Board of Directors
Board Members
Hillary Bergshoeff
Alyssa Collins
Dan Cox
Melisa Foster
Michael Lam
Brandon Ma
Alexis Martis
Mark Price
Biographies
Hillary Bergshoeff
Assistant Business Representative, IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees)
Alyssa Collins
Child & Youth Advocate, Society for Children & Youth BC
Victim Services Worker, North Vancouver RCMP
Alyssa is experienced in many aspects of the emergency care system and co-authored a submission to the UN Committee regarding the progress of Canada in the implementation and realization of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Dan Cox
Associate Professor, University of British Columbia
Dr. Dan Cox is an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia Counselling Psychology Program. Dan completed his B.S. in Psychology at York College of Pennsylvania and his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Kansas in 2009. He did his clinical internship at Brigham Young University’s Counseling Center. Following his degree, Dan did a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), focusing on theoretical and applied suicide research. Following his post-doctoral fellowship, he then spent a year at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress in the Department of Psychiatry at USU as a Research Psychologist before starting at UBC in 2012. Dan’s scholarly interests include social support’s impact on mental health & well-being; what facilitates help-seeking; predictors of suicide; the process and outcome of group and individual psychotherapy; trauma, stress & coping; and veteran & military populations.
Melisa Foster
Director of Government Affairs, Molson Coors
Melisa has a strong background in government relations and lobbying, which she brought to our Government Relations Committee and to our work lobbying to maintain control of crisis lines through 2021’s Request for Proposal threat.
Michael Lam
Associate Vice President & CIO, Douglas College
Michael is a senior technology professional with two decades of service at the Crisis Centre. He currently serves as Associate Vice President Technology & Chief Information Officer at Douglas College. He has demonstrated strong leadership, a strategic mindset and a focus on collaboration and teamwork throughout his career. He has served in various capacities within the Crisis Centre including as a volunteer, contractor for the launch of the first fully mobile chat service in Canada, and full-time Director, Human Resources and Information Technology. In addition to completing several certifications for IT professions, Michael’s educational background includes a BA in Psychology from UBC and a Diploma in Human Resources Management at BCIT.
Brandon Ma
Partner, KPMG
Brandon is a Partner in the Audit and Accounting practice of the professional services firm of KPMG. He is a designated Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), and has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from UBC. With KPMG, Brandon has worked with numerous not-for-profit and public sector organizations. Brandon has volunteered extensively with Scouts Canada at both a grassroots level and in a volunteer managerial level. Most recently, he completed a 3-year term as the lead volunteer responsible for Scouting activities in the Lower Mainland.
Alexis Martis
Senior Director, BC Cancer Foundation
Alexis was on the Crisis Centre staff team from 2008 to 2011 as a Development and Communication Officer, before moving to the BC Cancer Foundation where she is currently Director, Leadership Giving. Alexis served as a crisis line volunteer and board director for a crisis centre in Ontario. We are so pleased to invite Alexis back to our organization as a Board Director.
Mark Price
CEO, Terra Insights
Mark is a successful businessman who brings skills in finance, marketing, organizational management, government relations and business. After living in three different countries and six different cities, Mark now calls Vancouver his home and is excited about giving back to this community. The Crisis Centre and its mission have special meaning as people very close to Mark have relied on similar services over the years for help. When he is not working, Mark can be found running, cycling and hiking with his partner Ellen.
“With a solid background of successes in business leadership, I have built a reputation as a leader in strategy development, cost controls, process development, and sales management. I have experience providing vision and guidance across teams to identify areas of opportunity in strategic planning, due diligence, transparency, and compliance. My success is driven by my ability to align project and program strategy with business and financial goals through the establishment of effective policies and procedures. I leverage a unique mix of strategic and analytical expertise, consistently exceeding performance goals by aligning the effort of strong teams with project objectives.”
Stacy Ashton – Executive Director
Stacy started her career in the non-profit sector as a volunteer on the Crisis Lines prior to completing her Masters in Counselling and working in the field as a Suicide Intervention Counsellor. She spent over a decade focused on non-profit management and volunteer engagement as the Executive Director of Community Volunteer Connections and as the Provincial Coordinator of Volunteer Resources with the Alzheimer Society of B.C. She is thrilled to be bringing her experience and skills back to where she started. In her spare time, Stacy serves on the New Westminster Public Library Board, makes movies, and hangs out with her husband and cats.