Board of Directors

As First West Credit Union’s Chief Credit Officer, Shelley Besse is responsible for credit policy, adjudication and recovery. She provides senior leadership oversight to all lines of business, including retail and commercial lending, and loan syndication and securitization.

Shelley is a highly respected leader with extensive knowledge and experience in the financial services industry. Since joining Envision Financial in 1984, Shelley has held a number of increasingly senior leadership roles including branch manager, Assistant Vice-President of Marketing and Communications, Vice-President of Branch Operations, Vice-President of Sales and Service and Vice-President of Risk Management and Operations. She was appointed to lead First West’s merger transition in 2009 and successfully delivered against a three-year strategy to create a high-performing operations team within First West’s new operating model.

Following this role, Shelley was appointed Senior Vice-President of Operations, Sales and Member experience and focused on providing employees with operations support and for developing and implementing an enterprise-wide continuous improvement strategy known as Lean. In 2012, Shelley became president of Envision Financial. Four years later in 2016, Shelley was appointed chief operating officer of First West where she was responsible for leading First West’s regional operations, encompassing retail, business and commercial banking, wealth management, general insurance, and operations for all of First West’s local market brands.

In 2012, Shelley received international recognition for her leadership and business acumen when she was awarded a Silver Stevie Award in the category of Female Executive of the Year – Consumer Services and a Bronze Stevie Award in the category of Female Executive of the Year in Canada. In 2024, she was recognized as one of the 50 Remarkable Alumni by the University of the Fraser Valley Alumni Association.

Shelley holds an MBA from Royal Roads University, a certificate in financial planning, is a graduate of the Stanford Executive Program, specializing in strategy and organizational design and has a Masters Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management from Schulich School of Business. In 2022, she received the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D) designation and in 2024 she received the Competent Boards Sustainability & ESG Designation (GCB.D). Shelley is the past chair for the Surrey Board of Trade and is currently chair of the Canadian Credit Union Association’s board of directors.

Maggie Sinclair is Beem Credit Union’s Chief Growth Officer, where she is responsible for ensuring member and market insights are converted into omni channel member experiences that drive sustained revenue growth, increasing member wallet share and new member acquisition.

She has over 25 years extensive experience in the Financial Services Industry in Canada and Australia as a proactive results driven business leader that has the commercial drive and presence to create and mold operational and sales teams to deliver against stretching business objectives. She combines advanced business practices and strategy to integrate focused programs that will increase revenue, enhance member advice delivery, improve internal processes, and align operations to corporate goals. Describe to have a passion to make the ‘difficult seem simple’.

Maggie’s hands on experience is complemented by numerous academic accomplishments. She holds an Masters of Business (MBA) degree from the University of Southern Australia, with an additional distinction in Human Resources, is an alumni of the Queen’s Executive Program and recently completed her ICD.D director designation through Rotman Business School.

Linda Bowyer has been the President & CEO of First Credit Union since February of 2018. Prior to her role at First, Linda worked in senior executive roles in banking & insurance, with a specific focus on member experience, process improvement and change leadership.

Linda considers herself a lifelong learner. She holds a Masters degree in Business Administration from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, earned a Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma, and holds the Rotman’s Institute of Corporate Director’s (ICD.D) designation. Linda is also a passionate Credit Union Development Educator; she has recently achieved her I-CUDE accreditation, and has been a participant and mentor for the program in Canada, the Caribbean and Africa.

Over the past six years, Linda has immersed herself in the Credit Union cooperative system. She is currently Vice Chair of the Board of Stabilization Central Credit Union, a Board Director for the Canadian Credit Union Association (CCUA), and is serving a second term as a CCUA appointee on the World Council of Credit Union’s (WOCCU) Board.

Jodi Chambers is Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer with Cornerstone Credit Union. Jodi started her career in Winnipeg with Assiniboine, where she enjoyed working in many different roles and areas for 20 years. In 2013, she moved to Alberta and worked with Alberta Central and Celero before taking an opportunity to work remotely with Conexus, Cornerstone, Innovation, and Synergy credit unions in Saskatchewan.

Jodi is passionate about continuous learning and making a positive impact on the people around her.  She has a Master in Business Administration from Royal Roads and recently completed a Digital Leadership certification through eCornell. As past Chair of the National Young Leader committee, she was the thought leader that brought seasoned and young leaders together through experiential learning and networking opportunities.  Jodi is an advocate for financial literacy and teaches courses at Momentum, a Calgary organization committed to community economic development through the principles of the sustainable livelihoods model. Internationally, Jodi spent 3 weeks in Africa coaching credit union managers and board members.

Jodi is known for her ability to inspire and motivate others.  She is committed to creating a learning culture through her passion for innovation and strategic thought leadership.  Jodi is often recognized for her dedication to driving positive transformational change and her belief in the benefits that technology and digital transformation can provide.

