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.
Tony Markin
Chairperson
Tony is an active resident of Langley and is a frequent user of the regional parks. He enjoys running the trails and going on walks with wife Gail and dog Cleo.
He has a passion for the outdoors, a concern over the environment, and is excited over the restorative work done in the Langley Bog. Tony hopes that local families and visitors will enjoy the North Langley area as much as he and his family did for the past 25 years.
Lisa Borody
Vice-Chairperson
For the past 10 years I've lived in Fort Langley, Walnut Grove area. One of the reasons I love this community is because of the small town feel and great outdoor spaces. I completed a Diploma in Horticulture at Kwantlen University and now work in production. I joined the DRBIPA Board to learn more about the history of this community, while being able to give back.
Terri Van Sleuwen
Secretary
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.
Stephanie Steves
Treasurer
Like many Board Members, Stephanie began as a Park Ambassador, helping with tree planting, building the living retaining walls on Brae Island, and invasive species mapping & removal. A lover of the natural world, volunteering grew a greater appreciation. After completing some training at the University of Fraser Valley in Accounting and Bookkeeping, an opening on the board presented another way to give back and help maintain balance.
Sara Alaica
Director-At-Large
Sara Chairs the Langley Bog Restoration Committee hosted by DRBIPA along with community partners Trinity Western University and Metro Vancouver Regional Parks. She helps fund and manage projects to restore the rare species, hydrology, and unique ecosystem of Langley Bog. Sara researched Langley Bog as part of her graduate work in Ecological Restoration from SFU, studying Langley Bog and implementing restoration treatments: reintroducing mosses, and tracking water levels. She is a passionate conversationist and advocate for natural areas.
Joakim Nilsson
Director-At-Large
Joakim Chairs our Special Events Committee, leading our efforts to host two big annual community events, Heritage & Apple Day in October and The Bedford Channel Paddle in July.
He 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 wants to promote greater awareness and use of regional parks. As a cyclist and a dog owner, he's interested in promoting respectful shared use of trails.
Joan Martin
Director-At-Large
More to come...
Lisa Dreves
Ex-Officio
Langley Environmental Partners Society (LEPS) is a long-standing member of the DRBIPA board of directors and they are 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.
Roxci Bevis
Program & Volunteer Coordinator
Roxci is a community engagement specialist and a tireless advocate for environmental and social justice in our society, supporting nonprofits locally, provincially, and nationally. Roxci is a forever-learner, her certificate studies spanning over a decade include business administration, human resources, project management, volunteer management, media journalism, and greening the economy. Roxci has been a part of the DRBIPA team since 2018. She loves working with the team to propel our mission forward, supporting community involvement and volunteer engagement in our parks.