IDHHC Board Member Nominees

Following the procedures as outlined in the IDHHC Bylaws, five people have been nominated for election at the Annual General Meeting of IDHHC. The AGM will be held on June 27th at 6:00 pm at the IDHHC (new) Victoria office: #130, 1555 McKenzie Avenue. We are pleased to introduce each of the candidates to you in the videos below.

NOTE: All videos are captioned, click on CC to view captions.


Hello. My name is Michael Hayes and I am very pleased to be standing for another term as a Director of the Board at IDHHC. I have been on the Board for eight years, serving two terms as President. I have a bi-lateral loss. As someone who has struggled with hearing loss at work and in personal settings, I have come to appreciate the support and services that IDHHC provides to individuals and families. I am a retired school teacher and vice-principal and also worked privately as a business coach / consultant and mediator. I have been a community activist all of my adult life and I look forward to using some of this experience to help improve opportunities for Deaf and hard of hearing individuals. I look forward to working with the other Directors, staff, membership and the community to increase access for all Deaf and hard of hearing on Vancouver Island.


Hello. My name is Suzanne Lang and I feel very privileged to have been appointed as one of the newest members to the Board at IDHHC. After 23 years in administration with the BC Government I took early retirement and worked for 5½ years as a pre-board screening officer at Victoria International Airport until officially retiring. I have volunteered with Greater Victoria Victim Services (both Victoria City Police and Sidney/North Saanich RCMP); Victoria Hospice at Royal Jubilee Hospital and the Saanich Peninsula Palliative Care Unit, and I am currently a volunteer medical driver with Beacon Community Services. In 1986 I developed tinnitus, and the start of a gradual hearing loss that became more progressive. Five years later I began wearing hearing aids. My audiologist recognized how passionate I’ve become about accessibility awareness for the deaf and hard of hearing community and encouraged me to seek a position on the Board of IDHHC … so here I am. I am delighted and eager to be working with the Board and staff to generate widespread recognition of the challenges in everyday life for Deaf and hard of hearing individuals in our community.


Hello, I’m Anne Minnings and I’m standing for election for my first term as a Director for the Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre. I am a Chartered Professional Accountant, and hold a degree in History and a diploma in business administration. I am retiring in June from a 25 year career with the Province of BC. My last position was with the Ministry of Children and Family Development where I was fortunate to have a colleague who was profoundly deaf. She is a strong advocate who works hard to foster understanding and inclusion and I learned a great deal from her about the obstacles she faces in a hearing world. I was also able to research human rights legislation and provincial standards to ensure I had a good understanding of my obligations as an employer and her rights as an employee. I have extensive skills and experience with strategic planning, financial and risk management, budgeting and controls as well as organizational and human resource management. I look forward to contributing to the advancement of IDHHC’s goals and I look forward to working with and learning from the other board members, staff, membership and the community.


Hello Everyone! My name is Cheryl Pardue and I have been a member of the Board of Directors at IDHHC since September 2017. I have enjoyed it very much. I have 18 years experience as a Psychiatric Nurse with persons with disabilities and 22 years experience working for the Provincial Government. I have volunteered on the Board of Directors for the Washington Co-op and have learned a lot about living in that community by being involved on several Committees. I have been living with bi-lateral hearing aids since 2006 and am so grateful for them. As I lose more hearing along the way, I am trying to adjust and learn how to deal with losing conversation with others. I want to develop ideas and communication support to deal with the challenges I will face in the future. I am very happy to be working with the Board and staff and community to enhance all of the work that is done to help others in the Deaf and hard of hearing community. I look forward to continued learning and supporting the agency. Thank you.


Hello, my name is Southard Quint and I have been on the IDHHC Board of Directors since March of this year. During these past three months I have gained valuable knowledge about this non-profit society and the amazing work it does. I am a retired teacher and during my career I’ve had a wealth of experience working with individuals on many levels. It is through my loss of hearing that I became interested in IDHHC, what it does and how it helps make lives better. I look forward to working with the staff and the community and to adding a voice to the decision making process on the Board of Directors.


For your information, there are four other people who were elected to the Board at last year’s 2017 Annual General Meeting. These four are now in the second year of their two-year terms and do not need to be re-elected this year.


Hello my name is Mark Dunn, I’ve been involved with the Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre Board of Directors for the last 3 years. My role is as the liaison between the Deaf community and IDHHC. I am also involved as the Treasurer for the Southern Vancouver Island Association of the Deaf for the past 5 years. I’ve been President for the Canadian Deaf Hockey Federation. I am also administrator for the BC Deaf Scholarship Trust. I am here to continue Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre’s success and to improve access for the Deaf community. Thank you so much.


Hello, my name is Robert Lemmon and I am the Treasurer and a standing member of the 2018-2019 Board of Directors, completing the second year of a two-year term. I have 40 plus years of experience as a Chartered Accountant and 15 years as an officer, director and committee member of Non-Governmental Organizations in the fields of health care, the arts and recreation. In the fall of 2016, I was invited to join the board because of my experience as a chartered accountant in areas of non-governmental organizations to fill the role of the outgoing Treasurer. Thank you.


Hello my name is Daniel Pagan. I have been involved with the Board of Directors for one year. I look forward to continuing for one more year. I was born in Oman and moved to a few different countries before finally immigrating to Canada. I recently graduated from law school and now I work for the Government of BC as a public servant. I look forward to the future where I get to help the Board of Directors continue their success and improve access for the Deaf and hard of hearing community in Victoria. Thank you!


Hello – I am Helen Parker. I am entering my 2nd year as a member of the Board. I have worked with Deaf and hard of hearing people for almost 40 years. In England I was a social worker and interpreter working for not-for profit and local authority. From 1977-1980 I had the privilege of working with the British Deaf Association, Professor Madsen from Gallaudet University and the Deaf community. We were working on establishing assessment tools for the establishment of a British registry of interpreters for the Deaf. In 1980, our family relocated to Canada and I took a position as a Rehabilitation/ Employment Counsellor with the WIDHH. I was also the agency liaison with the CNIB and CDBRA where we worked with deaf blind children and adults. We moved to Victoria in 1998 and I worked as a claims advisor with VIHA until I retired. I look forward to continuing my work with the Board, staff and community. Thank you!

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