With over 20 years of leadership experience, Tammy Christopher is Chief Executive Officer of OMISTA Credit Union in New Brunswick. Tammy heads up a dynamic leadership team who develops strategy with the credit union principles of honesty, fairness, and trust top of mind. She is passionate about the evolution of the credit union system and being a trusted partner of financial advice and guidance by members.

Tammy is a well-rounded leader who holds a Charter Professional Accountants (CPA) designation, is a Fellow of the Credit Union Institute of Canada (FCUIC), a graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D), the Credit Union Directors Achievement (CUDA) Program, and who is certified in Change Management through Prosci.  At present, Tammy serves as a Director with Atlantic Central and is a past vice-chair of League Savings and Mortgage.

She lives just up the road from the world-famous Hopewell Rocks with her husband Tim. She is a proud mother to 3 children, Grace, Aidan, and Faith, who are all currently attending post-secondary educational institutions. Tammy is an avid runner and logs many miles on the trails of her favourite location at White Rock Recreational Park.

George has over 30 years of experience in the credit union system and has held various positions. Currently he serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Luminus Financial, a position he has held for almost 20 years. Since taking the position, the credit union’s assets have grown by close to 1,000%.  He also has the distinction of becoming one of the youngest Credit Union CEOs in 2005, whose leadership helped the company receive the prestigious awards and recognitions including:

• Achievement in Marketing Excellence (AIME) Award – 2020
• Toronto Star Reader’s Choice Diamond Winner Award in the category of Professional Services Credit Union – 2019
• Concentra emPOWERING Your Communities Campaign Award in recognition of the organization’s contribution to the Filipino community through its Remit Now, Pay Later program – 2015
• Address a group of Latin American Credit Union executives from countries such as Mexico, Peru, Dominican Republic and Costa Rica, all which are members of the World Council of Credit Union – July 2012
• Achievement in Marketing Excellence (AIME) Award –2011
• Image Enhancement Golden Mirror Award from the Credit Union Executives Society (CUES) –2007
• Young Credit Union People Program (WYCUP) Scholarship – 2005

He has volunteered his time within various organizations or committees including The Credit Union Council, The Community Based Credit Unions, the Credit Union Services Association (in Ontario), Ontario Government Relations Community of Practice, Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) Industry Advisory Group, Ontario Credit Union Charitable Foundation, Ontario Credit Union Payday Lending Subcommittee, the Ontario Insurance and Risk Management Committee and AboutFace.

George received his Accounting Diploma from Centennial College, his Bachelor of Commerce – Business Management and Marketing Management with a minor in Human Resources from Ryerson University and his Fellowship with the Credit Union Institution of Canada (FCUIC) designation through Dalhousie University.  He is the proud single father to his 6 year old Aliyana.

Ryan joined Servus Credit Union in 2005 and has served as Chief Financial Officer since 2018.

Born and raised in Saskatchewan, Ryan holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Saskatchewan, a Master of Business Administration from Edinburgh Business School, and the Derivatives Market Specialist designation from the Canadian Securities Institute. In 2016, he completed the Business Leadership Program for Financial Executives from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. More recently, Ryan obtained his Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation, achieving National Honour Roll status for the 2021 Common Final Examination (CFE).

One of Ryan’s proudest achievements during his credit union career has been receiving CCUA’s National Credit Union Young Leaders Award and Scholarship in 2015 and subsequently serving on the National Young Leader Committee for a three-year term with an impressive group of CU leaders from across the country.

When he isn’t crunching numbers and watching the markets, you’ll find Ryan on the go around Edmonton and beyond with his wife, Erin, and their two children.

Michael and his team support visionary leadership at Libro dedicated to building the Libro Brand, shaping remarkable journeys, and driving meaningful change. With a passion for innovation and a keen eye for Owner-centric strategies, they redefine how we engage and evolve as a Credit Union. He oversees the areas of enterprise strategy lead support, strategic partnerships, enterprise project management, Owner experience, marketing, purpose integration, government relations, and offensive data.

Michael holds a Bachelor of Commercial Studies from Western University, and Executive Education from MIT in Strategy and Innovation. He also has completed training in Agile, Innovation through Human Centered Design and is a certified Lean Greenbelt champion. Since joining the Credit Union system in 2005, Michael has also worked in a variety of branch-based roles leading teams in commercial, agricultural, and personal lending, bringing an understanding of Owners’ needs from his experience.

A strong champion of the credit union system, Michael has served on national and provincial marketing committees. Locally he has served on boards and committees with several non-profit organizations, hospital foundations, and sports associations, and is currently on the board of directors for the Canadian Credit Union Association. Michael and his wife, Christine, a Registered Physiotherapist, live in Lambeth and have three children who are active in hockey and baseball.

With 26 years of experience with the organization, Wade Stayzer is Meridian’s Chief Operating Officer. As Chief Operating Officer, Wade has overall accountability for the running of our Retail, Wealth and Business Banking lines of business. In addition, this role also oversees operations and payments, including the launch of our credit card and all product development and implementation for these lines of business.

