“My change is in all aspects: better communication with my children, be a better mom... It is truly possible to make changes.”
Empowering immigrants
and refugees
Board of Directors
MOSAIC's Board of Directors is responsible for the overall management of the organization through its role in policy development and program evaluation.
The board restricts its activities to the following:
Through the Executive Director's monthly report, the Board of Directors is informed and appraised of key operational matters and personnel decisions. The Board of Directors recommends and approves global policy decisions, and respond to matters in the community that affect the overall operation of the organization.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS (2011-2012)
Karimah Es Sabar (President)
Brook Greenberg (Past President)
Gabrielle Smith (Vice President)
Bark Kong (Treasurer)
Adam Policzer (Secretary)
MOSAIC Committees and Project Compositions
MOSAIC BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Adam Policzer was born in Hungary in 1938. He arrived in Chile in 1946, and in 1975 moved to Canada with his family, seeking a safe haven from the military dictatorship. He was an architect in Chile, and after two years of Canadian training he continued practicing in B.C.
In 1982, together with a partner, Adam opened a successful architectural firm specializing in affordable and subsidized housing. When he retired in 1999, the firm employed 15 people. Since then, he has been busy with volunteer work (mainly with the Latin American community), some consulting and small-scale architectural work.
Bark Kong is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Business Valuator with 15 years experience in not-for-profit health care. He is currently Director of Corporate Financial Planning and Reporting for the Fraser Health Authority, responsible for developing and leading the organization in its planning and reporting processes. Previously, Bark worked in public accounting, specializing in business valuations and litigation accounting.
Bark was born in China and immigrated to Canada with his family at a young age. He has volunteered as a treasurer for Information Services Vancouver, British Columbia's largest provider of information and referral services.
Brook Greenberg, a lawyer, practices commercial litigation at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP in Vancouver. After growing up in Prince George, B.C., Brook went on to earn his undergraduate degree in history from Carleton University and his law degree from the University of British Columbia. Upon graduation, he served as a law clerk at the B.C. Court of Appeal before joining Faskens.
Brook is responsible for the pro bono program at his firm and regularly supervises poverty law clinics run by the UBC Law Students Legal Advice Program. His interest in supporting effective and pragmatic community service providers led to his involvement with MOSAIC.
Cheryl Nelms is a Professional Engineer and PhD Candidate at the University of British Columbia in Civil Engineering and currently Director, Strategic Transformation, RCMP. Cheryl has extensive experience advising federal departments at an executive level on project finance and developing new partnership structures for the delivery of large infrastructure projects and national procurements. Her experience in engineering and project management, both in the public and private sectors, has led to invitations to speak at international conferences, teach at university level and participate in national committees.
Cheryl has volunteered for organizations advocating sustainable design and her exposure to the integration challenges of skilled immigrants experienced by her family and friends, led to her involvement with MOSAIC.
Deanna Okun-Nachoff is an immigration lawyer in private practice at McCrea & Associates since August 2010. After receiving her call to the Bar of British Columbia in 2003, Deanna became Staff Lawyer and Executive Director of the West Coast Domestic Workers’ Association, where she represented live-in caregivers in all aspects of immigration and employment law. Deanna has extensive experience assisting marginalized and low-income workers, undocumented workers, trafficked persons and applicants for permanent residence who require Ministerial permission to remain in Canada due to medical inadmissibility or other non-compliance with Canadian immigration requirements.
Deanna is currently serving as Secretary of the Canadian Bar Association’s National Immigration Section, as Supervising Lawyer at the West Coast Domestic Workers’ Association, and as a volunteer lawyer at Access Pro Bono.
Gabrielle Smith. During her 14-year career in human resources, Gabrielle Smith, CHRP, has recruited many immigrants to various Canadian companies and helped numerous skilled workers relocate to B.C. These experiences played a key role in sparking her keen and ongoing interest in immigration support services. Born in Victoria, B.C., Gabrielle graduated from Simon Fraser University and BCIT. She currently acts as HR manager for Seaspan Ship Management Ltd. Her volunteer experiences include activities with the United Way and the 24 Hour Relay for the Kids.
