Our People

Frank Chong

Frank Chong was appointed as Chair of the Brightside Community Homes Foundation in March 2022. 

Currently, Frank Chong is the Senior Vice-President, Risk and Finance, at Stabilization Central Credit Union. In his current role, Frank works closely with credit unions on issues pertaining to mergers and acquisitions, risk management, governance, strategy, and regulatory compliance. Frank also leads a team at Stabilization Central that administers a specialized self-insurance program that provides fidelity bonds and cyber-crime coverage.   

Frank also held senior executive and advisory roles at the BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA) including Vice-President and Deputy Superintendent, Regulation. Frank played an instrumental role during the early creation and transition to the BCFSA when he served as the Interim CEO, Credit Union Deposit Insurance Corporation and Superintendent of Financial Institutions, with the Financial Institutions Commission (predecessor to BCFSA) between 2016 and 2019. During his time as a financial services regulator, he managed various financial institutions’ regulation and supervision teams. Frank was accountable for statutory approvals, policy initiatives, risk surveillance, regulatory reporting, supervisory support, and deposit insurance operations. Frank also served as the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators.  

During the earlier part of his career, Frank held finance and management roles at Prospera Credit Union as well as a chartered bank and an insurance brokerage. At Prospera, Frank was a Financial Controller and worked on several corporate acquisition and divestiture transactions. Despite the twenty years of experience in the financial sector, Frank is most fond of his time as a branch teller where he gained his first positive experiences working with people.

In addition to Brightside, Frank participates actively in the local community. Frank is currently the Finance Chair and a Governance Committee member with the Vancouver Police Board. Frank also teaches part-time with Langara College (Real Estate Program) and with the Insurance Institute of Canada (Business of Insurance).  

Frank holds a Master of Business Administration and a Chartered Insurance Professional designation.

Aran Clarke

Aran Clarke is Vice President, People Experience at Concert Properties. She is a seasoned human resources professional with deep experience with change management and transformation projects and initiatives. Her passion is people and supporting leaders and organizations to align their people related strategies with future organizational goals.

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Post Diploma in Human Resources. In 2018, Aran completed the Leadership Academy, a program sponsored by the Global Alliance for Banking on Values and curated and taught by MIT.

Aran has had the great fortune to work with several different organizations and industries over the past 15 years ranging from aviation to banking and now real estate. Aran currently leads the People Experience department at Concert Properties Ltd.

She is mother to two talented elementary school aged daughters and on weekends she can be found reading a good book, running or ferrying the girls to their various pursuits.

Willa Choy

Willa is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a Chartered Director who believes that everyone has the potential to be their personal best when they are well supported and are given opportunities to grow. 

She is a seasoned audit professional with over 25 years auditing experience and is a regular advisor to both Management and the Board of Directors on risk, compliance, operational improvements and corporate governance.   

Willa is currently the Director of Internal Audit at Technical Safety BC and is honoured to serve on the Board of Directors for Brightside Community Homes Foundation as their Secretary/Treasurer. 

Willa holds a Bachelor Arts degree in Economics and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Human Resources Management, along with multiple professional designations.  She was the 2012 recipient of the Top Talent Award for demonstrated strategic leadership and academic performance in the Certified Management Accountant Executive Program. 

Jai Djwa

Jai Djwa BA, MFA, is the founder and principal of the digital agency Agentic Communications Inc.  Jai is a creative technologist and strategist with more than 25 years of experience. Jai’s credentials offer a unique blend of technologist and facilitator as he is an accomplished presenter and knowledgeable speaker on technology as well as an award-winning digital strategist and user experience expert. He teaches at Capilano’s IDEA School of Design and at Emily Carr University. 

Jai has worked extensively with legal aid organizations, such as the Law Foundation, Legal Aid BC, People’s Law School, Community Legal Assistance Society, Community Legal Education Ontario and many other organizations. Jai has also deep experience working in collaboration with Indigenous organizations in BC. As well, Jai has roots in the arts community where he continues to consult around digital transformation. Jai also is an active volunteer in many local charities and non-profits, such as the Vancouver Fringe, MOSAIC and more.  

Judy Husen

Judy Husen is Principal at Copperhouse Developments, a BC based Real estate development practice dedicated to creating social impact through building quality homes and curated places. Most recently, Judy was the lead manager of development at Western Canadian Properties Group. She has a background in design and management of complex high-rise residential, mixed use, and commercial projects at Westbank Corp. Judy is also the co-founder of BC Placemakers Association (BCPA), a for-impact organization that focuses on research, design, management and construction of urban public spaces. Judy is a registered Architect at the AIBC and has over 8 years of international experience in architectural mixed-use design in Vancouver, Tokyo, and Beirut.

Jean Luc Kalambayi

Jean Luc Kalambayi is a dynamic and motivated problem solver with five years’ experience creating, maintaining, and improving business-to-business and business-to-client relationships in e-commerce and international trade contexts. He currently works as a Project Coordinator in Construction Management with MAKE Projects Ltd, with a project portfolio spanning multi-phased healthcare, commercial, recreation, and education projects across BC.