In his previous role as Chief People and Culture Officer and Senior Vice President Business Banking, Wade was charged with delivering on Meridian’s exceptional employee promise, employee health and wellbeing strategies, and supporting employees to succeed and grow in an adaptive culture that would embed diversity, equity and inclusion organically into its cultural core. He had single accountability for all Employee Experience functions, including the Human Resources Business Partner team, Talent Acquisition, Learning and Development, and the Corporate Communications and Member Concerns team. Wade also led Business Banking at Meridian, helping the more than 25,000 Business Members grow their businesses and build stronger communities.

During his tenure at Meridian, Wade’s People First and Member Obsession developed as his trademark while managing key lines of business including Small Business, Retail Banking and Wealth. He also led various strategic initiatives including the branch and banking system integration of Meridian’s legacy Niagara/Guelph Wellington and Desjardins Credit Union mergers. He is a staunch community supporter and champion of the Ontario credit union system with deep experience.

A tireless community advocate, Wade is engaged year-round in a number of initiatives in senior volunteer roles ranging from Wise Guys, St Catharines Rotary Ribfest and more. He was also a member of the Niagara 2022 Canada Games Host Society Board of Directors.

Wade received his MBA from McMaster University and currently resides in Niagara with his wife and two children.

Heather Sully is Chief People Officer at Affinity Credit Union. Working in financial services in both Saskatchewan and Alberta for over two decades, she brings extensive experience in business and human resources to this leadership position. With a passion for inclusion, she’s focused on developing leading people and culture strategies to foster a remarkable employee experience for teams so they can deliver the quality advice and best-in-class experience members need to achieve their financial goals.

Heather is a Chartered Professional in Human Resources with broad HR experience in both private and public organizations. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in HR and Finance from the University of Saskatchewan, a Graduate Certificate in Change Management from Royal Roads University, and a Strategic Workforce Planning Certificate. She holds the ICD.D designation and was invited by the program to join the ICD examiner roster.

In her spare time, Heather enjoys being active in the community and is passionate about contributing toward achieving an inclusive and vibrant Saskatoon. She has served on several boards and committees, engaging with organizations such as the Saskatoon United Way, Saskatoon YWCA, a past Chair of the Saskatoon Friendship Inn and has mentored with Big Brothers Big Sisters and the CPHR Saskatchewan. Heather currently serves on the board of the Saskatoon Community Foundation and the Canadian Credit Union Association.

Gavin is President and CEO of Prospera Credit Union. Widely respected as a collaborative relationship builder and strategic business leader, Gavin has spent the past 30 years committed to growing BC member-based organizations. With an equal focus on delivering value for members, engaging employees, and supporting local communities, Gavin is passionate about the power of financial cooperatives.

In 2019, Gavin helped lead the merger of Prospera and Westminster Savings, garnering overwhelming member approval. Upon completion, at that time this merger was the largest in Canadian credit union history and Prospera became one of the largest credit unions in Canada.

Gavin joined Prospera in 2011 and under his leadership, the credit union has consistently achieved strong operational results and is recognized for its organizational culture. Prior to joining the credit union, Gavin held several executive positions with the British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA). Spanning a 16-year career at BCAA, he was most recently senior vice president and chief operations officer with responsibility for all member-facing operations. Gavin is a Chartered Accountant by training and a KPMG alumnus. In 2020 Gavin was elected as a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of BC. He is a graduate of the Queen’s University Executive Leadership program, holds a business degree from Simon Fraser University and is an accredited Director through the Rotman School of Management Corporate Directors Program.

Gavin is deeply committed to supporting his profession and giving back to his local community. Since 2019, he has served on the Board (including as Vice Chair) of the Canadian Credit Union Association, the National Credit Union Trade Association. Previously, Gavin has served on the Credential Financial Inc Board (now Aviso) and as Board Chair for two national finance companies. Gavin also served six years on the Board of Canuck Place Children’s Hospice including two years as Board Chair.

Myrna has more than 30 years of experience in the credit union system. She is currently the Chief Strategy and Information Officer for Access Credit Union Limited. As a member of the executive team at Access, she is heavily involved in the development and execution of corporate strategy and board governance. Myrna also oversees the information technology, security, governance and business integration functions for Access.

Myrna has completed the CUES Governance Leadership Institute I and II and  Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D) – Rotman Director Education Program, Fellow of the Credit Union Institute of Canada (FCUIC) through Dalhousie University, Canadian Securities Course, and Certified Financial Planning designation. Her education also includes completing the Certificate in Management program at the University of Manitoba, and Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Management, and Masters in Business Administration through Athabasca University.

Myrna has been actively involved in a variety of volunteer organization boards, and has previously served on the Host Committee for Curl Manitoba Scotties 2024  and South Central Cancer Resource Board. She also served on the Host Committee for Hockey Canada’s 2019 National Women’s Under 18 Championship event. Myrna was appointed to the Teachers’ Retirement Allowances Fund Board in 2018 and serves as Chair of the Investment Committee.