Board Of Directors

Patricia York

President and Chair of the Board

Patricia York is a seasoned strategist and leadership consultant with over 30 years of experience supporting mission-driven organizations across British Columbia—and beyond. As the Founder and Principal of York HR Solutions, she works closely with Boards, CEOs, and executive teams in sectors ranging from technology and medical research to non-profit, helping refine strategy, structure, and leadership practice.

Earlier in her career, Patricia held senior HR leadership roles at global companies. As Vice President of Human Resources at Disney Interactive Studios in Los Angeles, she supported operations across North America, Europe, and Asia, playing a lead role in mergers and acquisitions. At Electronic Arts Canada, she helped propel the company onto The Globe and Mail’s “50 Best Companies to Work For,” as it grew from 500 to over 1,800 employees in five years.

Her passion for leadership development is perhaps best seen in her work designing and launching a national Executive Institute for the life sciences sector—a customized, 10-month leadership program now in its eighth successful year.

Patricia’s connection to the Sunshine Coast began at age 10, when she first attended Camp Olave—an experience that sparked a lifelong love for the outdoors. Years later, she and her husband spent five years living and working overseas with their young children, including a chapter in the Philippines where Patricia taught high school physical education. That time deepened her commitment to cross-cultural learning, resilience, and youth empowerment.

Now living full-time on the Coast, Patricia is an active mentor, volunteer, and community advocate. When she’s not working with Boards or coaching leaders, you’ll likely find her knee-deep in garden beds or deep in conversation with one of her grandchildren—who keep her curious, humble, and laughing.

She brings a strong commitment to governance excellence, inclusive leadership, and sustainable programs that uplift staff, volunteers, and community members alike. As Board Chair, she’s honoured to serve alongside dedicated directors and staff in advancing SCCSS’s mission to strengthen community—together.

Chelsea Cooledge

Vice Chair

Chelsea’s family history on the Sunshine Coast dates back to 1955 when her grandparents, along with Chelsea’s mother and uncle, moved into and operated the Halfmoon Bay General Store (called the B&J store at the time). Chelsea was born and raised in North Vancouver and cherishes her memories of weekends and holidays spent with family in Halfmoon Bay. 

Chelsea moved permanently to the Sunshine Coast in the fall of 2020. Her love for this community along with her core values of social justice and service to others, and training in social work and law, has led to her volunteering in this role with the SCCSS. 

Chelsea started her career as a Social Worker in health care working with older adults. She then transitioned to working in the regulation of the profession, supporting best practice of Registered Social Workers with practice advice based on adherence to laws, standards, and ethics, investigating complaints and enhancing registration practices. 

Since 2018, she has been a Director of Risk Management for Vancouver Coastal Health, which initially included the investigation of care quality complaints but now focuses mainly on risk mitigation, consultation, advice, and investigations into patient safety events. She has volunteered with various organizations throughout her life.

Chelsea holds a Bachelor of Arts from UBC, a Bachelor of Social Work from UVIC, a Master of Social Work from the University of Calgary, and a Master of Laws from Osgoode Hall, York University.

Linda Iverson

Treasurer

After a failed attempt at jumping out of a plane, Linda realized that, based on her love of numbers and her skill at organizing a sock drawer, accounting would probably be a better career choice.

Raised on the beautiful West Coast of British Columbia, Linda’s professional choice has allowed her to work and travel as an accountant in diverse industries including engineering, manufacturing, oil & gas, high tech and public practice.

Linda completed her Chartered Professional Accountant designation in 1999 and is currently a managing partner with James & McIntyre, Chartered Professional Accountants LLP.

After moving to Gibsons in 2004 from Richmond, Linda spent many years chauffeuring her children to school and their various sports activities to cheer them on. It was then that she joined various boards in the community supporting youth sports as a way of giving back to the community. Now that her children are adults, Linda is interested in being involved on boards with community focus as the main goal.

Linda is an avid reader and gardener and enjoys spending time with her adult children and friends.

