Maria Preovolos takes over from retiring Dr. Stephen Gamble
The Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) is pleased to announce that Maria Preovolos is the new Chair of its Board of Governors and Samina Tajwar has assumed the role of Vice-Chair, effective June 16.
Preovolos has served as a JIBC Governor since 2018, and as Vice-Chair since 2019. She is associate general counsel at TELUS with extensive experience in board governance. She holds a Certified Information Privacy Professional/Canada (CIPP/C) designation and currently heads the legal team for TELUS Agriculture & Consumer Goods (TAC), a business unit of TELUS dedicated to becoming a leading provider of agriculture and consumer goods technology solutions.
She steps into the new role, taking over from her predecessor, Dr. Stephen Gamble, fire chief for the Township of Langley, who has served as Board Chair since first being elected in 2019. He joined the JIBC Board of Governors in December 2017, and will be leaving after his maximum six years of service is completed on July 31, 2023.
Samina Tajwar, a certified Project Management Professional with a master’s degree in electrical engineering, has served on the Board since 2019. She is currently Chief of Upskill Canada at Palette Skills Inc., a national non-profit organization which aims to upskill Canadians for careers in growing industries. She has been working in the non-profit training and skills development arena for over 15 years, including with Mitacs Inc., cultivating partnerships with government, academia and industry.
“We are pleased that Maria Preovolos will continue to provide experienced leadership to the Board in her new role as Chair and look forward to benefiting from Samina Tajwar’s knowledge and expertise in the role of Vice-Chair,” said JIBC President and CEO Dr. Michel Tarko. “As he nears retirement from the Board, we’d like to thank Stephen Gamble for his years of service and wise counsel as a JIBC Governor, most as Chair, which included the challenges of operating during the pandemic.
“They, and all of our Governors, are essential in providing guidance to the Institute as we work towards JIBC’s vision of safer communities and a more just society. We are eager to continue carrying out the priorities and objectives of the 2022-2027 strategic plan with the help of their experienced oversight.”