Our board

The AFABC Board

AFABC is led by a dedicated volunteer Board of Directors, many of whom have a direct connection to adoption and other forms of permanency, foster care, and child welfare. Their passion and skills help propel the organization forward.

Chris Roy, Chair
Marla Chandler-Soanes, Vice Chair
Eva Zhou, Treasurer
Adrienne Murphy, Secretary
Jennifer Randall Nelson, Director-at-large
Kim Carter, Director-at-large
Merel Veldhuis, Past Chair

If you would like to contact any of the Board, please email boardchair@bcadoption.com.

Call for new board members

AFABC is actively looking for new board members. Interested parties should contact Chris Roy, current Board Chair (boardchair@bcadoption.com), with a letter of interest and either a resume or a LinkedIn profile.

About AFABC

AFABC believes that everyone needs and deserves to belong. We pursue our vision of family for every child by recruiting families for BC’s waiting kids, and providing support, learning and connection for adoptive and permanency families of all kinds and for youth transitioning out of foster care.

Board member commitment

Board terms are two-year commitments. Board members attend up to 5-6 board meetings per year and an annual AGM, sit on a committee of choice, and may be invited to advise AFABC in their area of expertise. Meetings are conducted via video conference to include members from across BC. 

Expertise wanted

We are specifically looking for candidates with knowledge and skills in these areas:

• Accounting / Audit
• Investment
• Human Resources
• Indigenous Relations, Decolonizing and Anti-Racism 

Other desirable areas of expertise include:

• Marketing and Communications
• Fundraising
• Government Relations
• Entrepreneurial/Business Leadership
• Child Welfare / Social Services Research

Non-Indigenous applicants must be interested in supporting AFABC’s ongoing work on decolonizing and reconciliation.

Key roles of the Board

The AFABC Board’s primary responsibilities focus on governance and financial stewardship, ensuring sufficient resources to operate, approving strategic direction, and overseeing and supporting the Executive Director, who implements strategy and runs day-to-day operations.

Our commitment to growth

AFABC is working to ensure our organization understands the needs of our increasingly broad and complex community. We do this through ongoing learning, community outreach and input, guidance from partners, and by welcoming diverse perspectives to our Board to better represent the diversity we serve. We encourage applications from across BC, especially from those with a connection to permanency/adoption/fostering, candidates with an Indigenous connection/cultural competency, and applicants who are Black, racialized, disabled,  LGBTQ2+, or former youth from care.  We are open and committed to the cultural and other changes that are and will be required from all of us in order to build a truly diverse and representative Board.