Electoral District	Representative	Term
District 1 (Lower Mainland)	Raheem Savja	2009 to 2011
District 1 (Lower Mainland)	Dieter Saxer	2009 to 2011
District 2 (Vancouver Island)	Stephanie Weir	2008 to 2010
District 3 (Okanagan and the Kootenays)	John Kerns	2010 to 2012
District 4 (Cariboo)	Aly Jamal	2010 to 2011
District 5 (Contact Lens Registrant)	Lutz Sprecher	2010 to 2012
Public Appointee Location	Appointee	Term
Richmond	Nelson Tsui	May 30, 2011
Trail	Elizabeth Cytra	May 6, 2012
Richmond	Lesley Wood Bernbaum	Jan 31, 2011
White Rock	June Barens	May 6, 2011

As a professional body, the COBC is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of elected and appointed members. Of the ten Board members, six are elected from the profession and four are appointed by government as specified in the Health Professions Act.

Elected Board members are registered Opticians of the College in good standing. Appointed public members are appointed by the provincial government. The Health Profession Act requires that appointed public members make up at least one-third of Board members.

Biography of the Board of Directors

The Board takes on its work in the public interest and not in the interest of individual registrants or member groups within the profession of Opticianry. They must be guided by the public interest and avoid positions that could be deemed as a conflict of interest.

Chair - John Kerns, District 3 (Elected)
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Mr.Kerns has over 20 years of optical experience which includes bothretail and manufacturing. He has also achieved a Masters OpticianCertificate (U.S.) and the ABO/NCLE License (American Board ofOpticians/National Contact Lens Examiners).

Vice Chair - Raheem Savja, District 1 (Elected)
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RaheemSavja graduated with a BSc degree in Cell and Developmental Biologyfrom UBC in 1994 and went on to pursue an MSc degree in cancer cellresearch.  In 1996, Mr. Savja became a licensed optician/contact lensfitter and was promoted to manager.  He is currently a manager atPearle Vision.  Mr. Savja has been an examiner for the COBC since 2000,the vice chair of the College of Opticians Inquiry Committee since 2003and is presently serving as treasurer for the Opticians of BritishColumbia (OBC).

Dieter Saxer, District 1(Elected)
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DieterSaxer has been working in the eyewear industry for over 27 years andwas trained in rland with a Lehrmeister Degree. He has served as avolunteer Board member and past president for the DOABC.

Stephanie Weir, District 2 (Elected)
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Ms. Weir has been an Optician in Victoria for over twenty-four years and is presently sitting her second term on the Board of the COBC.  Ms. Weir has successfully completed both her Certificate and Diploma in Business Administration at the University of Victoria.

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Mr. Sprecher has been an independent full service Optician working in Surrey for almost 30 years. He has served as a volunteer Board member for the DOABC, various charitable, strata, networking organizations and has worked as an education coordinator for the OAC/NAIT program.

Aly Jamal, District 4 (Elected)
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Mr. Jamal graduated from the DouglasCollege Optician Program in 1999, during which he had the privilege toparticipate in an eyeglass mission to Mexico. Since then he has workedin various practices from large companies to an independent clinic. He has also helped set up and manage an optical outlet. He has been apracticum supervisor for Douglas College's Dispensing Optician studentsat my previous workplace. He has attended leadership team training atthe Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Institute in Jacksonville,Florida & Optometric business practice training at the WilliamsGroup in Lincoln, Nebraska. He serves as anexaminer for NACOR and serves as a members of theQuality Assurance Committee with the COBC.

June Barens, Public Member (Appointed)
June Barens  was the Director of Programs for the John Howard Society and a member of the BC Parole Board (Tribunal). She is a member of the BC Joint Family Court and Youth Justice Committee and a member of the White Rock City Social Planning Council. In the past, she was involved in the BC Federation of Foster Parent Associations; the Canadian Progress Club; and the Addiction Research Foundation. In 2001, Ms. Barens received an Award for Public Service for work with Ministry of Children, Family and Development.

Elizabeth A. Cytra, Public Member (Appointed)
Ms.Cytra is a retired legal administrator and since retiring has devotedherself to serving her community. She has a Professional Manager’sdesignation from the Canadian Institute of Management as well asdiploma in Financial Management from BCIT and a Paralegal diploma fromGonzaga University.  Ms. Cytra is a former City of Trail Councilor anda past president of the Chamber of Commerce. She serves the citizens ofBritish Columbia on a number of other professional boards andquasi-judicial appeal panels and is a Marriage Commissioner for theProvince of British Columbia; she has held that position for the past 5years. Ms. Cytra is a member of Rotary International - giving her timeand energies to raising funds for various humanitarian projects, bothin the local and global community. She was a District Governor ofRotary International in 2007-2008.

Lesley Wood Bernbaum, Public Member (Appointed)
Lesley Wood Bernbaum is an Independent Consultant specializing inproject management, client consultations, strategies, and research.Previously, she was the Chief Executive Officer of Career EdgeOrganization, a not-for-profit social enterprise serving employers andcommunity organizations across Canada, addressing staff recruitment,talent management needs, and diversity mandates. Active in hercommunity, Ms. Wood Bernbaum is a member of the Vancouver Board ofTrade, the BC Chamber of Commerce, the BC Human Resources ManagementAssociation, and the Canadian Public Relations Society. She alsovolunteers her time in fund development with S.U.C.C.E.S.S., with theDalai Lama Centre for Peace and Education, and as a Facilitator withthe Richmond Civic Engagement Network Study Circles. Ms. Wood Bernbaumwas a recipient of the Governor General of Canada's 125th CommemorativeMedal for Community Service (1992), and the Silver Leaf and Blue WaveAwards of Merit (2005) with the International Association of BusinessCommunicators (IABC). She holds her Bachelor of Arts from RyersonUniversity in Radio, Television, and Film Studies; her Master of Artsin Leadership and Training from Royal Roads University; and hasparticipated in Executive Education Seminars with the University ofBritish Columbia's (UBC) Sauder School of Business as well as theMultimedia Studies Program at UBC.

Nelson Tsui, Public Member (Appointed)
Mr. Tsui was born in Shanghai, and raised in Hong Kong. For many years, he traveled extensively throughout Canada, from coast to coast, while attending the University of Waterloo, Queen's University, Carleton University, City College, University of Victoria, and the University of British Columbia. He earned a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Business Administration, and Bachelor of Law degrees. He was called to the British Columbia Bar in 1987. Before and while attending law school, he worked for the Correctional Service of Canada. Mr. Tsui is currently a practicing lawyer and an active television and radio commentator on current affairs. He has served as an independent chairperson for the Serious Court and a board member on the Board of Parole. An award-winning newspaper columnist, he is the author of six books on Canadian politics and law. In 2002, in recognition of his significant contribution to the community, he was awarded the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal.