Board of Directors
Who are we?
The Directors of the NSMBA are community members dedicated to advocating for the goals of the Association and its members as outlined in the Constitution and bylaws. They are all volunteers, and responsible for planning for the future of the organization, as well as managing its day to day activities. Each director has a duty to act honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of the society.
The Board of Directors meets on the first Tuesday of every month. The minutes for each meeting can be found here: https://nsmba.ca/board-meeting-minutes/
Directors partake in the planning, organization, execution, and follow-up of the following activities:
- advocacy
- trail planning
- operations
- fundraising
- events (trail days, member meetings, special events)
- races
- marketing and promotion
- education
Give a Director a high five the next time you see them out on the trails. They all volunteer significant amounts of their time to support mountain biking and the community of trail users on the North Shore and in British Columbia.
James Nadel
President
I was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, but left the hard-working folks of Steeltown for The Shore in March of 2020; these mountains have since been my home. Cycling has always been a cornerstone of my life. No riding, though, has been so rewarding or fun as dropping into a chute of dirt, root, and rock.
The Shore’s trails are built upon many histories, layered like the soil below and intertwined as the roots embedded therein: enduring First Nations’ habitation; colonial settlement; old growth forestry; residential development; and recreation. Just as these histories are ever-present and interacting, each trail has its own unique origin and past that continues to change and develop with the builders, riders and seasons.
Legends of mountain biking who still ride and build on Fromme, Cypress, and Seymour made North Shore riding world-famous. To keep these trails world-class, sustainable, and accessible requires a commensurate community effort—the NSMBA exists for this purpose. As President, alongside our dedicated directors, volunteers, and staff, I aim to make these trails (present and future) trails for all, and trails forever.
Cooper Quinn
Vice President
The Shore’s trails are a primary reason I moved here 15 years ago. I grew up in Jackson, Wyoming as part of a tight-knit community of builders and riders. I learned early on that trail access is a privilege, not a right, and in the value advocacy; working together with land managers and other stakeholders to build solutions that benefit the entire community.
There’s a long, involved history in the forests here—a patchwork of land managers, a complex stakeholder environment, and 1400 mm of rain annually all overlay our frontcountry network of multi-use trails, all within a stones throw of the 3rd largest municipal area in Canada. And, it’s The Shore—we’re legendary across the world for our legendary progressive trails.
As your Vice President, I’ll try and balance the needs of NSMBA members, environmental stewardship, maintaining our position as a leader in progressive trails, and the community at large. Our community, mountain biking, and outdoor recreation are things I care deeply about; if you ever want to talk about them, email me, and lets get outside somewhere and talk!
Katherine Enns
Treasurer
Vanessa Lebrun
Secretary
Ben Organ
Director
Brent Hillier
Director of Youth
I’ve been living and working on the North Shore for the better part of a decade, and am proud to call it home and raise my family here. In my professional life, I’m the host of the Front Lines MTB Podcast, a bi-weekly show aimed at Trail Advocates, Builders and Non-profit volunteers and employees. In addition, I work as the Community Manager at Trailforks, where I work with over 1400 Trail Associations all over the world.
I’m passionate about trails and the people who recreate on them. Like public libraries, trails are not only a crucial community asset, but a public right. But unlike our roads and social services, I believe they should always be maintained and managed by the community. Having community members maintain an integral community asset, provides us with the opportunity to learn, grow and socialize; ensuring a legacy of stewardship for generations to come. Like everything it starts with the youth. The future of Mountain Biking, and the trails in general, will be determined by the generation that follows us but like building or maintaining a trail we can still play a huge roll in pointing that path in the right direction.
Colin Brumelle
Director
For employment, I’ve been a software engineer and business leader for most of my career. I’m currently running a small company called ChopShop (https://chopshop.co) that helps people and businesses make great video content. Before that I worked in San Francisco at Twitter as a software engineer and then as an engineering manager, building the advertising platform.
I’m super excited to be on the board and I look forward to chatting on the trails.
Isabelle Deguise
Director of Advocacy
I started mountain biking over a decade ago when I moved to Vancouver from Ontario for grad school. Considering the major falls, bruises and tears that first year, it’s surprising it’s become such a big part of my life. But the community, the trails and the adrenaline rush just can’t be beat.
I moved to North Vancouver four years ago specifically to be closer to the mountains and now I use the trails on the North Shore almost every day to ride, run or walk my dog. I’ve been so impressed with the work the NSMBA has done over the past several years, I’ve decided to get more involved. My day job involves permitting and managing environmental aspects for the development, construction and operation of renewable energy projects in Western Canada, which involves a lot of regulatory work, government relations, stakeholder consultation and First Nation relationship building. I plan to transfer these skills as your new Director of Advocacy.
Jackie Hicks
Director of Events
Ken Coopland
Director
I moved to Vancouver from Winnipeg in 1989. In Winnipeg, I was an avid runner and sailor so Vancouver was a natural fit for the water but I never knew I would love the trails as much as I do. Trail running led to Knee Knackers trail race, trail knowledge led to hiking and climbing and the local North Shore mountains led to backcountry skiing and snowshoeing. I moved to the North Shore in ’93, and for the last 15 years, the majority of my time is spent on my mountain bike, with my dog, my neighbours or my friends. Now, most vacations up and down the coast include riding, my wife rides with all her friends, and it’s one of the few things that makes me scream and laugh like a 7-year-old again.
In the last 5 years I’ve joined the NSMBA and helped out building trails but feels like it hasn’t been enough. I’ve realized trails don’t build themselves. As a Director of the NSMBA, I want to grow the membership and the rider engagement that will allow all existing and newly introduced riders to enjoy the use of the trails forever.
My background is in Sales, Product Marketing, Consulting and designing superior Customer Experiences through technology. I’m looking forward to continuing and contributing to the excellent work the NSMBA has delivered to date and going forward.
Laura Tacchi
Director
When I am not outdoors I work in the banking industry and for the past 9 years, I have worked directly with businesses helping them grow and achieve their goals. Two years ago a group of us from RBC leveraged our community program to adopt Lower Oil Can. It has been so much fun working with the NSMBA and Michael Stormer to help them realize their vision for the trail. As Treasurer I hope to have an even bigger impact and work to ensure the long term success of the Association.
Rob Donovan
Director