Meet The Team
Derby Reach Brae Island Parks Association is a nonprofit society governed by park association membership and our volunteer Board of Directors.
If you are interested in a leadership role supporting our mission to foster stewardship of the land and education within the parks, please get in touch with us.
Joakim Nilsson
Chairperson
Joakim teaches English at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. He has been a Board member since 2014. He lives in Bedford Landing and frequently runs, cycles, and walks on Brae Island and the Fort-to-Fort Trail.
He enjoys promoting greater awareness and use of regional parks. As a cyclist and a dog owner, he's interested in promoting respectful shared use of trails.
Oliver Cook
Vice-Chairperson
Oliver Cook Studies at Kwantlen Polytechnic University and will graduate with a Bachelor’s of Horticulture Science, Majoring in Urban Ecosystems and Minoring in Plant Health. Oliver has a passion for nature and conservation. Oliver has lived in Fort Langley for two years and enjoys walking through Derby Reach and Brae Island Regional Parks. Oliver is a co-chair of the ecosystem enhancement committee, where he aims to develop his leadership skills while supporting his local community through environmental stewardship initiatives and education events.
Angie Rai
Secretary
Angie is a dedicated individual with a strong passion for community service and environmental sustainability. Outside of school, she volunteers with various organizations and is actively involved in the Adopt-A-Street program, where she takes the initiative to help maintain clean streets and contribute to environmental care. Angie enjoys spending time outdoors, either by the water or exploring nature trails. By joining the board, she hopes to deepen her involvement in environmental efforts, build valuable connections, and develop new skills.
Laurel Chiarizia
Treasurer
Laurel is a long-time resident of Langley City. Her professional background is business administration, finance, payroll, and human resources.
She grows a vegetable garden, cultivates various herbs, and flowers attracting bees
and hummingbirds to her yard. Her bird feeders attract a wide variety of species from finches to jays, to woodpeckers and a family of “resident” crows. With a deep-seated love for the natural world, she enjoys daily walks with her dog
Benson, strolls along the Fraser River or forest bathing along the trails at Derby Reach Park.
Terri Van Sleuwen
Director-At-Large
Terri lives in Walnut Grove and regularly enjoys walking, with her dog Rosie, on the Fort-to-Fort Trail. She appreciates having access to these beautiful parks and wants to help preserve them so that all of us can enjoy them for many years to come. Terri is a CPA and recently retired from a long career in the B.C. public service who brings strong leadership, financial, and strategic planning experience to the Board.
Lisa Dreves
Director-At-Large
Langley Environmental Partners Society (LEPS) is a long-standing member of the DRBIPA board of directors and they are currently represented by Lisa Dreves. Lisa enjoys dragging her boys for long walks along all the different trails in Derby Reach and Brae Island while taking notes about invasive species and potential planting sites. She has most enjoyed her involvement in the wattle wall plantings along Brae Island with students at BCIT and KPU.
Kunle Adeleye
Director-At-Large
Kunle is a registered professional engineer in the province of BC. He lives in Langley with his family, and they regularly enjoy the outdoors through participation at the various Metro Vancouver Parks events across the lower mainland. One of their favourite parks in Langley is Campbell Valley.
Kunle is also an aspiring runner, having completed several half-marathons, he is now training for a full marathon on the many running trails in Langley. Over the years, Kunle and his family have also volunteered with DRBIPA in planting trees at Derby Reach and bog cleaning at Brae Island. He is keenly interested in contributing to the environmental stewardship efforts of organizations making a positive impact in our communities.
.jpeg)
Angel Fisher
Director-At-Large
Angel Fisher has spent 20 years working with Indigenous non-profit organizations across British Columbia. She currently serves as the Director of Conservation for the BC Métis Federation, where she leads projects focused on protecting ecosystems, strengthening community stewardship, and supporting sustainable environmental practices.
​
Angel also contributes to national environmental initiatives as a Board Director with CaNOE (Canadian Network for Ocean Education), where she participates on the Education and Outreach Working Group, helping advance ocean literacy and environmental awareness across Canada. In addition, she serves on the Steering Committee for CAMPAC (Canadian Marine Plastics Action & Collaboration), a collaborative initiative focused on reducing marine plastics and supporting sustainable solutions.
​
Angel is passionate about protecting natural spaces, strengthening connections between communities and the land and water, and supporting collaborative approaches to conservation.
Marin Phillips-Hing
Program & Volunteer Coordinator
Marin has a background in conservation, event planning and community engagement. She has recently graduated from UBC with a degree in Natural Resources Conservation and is passionate about making environmental information accessible through engaging stewardship events with DRBIPA.
In her free time, Marin enjoys photography, knitting, and walking or biking through the trails of Derby Reach and Brae Island. She has lived in the area since 2013 and is excited about the opportunity to inspire her local community to get out in nature and help conserve these two beautiful regional parks.
Please contact Marin to get involved with our volunteer conservation program or guided nature walk series.