BIABC Board of Directors
The BIABC Board of Directors is comprised of volunteers from member BIA respresentatives elected by the eligible membership at the association's Annual General Meeting each spring.
Patricia Barnes - Hastings North BIA
Interim Vice-President
Patricia is the Executive Director of Hastings North Business Improvement Association. The Hastings North BIA promotes the retail and commercial neighborhood of Hastings North within the City of Vancouver. Ms. Barnes serves on a number of committees including LOCO BC, the Employment Lands and Economic Review, the Vancouver Immigration Partnership and the Community Advisory Committee Hastings Park. She is also a past Co-Chair Living in Community: Balancing Perspectives on Vancouver's Sex Trade Industry Steering Committee and a past Director of the International Downtown Association as well as serving on IDA Canada. Ms. Barnes is currently the Chair of the Advocacy Committee for BIABC but has served on the Board of BIABC in the past. She is currently on the Vancouver Police Board. She has also been a speaker and presenter at many provincial and international conferences. Ms. Barnes holds a BA from University of Toronto and MBA from Dalhousie University.
Jeremy Heighton – Kamloops North Shore BIA
President
For almost 35 years, Jeremy has consistently found himself in a leadership role, whether it is consulting for the largest multi-national military organization on leadership and organizational dynamics, or coaching small business on start-up, operations and effective strategy. Jeremy is a passionate community leader who believes in the strength of servant leadership, effective process and policies, and the power of people (People, Process, Profit). Regardless of his role, Jeremy leans in and commits to finding the pathways which best serve the most people possible while focusing on the greatest outcomes.
Karley Holley - Mission Downtown Business Association
Karley Holley is the Executive Director of the Mission Downtown Business Association (MDBA) and a passionate advocate for vibrant, thriving downtown communities. With expertise in event planning, digital marketing, and community development, Karley has successfully led initiatives that drive economic growth and strengthen local business engagement. Her leadership in organizing large-scale events, including the award-winning MissionFest, earned the BIABC Best in the West Award for Special Event (2023), recognizing its impact on community engagement and economic activity. Karley’s commitment to collaboration was further recognized by the City of Mission’s Healthy Community Committee, where she received the We Are Better Together Award for Community Wellness Business Partner (2024) for her role in fostering meaningful partnerships through the MDBA. She also sits on the Board of Directors for the Mission Regional Chamber of Commerce and multiple committees throughout the community.
Teri James – Downtown Langley Business Association
Teri, her husband Bob and their four children moved from Victoria to Langley in 2001 and immediately fell in love with the community. This was probably a very good thing because within six months of moving, she became the Executive Director of the Downtown Langley Business Association and in 2005 became the newest member of Langley City Council. Teri has been working for the DLBA since October 2001 and has sat on numerous panels, committees and advisory Boards in this role. Having served on City Council from 2005 to present day has provided Teri with much insight as to how BIAs and local government can work together productively and ensure that everyone gets along in the same sandbox. In September 2017, the DLBA was awarded Langley City’s tourism contract, Discover Langley City, and she now oversees both the DLBA and Discover Langley City in her role as Executive Director. Teri brings an honest, pragmatic and insightful look into what works, what doesn’t, and how all of these entities can support each other while respecting each other’s boundaries.
Isabel Kolic - Heights Merchants Association
Since 2004, Isabel has served as the Executive Director of the Heights Merchants Association, a BIA in Burnaby with approximately 350 businesses and 150 property owners. She has served on the BIABC Board in two different periods (once, in the mid-2000s, and again since 2017 until now. She has 30 years of experience working in communications strategy and marketing, community relations, publishing and events. More than half of that time was spent in economic development, including a stint in Ukraine with a business improvement NGO. She has worked in the public, private and non-profit sectors, and has owned her own business. Isabel has a degree in Communication and a post baccalaureate diploma in Community Economic Development (both from SFU). Isabel is committed to strong, connected communities, and sustainable and cooperative economies - with vibrant business districts at their core. Over the years, Isabel also served on the Boards of Volunteer Burnaby and Volunteer Grandparents, as well as various Burnaby Board of Trade Committees (including the Business Recovery Task Force during COVID-19) and the City of Burnaby Environmental Sustainability Strategic Task Force.
