About BCEEA – BCEEA

Who We Are

The BCEEA is an independent, member-based non-profit organization that represents non-unionized employees working within the BC public sector. As an association made up of voluntary members, we ensure that our services and support are as unbiased, relevant and beneficial as possible. Our Board of Directors is an elected body that represents the best interests of our members.

See our latest Strategic Plan.

Our History

In 1975, we initiated operations as the Association of Managers in Government, a government-appointed advisory committee and the first unified voice for excluded employees in British Columbia. Since then, we’ve existed solely to provide services, support and learning to BC Government excluded employees.

During the ensuing two decades, the government began to consult regularly with us. They approved a 3.5 per cent general pay increase for managers, established a new Management Compensation Program, and invited us to represent excluded personnel at the 1992 Korbin Commission, which examined HR practices in the health, education, public service, post-secondary and community social services sectors, including crown corporations.

By 1999, we had signed two Memoranda of Understanding with government, which recognized our role as representatives for excluded employees. In the year 2000, our 25th anniversary, we changed our name to the British Columbia Excluded Employees’ Association. Since then, we’ve continued talks with government about issues such as expanding staffing levels, redefining job classifications, upgrading timekeeping systems, improving compensation, and maintaining and expanding benefits.

Bursaries and Scholarships

We know families are important to our members. The BCEEA supports post-secondary education. That’s why we offer an annual $1,000 Scholarship and Bursary to eligible dependents and spouses of BCEEA members.

The scholarship is intended to reward academic excellence and community service while the bursary is intended to address financial need and reward academic excellence.

The BCEEA sends an announcement to members annually with details about that year’s scholarship and bursary awards. The value of these awards is reviewed annually and implemented in accordance with the budget adopted by the Board of Directors. Read more about the BCEEA’s Scholarship and Bursary in the BCEEA Bursary Policy.

Our People

Board of Directors

The BCEEA is small and mighty organization supported by the hard work of our Board members, volunteers, staff and Advisors.

Frances Savari

President

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Frances Sasvari is currently a Deputy Superintendent of Motor Vehicles and Executive Director of Road Safety Operations based out of Victoria.

She has a BA (Sociology), BSW, LLB and started with the BC Public Service in 1993. Frances is proud of her positive relationships with colleagues at all levels throughout government. Her other excluded positions include Director, Transformation (MCFD), and Director, Employment and Assistance Appeal Tribunal.

“I decided to be on the Board of the BCEEA because there was a lot happening in the excluded employee world that I felt I did not fully understand. I wanted to understand better and to ensure that my colleagues in the BC Public Service were fully informed as well.”

Barb Searle

Treasurer

Barb Searle is the Director, Financial Accounting, Operations, Systems & Reporting (FinOps) for the five Natural Resource (NR) ministries, working in Victoria. Her post-secondary education included studies at Camosun College, Langara College, BCIT and CMA/CPA with majors in business administration, as well as systems and accounting.

Barb started with the BC Public Service in 1990, as a co-op student, and accepted her first management position in 2004. One accomplishment she is proud of is being part of the Treasury Board Staff (TBS) team that developed the underlying code that produces the current version of the annual budget “Blue Books” (Estimates and the Supplement to the Estimates).

Another accomplishment is building a network of multi-agency strategic alliances that benefit financial staff and enable them to provide exceptional corporate services to clients across the five NR ministries. Other excluded service positions Barb has held are Director, Financial Planning & Reporting, and TBS Senior Estimates Analyst. “I decided to be on the BCEEA Board to give back to the agency that helped me when I needed support.”

Lyn Blenkinsop

Director

Lyn Blenkinsop is the Senior Coroner, Unintentional Death Investigation Unit, BC Coroner’s Service, working from Victoria. She has training as a Radiation Therapist, Medicolegal Death Investigator, and adult educator.

Lyn has been with the BC Public Service since 2002. She is proud of creating and maintaining an effective team in the Island Region. Her previous excluded position was as Coroner, Island Region, BC Coroners Service.

“I decided to be on the BCEEA Board because I wanted to give back after calling on BCEEA for advice.”

Eowynn Bosomworth

Director

Eowynn Bosomworth is acting executive director of Data Systems and Services in the Ministry of Citizens’ Services. In this role, she delivers critical data services across government, is responsible for implementing the Provincial Data Plan, and leading Declaration Act Action Plan action 3.15 to include Indigenous languages in B.C.’s systems and services.

