2024 BC Summer Games Board of Directors

Meet the members of the Maple Ridge 2024 BC Summer Games Board of Directors.

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Laura Butler, President

Currently the Executive Director at the Ridge Meadows Hospital Foundation, Laura Butler has over twenty years of experience in the not-for-profit sector and brings considerable experience in relationship building, event planning, and community engagement to everything she does. She studied Fundraising & Marketing Management at BCIT, has earned Advanced Toastmaster Bronze recognition, and has an associate degree in Early Childhood Education. She presented at the 2012 International Conference on Fundraising and was a finalist in the 2021 Business Leader of the Year category awarded by the Ridge Meadows Chamber of Commerce. A citizen of Maple Ridge for 30 years, Butler is passionate about her community and is grateful for the generosity of its many volunteers and community champions who make it a special place.

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Ernie Daykin, Vice President

Ernie Daykin served on Council in Maple Ridge for 12 years, including six years as Mayor. He can trace his family roots in Maple Ridge back to the 1870s and is passionate about giving back to the community through volunteering and not-for-profit work. He owned and operated Windsor Plywood, a local building supply business in Maple Ridge, for 24 years alongside his wife Judy and currently serves as an Administrator for the Baptist Housing Society’s Maple Towers.

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Bernie Woods, Director of Access Control

Bernie Woods is a retired RCMP Sergeant who served communities for 35 years in Alberta, Northwest Territories and British Columbia. Throughout her career she encouraged and engaged youth and their parents/guardians to be involved in sports or their interests. She coached local school teams, the Arctic Winter Games and was the victorious NWT Territorial Coach of a NWT All-Star U18 Men’s basketball team who attended the 1987 Canada Winter Games in Cape Breton, N.S. Bernie was transferred to BC where she continued to support young athletes and teams as they competed for various BC sports competitions. She and her family love living in Maple Ridge, and they decided to retire in the community. Bernie and her husband Brian both now volunteer with the Ridge Meadows RCMP and with various other local groups. Bernie’s whole family is thrilled to give back to Maple Ridge and British Columbia. They are excited to work together in providing a safe 2024 BC Summer Games for the community, athletes, families, and fans.

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Karen Redkwich, Director of Accommodation

Recently retired from her 27-year career with the Vancouver School Board, Karen Redkwich is the mother of two adult children as well as the proud grandmother of a 3-year-old toddler. She was an active parent volunteer while raising her children and is excited for the opportunity to give back to the beautiful community of Maple Ridge. Karen has attended many BC Games with her family – both Summer and Winter – with her son participating in hockey and her niece and nephews participating as water skiers. She is looking forward to being part of the organizational aspect of the Games. For Karen, being able to offer safe and comfortable accommodations is key in providing a rewarding and memorable experience for these amazing athletes.

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Cheryl Nex, Director of Administration

Cheryl Nex is the President of Entertainment Partners Canada, a payroll and professional services company serving the film and television industry, across Canada. She is also a BC Games Alumni, having won the gold medal for downhill skiing in the combined event at the 1983 BC Winter Games. Cheryl is a Certified Professional Accountant (CPA, CGA), a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD. D), and a Certified Executive Coach (CEC). She is a pioneer of Canadian film and television and was recently awarded an Honorary Life Member award from the Director’s Guild of Canada.  Cheryl received her MBA from Simon Fraser University. As a values-driven leader, Cheryl operates from a foundation of trust, loyalty, and integrity. She’s dedicated to serving as an advisor, problem-solver, coach, and collaborator and she always shows up ready to tackle challenges with energy and enthusiasm.

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Taryn Stephenson, Director of Ceremonies & Special Events

Taryn Stephenson has over a decade of experience executive producing large scale events. She is a strategic and creative thinker who has a talent for bringing bold ideas to life. Taryn excels at identifying opportunities that create audience engagement and mutual benefits for organizations and partners. With a passion for the arts, Taryn strives to produce events that are inclusive of our diverse community and she works tirelessly to program performances that reflect that. Taryn is thrilled at the opportunity to produce the ceremonies and special events for the BC Summer Games in her hometown.

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Christa Balatti, City of Maple Ridge Liaison to the Maple Ridge Games Board

Christa is one of the staff liaisons between the City of Maple Ridge and the Maple Ridge 2024 BC Summer Games Society. The Games are a huge undertaking, and Christa works closely with the volunteer board to ensure that they have the support needed to execute a first-rate event. Christa provides regular updates to Maple Ridge’s Council and coordinates work with City Departments related to facilities, events, and security. Christa brings her years of experience at the City and facility management and a passion for amateur sports.

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Dave Speers, City of Maple Ridge Liaison for the Sports Directorate

Dave Speers, as with his colleague Christa, are working closely with the BC Summer Games Board, especially to support the Sports Directorate. Dave works as a liaison with community sports groups on facility allocation for the extensive network of amateur sports organizations in our community. He is bringing his expertise and a passion for amateur sports to this important role ensuring that we are ready to host 30 sports competitions at 20 sports venues in maple Ridge and surrounding communities.

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Trish Spencer-Fell, Director of Food Services

Trish began her professional culinary career in 1999 catering to the bustling and demanding BC film industry. She quickly became a hot commodity in her field for both full production craft services and private meal preparation to the stars. Whether she found herself delivering food by helicopter to the top of a glacier or catering high end banquets for some of your favorite movie premieres, she has never forgotten where her passion comes from and that good, honest food can never be compromised. Trish Spencer-Fell currently resides in Maple Ridge, British Columbia with her husband and two sons. For Trish, there is no greater pleasure than sharing a meal with family and friends, made with love.

