Our Story

BOARD MEMBERS

Sheila Evani
President

  • A Partner with Waterstone Law Group
  • Admitted to the Bar in BC in 2005
  • Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Simon Fraser University
  • Second Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alberta
  • Specializes in Business Law, Real Estate Transactions and Banking, with a strong focus on Governance
  • Served three years as the Chair of the Vancouver Dance Centre
  • Served a secretary for the boards of the Chilliwack Symphony Orchestra and the Abbotsford Symphony Orchestra
  • An accomplished violinist who studied at the Academy of Music, and has performed with the Chilliwack Symphony Orchestra and the Chilliwack Metropolitan Orchestra
  • Proud mom to two little boys, and two exasperating dogs

Teresa Kisilevich
Vice-President

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Janet Carroll
Past-President

  • Educational Consultant: Carroll Coaching & Consulting
  • Certified BC Educator
  • Former Program Coordinator, Teacher Education Department – UFV
  • Former teacher, principal, district administrator – Chilliwack School District 33
  • Mixed Media/Collage Artist
  • Long time member of Chilliwack Players Guild (Director, Performer, Writer)
  • Former board member of Chilliwack Cultural Centre (Member at Large, Secretary, Vice-President)

Rob Nicklom
Treasurer

  • Retired Chartered Accountant / Certified Professional Accountant
  • Former partner in Chilliwack accounting firm (1982 – 2019 )
  • Past Chair, Board of Governors, University of the Fraser Valley (2002-2008 )
  • Honorary Doctor of Letters, University of the Fraser Valley
  • Past Director, Harrison Festival of the Arts Society
  • Forty year member of Chilliwack Fraser Rotary Club ( President 1999-2000 )
  • Recipient, Queens Golden Jubilee Medal
  • Former minor hockey and baseball coach
  • Avid photographer, music lover, proud father of two, proud grand-father of Kaia

Peggy Walker
Secretary

Peggy Walker is the co-owner of Cultivate Café, which she and her husband Cam opened in Chilliwack in 2018. With extensive experience in hospitality leadership, Peggy has helped build Cultivate around a commitment to quality, authentic connections and creating a welcoming place for people to gather. The business reflects her strong belief in investing in local relationships, supporting community and creating positive experiences for both guests and staff.
 
Peggy is also active in Chilliwack’s broader business community and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce. She brings to the Chilliwack Cultural Centre board experience in entrepreneurship, hospitality, customer experience, team leadership and community engagement.

Netty Tam
Director-at-Large

Netty Tam is the Manager of Economic Development for the Chilliwack Economic Partners Corporation (CEPCO), the economic development organization for the City of Chilliwack. With over 30 years of direct experience, Netty brings a wealth of expertise in the economic development and downtown revitalization field. She has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of British of Columbia and a Master of Environmental Design – Planning Degree from the University of Calgary. Her areas of specialization are in strategic planning, policy development, economic development, and downtown revitalization. 

Sandra Bonner-Pederson
Director-at-Large

Sandra Bonner-Pederson is the owner and operator of Bear Image Productions, a video production company she established in 2002 on Tzeachten First Nation. A member of Tzeachten First Nation, Sandra began her career in television in 1989 and later graduated at the top of her class from BCIT’s Television Broadcasting program. Her career has included work as a writer, producer, videographer and editor, with projects ranging from broadcast television to productions sharing Indigenous stories, culture and perspectives with audiences locally and across Canada.
 
Deeply connected to the Chilliwack community, Sandra has also contributed her experience and creative perspective through organizations including the Stó:lō Business Association and the Chilliwack Creative Commission. She brings to the Chilliwack Cultural Centre board a strong background in storytelling, media, entrepreneurship and community connection.

Nicole Read
Ex-Officio: City Council Liaison

  • Councillor on Chilliwack City Council since November 2022.
  • Raised on a dairy farm in Chilliwack and was a part of her parents’ family-owned retail dairy store since she was seven years old.
  • Various entrepreneurial adventures included contract work for employment programs, online vacation home rentals, restaurant owner of an upper casual steakhouse, and a temporary to permanent employment staffing agency, before working for Community Futures South Fraser.
  • Councillor Read is deeply rooted to the Rotary Club of Chilliwack, allowing her to give back to the community that has given her so many opportunities.
  • Councillor Read represents her community as a member of the:
    • Affordable Housing and Development Advisory Committee (Vice Chair)
    • Chilliwack Arts and Cultural Society Board (Liaison)
    • Chilliwack Economic Partners Corporation (Liaison)
    • Chilliwack Healthier Community (Alternate)
    • Fraser Valley Regional District Board 
    • Fraser Valley Regional Hospital Board 

Darrell Lindhout
Ex-Officio: City Staff Liaison

  • Director of Recreation and Culture with the City of Chilliwack
  • Serves on multiple Not-For-Profit Boards as the City of Chilliwack’s Staff Liason
  • Civil Technologist (AScT) with the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC (ASTTBC)
  • Education: British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC), California State University, Sacramento
  • Avid traveler, hiker, husband, proud father of three, proud grandfather of one