Wayne Hanna, President
Don Gayton, Vice President Congregational
Greg Huynh, Vice President Denominational
Brian Funt, Treasurer
Brian McConnell, Secretary
John Biasucci, Member-at-large
Rachelle Lee, Member-at-large
Leslie Gibbons, Member-at-large
Ian Macdonald, Member-at-large
Minister Stephen Atkinson, Member ex officio
Wayne Hanna and his wife Marga have been very active in the North Shore Unitarian Church for many years. In his work life, Wayne is a Senior Associate in the Hanna & Associates management consulting practice in Vancouver, BC. He held senior management and human resource development positions in the public and not-for-profit sectors prior to entering the management consulting profession. Wayne’s expertise is in the areas of organizational development, management development, performance management, executive coaching, team building and strategic planning. His clients have included: marine, oil and gas, mining, fish farming, forestry, credit unions, high-tech, entertainment, transportation and not-for-profit organizations in addition to municipal, provincial and federal governments. Wayne has volunteered for many organizations, both in Ontario and B.C. Wayne and Marga have two adult sons and a baby grandson.
Don Gayton joined the NSUC in 2001 along with his wife, Beth McLin. They came looking for a place where their children, Claire and Aleia, could about learn spirituality without dogma and guilt, and found a wonderful community they could call home. Don has been an active member since joining, teaching Sunday school, ushering, doing sound, video and a summer service coordinator. He and Beth have hosted many church and bid night events as well as circle dinners. Two years ago Don joined the Canvass Committee as co-chair and brought many ideas and new energy to the canvass. Don is a lifelong North Shore resident having been born here and lived here his entire life save an 18 month stint working in California. He received his BASc from UBC in Electrical Engineering in 1983 and has worked in the high technology sector since then, first as a hardware and software design engineer and later in executive management.
Greg Huynh grew up in Seattle, son of a Saigon-raised Chinese father and Mayflower-arrived English mother and later adopted by a Swedish physiologist. Graduate of WWU in Bellingham where he met Sandra (she of church board secretary fame) and was thus lured north. Father of daughters, broker of cars and singer of songs. Formerly of Presbyterian roots, Greg is now an active member of the "CUB Scout" religion, that being: a Christian-Unitarian-Buddhist Seeker. He is now ready to turn his talents to a new venture, that of offering to participate on the Board. And Greg has just reached the 20 year mark of membership at NSUC!
Brian Funt joined the North Shore Unitarian Church in 2002. A humanist, he values the strong sense of friendship and community within the congregation, and the diversity of things that happen Sunday mornings. He loves cello playing, skiff sailing in the summer and skiing in the winter. When not at play, he is a computer science professor at Simon Fraser University.
Brian McConnell has been involved in NSUC in many capacities for over 20 years: Ministerial Search Committee, Sunday Services Committee Discovery groups, men’s groups. Recently retired from a 31 year teaching career in French Immersion, Brian shares his life with his wife Jill Whitford, past president of NSUC, Discovery Circle guru, and aesthetics person "extraordinaire". They raised 2 adult children in the NSUC community who are now pursuing advanced degrees abroad. Brian is currently involved in an internet based business and catching up on all those things he didn’t have time for while teaching.
John Biasucci moved to the Vancouver area in 1995, with his wife Gail Lehman. Originally from Niagara Falls, NY, he practiced law in New York City and Washington, DC, for many years and was a financial business owner. He and Gail began attending NSUC in 2002 because they were looking for an open-minded spiritual community and a place where their daughter could get a progressive religious education. They stayed because they soon grew fond of the NSUC community and the many friends they made here. John is also active in the Choir and has two grown daughters living in the US.
Leslie Gibbons has been attending the NSUC for 10 years with her husband, Maurice. Although born in the United States, she grew up in Britain and moved to Canada when she was 13 years old. Her family has a strong Quaker background. She is an active member of the Cares and Concerns Committee, has acted as a Facilitator for Discovery Circles and has been involved in the Multi-Faith Dinners project. Leslie has a large family and has been a professional parent for 43 years. In her spare time she is a member and facilitator for Compassionate Friends and is a passionate golfer, tennis player and traveler.
Rachelle Lee has always been a Unitarian at heart, having grown up in a Muslim and Catholic household. She started coming to NSUC in 2000 along with her husband Trevor. They have three boys, who have enjoyed and really benefited from the church school program. She has previously been involved with NSUC as a children’s RE teacher, assisted with strategic planning, and is now a member of the Children’s RE committee. After being away from the Lower Mainland for about four years, Rachelle and her family returned to the church a year ago. She is a management consultant by profession, specializing in organization development. With these skills, and her strong commitment to Unitarian values, she is hoping to make a greater contribution to our community by becoming involved at the Board level.
Ian Macdonald was born and raised in West Vancouver and has lived here for all but eight years of his life. He and Shirley have been married 51 years and have two children. Ian will bring to the board over 40 years of experience in business and community affairs. His career in the forest industry was as a planner and operations manager. Upon retirement in 1991 he plunged into community work. He was a director of the West Vancouver Historical Society for 19 years and president for 5 years. He also volunteered with the District of West Vancouver and spent 15 years on various advisory committees and working group. Ian sees himself as a problem solver and a team player. He was first aware of the NSUC through his late brother-in-law, John Cox, and wife Joan. About 7 years ago Shirley started attending services and Ian joined her in doing this about 2 years ago. On April 18, 2010 he became a member of the church.
Minister Stephen Atkinson is ex officio member of the Board of Trustees. For biographical material on Stephen, please see Minister & Staff.
Board Reference Materials
Members of the Board may access a special reference section for their use by clicking on the following link: Board Reference Materials.
