stakeholders and communities on a range of issues. Lisa’s experience includes negotiating and achieving agreements, developing practical plans and strategies, advancing economic and social innovation and taking bold steps to translate ideas into achievements. Lisa also has 28 years of experience in a variety of areas within the BC Government. She has received both the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Excellence in the Public Service and the Métis Order of the Sash. Lisa co-led development of the action agenda for First Ministers and National Aboriginal Leaders at their historic meeting in Kelowna in 2005. Lisa served as a Director and the Chair of the Mount St. Mary Hospital Foundation. 

Jonathan Menold, Membership and Partnership Lead

Jonathan Menold is an Analyst for the Ministry of Children and Family Development in Vancouver. Previously he worked as a social worker with vulnerable children and families. Jonathan joined IPAC Vancouver in 2016 and served as the co-chair of Institutional Partnerships. 

Olena Schell, Communications and Marketing Lead

Olena is currently a policy analyst with the Public Health Agency of Canada in Ottawa and a PhD candidate at the University of Regina. She holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology and a Master of Arts in Public Administration from the University of Ottawa. Her research interests include health profession regulation, health human resources, and primary care reform. Olena has been an active IPAC member since 2011 and joined IPAC Vancouver as a committee member to give back to the organization. 

Winsy Chan, Social Media Lead

​Winsy has been with IPAC Vancouver since March of 2017.  She works as a Senior Officer Trade Compliance at the Canada Border Services Agency.  IPAC has given her the opportunity to network with other public servants from different levels of government.  She loves travelling and learning about different cultures and hanging out with her friends, and her favourite hobbies include cycling, hiking, snowboarding and ballroom dancing.

Garrick Bradshaw, Member-At-Large

Garrick is a graduate of the Royal Military College and spent 23 years in various Construction Engineering positions across Canada and in Germany. Upon retiring from the Air Force in 1994 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Garrick began his municipal career as the Manager of Corporate Facilities Maintenance for the City of Mississauga for 12 years before assuming the position of Director, Facilities Design and Management in 2006 with the City of Vancouver. Garrick served as one of the Directors of the City’s Emergency Operations Centre and was involved in emergency operations during the 2010 Olympic Games, Stanley Cup Riot and Occupy Vancouver. He also assumed the position of Director, Facilities Operations until his retirement in November 2014. Garrick is now the principle consultant of GMB Management Consulting. His areas of interest and expertise include: Facilities Management Optimization, Organizational Health and Employee Engagement, and Leadership Development, Team Building and Emergency Planning and Operations. ​

Minda Richardson, Member-At-Large

​Minda is a Senior Policy Analyst at the First Nations Health Authority. Minda joins IPAC Vancouver after living in the fly in community of Lutsel k'e, and later Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories the past 1.5 years. While in the North, Minda worked with the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Yellowknife Women's Society. Minda has a Masters of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from Royal Roads University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Simon Fraser University. In her spare time, Minda enjoys taking in the outdoors. Her most recent adventure was flying over Nahanni National Park, NWT (picture attached).