Committee

Sarah Ueland, Co-Chair

Sarah Ueland has proudly supported Y.E.S! since its inception in 2007. A Public Affairs Advisor at BC Hydro by day and a self-proclaimed yogi by night, she spent her first three years on the committee leading the Membership team, until 2010, when she moved on to lead the larger YES team as Co-Chair. Sarah is a UBC alumni, with a BA in International Relations, and also holds a Masters in International Conflict Analysis. When she’s not practicing her favourite headstand position, she loves to travel, indulge in delicious wine and delve into a good book.

Candice Pedersen, Co-Chair

Candice joined the Y.E.S! committee in 2010 and is grateful for the opportunity to work with Vancouver’s brightest young women in support of such a worthwhile cause. Candice studied at the University of British Columbia and the British Columbia Institute of Technology to earn her BA in Political Science and Diploma in Marketing Communications. She is now a Consultant for NATIONAL Public Relations and brings to Y.E.S! a background in media relations, corporate communications, stakeholder relations, event management and social media strategy. When she’s not working, you’ll find Candice on a golf course, at the spa or planning her next adventure.

Valerie Braacx, DFS Coordinator

Valerie Braacx is the Career Centre Coordinator at Dress for Success Vancouver. In this position she has established the first Dress for Success (DFS) Career Centre in Canada, which gives clients access to relevant computer applications and tutorials, mentors, as well as a variety of workshops and seminars to advance their professional development. Valerie has her hand in all aspects of Y.E.S! and helps to keep the committee current with DFS priorities. In her free time Valerie can be seen riding around town on her bike.

Andrea Bava, Co-Chair, Events Team

Andrea joined Y.E.S! in 2008, both as a member and as a Director of the Board. She also supports the Committee by helping create meaningful, engaging and fun events for current and future members. Her contributions to Y.E.S! are natural complements to her professional life. In 2008, she founded Blitz Media and Events, a PR and event planning agency, where she demonstrates her passion for bringing stories of substance to the media foreground and producing innovative events in Vancouver.

Before founding Blitz, Andrea shared her creativity and communication skills with a variety of successful Vancouver-based organizations, including 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, Intrawest and the Vancouver Canucks. As a true West Coast gal, she is a high-energy entrepreneur who balances growing her business with her outdoor pursuits, such as hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding and hanging out at Kits beach.

Pia Nagpal, Co-Chair, Events Team

Pia joined Y.E.S! in January 2010 to help Dress for Success inspire more women to become self-sufficient and achieve professional success. As a member of the Events team, she enjoys creating and sharing meaningful and fun moments with other members. With a background in marketing and communications, Pia has worked with the Canadian Cancer Society and now with BC Hydro’s Power Smart community marketing team where she helps local community groups develop conservation initiatives. Passionate about sports and outdoor activities, she loves our Canucks, started her own women’s soccer team and enjoys hiking and camping. What’s more, her next travel adventure is sure to include surfing and exploring volcanoes.

Jennie Petrie, Events Team

Jennie joined YES! after she fell in love with the charitable cause, the fabulous events and the real friendships that evolved. She enjoys contributing to innovative events that have the same positive impact on other women as they have had on her. Growing up in Kingston, Ontario, she graduated from Western University with a degree in Business Management and moved to Vancouver to develop her career in a city that truly embraces the work hard, play hard lifestyle. She works at Clearly Contacts as an Affiliate Marketing Specialist and loves snowboarding, sushi and living by the ocean.

Jen McParland, Sponsorship Coordinator

Jen joined the Y.E.S! committee in January 2010 as the Sponsorship Coordinator. She thoroughly enjoys connecting community partners with Y.E.S! & DFS and is motivated by the enthusiasm and drive of her other committee members. Jen completed her Bachelor of Arts in English Lit at Simon Fraser University. While at SFU she held many student life volunteer roles, and eventually came to work for the Student Development Office in Events and Fundraising. Jen now works for the Onni Group of Companies as Marketing Coordinator where she coordinates marketing plans for real-estate developments as well as realtor events and award galas. In her spare time Jen can often be found improving her running time and yoga practice.

Vivian Chan, Membership Team

Vivian joined the Y.E.S! Committee in 2010 and is inspired by Dress for Success Vancouver’s mission to help other women transition into the workforce. As a graduate in Marketing Management, she currently works at Wavefront as the Marketing Assistant and is also excited help Y.E.S! plan fun and engaging events to recruit more amazing women. She likes to travel, shop, sample delicious eats and enjoy life on the West Coast.

Natalia Venida, Membership Team

Natalia Venida joined Y.E.S! in 2008 and is now excited to take on a more active role as part of the Membership Committee.

