Staff and Board
Crystal Dennison, Executive Director
Crystal is passionate about working in community and building synergic relationships to create opportunities for people to connect with food.
She brings over 25 years of professional administrative and financial experience in both the profit and non-profit sectors to Nanaimo Foodshare. She has been with the organization since 2004 and has continued to broaden her knowledge and skills in non-profit management and community leadership.
Crystal has built a strong and dynamic team that achieves remarkable results with limited resources.
 Lisa Cronk, Administrative Assistant
Lisa is always happy to answer your questions or point you in the right direction as our receptionist and admininstrative assistant.
Prior to joining the Foodshare team, Lisa worked in the cash office and payroll department for large retail companies in Nanaimo, BC where she first recognized her skills in accounting. Lisa gained further knowledge of finance while working for the Provincial Government in the Ministry of Finance and improved her accounting skills by participating in one year of the Certified General Accountant Program. She continues to pursue further training in several Microsoft Certificate Programs.
Lisa looks forward to growing with the amazing team at Foodshare, as well as strengthening her skills not only in the office but within the community.
Francois de Jong, Food Programs Coordinator
Francois de Jong is a Chef and a Registered Nutritionist with over two decades of experience in some of the best restaurants in North America. He won numerous awards in culinary competitions and opened “Life,” Hong Kong’s first organic health food café and deli as well as the “Urban Beet” in Nanaimo.
He has great knowledge of the culinary arts and a passion to communicate the important links between health, nourishment, local food and community.
He brings the joy of cooking to every class that he teaches and meal he prepares.
 Anna Dodds, Garden Coordinator
Anna is an Organic Master Gardener, Registered Holistic Nutritionist and local food enthusiast.
She is currently working on the development of the Community Roots Food Garden projects at 4 schools in School District 68.
Anna has received recognition for this work from the City of Nanaimo and the BC Cancer Society.
 Stephen Cochrane, Life/Workskills Coordinator
Stephen brings over 20 years of management and supervisory experience in many industries such as: recreational leadership/community programming, facility/property and restaurant management, Child and Family Counselling in the private and not for profit sectors. He holds many certifications in instruction and skill based knowledge including a college diploma in Outdoor Recreation and a certificate as a Mental health assessment worker. In addition, Stephen has continued to be actively involved in a variety of community volunteer experiences, as well as operating his own business in the Carpentry and Home renovation industry.
Stephen loves working with our Homegrown participants to guide them in developing the skills and knowledge they need to not only become employable, but to see them create a healthy sustainable life for themselves.
 Marjorie Stewart, Board Chair
Marjorie was raised in Scotland and has a degree in Social Economics. She was a secondary history teacher and has been involved in peace, environment and women's movements, on school board and health board, as well as a fair trade advocate. She realized that she was not a very good customer at farmers markets because her family had been growing and buying healthy food for many years, so she thought one way she could contribute to the food security movement would be to support Nanaimo Foodshare. The board was a bit shaky in 2003 and she had many years of experience with decision-making bodies, so this is how she decided to contribute.
Blake McGuffie, Treasurer
Blake McGuffie has been associated with Nanaimo Foodshare from the beginning, originally as a City Council Member. Blake operates Esplanade Tax and has been involved in the Income Tax business since 1969. He is also a long time Director of the Nanaimo Child Development Centre and also has served for several years as a Director of Columbia Centre Society. Blake believes strongly in both the principles and the work of Foodshare.
 Christine Heffernan, Secretary
Christine is currently employed as a secretary with Vancouver Island University. She has always found great satisfaction growing her own vegetables and fruit.
She joined Nanaimo Foodshare because it is her hope that more people will use our abundant resources on Vancouver Island to grow their own food, and share their gardening and cooking knowledge with others.
Kimberly Krieger, Board Member
Born and raised on Saltspring Island, Kim has always been interested in gardening, eating locally, and community service.
She joined Nanaimo Foodshare to help create a sustainable food system and to build community in Nanaimo.
Kim loves food, both growing and sharing it, and is excited to be a member of a group with such incredible potential for positive change.
 Craig Evans, Board Member
Craig Evans has been involved in agriculture for almost 30 years. He is one the founders of Nanaimo Community Gardens and Nanaimo Foodshare, serves as a Director with the Island Farmers Alliance, and is a member of the Regional District of Nanaimo's Agricultural Advisory Committee and BC Food Systems Network.
Craig is the Market Garden Manager at Providence Farm in Duncan, and is a member of Growing Opportunities Farm Co-op, a community service co-op dedicated to educating new growers.
Jen Skogland, Board Member
During her studies in Tourism and Recreation Management, Jen discovered her strong passion for community development. She has enjoyed incorporating that into her career; including non-profit involvement and special event management. More recently, she has realized the importance of food security for her family, community and Vancouver Island. She is working towards learning more about Permaculture techniques and feels it is key to making our community more food secure. Jen believes that everyone should have access to local and affordable food.
Michael Dunlop, Board Member
Info to Come
 Eileen Page MBA BSc. (hons), Board Advisor
Eileen is passionate about real food as an essential in living a healthy life and, strengthening food systems that assure healthy, local and cost-effective food. She guides, advises and coaches boards, executives, functional leaders to focus on purpose, big picture direction and creating dynamic cultures; such that their frontline staff are unleashed to achieve extraordinary results.
By combining her formal education in science, business and technology with deep learning about people and process, Eileen designs conversations where the talents and interests of each person align with an organization’s purpose, groups function effectively and offers a cohesive approach that assures relevant results for clients, employees, operations, management and financials.
Eileen is the founder and managing director of People & Process Solutions Inc. teaching and serving in academic, corporate and non-profit organizations across North America, in New Zealand and Africa. Eileen volunteers in several organizations focused on food, health and empowering women. |
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