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Brian Krieger, Director of Friends of the Games

Brian Krieger spent 26 years in business development roles for the BC Government.  He retired in 2018 as Assistant Deputy Minister for International Trade & Investment where he oversaw BC’s export development and investment attraction efforts.  From 2004-2010 Brian was a member of the Executive of the BC Olympic Games Secretariat and Director of the 2010 Commerce Centre.  In that role, he established and managed The Province’s efforts to maximize the economic benefits of hosting the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.  Ultimately, the 2010 Commerce Centre was able to connect with nearly 10,000 organizations across Canada and help BC companies win over $700 million of Olympic Games business. Brian hopes to bring his experience from 2010 to engage local, regional, and national businesses in the opportunities of the Maple Ridge 2024 BC Summer Games.

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Peter Malakoane, Director of Logistics

Peter Malakoane has been involved in sports (soccer) both as an athlete, volunteer, and now a paid professional over four decades. He has served on a number of committees, and boards helping to shape policies and guidelines to bring standards and processes for the betterment and enjoyment for all involved. He has also served on numerous committees for local tournaments, including the 2017 Surrey Soccer National competition. He volunteered at the inaugural FIFA Women Youth World Cup in 2022 and the Male Youth FIFA World Cup in Edmonton in 2007. Being an immigrant himself, Peter sees the role of a support cultural staff for international students as essential to helping them integrate into Canadian society. He is also a Learning Facilitator with BC Soccer - mentoring and helping coaches in their learning and development coaching the game of soccer.

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Fred Armstrong, Director of Marketing

Fred is an award-winning media and marketing specialist with over 40 years of experience in television, print and corporate communications in the private and public sector. Fred served a decade as the Publisher of the Maple Ridge Times newspaper before joining the City of Maple Ridge as the manager of Corporate Communications. Fred has an extensive resume of volunteerism and in 2011 was selected as the Citizen of the Year by the Maple Ridge Community Foundation. Fred has been a volunteer for the 1998 BC Summer Games and 2009 BC Disability Games, both hosted here in Maple Ridge, and brings his experience and passion to the marketing team for the Maple Ridge 2024 BC Summer Games.

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Heidi Einhorn, Director of Participant & Volunteer Services

Heidi Einhorn is currently a Senior Project Manager for Coast Capital Savings Federal Credit Union. She is a long standing Maple Ridge resident, with a passion for volunteering. She has spent much of her time over the last 12 years volunteering for the Ridge Meadows Hospital Foundation, as part of the Gala Planning Committee, as well as serving on their Board of Directors, and most recently an Ambassador for Alisa’s Wish, the Child & Youth Advocacy Centre. With a Diploma in Business Administration and a Certificate of Project Management from SFU, as well as hands on experience in Recruitment, Human Resources, Project Management, and as an Executive Assistant, she brings significant skills in overall planning, time management, financial management and genuine people skills.

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Hudson Campbell, Director of Protocol

Hudson Campbell is the youngest School Board Trustee in BC, being elected at the age of 20 to the Maple Ridge- Pitt Meadow Board of Education. Hudson is a student at the University of the Fraser Valley, where he studies political sciences. Being extremely passionate about the community, Hudson is a founding member of Uplan, a community youth organization, and continues to champion youth issues. Campbell is also passionate about the climate crisis; as Vice President of the Maple Ridge Climate Hub, he has been able to work with local and provincial government to advance climate policies. Hudson is thrilled to be able to bring a new voice to the board of directors; being the youngest board member, he is looking forward to bringing diverse youth voices to the games. Hudson is excited to work alongside a team who shares his views of an equitable and inclusive BC Summer Games in our community.

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Jake Rudolph, Director of Sport

Jake has recently retired form public life having served at the Chief Administrative Officer of the City of Nanaimo, The City of Pitt Meadows and the Deputy City manager of the City of Abbotsford and the General Manager at the City of Maple Ridge. Jake has served as a Director of the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators serving several leadership roles in the organization. Jake brings all of his administrative skills and a passion for sports to this role. Among his many volunteer roles, Jake is a Past President and Board Member of the Ridge Meadows Minor Hockey Association where he and the team organized many amazing provincial tournaments.

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Richard Eskander, Director of Technology
Richard Eskander has 20 years’ experience as an IT leader and has worked for the Langley and Maple Ridge School Districts, Langara College, and the University of Fraser Valley. He is currently the Chief Technology and Information Officer for the Langley School District. He has a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Royal Roads University and is a Project Management Professional (PMP) with the Project Management Institute. Richard has lived in Maple Ridge for the last 30 years. He has strong relationships with a broad range of community stakeholders, and has a keen understanding of the community, its facilities and IT capabilities. He is an avid squash, pickleball and tennis player and enjoys many outdoor activities.

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Matt Scheer, Director of Transportation

Matt Scheer grew up in Ladner, BC but now resides in Maple Ridge. He and his wife have two beautiful daughters and enjoy getting outdoors and going for walks around the neighborhood or along the Trans Canada Trail.  On a warm summer morning, he enjoys relaxing on his patio with a cup of coffee and the views of the Golden Ears Mountains in the distance.  He is a fan of all sports and is very honoured to support the BC Summer Games as the Director of Transportation.