Ryan has been with Athletics 4 Kids for almost 6 years, and was elected Vice President in late 2013. Ryan is blessed to have three lovely daughters who keep him busy in activities like swimming, dancing, bike riding and occasional wrestling matches – teaming up on their poor Dad! Ryan participated in many different sports growing up, including soccer, lacrosse, football, hockey and baseball. He played Junior Baseball and Hockey locally in BC. Pursuing his hockey dreams, he played for the Wentworth Leopards in Boston, Mass – part of the NCAA. Ryan completed his University degree at UBC, specializing in Human Kinetics and has first hand knowledge of all of the qualities that come from a life enriched by sport. As a young father of three, Ryan is already looking forward to more coaching opportunities. He believes strongly in the values that sport teaches – good sportsmanship, respect, teamwork, social skills, the value of hard work and the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

Brad joined Athletics for Kids as a Director and Treasurer in mid- 2015. Growing up, Brad was heavily involved in organized team sports, from community soccer, football and baseball, to high school golf, basketball and volleyball. Through his teenage years, baseball became the main focus of his athletic endeavours culminating in playing one year of Junior Baseball locally. Through these experiences, Brad saw how organized team sports provide a foundation for personal development and achievement. Attributes such as teamwork, leadership and sportsmanship are all learned and developed through athletics. Being raised by a single mom, Brad can empathize with the financial hardships and challenges that some families face with children wanting to play organized sports. Brad remains active through a Men’s soccer league in North Vancouver and through trail running. However, most of his spare time is spent with his wife Jenn raising their two young children. Brad is a CPA with over 15 years of experience ranging from start-up technology to large public companies. Brad is excited to bring his operational and financial experience to a very talented and experienced board, with the main goal of continuing the growth of an amazing organization that provides all children in BC the ability to access athletic programs.

Cary Frank first joined A4K in 2015 as part of the finance committee, and became a member of the Board of Directors in 2016. In his professional life, Cary is a Chartered Professional Accountant currently employed at KPMG LLP as a Senior Manager. Cary is passionate about being involved in the community, and has volunteered with several non-for-profits providing consulting & accounting related services. Growing up, Cary was actively involved in the sporting community in his hometown of White Rock, BC. Cary was an avid basketball and rugby player, and also assisted in coaching elementary school basketball teams and youth camps. Cary recognizes the impact organized sports had on shaping him personally and professionally, and for this reason, Cary is honored to be a Director of A4K and help all children reach their full potential.

Rupinder Chane first joined A4K in 2015 as a member and part of the finance committee, and in 2016, took on the role of Treasurer and joined the Board of Directors. In her professional life, Rupinder is a CPA, CA and owner of Chane Consulting, with over 16 years of financial experience working with large international organizations. Rupinder is very passionate about children’s charities and has been involved with a number of charities since childhood, but most recently serving as a Cabinet member with A Night of Miracles for BC Children’s Hospital, and working with the WE Charity. Growing up in Richmond, Rupinder participated in a variety of sports, including basketball and track, and experienced first hand how sport plays a vital role in the development of teamwork, leadership and life skills. Rupinder is delighted to be Treasurer and a Director of A4K, and is eager to utilize her skillset and love for children and sport to help give as many children in BC an opportunity to access sports.

Craig Knapton, a founding sponsor of A4K, joined the Board in 2003 and became President in 2005. Craig is the President of CanKen International Wood Products and has travelled the world extensively for both business and pleasure. He knows first hand the positive connection that sports can provide within many diverse cultures and countries. Craig participated in a variety of sports while growing up and was an accomplished long distance runner. He credits sports with helping to keep him grounded and as a great stress reliever. Having two active children who also played sports, Craig has been involved in many athletic associations and served at board level. He believes firmly that participation in sport gives kids positive direction, self-confidence and respect for others – it puts them in the game.

Upon graduating from UBC with a Bachelor of Commerce in Urban Land Economics, Ross entered the commercial real estate sales and leasing industry on the North shore where he has excelled in that field, winning multiple awards such as top 30 producers in Re/Max Western Canada, and top 30 worldwide (of over 40 countries). But along with his work achievements, Ross has always believed that giving back to his community is equally as important, and he has won the Realtors care Award and taken part in such initiatives as the Cinderella Project Ball (“helping encourage youth to stay in school and achieve the milestone of high school graduation, giving young people the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty for themselves and their families”) over the past few years. Ross joined Athletics 4 Kids in 2014, and became a Director in mid- 2015; he is an active member of the Gala committee and over the past year, has worked tirelessly to engage sponsors, prizing and donations in support of A4K initiatives. He is an avid believer that sports can play a vital positive role in the development of children and youth and has been passionately involved with the North shore sports community both through his own pursuits and those of his son and daughter, who are very active in a number of sporting pursuits.

