Jill Kelly – Chair
Jill has lived in Vancouver since 1970 She is currently a member of the Grandview Heritage Group. She first visited the Archives 25 years ago, while researching the history of her home (built 1912). She hopes to learn more about the Archives and its holdings. She has a background in charities governance and is a Certified General Accountant.
Neal Jennings – Treasurer
Neal is a CPA, CA running a home-based tax practice and accounting education consulting business. He has a bachelor of accounting from Brock University, where he served on the board of his student union and as president of the campus pride organization, Brock Pride. He has long had an interest in local history, and is particularly interested in supporting meaningful access to it through the Archives’ digitization process.
John Atkin – Director
John is a civic historian, writer, walking tour guide and heritage consultant. As a consultant, John has written the Chinatown Lighting Strategy for the City of Vancouver [2008], the City of Vancouver’s successful nominations for the Lee Kuan Yee World City Prize [2011] and the Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation [2012], John co-authored, with Jeannette Hlavach, the successful 2010 application for Chinatown’s National Historic District status. He is a board member and chair of the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC and sits as a member of the City’s Civic Assets Naming Committee.
Aaron Chapman – Director
Aaron is a writer, historian and musician with a special interest in Vancouver’s entertainment history. Born and raised in Vancouver, he has been a contributor to the Vancouver Courier, Georgia Straight, and CBC Radio. A graduate of the University of British Columbia, he is also a member of Heritage Vancouver and the Point Roberts Historical Society.
Elana Zysblat – Director
Elana is a heritage consultant in Vancouver, writing Statements of Significance, Conservation Plans and heritage assessments. She is a big user of the Archives for her work
Kevin Bowers – Director
Kevin Bowers was born and raised in Vancouver and has a keen interest in Vancouver history, with a special interest in historical photographs and videos. As a former IT Manager with the City of Vancouver he helped the Archives get funding to support their digital initiatives.
Merrilee Robson – Director
Merrilee Robson is a Vancouver writer. Her first mystery, Murder is Uncooperative, is set in a Vancouver housing co-op. She has also published short stories and nonfiction. Her interest in Vancouver history comes from living in a house built in 1911 and from work on a historical mystery. She has experience in communications for non-profit organizations, including as program manager of national communications and government relations for the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada. Her governance experience includes terms of the boards of Crime Writers of Canada, the Co-operative Housing Federation of BC, the PNE, the BC NDP, and other non-profit organizations.
Emily Lonie – Director
Emily Lonie was Coquitlam’s archivist from 2013 to 2021, served as executive director of the Vancouver Heritage Foundation 2021 – 2023
Jennifer Chutter – Director
Jennifer Chutter, PhD, wrote her dissertation on the formation of the Strathcona Property Owners and Tenants Association (SPOTA) and how they advocated for their sense of home and place within their neighbourhood. SPOTA’s agency and activism brings to light the legacy of colonial structures within the city regarding how and where people should live. Her MA was on the importance of Vancouver Special as a localized form of architecture. She uses the Archives extensively for her research.
Friends of the Vancouver City Archives 