Dan Williams- President

Dan is a full-time mediator with a private practice based in Kamloops. He also has 30 years business experience including senior management positions in Sales and Marketing with TELUS prior to becoming a full time mediator in 2003. He continues to work in the Provincial Court Small Claims registries and is a member of Mediate BC. Dan is an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – Accredited Mediator. Specializing in Construction/ Trade dispute resolution, Dan’s practice includes cases involving insurance, employment, condominium by-law, strata, rental, partnership, debtor/creditor and other general civil disputes. More information about Dan and his practice can be found at his website. Specializing in Construction/ Trade dispute resolution, Dan’s practice includes cases involving insurance, employment, condominium by-law, strata, rental, partnership, debtor/creditor and other general civil disputes. More information about Dan and his practice can be found at his website.

Sarah Swan - Vice President

Sarah is a J.S.D. candidate at Columbia University. She received a J.D. from the University of British Columbia in 2004, and an LL.M. from Columbia University in 2010. Sarah served as a judicial law clerk for the British Columbia Supreme Court, and practiced as an associate at a leading Vancouver litigation firm.

While at law school, Sarah was a Research Assistant for the Program on Dispute Resolution. She worked on a wide variety of projects, including research at the BC Human Rights Commission and curriculum development in dispute resolution. Sarah also completed the clinical mediation program at the law school and was a member of the very successful moot team from UBC that competed in the Willem C. Vis Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna in 2004. Sarah competed in the CoRe Challenge 2006, a Survivor-style fundraiser which took place on a private island in the Strait of Georgia.

Hayley Laker- Treasurer

Hayley is a graduate of the University of British Columbia, working as an Associate at Moskowitz & Meredith LLP in affiliation with the International Corporate Tax Practice of KPMG in Vancouver. She is a practicing member of the Law Society of British Columbia, as well as a member of the Canadian Tax Foundation and the Canadian Bar Association.

During the course of her law degree, Hayley was actively involved in various forms of dispute resolution from both an academic and a practical standpoint. In particular, Hayley served as Co-Coordinator of the CoRe Clinic for the 2005-2006 term. In addition to her law degree, Hayley holds both an Honors Bachelor of Arts (Economics) and a Master of Arts (Economics) from Simon Fraser University.

Dave Keefe - Secretary

Since 2008, Dave has worked at the University of British Columbia designing fundraising visit programs for UBC's President and Vice President of Development and Alumni Engagement. He obtained his Associate Certificate in Fundraising and Marketing Management from BCIT in 2011. Prior to joining UBC, Dave's career included work in volunteer management, office management, marketing and project management. His volunteer interests also include politics, the environment and a seat on the board of his Toastmasters club.

Sharon Sutherland - Clinic Supervisor

Sharon is Assistant Professor at UBC Faculty of Law and Clinic Supervisor for CoRe. She teaches primarily in the field of dispute resolution and supervises the Faculty’s Externship program. Sharon also practices as a professional mediator and mediation consultant. She is a member of the BC Mediator Roster (Civil) BC Child Protection Mediation Roster and the Canadian Human Rights Commission’s Roster of ADR Practitioners with experience in Aboriginal communities. Sharon mentors mediators in Child Protection, Small Claims and CoRe mediations, and is the mediation trainer for the Society of Notaries Public.

Sharon has a background in mediation practicum design and management. In addition to running the clinical mediation program at UBC Faculty of Law, she has been Manager of Development for Mediate BC's the Child Protection Mediation Practicum Project and was Co-Project Manager of the BC Small Claims Court Mediation Practicum from 1998-2003. Sharon was the 2011 recipient of Mediate BC’s Susanna Jani Prize for Excellence in Mediation.

Sharon's research interests include law and popular culture and the intersection of law and theatre. She received her LL.M. in Alternative Dispute Resolution from Osgoode Law School in 1997, her M.A. in Drama and Theatre Studies from the University of London, and has completed all work but her thesis towards a Ph.D. in Drama from the University of Toronto. She is editor-in-chief of Masks: the online journal of law and theatre.

Carrie Gallant - Past President

Carrie has been a mediator and trainer since 1990, and is a member of the BC Mediator Roster (Civil). She is President of Gallant Solutions Inc., a consulting firm specializing in leadership coaching and conflict management services; including mediation, negotiation consulting, coaching and training. Carrie is an accredited negotiation consultant with ENS International, a global consulting network specialized in negotiation strategy and training, through which she has worked with many large corporations and public sector organizations throughout North America and New Zealand. An adjunct professor at UBC Faculty of Law from 2002-2012, Carrie taught Negotiation and Mediation Advocacy to upper year law students.
 
Carrie has been actively involved in leadership and volunteer roles in the mediation communities in Vancouver, Toronto and Windsor, Ontario. As a volunteer, Carrie previously served as Treasurer of CoRe Conflict Resolution Society; Treasurer of the BC Dispute Resolution Practicum Society; co-creator and coordinator of the 2003 Dispute Resolution Symposium; board member of the Windsor Essex Restorative Justice Society; speaker coordinator of the Dispute Resolution Forum within the Ontario government; and speaker for the Ontario Society of Adjudicators and Regulators. Carrie¹s previous leadership roles include Director of the Centre for Conflict Resolution at the Justice Institute of BC; Program Manager for the BC Dispute Resolution Practicum Society; Director of the University of Windsor Mediation Service; and Chief Legal Counsel to the Ontario Pay Equity Commission.

Fazal Bhimji - Member at Large

After 18 years experience in workplace and labour matters, Fazal has embraced mediation as the preferred way to resolve these issues in a meaningful and lasting way. Fazal’s practice involves mediation, negotiation, investigation and arbitration. Fazal is on the arbitration roster for the Better Business Bureau. As well, he a Member of the Civil Roster of Mediate BC. He has mediated disputes in Small Claims Court and also for several Federal Government Departments.  Recently Fazal has been sought as a speaker on conflict resolution from a cultural and religious perspective.