Jeff Brooks, having worked in the substance abuse field and for the Vancouver Health Department, Jeff Brooks recently retired after 11 years as the City of Vancouver’s director of social planning. After attaining a master’s degree in counselling psychology, Jeff began his 35-year career in health and social planning, working with an array of government and community groups in policy and program development. Areas of special interest include aboriginal issues, at-risk youth, childcare, housing, addiction and mental health.
Currently, Jeff volunteers with the Urban Native Youth Association and the Chief Dan George Centre.
Karimah Es Sabar's dynamic career in the life sciences industry began in 1982. Since then, she has worked with various business associations in over 60 countries on five continents. She is currently senior vice-president of business and strategic affairs at the Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD) in Vancouver. Prior to joining the CDRD, Karimah helped re-engineer and rebrand BC Biotech in 2005 to become LifeSciences BC (LSBC). As president, she led LSBC to its greatest levels of success as a strong business development organization for the life sciences industry and the scientific research community.
Karimah serves as a board member for a number of organizations including: the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research; the Prostate Centre Advisory Board, Vancouver General Hospital; and the Prostate Centre’s Translational Research Initiative for Accelerated Discovery and Development. As well, she serves as an advisory committee member for such organizations as: the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems; and the British Columbia Institute of Technology/University of British Columbia Biotechnology Degree Program. Finally, Karimah is a former board member of the Aga Khan National Economic Planning Board of Canada and Aga Khan National Health Boards in Canada and Kenya, and received a YWCA Women of Distinction Award in 2010.
Dr. Mehran Kiai is the Principal at the Strategic Management Consultants, providing educational, business and capital management consulting services. He is the former Director of Enrollment Services in Simon Fraser University and Dean of Lifelong Learning at BC Institute of Technology. He has over 25 years of experience in education, engineering, and senior level management in the private and public sectors.
As a senior partner for 12 years in an engineering consulting firm, he provided engineering services and technology integration solutions to the construction, architectural, manufacturing, and service industries. He provided leadership in multi-disciplinary projects for a team of consultants, engineers, and technicians. He is a civil engineer and a graduate of the Executive Development Program at Queen’s School of Business. He obtained his doctoral degree in Educational Leadership and Change from Fielding Graduate University in the United States. Mehran immigrated to Canada in 1982 and has since maintained a strong interest in education, orientation and advocacy with the purpose of integrating skilled immigrants into Canadian society.
Shelley Rivkin, MSW is the Associate Executive Director of Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver. In this capacity she is responsible for central planning, social policy development, grants allocation and agency relations for the Jewish community. Shelley is also a sessional instructor at the UBC School of Social Work. Before that Shelley worked at the Justice Institute of BC for over 25 years with specific expertise in social and justice issues related to violence against women, child abuse and youth at risk. She worked closely with many ethno-cultural and aboriginal organizations to develop and deliver innovative training and public education. Shelley also assisted MOSAIC in a volunteer capacity to develop and implement the first federally funded program to provide treatment services for men from the Indo-Canadian community who had assaulted their partners.
In 2008, Shelley was very honoured to receive the MOSAIC Human Rights Award.
Yijin Wen has been a registered architect in B.C. since 1996; he is also a project management professional (PMP) and LEED-accredited professional. Born in China and educated in China, the U.S. and Europe, Yijin immigrated to Vancouver in 1989, where he worked as a senior architect and associate with various private architectural firms prior to joining the Fraser Health Authority in 2006. Today he acts as a senior facilities planning leader, Lower Mainland facilities management, for four health authorities in the Vancouver area. Since 2000, Yijin has been involved with community volunteer work in Chinatown, as chairman of CHIPAC and vice-chair of the Chinatown Revitalization Committee. He also serves as a member of various committees, including that of the Architectural Institute of BC and the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC.
MOSAIC Committees and Project Compositions (2011-2012)
Executive
Karimah Es Sabar
Brook Greenberg
Bark Kong
Gabrielle Smith
Adam Policzer
Finance
Karimah Es Sabar
Bark Kong
Mehran Kiai
Eyob Naizghi
Awards
Karimah Es Sabar
Gabrielle Smith
Eyob Naizghi
Nominations
Karimah Es Sabar
Eyob Naizghi
Gabrielle Smith
MOSAIC
1720 Grant St., 2nd Floor
Vancouver BC V5L 2Y7
Phone: 604 254 9626
Fax: 604 254 3932
