Our Team
Board of Directors
Holger Schwichtenberg
Chairperson of BCDA
MAINLAND
Sarah Sache
Vice Chair
DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE
Paul Davidson
Secretary
NORTHERN BC
John Kerkhoven
Treasurer
DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE
Mickey Aylard
DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE
John de Dood
SOUTHERN BC
Ken Miller
INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR
Phil Owen
SOUTHERN BC
Casey Pruim
MAINLAND
Dave Taylor
VANCOUVER ISLAND
Kevin Mammel
MAINLAND
BC Dairy Association Staff
Joel Barohn, MS, RD(CAN/USA), Chef
Nutrition Educator
As one of the registered dietitians at BC Dairy Association, Joel contributes to the mission of promoting health in BC through leadership and innovation in nutrition education. This includes developing, evaluating and presenting programs and resources to teachers, health professionals and the general public throughout BC.
Anna Brisco, RD
Nutrition Educator
As one of the registered dietitians at BC Dairy Association, Anna contributes to the mission of promoting health in BC through leadership and innovation in nutrition education. This includes developing, evaluating and presenting programs and resources to teachers, health professionals and the general public throughout BC.
Milai Burnett
Accountant
Milai is responsible for the Association’s financial operations and reporting.
Jeremy Dunn
GENERAL MANAGER
Jeremy joined BC Dairy in October 2019 and is responsible for the overall management of the Association. He has over 18 years of experience in communications, strategic planning, issues management and stakeholder relations
Carmen Gorlick, RD
NUTRITION EDUCATOR
As one of the registered dietitians at BC Dairy Association, Carmen contributes to the mission of promoting health in BC through leadership and innovation in nutrition education. This includes developing, evaluating and presenting programs and resources to teachers, health professionals and the general public throughout BC.
Catherine Green
Marketing Manager
As part of the marketing team, Catherine contributes to the promotion of milk consumption in BC through BCDA’s provincial marketing initiatives. In particular, Catherine is responsible for the delivery of advertising campaigns, such as Pour A Little Happiness and Inspired by Farmers.
Wendy Kristoff
Executive Assistant
Wendy provides administrative assistance to the Association’s Executive Director and to the Association.
Wendy W. Kwok
Program Manager
As the Program Manager, Wendy communicates the delivery of nutrition education programs to teachers and schools in BC. In addition, Wendy supports and provides resources and tools to schools registered with the School Milk BC initiative (schoolmilkbc.ca).
Aimee Laity
MDCE Program Coordinator
As the Mobile Dairy Classroom Experience (MDCE) Program Coordinator, Aimee leads the day-to-day administration of our agricultural educational program. Her duties include organizing school visits, event attendance and working closely with our team of MDCE staff.
Kristine Louie
Marketing Manager
As a member of the marketing team, Kristine contributes to the promotion of milk consumption through BCDA's provincial marketing initiatives and represents BC as part of Milk West. Kristine leads the provincial We ♥ Local initiative and BC Dairy Industry Conference in addition to Milk West campaigns such as Snack Time and Milk Slam. Additionally, Kristine provides graphic design and production services to all departments of the Association.
Sydney Massey, MPH, RD
Director of Nutrition Education
As one of the registered dietitians at BC Dairy Association, Sydney contributes to the mission of promoting health in BC through leadership and innovation in nutrition education. This includes developing, evaluating and presenting programs and resources to teachers, health professionals and the general public throughout BC.
Lynne Sawchuk, MPE, RD
Nutrition Educator
As one of the registered dietitians at BC Dairy Association, Lynne contributes to the mission of promoting health in BC through leadership and innovation in nutrition education. This includes developing, evaluating and presenting programs and resources to teachers, health professionals and the general public throughout BC.
Reet Sidhu
Manager of Producer Relations and Communications
As the Manager of Producer Relations and Communications, Reet Sidhu manages BC Dairy's internal and external communications initiatives, including taking the lead on developing print and digital publications. She works closely with the Communications Director to help advocate with all levels of government, media, and other industry associations. Reet also plays a key role in supporting the public outreach activities of the organization.
Carla Soutar
Producer Services Manager
In her role as Producer Services Manager, Carla liaises with BC dairy producers, industry partners and BCDA staff to deliver industry-led initiatives and events. Carla coordinates the annual BC Dairy Expo farm tours, in addition to organizing producer involvement and attendance of the BC Dairy Industry Conference.
Emma Strazhnik
Manager, Policy and Research
As Manager, Emma is responsible for policy consultation and strategic implementation of proAction, our national on-farm sustainability initiative. She also manages the Dairy Industry Research and Education Committee (DIREC) and has specific expertise in animal welfare science.
Christine Terpsma
Director Producer Relations and Communications
As the Director of Producer Relations and Communications, Christine Terpsma represents all dairy farmers in British Columbia. Together with the BCDA General Manager, she is an advocate for the dairy industry with all levels of government, media, special interest groups, environmentalists, and other industry associations. She is also the strategic lead for a variety of industry programs ranging from innovation, research, industry education, and public outreach.
Jennifer Woron
Director of Marketing
As Director of Marketing, Jennifer leads the strategy and development of BC Dairy Association’s provincial marketing initiatives. She works with her team to create advertising campaigns such as Pour A Little Happiness and Inspired by Farmers that contribute to the promotion of milk and dairy in BC.
Jennifer Wu
Marketing Coordinator
As a Marketing Coordinator, Jennifer contributes to the promotion of milk consumption in BC. Jennifer leads several provincial marketing initiatives.
Kelsey Zalot
Program Coordinator, Policy and Sustainability
As a program coordinator, Kelsey works on the day-to-day administration of our on-farm proAction program. Her duties include producer training, farm follow-up and on-farm technical support visits.