Board of Directors

David Chudnovsky worked in nursery, elementary and secondary schools and at the university level in England, Ontario and BC during his 35-year teaching career.  He is a past-president of the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation and was an elected Member of the Legislative Assembly in British Columbia Legislature from 2005-2009.  David is co-author of the Charter for Public Education.

David is Chair of IPE/BC’s Fundraising & Partnerships Committee.

Larry Kuehn is the former Director of Research and Technology at the BC Teachers’ Federation. He is a Research Associate for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and has written extensively on issues related to globalization and education. Among his most recent articles are International students as a market in Canadian public education and Digital capitalism:  A social order is built into technology, including educational use of technology.

Larry is Chair of the Research & Programs Committee.

Dan Laitsch is an associate professor with the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University and President of the SFU Faculty Association. Dr. Laitsch co-edits the International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership.  He has worked with the Joint Consortium for School Health and the ASCD on school health issues in BC and across Canada.  His research interests include the use/misuse of research in teaching, policymaking, and advocacy; the impact of neoliberal policies on education; and school health approaches to systemic education reform.

Dan is the Chair of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Administration Committee.

Moira Mackenzie has a long history of advocacy and engagement in public education.  She taught in BC public schools for many years at the primary and intermediate levels, and as a Resource and Learning Assistance teacher. She retired recently from the BC Teachers’ Federation where she served as Assistant Director in Professional and Social Issues, Director of the Communications and Campaigns Division, and Executive Director.  She is deeply committed to quality public education and the crucial role it plays in a democratic society.

Moira is Chair of the Communications Committee.

John Malcolmson was formerly the CUPE research analyst for the K-12 sector. He is interested in education finance and, in particular, the mounting structural shortfall in K-12 funding produced as a result of neoliberal austerity imposed from above, and the changing role played by property taxation in the funding of public schools.

John serves on the Research and Programs Committee.

Kevin has served as the executive director of the BC Libraries Cooperative since 2018, focusing on advocacy for libraries with the provincial and federal governments  He was a Vancouver School and later worked for the board as its first Sustainability Coordinator, working on projects connected to sustainable school food systems, waste reduction, active transportation and climate action. He has co-founded two capacity-building organizations, Next UP and Check Your Head, and helped found the organizing projects CanRoots and Organize BC. Kevin works with the Columbia Institute and is working on a project to develop unionized cooperatives. He also serves on the  boards of the Wilderness Committee and For Our Kids.

Bárbara Silva is a public education advocate, organizer and activist. She holds a degree in Chemical Engineering and Education and has worked in both fields, but is most passionate about building support for an equitable and accessible public education system and creating awareness about the proliferation of privatization across Canada. In 2015, Bárbara co-founded the citizen-run public education advocacy organization Support Our Students Alberta, which led several campaigns and rallies in defence of public education across the province. As an experienced public speaker, she was widely sought after as a go-to media source and presenter for issues around public education in the province. Bárbara’s advocacy is based on the right of every child to a universally accessible public education.

Christine Ho Younghusband is an Assistant Professor at the University of Northern British Columbia in the School of Education. She is a former secondary mathematics teacher in BC public schools and school trustee. She has worked with the Ministry of Education and First Nations Education Steering Committee developing the Math K-9 Curriculum, revising the FNESC/FNSA Math Resource Guide, and writing learning activities for Open Schools BC.

Christine is Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors.