Board of Directors

Jody is originally from Princeton, New Jersey in the USA.  She was inspired by a classmate in grade 3 to become a plastic surgeon and held onto that goal until its realization. As a child she studied flute paying at the Julliard Precollege and then went to Yale University where she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in biology and a Master’s degree in music (flute) performance (Yale School of Music) and met her future husband.   She obtained her Medical Doctorate degree at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was a Howard Hughes Fellow at the Surgical Branch of the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda Maryland. She trained in Boston, Massachusetts in both General Surgery (Beth Israel Hospital, Harvard University) and then in Plastic Surgery (Harvard combined program, Beth Israel /New England Deaconess Hospitals. She retired from clinical practice when she immigrated with her family to Quadra Island in 2015. Jody and her husband, Blake, married in their first year of residency. Blake became a spine surgeon and has been a researcher and inventor in the field of minimally invasive spine surgery. He retired in 2017. Their three wonderful children are scattered across the globe each working to make the word a better place.

Jody is still an avid musician and is a fibre artist. She participates in the Island Voices Chamber Choir and Quadra Singers. As a fibre artist, she has made costumes and costume-props for Theatre Quadra and treasures her amazingly talented friends with whom she dyes fibre, spins, knits, and weaves. Learning something new every day from these wonderful people and opportunities is a tremendous gift! Quadra Island Foundation has allowed Jody to contribute to our precious community in new ways. She is Chair on the Board, acts as Privacy Officer and the QIF website maintenance point-of-contact.

Marc and his wife Jennifer run a regenerative, mixed farm on Quadra Island called Foot Forward Forest Farm. There, you will find a wide variety of plants and animals growing and working together to provide for their family and their community.

Marc has a passion for community. He has a decades long history of community building and community development having served on or led numerous volunteer boards and organizations. In 2013 his dedication to community was acknowledged by the Mayor of Calgary when he was awarded the Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal for Community Service.

Currently Marc serves not only as the Vice-President of the Quadra Island Foundation but as a director on both the Rural Islands Economic Partnership Board and the Quadra Island Recreation Society. His firm belief that only strong communities will be able to thrive in the uncertain times ahead motivates him and his volunteer efforts.

Bio coming soon…

With a degree in physical education and recreation management, I began my working life organizing sports and fitness programs for the City of Winnipeg. This quickly evolved from the playground to the big office, and eventually, as Superintendent for Sports and Fitness, I was responsible for planning, staffing and finance for many facilities, and quickly became fascinated by the world of budgets and accountability. I then spent a few years in Alberta as a Community Recreation Consultant, tasked with organizational development and board training for community volunteers. This was followed by a few years in northern Ontario, assisting remote communities develop management plans for sports and recreation facilities, to be funded through the Wintario Lottery programs. In the early 90’s I met my partner and moved to the mountain town of Golden, BC, where together we operated a wilderness tourism destination business. Putting my Recreation degree to good use, I did everything from cooking to cleaning toilets, loading helicopters, developing advertising, and attending travel trade shows, as well as serving as the CFO for a business that always managed to get by through careful penny pinching. When we finally burnt out from 24/7 small business management, we sold, and I hung out a shingle to do bookkeeping for other small business and non-for-profit clients. Throughout my working life, I have volunteered for many boards, notably several arts councils and sports groups, as well as environmental organizations such as Nature Manitoba and Wildsight in the Kootenays. My most valuable experience in granting and strategic planning came from many years as Chair of the Environment Advisory Committee for the Columbia Basin Trust. We moved to Quadra Island in 2015 and I had promised myself I would not join any boards in my retirement, but I truly believe in small community foundations and am proud that Quadra Island has one.

Karen has been enjoying all of the outdoor activities that Quadra has to offer since first visiting in 2003. As soon as they stepped foot on the island Fred and Karen knew they had found a little piece of paradise, purchasing property in 2004 and building their vacation get-away and then retirement home over the next 15 yrs (with the support of Quadrate Ventures). After finally being able to retire full time to the island in 2021, Karen has been volunteering with the Quadra Island and SRD Emergency Management Programs.

Karen has spent 35+ years working to build strong and resilient individuals, organizations and communities. As a systems thinker, she is always looking for the synergies and possibilities that emerge through collaborations, innovation and bold thinking. She holds a Bachelor degree in Psychology and a Masters in Adult and Higher Education from the University of Alberta, and a Masters Certificate in Municipal Leadership from York University. She is also trained in strategic design planning and future-focused thinking, leadership development, organizational evaluation, community development, and conflict resolution. Over her career, Karen has worked as a strategic leader and consultant for not-for-profit organizations and municipal, provincial and First Nation governments.

Karen and Fred have three adult children who reside in BC, AB and ON. She is looking forward to working with the QIF and continuing to build a resilient and thriving community for generations to come.

Mitsuru “Mich” Hirano moved to Quadra Island in 1979, attracted by a challenging job, the island’s rugged natural beauty and pioneering spirit. Mich met the love of his life, Juaneva Smith, on Quadra and they married soon thereafter. Mich has been involved in Quadra’s community affairs for many years serving as School Trustee representing the Quadra, Cortes and Read island communities’ for 6 years and as Chair of the School Board for 3 of those years. Mich was also involved in Quadra Recreation’s Community Center Building Committee and helped in the development of the tennis courts at Blenkin Memorial Park. Mich and Juaneva were away from Quadra for 15 years, seeking warmer weather and career opportunities, but returned to live in retirement on Quadra in 2015.

Mich has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Simon Fraser University and a Master of Environmental Studies Degree from York University. Mich has a background in business, land use planning, and specializing in community economic development. Mich has working experience in Canada and the United States advising senior government officials, business leaders, First Nation governments, native Hawaiian and cultural organizations on matters related to land use planning, permitting and economic development. Past memberships include: Canadian Institute of Planners, Planning Institute of BC, American Institute of Certified Planners, and American Planning Association.

Mich is glad to be part of Quadra Island Foundation because it’s a way to give back to the community