Natalia is a Senior Consultant at MNP specializing in human resources and performance improvement. She brings over 10 years of HR leadership expertise working with a wide range of industries in Canada and the U.S. Above all, she enjoys helping her clients harness their people’s capabilities to drive business performance. Natalia holds a Masters degree in Organizational Management and a Bachelor of Commerce degree in HR from U.B.C.’s Sauder School of Business.  Natalia is also an active member of the BC Human Resources Management Association (BCHRMA) and is a Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP).

In addition to her contributions to Y.E.S!, Natalia volunteers to support Dress for Success’ Professional Women’s Group (PWG) alumni members. In her spare time, she enjoys travelling the world, practicing yoga, and exploring the various patios in Vancouver.

Dior Coté, Membership Team

Dior Coté recently joined the Y.ES.! Vancouver memberships committee and will be focused on recruiting fabulous new members for our organization and ensuring all of our members expectations are being met. Dior, an enthusiastic networker and entrepreneur, is the President/CEO of Cobell Recruitment; a professional recruitment and executive search firm. With an ingrained passion for people and well practiced strategic planning skills, the Y.E.S! team is lucky to have her on board. Dior is a Certified Personnel Consultant who has studied recruitment and staffing services law. She is studying for a BBA. Dior enjoys kickboxing, French cooking and adventures in her boyfriend’s airplane.

In addition to her contributions with Y.E.S!, Dior is a member of the Vancouver Board of Trade, Company of Young Professionals and donates 10% of her sales revenue to BC Cancer Foundation.

Shelley Lyons, Director, Communications Team

Shelley initially joined Y.E.S! in 2009 and is excited to now be a part of the Committee as Director, Communications.  This decision to get involved stems from her desire to support Dress for Success Vancouver and the amazing opportunities it offers to women as they embark on their career path. She also embraces Y.E.S! for its fun, fresh approach to networking with other interesting and fabulous women. As Group Services and Events Manager at the OPUS Hotel, she has a strong background in marketing, management and events to build solid relationships with guests and clientele. It’s no surprise that this high-energy, but grounded gal balances her spare time between running, reading and bike riding (does a ‘Cruiser’ count?) with socializing with friends and family and trying out new restaurants.

Gina Pearce, Content Specialist, Communications Team

Gina joined Y.E.S! in 2010 after getting involved with Dress for Success – she’s a volunteer Personal Shopper as well as a Team Lead for its annual Corporate Challenge. As a bilingual communications professional, Gina spent most of her career in Paris, France, but now calls Vancouver home and works for a subsidiary of Scotiabank as their Communications & Training Manager. Passionate about writing and with a flair for the creative, she is delighted to use her communication skills to help engage Y.E.S! members and strengthen the brand’s reputation among other female professionals. To create balance in her busy life, she turns to daily yoga practice, long walks and talks with friends and indulges in her passion for French chocolate and culture.

Sarah Clark, Social Media Manager, Communications Team

Sarah attended her first Y.E.S! event in December 2010 and instantly knew that she wanted to be part of the committee and help contribute to Dress for Success Vancouver. Growing up in Nanaimo, BC (Vancouver Island), this island-girl ventured over to Vancouver to further her career in communications. She currently works on the Communications & Public Affairs team at BC Hydro and is passionate about all things related to social and digital media and design. So it is no surprise that she was welcomed aboard to manage the Y.E.S! online community with timely and witty updates on Y.E.S! events and engage the web-based audiences. When she’s not posting, tweeting or linkedin-ing, you can find Sarah enjoying the big city vibe with friends, indulging in fine food, skiing or traveling.

Connie Chang, Webmaster, Communications Team

Connie joined Y.E.S! in 2011 for the opportunity to network with such an accomplished group of women while supporting the fantastic cause that is Dress for Success Vancouver. She is now excited to bring her enthusiasm and web-savvy experience to the Committee in the role of Webmaster. With a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature & History from UBC and a Diploma of Technology in Marketing Management – Entrepreneurship from BCIT, she went on to pursue a career in the online world. For the last decade, she has created and managed multiple websites and knows the ins and outs of WordPress, Google Analytics and SEO. She currently acts as Marketing Specialist for MindField Group and is also the Principal and Founder of Type C, her own freelance consulting firm.  An avid Canucks fan and foodie, she also loves travelling and fashion.

Member at Large

Katie Schaeffers

Katie has been a member of YES since 2007, when she moved back from the UK and was looking to connect with like-minded women in Vancouver.  A year later, she became the Director of Events, and in 2009 became one of the Co-Chair’s of the organization.  Katie has dedicated countless hours to growing the organization, recruiting tireless committee members and volunteers, and working with a dedicated team to expand the vision of YES Vancouver.  This August, Katie stepped down as co-chair to pursue new personal projects, but remains a committed member of YES and a huge supporter of DFS.  An event producer by trade, Katie produces the annual TEDActive conference in Palm Springs, California, as well as several other Vancouver-based events.