Originally from Democratic Republic of Congo, Jean Luc holds a Master of Technology in Business Administration, a Bachelor of Technology in Project Management, and a National Diploma of Management. He is a gifted connector: fluent in English, French, and three African languages, Jean Luc has a passion for creating meaningful intercultural collaborations that contribute to a more equitable world.

Prior to relocating to Canada in 2021 and joining the board of Brightside Community Homes Foundation in 2023, Jean Luc actively volunteered in leadership roles with organizations in South Africa and DR Congo, providing services to low-income or at-risk communities. These included Save the Children’s Community Child Protection Network, the Google Student Ambassador program, TechZone, and AIESEC. He is also a Fellow alumnus of the Hive Global Leaders Program, a network for purpose-driven entrepreneurs, leaders, and innovators to create a lasting positive impact.

Jean Luc currently resides in Vancouver – on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

Clint Kuzio

Clinton Kuzio is Cree and a member of Fisher River Cree Nation (he reminds us that band membership is not equal to ethnicity, hence the mention of both). He grew up in Cranberry Portage where his parents, Vangie and Cliff, taught him how to hunt, fish and trap as a child and also gave him a curiosity about settlers, teaching him how to borrow from settler culture without becoming assimilated. This led to becoming a teacher and lawyer, working primarily in colonial institutions and learning how settler-colonial society and whiteness needs to be navigated cautiously. Clint has a passion for justice and anti-racism, and works towards these in his committee work with the BC Human Rights Tribunal, his job as Director of Indigenous Relations & Program Development with the Victoria Cool Aid Society, and in facilitating anti-racism workshops in his free time. Prior to joining the Victoria Cool Aid Society Clint worked at the University of Victoria as Community Engagement Manager with the team at the First Peoples House, and is a former Director of Indigenous Health Governance with the BC Ministry of Health.

Mark Lester

Mark Lester is a 32-year veteran of the commercial real estate business having first started with Colliers International in 1991.  Mark has a diverse business practice which includes a broad spectrum of unique real estate assets throughout British Columbia, Ontario and other parts of Canada such as multifamily development sites, resorts, ranches, forestry lands, private islands and other specialized assets. Mark has a long track record in the sale of all types of development properties in Metro Vancouver and across western Canada and is the founder and leader of the Unique Properties Marketing Group at Colliers International in Vancouver.

As a former city planner and real estate consultant, Mark brings a hands-on understanding of the development market and approval processes in the City and how these forces can impact Brightside’s comprehensive portfolio and strategic plan. Mark has a bachelor degree in Geography from the University of British Columbia and a Masters in Environmental Studies (Urban Planning) from York University.  Mark was elected to the Brightside Board as a Director in 2017 after previously volunteering on multiple task force committees.

Atiya Mahmood

Dr. Atiya Mahmood is an Associate Professor at the Department of Gerontology at Simon Fraser University. She has a PhD in Architecture/Environment-Behaviour Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her training is in environmental gerontology and her research focuses on health and built environments for older adults with a specific interest in neighbourhood environments, mobility/walkability, active living and pro-social behaviour/social engagement of diverse groups of older adults in community-based and supportive housing. She has over two decades experience in qualitative and mixed methods research in the areas of environment-behaviour studies and aging and built environment.

Dr. Mahmood has served on the Boards of Environment Design Research Association (EDRA) and Housing Education Research Association (HERA). She is also on the editorial board of the Journal of Aging and Environment. Her research interests are in health and the built environment with a focus on aging in the ‘right’ place, housing for older adults, seniors’ housing insecurity and homelessness, neighbourhood urban design, mobility and participation of older adults and person’s with disability.  She is an Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation Fellow in the Experienced Researcher Category.  She has been PI and  co-I on several grants related to aging, mobility, social participation, socio-spatial environment and health.  Funders include Social Science and Humanities Research Council, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Vancouver Foundation, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC), CapitalCare Foundation and Coalition of Health Environments Research (CHER). Her current funded projects include: Towards Barrier-Free Communities: A Partnership for Improving Mobility, Access and Participation (MAP) Among People with Disabilities (2020-2027) – Funding Agency- SSHRC;  Aging in the Right Place: Building Capacity for Promising Practices that Support Older People Experiencing Homelessness in Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver. (2020-2025) Funding Agency: CMHC-SSHRC.

Darren Sauer

Darren Sauer is a leader in the construction management and property development industry, with over 15 years of experience in this dynamic and challenging area. As the Director of Development with Wales McLelland Construction focused on business development and preconstruction, he strives to understand clients’ and stakeholders’ needs and objectives, leading and driving projects forward.

Darren has always recognized the construction and development industry is more about building relationships and trust, than it is about bricks and mortar and brings these values to Brightside. He also brings expertise of all facets of development, gained through working on large scale, multi-year, complex rezoning and subdivision projects at one of western Canada’s largest private developers.

A recent graduate of the Executive MBA program from Simon Fraser University, Darren holds a PMP designation as well as a Bachelor’s Degree with Honours from BCIT.