Eowynn started with the BC Public Service in 2015 and prior to joining Citizens’ Services worked in the BC Pension Corporation (BCPC) and the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD)

“I decided to join the board because I am aware of the level of support and impact the BCEEA’s services have on excluded employees every day. I would like to contribute so others can continue to benefit from the BCEEA the way I have. Additionally, I feel it is important excluded employees have a voice and avenue to bring forward opportunities to public service leadership for consideration.”

Alistair Cochrane

Director

Alistair Cochrane is the Executive Director of the Cross-Government Compliance and Enforcement Secretariat and currently resides within the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. He has a degree in English, with a minor in Applied Ethics from the University of Victoria.

Alistair started his BC Public Service career in 2012 and has been in excluded positions since 2017. Prior to his current position, Alistair was the Manager of Adjudication, and Senior Manager of Program Design with RoadSafetyBC. Alistair is proud to have started his career as a manual operations clerk and to have worked his way through various roles of increasing responsibility throughout his career.

“I decided to join the board because how we work in the BC Public Service is changing and I want to help shape the future for excluded employees across government. I am excited to give back to the BCEEA and champion the benefits that membership provides.”

Monica Jones

Director

Monica Jones joined the BCEEA board in February 2020. She works for the Ministry of Citizens’ Services as a Service Delivery Manager, based in Daajing Giids on Haida Gwaii.

Monica has spent her BC Public Service career with Service BC on Haida Gwaii, first as a Customer Service Representative in 2003 and moving into her current excluded role in 2007. Monica holds a Certified Service Manager (CSM) designation through the Institute for Citizen Centred Service.

“I’ve had the unique privilege of spending the last 20 years serving this remote and isolated community which is the traditional and ancestral territory of the Haida people. As a board member, I hope to bring the perspective of my peers in similar front line management positions as well as other excluded managers in rural communities of BC.”

Teresa Kovacs

Director

Teresa is Executive Director, Corporate Planning and Strategic Initiatives, Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. Teresa has a Master of Public Administration.

Teresa started in the BC Public Service in 1998 and has held excluded roles for almost 14 years in BC. Prior to her current position, Teresa worked in the Ministry of Attorney General, Cabinet Operations, Treasury Board Staff and the Office of the Ombudsperson. In addition, she worked in New Zealand in the Office of the Auditor-General and the Department of Labour.

Teresa is passionate about public accountability, transparency and service excellence and is grateful to have had the opportunity to focus in those areas through her various roles in BC and New Zealand.

“I wanted to join the board because I have been supported and mentored by various professional executives, including the service provided by the BCEEA. I would like to offer my services in return at this point in my career. I look forward to serving proactively as an ally for other excluded employees with interest and empathy”.

John Luscher

Director

John Luscher is Manager, People Capacity and Engagement in Enterprise Services, Ministry of Citizens Services. John’s post secondary education includes studies at the College of the Rockies and the University of Victoria.

“I decided to be on the board because I wanted to show other excluded leaders that they were not alone. They had a treasure trove of resources and support at their fingertips if they just reached out and connected with the BCEEA. I want all my employees to have the tools and resources they need to succeed, and the association helps me do that.”

John started with the BC Public Service in 2017. One of the accomplishments he is proud of is leading the Returning Traveller Program during the COVID-19 pandemic. That program ensured that travellers returning home to BC had the supplies and resources they needed to successfully complete their mandatory isolation. This helped to keep communities safe and slow the spread of the virus. As an area director during the pandemic John oversaw 14 offices that remained open and serving the public. This required a high level of understanding and advocacy for the needs of the teams.

Ted Wallbridge

Director

Ted Wallbridge is the Senior Manager, Programs, Corporate Services, Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, working from Victoria. Ted’s post secondary education includes studies at Camosun College in the areas of finance and public administration.

Ted joined the BC Public Service in 2007 as a Water Revenue Clerk, and accepted his first excluded management position in 2014. One accomplishment that he is proud of is winning the Co-op Employer of the Year from Camosun College, and Industry Partner of the Year from the Association for Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning BC/Yukon in 2021. His team at SDPR has been hosting co-op students and supporting them in their learning and career goals since 2015.

“I decided to join the BCEEA Board for the opportunity to support colleagues and peers in their career development. I’m looking forward to supporting the exceptional work of excluded employees in the public service, sharing in their successes and challenges.“

Pam Shatzko

Director

Pam Shatzko is the Director of Communications and Engagement at the Crown Agencies Secretariat and currently resides within the Ministry of Finance. She is a graduate of the University of Victoria Public Relations Program and holds certificates in Project Management and Government Financial Management and Control.