Kerry Neil - Downtown Squamish BIA
Kerry Neil is the Executive Director of the Downtown Squamish Business Improvement Association (DSBIA), a role she’s held since the summer of 2020. Since moving to Squamish in 2019 to embrace her family’s love for the mountains and outdoor adventures, Kerry has become an integral part of the community. With a business ownership background, Kerry understands small business challenges and is passionate about supporting and advocating for local businesses. Under Kerry’s leadership, the DSBIA has seen remarkable growth and impact. In 2021, she founded the Squamish Mural Walk Festival, which has grown into a vibrant event in its fifth year. Kerry also created the Engagement and Advocacy Committee in collaboration with the Squamish Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Squamish, strengthening ties between local organizations. One of her proudest achievements was reinventing Squamish’s Canada Day celebration into Squamish Together, a community-focused event that honors the region's diversity and unity.
Maureen O'Brien - Ambleside-Dundarave BIA
Maureen O’Brien has been the Executive Director of the Ambleside Dundarave Business Improvement Association in West Vancouver since March 2020. She has always been passionate about supporting small businesses and the local economy, but this was highlighted even more when she joined the “Yellow Pages Shop the Neighbourhood” campaign in 2014. As part of the team, they worked with BIA’s, Chambers and local politicians and celebrities to encourage Canadians to shop local and support neighbourhood merchants. Their compilation video was multi-award winning, including a 2015 Cannes Award. In the short time she has been with the ADBIA, they have been recognized by both BIABC and BC Economic Development Association for creative initiatives. As an experienced publicist with a background in communications and marketing, she is committed to using her skillset to support economic vibrancy in West Vancouver.
Angelene Prakash - Downtown New West BIA
Treasurer
Angelene Prakash [pruh-KAHSH] is a community organizer who works on the traditional and ancestral lands of the Qayqayt First Nation and other Coast Salish Peoples. Angelene has a background in working with vulnerable populations and within civilian sector of law enforcement. Her personal and professional lived experiences inform her lens as an advocate, serving as Co-chair of the United Way’s Period Promise Community Action Group and a volunteer with Free Periods Canada. She joined the BIA community in 2021 after working at the City of New Westminster for 6 years as a Youth Worker. Her previous role at the Downtown New West BIA as Membership Engagement and Events Manager allows her to incorporate her equity lens into all her work. Now Executive Director, Angelene continues utilizing this lens which she hopes to bring to her role on the BIABC board.
Teri Smith - West End BIA
Teri is a leader in community and economic development. Her career with BIAs spans 20 years and five different commercial districts across the Lower Mainland. Currently, she is the Executive Director of the West End Business Association (RSBA) in Downtown Vancouver and is completing her sixth year on the BIABC Board, fourth as president. Teri holds a seat on the BC Small Nusiness Roundtable, is an active member of the Vancouver BIA Partnership and a past member of the IDA Canada Leadership Committee. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Simon Fraser University where she completed a double major in criminology and psychology. When not working, she’s a busy mom of two and can often be found on the soccer field cheering on her kids or planning new travel adventures.
Winki Tam - Downtown Vancouver BIA
Winki Tam oversees economic development, placemaking, and strategic plan implementation as Director, Strategy & Development at Downtown Van (representing the interests of 8,000 business members across a 90-block district). Since 2019 with the BIA, Winki has convened business members, City staff, properties, and community activators to support a vibrant downtown Vancouver. She is a member of Greater Vancouver Board of Trade’s Regional and Municipal Affairs committee, International Downtown Association’s Emerging Leader Fellowship cohort, the 2025 JUNOS Host Committee, and the City of Vancouver’s Special Event Advisory Task Force.
BIABC Administration
Lori Baxter
With more than 35 years as a senior executive in the social profit sector, Lori established Lori Baxter Consulting in 2010. Her client base includes a broad range of social profit organizations and local governments, including BIABC. Prior to establishing her business, Lori served as Director of Arts at 2010 Legacies Now, a partner organization of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. For ten years she was the Executive Director of the Greater Vancouver Alliance for Arts and Culture, where she worked extensively in advocacy efforts at all levels of government, as well as with the business community and the general public. Lori's has served on the boards of Performing Arts Lodge (PAL) – Vancouver, including three years as President, the Canadian Conference of the Arts, Tourism Vancouver and the Leon and Thea Koerner Foundation.