Curtis joined A4K as a Director in 2017. Throughout most of his life, Curtis has been involved in sports to some degree or another and particularly enjoyed team sports including basketball, volleyball and soccer. Basketball became his primary focus during high school and throughout his college years. He is particularly grateful for the positive impact participating in sports has had on his life and he is keen to ensure that children, regardless of circumstance, have similar opportunities. Curtis believes strongly that his participation in sports was fundamental to developing many of the leadership characteristics and teamwork skills that he utilizes to this day. In his professional life, Curtis is a Partner with a CAI, a Vancouver-based private equity firm that focuses on making investments in middle-market private companies in Canada and the US. Curtis is honored to be a Director of A4K and is looking forward to bringing his management and financial experience, along with his corporate relationships, to the organization.

Stephen joined the A4K Board in late 2017, and comes with a wealth of experience in health and wellness expertise and educating, nutrition and body awareness, and fitness training for athletes, young and old. He and his wife Selina own and operate Drive365 Fitness and Health INC, a facility and gym that runs out of South Surrey, and specializes in executive fitness, and corporate physical and mental wellness. Stephen is a certified personal trainer, NCCP certified youth coach, strength coach, youth fitness trainer and Kinesiologist; he grew up playing tennis, watersports, skiing, soccer, basketball, football, and track and field. He was a Varsity Football and Track and field athlete at UBC and York University where he obtained a football scholarship and was a member of the Junior National Track and Field team. After graduation, Stephen’s football career continued professionally for four seasons overseas in Norway and Austria where he also coached youth grass- roots programs. This really opened his eyes to the power of sport as a universal bond no matter what language you speak! As you would expect with that set of qualifications, Stephen is passionate about keeping people active and healthy in both mind and body. He is particularly excited about helping kids get introduced to sports, and in making sure they have the opportunity to play their chosen sports for a long time. His sports experience has given him all the tools to succeed in life socially, mentally, and physically. Being able to handle adversity off the field has come from learning to accept defeat on the field. While using those setbacks as powerful motivators rather than negative roadblocks, they have cultivated a positive growth mindset in Stephen with resiliency, perseverance, and adaptability. Stephen is a proud husband and father of two young boys and is active in coaching their sports teams. He is excited to bring exposure and support to those kids in need of assistance to participate in sport.

Director -- Scott Trotter has been a supporter of A4K since 2012, a member since 2013 and joined the Board of Directors in 2015. Through sports Scott has learned valuable life lessons such as teamwork, sportsmanship, perseverance, hard work and how to deal with success and failure. Through his involvement with A4K, Scott’s goal is to see young athletes achieve their dreams of playing sports and building important skills that will be the foundation for a healthy and successful life.   Scott is the President of Staub Electronics, a proud father of two and is active in a number of sports including golf, squash and snowboarding. When not travelling throughout North America for business, Scott is regularly involved with his boys athletic pursuits which include baseball, golf, skiing, swimming, BMX biking and skateboarding.

Leyla has been with Athletics 4 Kids for over 5 years. She started out as a retired athlete giving back to her community as a volunteer then becoming a member in 2014 and recently invited to join the Board of Directors in 2016. In her professional career she is a Team Lead on the Customer Success Department in Enterprise Sales at Hootsuite Media. She is passionate about the opportunities and value that Sport can provide for young kids. Leyla grew up on the North Shore playing tennis and finished her career with a full scholarship at The Pennsylvania State University, where she majored in International Business Management with a minor in Sports Management. Leyla is thrilled to be a part of the Board of Directors this year to leverage her professional career skills, athletic experience and passion for non-profit and sport.

Shafin joined Athletics 4 Kids as a Director in late 2013. Growing up on the North Shore, Shafin played many different sports, including soccer, basketball, football, hockey and baseball. He believes that involvement in sports is an integral part of child development and teaches youth to lead active, healthy lives while developing many of the fundamental skills necessary for a child to succeed. He feels a strong connection to A4K and helping every child in BC in their dream to participate in organized sporting activities. Shafin’s career has been defined by helping and inspiring others in his community: specifically, by being a positive role model and offering his time, knowledge and financial resources to empower the next generation of Canadian problem solvers. A serial entrepreneur, Shafin’s latest project, Victory Square Labs, is a start-up accelerator that provides funding, mentorship and resources to start-ups in the web, mobile, gaming and film spaces. With a special focus on funding socially responsible companies, international start-ups and female founders. Outside of his entrepreneurial work, Shafin contributes significant time to charity and community work and loves spending time with his family.

Marlene joined Athletics for Kids as a Director in 2017 and immediately stepped up to join the newly formed Corporate Engagement committee. Despite a busy career at RBC Royal Bank for nearly 20 years, she was always significantly involved in community work. The under- privileged were always a cause close to her heart. From early adulthood, Marlene seemed to have a compassion for the disenfranchised and felt like it would have been a waste if she didn’t share this love of people with the ones who needed it most. She proactively held food and clothing drives, silent auctions, BBQ’s, cooked in soup kitchens, and did what she could (such as buy groceries) for the lower income families in the neighborhoods where she lived/worked. The past few years have been busy ones with a new marriage then baby to follow in 2016, yet charity work was never far from her heart. The new addition to the family, baby Kai, revived her interest in helping children. “As a parent you want the absolute best for your children and would stop at nothing to make that take place. At Athletics for Kids, we make that happen. We let kids follow dreams.”