Kim Stacey

Originally from the U.K. Kim has worked in the non-profit housing sector in Vancouver since 1995. She has held several management roles, notably the Housing Coordinator, Kiwassa Housing Society, and Director, Supported Housing for Vancouver Native Housing Society. From 2010 to 2022, Kim was the Executive Director for McLaren Housing Society, Canada’s oldest HIV/AIDS housing provider. Kim led the agency’s extensive expansion and growth, more than doubling  programs, staffing, and support programs. Creating a housing continuum model ranging from directly managed low income, supported housing and portable subsidies, while managing an operational budget of over $4mm, Kim has worked with a broad range of community partners and government funders.

Kim has extensive experience as a non-profit board member and for the last 8 years served on the PAN Board (Pacific AIDS Network), the provincial voice for HIV/AIDS community agencies holding the office of Treasurer.

As a queer woman using the pronoun she/her, Kim has built connections within the 2SLGBTQAI+ community and for many years organized and led the Pride Parade float for McLaren Housing Society.

Excited to contribute to the Board at Brightside, Kim is currently looking for new opportunities to work in the non-profit housing sector and is finishing courses to become a personal fitness trainer with a focus on working with the 2SLGBTQAI+ community and elders.

William Azaroff

William Azaroff is Brightside’s CEO. He ensures operations are resilient, properties are well maintained, residents and staff are happy and healthy, and that we achieve the organization’s goal of doubling the number of affordable homes Brightside provides over the next decade. Prior to joining the Brightside team, William was a long-time executive at Vancity. William is also on the board of the BC Non-Profit Housing Association and is former chair of Modo, a car-sharing co-operative and the Vancity Community Foundation.

Sherri Crane

Sherri is Brightside’s Manager of Housing Services & Engagement. For over 25 years Sherri has worked in the not-for-profit social service sector, primarily focused on leading outreach programs that promote and support adults to live independently. At Brightside, Sherri’s was pivotal in the development of Brightside’s Community Engagement strategy, which includes actively working with community social service organizations and post-secondary research partners to provide and develop programs that serve Brightside residents, promoting social engagement and mutual support. Sherri’s team focuses on community development, resident engagement, and tenancy.

Shannon Davidson

Shannon Davidson is Brightside’s Director of Property Services. He is most often found on-site at Brightside’s various properties, coordinating the efforts of the maintenance team, various contractors and service providers on suite maintenance and renovations. Shannon brings over 20+ years of construction experience to this demanding role and has raised the bar for Brightside’s quality control standards. Shannon is strongly committed to customer service excellence and maintaining a happy and healthy resident community.

Wesley Everaars

Wesley Everaars is Brightside’s Director of Community Real Estate. He oversees Brightside’s redevelopment projects and provides leadership in asset management and procurement. Wesley’s work involves close collaboration with community groups, partner organizations, and government funders to optimize organizational goals. He has over 25 years of experience in the non-profit sector with 10 years of social housing development expertise. Wesley’s past experience has involved overseas work in Human Rights organizations and in educational settings, and he has completed a Masters of Education in Organizational Leadership. He believes in a fair and compassionate society where everyone has equal access to housing and community supports.

Liam Griffin

Liam is Brightside’s Manager of Communications & Partnerships. Steward of the Brightside narrative, Liam is the organization’s storyteller in chief, conveying stories of impact and change to increase public awareness and focus Brightside’s advocacy for affordable housing. Liam brings extensive knowledge and expertise in the area of public engagement and digital communications. Working with other values-aligned organizations, Liam leads the pursuit of supportive partnerships that aim to foster resilient communities and bolster Brightside’s capacity to provide affordable housing. Driven by his passion for equity, community, and inclusion, Liam also serves as a volunteer Board member with the Lesya Ukrainka Housing Society.

Mary McKay

Mary McKay is Brightside’s Chief Operating Officer. As an innovative and influential people-manager with an innate ability to build meaningful relationships, Mary oversees the people, housing, and administrative operations at Brightside. With a keen eye for optimizing strategic operations and outcomes, Mary is committed to team collaboration and service excellence. In this role, Mary brings 20+ years of experience in people & culture, change management, administration, policy development, and service improvement models. Mary has worked in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors, and is most passionate about building connections and working with mission-driven organizations.

Omar Sharif

Omar Sharif is Brightside’s Director of Finance, overseeing the accounting department. Omar has over 13 years of accounting experience, with 10 of those years focused on property management at a management level. Omar has CGA and CPA designations, and experience assisting various departments with strategic business operations

Thomas Trudell

Thomas is Brightside’s Manager of People & Administrative Operations. Thomas leads the administration team, responsible for employee experience and supporting staff by meeting needs around technology, data handling and records, and the physical office environment. A champion of privacy and cyber security, Thomas also values sourcing locally, with a deeply rooted concern for the environment. Thomas is passionate about inclusivity, equity, and dignity in the workplace. Thomas holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Simon Fraser University, has been a life-long computer enthusiast working in support roles with telecommunications, and has a diverse professional background that includes automotive, restaurant, retail, and other work experience. Thomas is a video gamer, eater of plants, and enjoyer of the outdoors (and a good hammock).