Our Board is dedicated to promoting our mission and providing financial oversight for organizational stability. Each Director brings unique cultural identity and professional expertise, ensuring diverse leadership. Read about Heritage BC Board Responsibilities below.
Chair
Between museums, historic sites, education, and community planning, Britney Dack has been working in the heritage sector in BC for over a decade. In her current role, she administers Heritage Conservation Areas, Historic Districts, Heritage Revitalization Agreements, and a variety of protected properties. As such, she has a thorough understanding of the relationship between conservation and development. Her mission is for everyone’s history to be represented and accessible in the public realm.
Britney is a Registered Professional Planner, and member of the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals and ICOMOS. She holds an MA in Community Planning from UBC and a BA in Public Policy from Carleton University. She is past Chair of a local Heritage Advisory Commission, a Past President of the BC Heritage Fairs Society, and owner of a 1926 heritage house in Vancouver.
Vice-Chair
Nelson is an urban planner, who is currently employed with the Regional District of Central Kootenay as their Planning Manager. He has a strong personal interest in heritage conservation and been able to bring that passion into his professional work as a planner in the various communities he has served in BC for the past two decades. Recognizing that the heritage field has its roots in the Western, colonial systems of knowledge and practice, and the need to redress the harm that this has caused Indigenous cultures and peoples is of paramount importance to Nelson. Serving on this Board, he hopes to use his voice to advocate for actions towards truth and reconciliation in the heritage sector.
Treasurer
Ben Capps is a Chartered Accountant and Partner at Smythe LLP who lives and practices on the unceded territory of ʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil- Waututh) Nations.
He has spent the last 19 years working with a variety of private and not-for-profit clients providing auditing, accounting, Canadian tax compliance, company divestitures and
acquisitions, arranging financings and corporate reorganizations.
His practice spans several industries including construction and real estate, hospitality, forestry, manufacturing, and professional services and he enjoys working closely with his clients and advising them on business matters.
Ben’s volunteer history includes serving as a Director and Treasurer of the Canadian Animal Assistance Team, as a Director and Audit Committee member of Seva Canada, and as President and Council member on multiple strata corporations. Ben looks forward to learning more and contributing to the identification and preservation of heritage assets, particularly in the context of ecological sustainability, development, and reconciliation.
Director
Rizwaan Abbas was born and raised in Sparwood on the ancestral land of the Ktunaxa Nation. He has an Associate’s Degree from Douglas College, a BA in Archaeology from SFU, an MSc. in Paleoanthropology and Paleolithic Archaeology from University College London (UK) and a PSc. in Collections Management from UVic. He is a Director of the Indo-Fijian Cultural Society of Canada and has been working in culture resource management for over two decades. Rizwaan is an archaeologist for the Semiahmoo First Nation and a member of the Historical Discrimination against People of South Asian Descent Advisory Committee, in Vancouver, and the South Asian Canadian Museum Engagement Committee. Rizwaan was a guest editor of BC History Magazine and has curated an exhibit titled, “Surrey’s Pocket of Paradise” at the Museum of Surrey and authored a Chapter in the book, “The Social History of South Asians in British Columbia,” published by the University of the Fraser Valley, all where he showcases
Director
Kate Cox is the CEO of the Barkerville Heritage Trust. She has managed Barkerville Historic Town and Park and Cottonwood House Historic Site under a Heritage Site Management Agreement with the Province of British Columbia since early 2020. Kate holds a BFA in Art History from the University of Illinois and has almost three decades of combined heritage conservation and environmental permitting experience working in both the US and Canada. For the last decade, she has specialized in Heritage Tourism and rural development projects.
Director
Suki Dhillon has decades of experience as an active executive, board, and committee member for union, non-profit, institutional, and co-operative organizations. She is new to the heritage sector and is excited about the present questioning of the cultural and economic power relations that previously defined heritage. Suki believes that each of our families’ stories and artefacts are significant; her goal is to increase awareness of the histories of our province’s diverse communities. She was a presenter in the session “Planning for Cultural Identity: Hearing the Voices of the Community” at the 2019 Heritage BC Conference. Suki’s main interests are the history of South Asian Canadians in BC and Franklin River logging camp on Vancouver Island, where her father worked for 38 years.
Director
Kristina Hannis is of Anglo Scandinavian ancestry and grew up in Treaty Six Territory. She received an MA in Archaeology from Simon Fraser University, and has resided on xwməθkwəyə̓ m (Musqueam), səlilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and Swwú7mesh (Squamish) Nations’ territory for the past 15 years. Currently she works as a researcher for the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, completing historical, archaeological, and community research towards the advancement of specific claims. She has had the privilege of working on a diversity of heritage projects, including small museum exhibits, archaeological assessments, advocacy, and cultural heritage mapping projects.
Director
Adam Hatch is a registered architect and professional CAHP member working at hcma architecture + design in Vancouver, on the traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples. He has worked on a broad range of built heritage conservation projects ranging in scale from historic wood frame houses to high-rise masonry buildings. Adam’s work on the Heritage BC board is focused on building recognition of the organization as a leader in built heritage conservation, and he is passionate about collaborating with the sector to conserve culture as well as embodied carbon.
Director
Director
Judith is a heritage professional currently working in heritage planning with the City of New Westminster. A member of the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals, she studied History and the Conservation of Historic Buildings before serving as Executive Director of Vancouver Heritage Foundation from 2013 to 2021. Finding inspiration in all sorts of historic buildings, sites and landscapes, Judith's work has often highlighted the opportunities that heritage places can offer including connecting to diverse community stories and deepening understanding, enriching our daily environments, and contributing to local economies and a more sustainable future.
Judith is pleased to contribute to Heritage BC’s work supporting communities throughout the province in recognizing, caring for and sharing the heritage places and cultural heritage that they value. Her experience in non-profit leadership and operations is complemented by a background in business management, marketing and communications.
Director
Christina Reid lives, works and plays in the Fraser Valley, S’ólh Téméxw, the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Stó:lō Nation. She holds a Master’s Degree in Archaeology and Heritage from Leicester University (UK), with a specialty in built heritage. A firm commitment to these academics, combined with work experience and an internship at The Royal Armoury in Stockholm, served as an excellent preparation for her position with the Heritage Abbotsford Society, where she began working in 2009. Christina was the Society’s Collections Manager for 8 years, and has been its Executive Director since 2017.
In the meantime, she has honed her research, publishing and administrative skills, and combines this with training in Collections Care and Museology. She is keen to create opportunities for heritage organizations, universities, and related industries to build strong, supportive partnerships, and to support emerging heritage professionals; Her passion isn’t only archaeology and built heritage, but more specifically, she feels it is paramount that professionals pass on their skills to others, and especially the next generation of heritage professionals. Christina’s “Mission Statement” is to promote the protection the cultural heritage of Indigenous peoples by leveraging her position of privilege to create opportunities to train, participate, and benefit economically in this industry.
Responsibilities
Directors champion our mission, oversee finances, and approve organizational goals and policies. Terms are two years with a maximum of three terms, totaling six years of service.
Meetings
The Board of Directors meet virtually monthly (excluding August). The Heritage BC's Annual General Meeting is held virtually in May, providing an opportunity for members to engage with the Board and provide feedback on our initiatives. Attendance at the Annual Heritage BC conference is also highly encouraged, fostering networking and collaboration among our members.
Committees
Active committees include Governance, Building Code Advocacy, Awards, and Heritage Legacy Fund Task Force. They support the Board in advancing organizational objectives.