Pam has been in excluded positions since 2005, with central agency experience in Cabinet Operations and operational roles in the Ministries of Agriculture, International Trade, Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation, and Municipal Affairs. Early in her career, she worked as a Ministerial Assistant/Chief of Staff.

Pam is proud to have started her career as an administrative assistant and worked through various roles of increasing responsibility throughout her career.

“I joined the board because I wanted to help shape the future of our work environment and be a champion for the BCEEA. The association supports excluded employees in the workplace. I am proud to champion the services the association provides to members.”

Kyle Yee

Director

Kyle Yee has been in government for 10 years, starting as a co-op student and holds the position of Director of Financial Accounting, Operations and Systems in the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship. He is currently on a temporary assignment with the Office of the Comptroller General, developing a new Budget & Forecasting system. Kyle has a degree in Business Administration and holds a CPA designation.

Kyle’s positions have given him the opportunity to work with staff at all levels ranging from clerks to ADM’s. Kyle has extensive experience in leading and participating in committees, communities of practice and inter-ministry/inter agency working groups.

“I wanted to join the board because I believe I can share my experience and knowledge on a broad range of finance issues. I love the work the BCEEA does and want to give back and expand the reach of the organization.”

Anne Graboski

Director

Anne Graboski is the Director of Operations, Prevention and Loss Management Services, in the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. Anne has her master’s in business administration, is a Certified Service Manager and Trainer (Institute for Citizen-Centred Service) and has a Diploma in Public Sector Management.

Anne has held excluded positions since 2011, when she started her BC public service career. Anne has worked in three Ministries (Citizens’ Services, Finance, and Social Development and Poverty Reduction), and has led operations teams responsible for direct service to the residents of BC. Anne has a passion for service excellence and has twice been nominated for and won Service Excellence awards. Anne is most proud of co-creating the Service BC Service Framework and enjoys being a mentor to other public servants.

“I decided to join the board because I believe in taking my turn and I want to help the association move its agenda items forward. I’m eager to gain a broader understanding of the issues facing excluded employees across government.”

Liz Gilliland

Executive Director

Liz Gilliland is the Executive Director of the BC Excluded Employees’ Association.

She has over 20 years of progressively senior level provincial government experience in leading organizational and cultural change management initiatives, overseeing integrated service delivery projects, and managing a variety of key operations, programs and policies. She has held positions in regional BC offices, Ministry headquarters and spent two years working for the Deputy Minister to the Premier. Liz was also an Assistant Deputy Minister in several Ministries.

Liz has a passion for people development and facilitates learning and professional development. She has taught at UVic’s School of Public Administration and has instructed at Royal Roads University’s Centre for Applied Leadership and Management.

“It is a rare opportunity to focus solely on individuals – their work-life challenges, passions and aspirations. Promoting BC public service employees’ success at work is truly rewarding.”

Our Advisors

The BCEEA is proud of its roster of professional advisors here to help you, whether you are dealing with a serious issue or seeking career advice.

Ourania Chrisgian

Ourania has over 40 years of experience in human resources working for both federal and provincial government ministries and Crown corporations.

She has worked as a specialist in staffing and labour relations and for half of her career she has held supervisory positions including manager and director. As the Director of Employee Relations for the BCPSA, she supervised all Employee Relations Advisors and Investigators in the Province. She dealt with investigations and work performance issues for unionized and excluded employees. A large portion of her work also included working with ministry executives. Ourania enjoys working with BCEEA because it gives her a chance to assist members directly. She has sat on both sides of the table which gives her a balanced approach to resolution of employment issues. She also enjoys working with the BCEEA Advisors team as they are experienced, collaborative, and enthusiastic about working together for members. The feedback received by members has been predominantly appreciative and positive of our assistance. Ourania has a BA in Psychology.

Bob Friesen

Bob specializes in B.C. provincial public sector investigations advisory services. For 17 years, Bob worked for the BC provincial government in field, headquarters and central agency positions

.including Deputy General Manager of Liquor Control and Licensing Branch (Inspections, Investigations and Enforcement), Executive Director of Land and Water B.C.’s Crown Land Policy, Strategic Planning and Aboriginal Relations Division, and Manager of B.C. Fisheries Commercial Seafood Industry Licensing and Enforcement Branch. Bob then spent 13 years as a consultant providing regulatory and related advice to BC provincial as well as federal government agencies. Since 2014, Bob has also supported BCEEA members who were complainants, witnesses, or respondents in more than 100 B.C. public sector investigations. Bob has Bachelors’ degrees in Sociology and Law, a Certificate in Conflict Analysis and Management, and is a licensed First Responder.

