Heidi Romich – Chair

Craig Blize – Vice Chair

Chief Operating Officer
EARLS

Craig Blize is the Chief Operating Officer at Earls. He has been with the company since 1995 and has held a number of positions including overseeing Earls’ eight locations as a Regional Director. In his current role, Craig launched Earls’ Vision + Goals program and helped Earls win Glass door’s ‘Best Employer in Canada’ award twice. Craig has cultivated a foundation for professional development, supporting future leaders at Earls and beyond, by sharing the Earls experience and building opportunities in communities across North America.

Dave Butler

Director, Sustainability, Canadian Mountain Holidays

Dave Butler, based in Cranbrook, BC Canada, is a professional forester and biologist and Director of Sustainability for Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH).

Dave now also works with the Adventure Travel Trade Association’s AdventureEDU team as a consulting tourism educator.

Dave is an avid writer (non-fiction and fiction) and photographer.

Ian Powell – Past Chair

MANAGING DIRECTOR & GENERAL MANAGER, PAUL’S RESTAURANTS LTD.
& GENERAL MANAGER, INN AT LAUREL POINT

Ian Powell will serve as Past Chair in an ex-officio capacity until he is no longer required to serve. After obtaining a degree in Hotel Administration at the Birmingham College of Food in England, Ian immigrated to Canada in 1978 and spent the next 16 years in various senior level management positions for both CP Hotels and CN Hotels. In 1998, Ian was appointed as General Manager at the Fairmont Empress Hotel following four years as the General Manager at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. After a short stint in Bermuda with the Fairmont group, Ian returned to BC and is currently the Managing Director of Paul’s Restaurants Ltd. based in Victoria and also manages its flagship property, The Inn at Laurel Point. Ian has contributed countless hours to various industry and business associations and foundations. He was the Chair of the Tourism Industry HR Task Force study which set the foundation and strategy for the creation of go2. Ian was on the go2HR board from 2002-2004, and rejoined the Board in 2008 until current, serving as Chair and Past Chair.

David MacKenzie

Owner and General Manager
Pemberton Valley Lodge

David is the owner and General Manager of the Pemberton Valley Lodge in Pemberton, BC. He has over 30 years of experience in the tourism industry and has opened four hotel properties in western Canada and operated his own Adventure Travel business in British Columbia and Alberta for 10 years. David was elected to Council for the Village of Pemberton in 2005, serving a three-year term which also included Acting Mayor. He has served as a Director of the BC Chamber of Commerce, Chair, Vancouver Coast & Mountains Tourism Region, and Founder & Chair of Tourism Pemberton and the President of the Pemberton Regional Airport Authority. David served a 2-year term as President & Chair of the BC Hotel Association and currently is serving as Director

Eda Koot

GENERAL MANAGER
Inn at Laurel Point

Eda is currently the General Manager at Inn at Laurel Point. Eda started her career with Delta Hotels; for over 20 years she has worked in both Alberta and BC in Calgary, Victoria, Whistler, Sun Peaks and the Lower Mainland. Having completed the diploma program at SAIT in Calgary followed by leadership courses at the University of Guelph, Eda recently completed her degree in Hospitality Management in the Executive Cohort at VCC. Her industry and community involvement has included various committees, serving as a Board member for Tourism Sun Peaks, a Director with the 2012 Burnaby Senior Games and Chair of Tourism Richmond. Eda has been on the go2HR Board since 2011 and has served as the Chair of the Finance Committee, Chair and Past Chair.

Jared Davis

Jared Davis is the VP of Project Development for the WCL Group, which consists of West Coast Launch Ltd. (the largest marine transportation company in the North Coast), Prince Rupert Adventure Tours (a marine eco-tourism company that specializes in Grizzly Bear and Whale Watching Tours), WCL Shipyard Ltd. (the North Coast’s largest shipyard facility), and Eagle Bluff Bed and Breakfast (a boutique, 7-bedroom B&B). Jared has been on the board for Northern BC Tourism since 2017 and is a huge advocate for growing sustainable tourism throughout British Columbia. Jared is passionate about tourism with over 17 years in the industry and continues to promote positive economic growth throughout his region.

Jeff Guignard

Executive Director
ABLE BC

Jeff is a dynamic leader and communicator with extensive experience in government relations, strategic communications, and association management. As Executive Director of ABLE BC, Jeff advocates for BC’s multi-billion-dollar private liquor industry, including liquor stores, neighbourhood pubs, bars, nightclubs, and hotels. Initially from New Brunswick, Jeff spent a decade working in Ottawa as senior staff to several Members of Parliament before moving to BC in 2014. He is currently the Chair of the Coalition of BC Businesses and Vice Chair of the BC Hospitality Foundation.

Neil McInnes

Chief Financial Officer
Destination BC

Neil is the CFO at Destination BC. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) with over 10 years of senior financial management experience with large and small organizations including Indigenous organizations and various destination management organizations (Tourism Whistler, Destination BC and non-profits).

Stephanie Wells

Stephanie is the newly appointed Dean of Business, University Arts & Science at the College of the Rockies, moving from an 18-year stint with Capilano University. She brings a wealth of tourism experience that started at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT Centre and is a global educator, compassionate leader, and effective administrator who creates meaningful connections between students and industry, supporting work-integrated learning and study abroad/exchange opportunities, while developing relevant curriculum that engages curiosity, builds capacity, experiential learning, and job competitiveness. She has a long history with go2HR including being a SuperHost trainer, Emerit invigilator, participant in Winning Pitch (provincial case competition) and Student Rendezvous (job fair), and has delivered countless Tourism Career Awareness presentations.