Board Candidates

Jennifer Breakspear is dedicated to making a difference, driven by her commitment to human rights. This passion has shaped her leadership in progressive non-profits and now at BC Housing, where she became Associate Vice President for service delivery and regional operations in 2022. Her extensive non-profit career includes roles as Executive Director at QMUNITY, Options for Sexual Health, PHS Community Services Society, and the SARA for Women Society.

In 2019, Jennifer founded Breakspear Leadership and Training to support non-profit leadership through governance training, one-on-one support for executives, and strategic planning. From 2014 to 2022, she taught a core course in Simon Fraser University's Non-profit Management certificate program.

Jennifer has volunteered with organizations like Amnesty International, Vantage Point, Canadian Blood Services, and Catalyst Development Society. Originally from Ottawa, Jennifer and her wife moved to the west coast in 2005 after living in Quebec for a few years.

Dr. Chika has nearly two decades of cross-sector experience in architecture, housing, investment management, and community development. She holds a Doctorate in Housing and Public Policy, specializing in pro-poor housing development, along with degrees in architecture and planning. Chika is a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, Royal Institute of British Architects, and the National Organization of Minority Architects. She is also an academic, teaching at the University of Calgary and Athabasca University. A recognized leader and entrepreneur, Chika has received numerous awards for her contributions to housing, innovation, and community service.

Maya is a Chartered Professional in Human Resources and the CEO of Norfolk Housing Association, a social enterprise dedicated to creating quality, affordable, vibrant and socially sustainable communities.

Her immigration to Calgary in 1994, from war-torn Bosnia, has fueled her passion for housing rights and better social safety nets. She has spent the last 15 years in the housing sector helping people think differently and re-envision community housing models.

Maya has been recognized as one of Calgary's Top 40 under 40, and recently finished serving on the City of Calgary’s Housing and Affordability Task Force. She has presented on behalf of the Task Force to City Council on recommendations to improve housing affordability and has spoken locally, provincially, and nationally on issues of housing policy, resident engagement, sustainability, and the importance of leadership and organizational culture in improving housing sector outcomes.

Maya’s other passion includes supporting causes and organizations that empower women and parents. She is currently a director with Connections for Families which supports parents with cognitive challenges create healthy and nurturing homes for their children.

Sarah is a chemical engineer who graduated from the University of Toronto in 1990. Sarah had a 20-year career with the Ontario Public Service where she held senior management and executive positions in the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks working on climate change policy, air quality issues and to modernize Ontario’s environmental assessment and approvals programs. As a Director of the Sarah and Cary Lavine Family Foundation, Sarah is focusing her volunteer efforts to support affordable housing development in southern Ontario and has recently become a citizen developer of missing middle housing in Toronto.

Giri Puligandla is Executive Director of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Edmonton Region. He believes in empowering people with lived experience and the broader public to transform communities and systems. He has deep experience in complex system planning and data mobilization, innovative service design, and multi-stakeholder strategy related to mental health, housing and homelessness, and family and community supports. Before joining CMHA Edmonton, he was a senior leader for many years with Homeward Trust and managed cross-ministry mental health strategy implementation for the Government of Alberta. Earlier in his career, Giri was Executive Director of Caregivers Alberta and the Schizophrenia Society in Edmonton. He holds a MSc in Health Promotion from the University of Alberta.

A highly experienced leader in client-focused service delivery as well as policy and program development, Debbie Stewart spent over 20 years advancing affordable housing priorities with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). Debbie’s career at CMHC included executive roles in housing policy and research, assisted housing, client relations and partnership development. She was instrumental in shaping and delivering our country’s first National Housing Strategy, and advanced CMHC’s work to accelerate reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
Passionate about driving meaningful change in housing and real estate, Debbie most recently led the team focused on nurturing the housing innovations and strong partnerships needed to solve housing affordability challenges. Prior to joining CMHC, Debbie worked as a corporate finance analyst with Canaccord Capital. She holds a Master’s degree in Psychology from Carleton University.

Sandra Young is a passionate leader in the Edmonton region who has continuously employed her exceptional skills in leadership and cultivating strategic partnerships to drive business forward. In her 20-year career as a leader in residential construction, Sandra has fostered collaborative inclusive cultures that enable innovation when organizations are in dynamically changing environments. Today she is focusing on community building through the Arts, as COO of the Francis Winspear Centre for Music, she is overseeing a major facility expansion and is leading the organization transformation into Edmonton's premier Centre for Music. As a CPA, Sandra is focused on fiscally responsible strategic and operational planning. Sandra is a community builder giving her spare time and energy to many industry volunteer boards, including serving as President of the Canadian Homebuilders Association at a local and provincial level.