Karen Fudge-Jensen

Karen has had a 31-year career in the BC Public Service, in human resources and leadership roles, spanning ten ministries, two central agencies and a Crown corporation.

Karen holds her CPHR and is a Certified Executive Coach challenging her PCC designation. Karen is a Resiliency @ Work Facilitator with experience leading organizational change, workforce planning and development, labour/employee relations, diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, performance management, recruitment, classification and compensation, leadership development and strategic planning and goal setting. As a former public service employee and member of the BCEEA, she appreciates the challenges faced by excluded employees who have learned to manage ambiguity while at the same time trying to reduce ambiguity for staff by being clear about what we do and why we do it. Karen enjoys supporting BCEEA members through challenges, and working with them to create great team environments is what she loves to do!

Selina Lew

Selina worked in Human Resources including the BCPSA for 30 years before her retirement in 2019. Her experience included providing advice to managers on performance correction, staffing, and workplace conflicts…

Selina has conducted workplace investigations, delivered labour relations training to managers, and presented employer cases at arbitration hearings. She finds that the most exciting and challenging part of human resources work was Labour Relations, a specialty in the second half of her career. In her work life she had considerable experience supervising labour relations specialists and was responsible for reviewing the merits of all employee cases that were likely to lead to termination of employment. She was also a member of the Union and Management Joint Panels to make binding decisions on bullying, harassment, and discrimination grievances, and was a member of the employer’s master bargaining committee. Selina has a Diploma in Human Resource Management, Conflict Resolution Certification (Justice Institute of BC), and was a Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP). Selina enjoyed a very satisfying career in the public service and is gratified to be able to use previous experience to help individual BCEEA members through their challenges.

Stella Reese

Stella Reese (she/her) is a recently retired BC public servant, with over 26 years of human resources experience working for the Province.

Stella brings significant experience in the BCPSA as a human resources generalist providing specialized and hiring consultation services to a range senior ministry executive. In the last ten years, she worked in the natural resource sector as a Strategic Human Resources Manager, supporting client leaders with leadership development, team engagement, and organization wellness and resilience. Stella particularly enjoyed her work with senior leaders, assisting them to develop strategic approaches by providing planning advice, tools and resources to improve engagement and productivity in their staff groups. Stella hopes that her focus on how new leaders can further develop their people skills, will be of use to the BCEEA clients she works with. She also looks forward to building new relationships and bringing her wealth of experience to the organization. Stella has a BA from UBC and is a certified Lumina Learning practitioner.

Barb Severyn

Barb has a long and varied career in human resources in the public sector – with the BC Public Service in various ministries, and as Executive Director of Human Resources with the Vancouver Island Health Authority.

She was most recently the Executive Director of Human Resources with Camosun College in Victoria for 10 years. Barb has always been committed to and passionate about the “human” side of workplaces. Her career has been dedicated to building committed, multi-skilled and talented teams to serve their client groups, working cooperatively with all partners – including multiple employee groups and unions – and creating environments where all employees can succeed and bring their best “selves” to their roles. Barb recently retired from Camosun College, and after 46 years of service in the public sector she is delighted to be given an opportunity to contribute her enthusiasm, experience, expertise, advice, and insight to the BCEEA and its members.

Kathy Togoz

Kathy has considerable experience working with both the Federal Government and the Provincial government as an Employee Relations Specialist, a Manager of Employee Relations and in occupational health and safety…

She was a regional director for the BCPSA and the Provincial Director and Executive Director responsible for Employee Relations, Occupational Health, Classification and Recruitment Services program areas. Kathy has specialized skills in strategic business design and implementation and supervision in all roles, as well as the design and delivery of leadership training at both Federal and Provincial levels. She was a member of multiple provincial committees on human resources policy design and review, including Labour Relations, Standards of Conduct, Ethics, FOIPP, and member of bargaining teams for multiple component agreement negotiations. Kathy’s specialities include investigation support, workplace issues, career development and STIIP issues. Kathy enjoys the opportunity to work with excluded staff across the province and be part of their experiential growth and determination in addressing challenging workplace situations. She also finds that the BCEEA Advisors team is an amazing team to work and collaborate with. Kathy’s professional accreditations are numerous including BA in anthropology, and a diploma in Crisis Intervention, and training with the Justice Institute BC in dispute resolution, conflict resolution, mediation, negotiation, as well as Queens University certificates in Leading Change and Organization Design.