Board of
Directors
Kate Walker
As a Port Moody native, and a seasoned real estate professional, Bill Laidler recognizes and values the trust his clients place in the Laidler Group, striving every day to exceed their expectations. Bill was a leading top producer from 2013 to 2020 with sales consistently ranking in the top 10 of all Remax agents in Western Canada. Today, his focus is on multi-family developments with Laidler Development Corporation and the recent partnership with Dulex Group of Companies. Highly skilled in negotiation, sales, land development, and new home sales, Bill is passionate about learning and has been trained personally by the top real estate coach in North America. In addition, he holds a law degree from James Cook University, Australia and an economics and finance degree from Bishops University, Quebec.
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Bill believes in the importance of giving back to the community and chairs both the Salish Sea Research & Education Society and the Port Moody Community Society – two non-profit organizations committed to creating a youth environmental education centre in Port Moody and providing housing and financial support to Port Moody residents in need.
Kate Walker is a communications and management graduate from the University of Ottawa, currently working with Tru Earth® in the field of Social Responsibility. She believes in intersectionality - that the people and the planet must go hand-in-hand. To save the planet, we must both educate and advocate for every citizen. Kate's major strengths are in corporate donations and executive communications, focussed on building sustainable relationships with local and global organizations to help protect the planet we inhabit.
Kate believes that education has no boundaries; she continually pursues additional learning opportunities in fields such as sustainability, Indigenous histories & issues,and ocean pollution. She is proud to be a Salish Sea Ocean Hero!
Kate currently sits on SSRES' Board of Directors as Vice-Chair. Beginning environmental education at a young age and integrating it into classrooms is something Kate wishes she had the opportunity to learn about in her young life as a student. SSRES helps marry her passion for education and the environment.
Brad Liski is the CEO and co-founder of Tru Earth® which is based in Port Moody, B.C. and began operation in April of 2019. Brad believes that the best thing we can do to save the planet is to educate young people. He lives out this passion as a mentor at E@UBC focusing on climate solutions. He has also recently joined the Board of the Salish Sea Research & Education Society. Brad is passionate about the environment and causing disruption for the betterment of the planet.
He is a leader in positioning companies & brands for dynamic growth & profitable expansion with a long and verifiable record of success leading start-up, high growth, acquisition, merger & receivership operations. He is the author of two books, Clear the Mind for Success: Learning Meditation for Business and The Sales Refresher which are both available for purchase on Amazon. He also has a weekly blog on LinkedIn which explores strategies that have led to his success and offers a space for the critical conversations that need to take place to help save the planet.
Melissa Chaun
Secretary-Treasurer
Passionate about all things sustainable, Melissa Chaun fell in love with biology, thanks to an inspiring teacher in Grade 7. Then in high-school, she had the unforgettable experience of spending a whole week at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre with her Grade 10 biology class. It was not surprising, therefore, that while pursuing her science degree at McGill University, she made sure to take her summer field course back on the West Coast at Bamfield. For her graduate work, she then found her way to the College of William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science, impressed by the school’s ability to influence state policy with its ground-breaking scientific research.
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Having now worked in the private, public and non-profit realms, Melissa is delighted to have co-founded the Salish Sea Research and Education Society. She understands the need to combine defensible objective science with different ways of knowing (Indigenous wisdom) in order to tackle the most pressing issues of our day. She also understands the need to empower youth and to invite the wider community to learn how we all need to embrace positive change in our daily lives, if we are serious about turning this climate change trajectory around.