Michelle Schmidt

A newcomer to the Sunshine Coast, Michelle Schmidt brings over 35 years of experience in education and community leadership—ranging from classroom teaching and school psychology to district administration and nonprofit management. After retiring from her role as Director of Instruction (Inclusive Education) with the Surrey School District, she took on a new challenge as Executive Director of Autism Community Training (ACT), a BC-based nonprofit supporting Autistic individuals and their families through strengths-based, culturally affirming training, resources, and advocacy.

Michelle holds a PhD in Educational Psychology, is a Certified Autism Specialist, and an Associate Certified Coach. She has written university-level coursework and contributed to provincial and national initiatives focused on inclusive post-secondary education and equity-centered leadership. Michelle brings a strong commitment to Indigenous engagement and truth and reconciliation, having completed formal reconciliation training and embedding these principles throughout her work. 

On the Sunshine Coast, Michelle is becoming actively involved in her new community. She participates in the Coast Inclusion Integration Team, a grassroots network focused on equity and belonging, and serves as a Director of the Sunshine Heights Owners and Residents Association.

Michelle is proud to contribute to the Sunshine Coast community. She believes meaningful inclusion begins with listening to—and working alongside—those with lived and living experience. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, travel, reading, and spending time with friends and family near and far.

Bianca Jaegge

Bianca C. Jaegge is a dedicated and skilled lawyer with a wealth of experience in the public sector. Known for her exceptional research, analytical, and communication abilities, Bianca has a knack for explaining complex information in a clear and understandable way. She currently serves as Senior Legal Counsel at Vancouver Coastal Health. Before this, Bianca worked at Guild Yule LLP, handling cases in health law, administrative law, human rights law, and more. She also gained experience at WorkSafe BC, where she adjudicated appeals and drafted important decisions.

As a member of the Law Society of British Columbia and the Canadian Bar Association, she remains actively involved in the legal community. Bianca is passionate about giving back and volunteers as a lawyer with Access Pro Bono while mentoring young professionals through several programs. She is also an advocate for mental health awareness, having co-launched a campaign at Guild Yule LLP and participated in the 2019 Ride to Conquer Cancer, raising over $11,000. Her commitment to the legal field and her community makes her a valued and respected professional.

Ariane Fleischmann

Ariane was drawn to words and stories from a young age. Her career wove through publishing and journalism before she decided to use her skills to support non-profits through communications, marketing, and external relations. ​

Joining Family Services of Greater Vancouver in 2021, Ariane is the Director of Communications and Advocacy. There, she leads strategy to build the agency's public profile and oversees relationships with all levels of government, bringing together stakeholders to advance solutions that benefit the community. She is also responsible for the agency’s IT and data systems, overseeing a technology transformation that brings a big picture lens to the diverse program offerings at the agency. Through her work, Ariane is committed to moving the dial on the most pressing social issues of our time.​

In her spare time, Ariane continues to pursue her childhood dream of becoming a writer, though she is easily distracted by other pursuits including sewing her own wardrobe and building up her garden from weed patch to oasis. Ariane moved to the Gibsons in 2024 where she now lives with her husband and two cats. She is excited to build more local ties and settle in to Coast life.

Nicole Hagedorn

Nicole’s paternal family first came to Roberts Creek in the 1940’s and she is a proud of the 80 year relationship her family has with the Sunshine Coast. Her first years on the coast were spent in a tiny beach cottage, which thankfully still stands today, even with the rising tides. She attended Roberts Creek Elementary and Elphinstone Secondary. Upon graduation the rage was backpacking and she found herself working and travelling all over the UK, Europe, Isreal & Egypt. She spent a considerable amount of time in Germany with her maternal Grandmother and she especially cherishes this time. Nicole returned to Canada to study receiving her BA in History from UBC in 1994, with extended studies in Anthropology. She then found herself being lured back to the Sunshine Coast and her families businesses.

Nicole and her husband owned and operated Secret Cove Marina Resort for 22 years where they raised their two children in a float house living on site. They enjoyed the quiet winters and explosive summers as well as the colourful locals and guests from all over the world. With her children now grown and off studying at the University of Victoria, Nicole and her husband are back “home” living in Roberts Creek. Now working in the real estate development and holdings sector, managing and bringing local projects to realization. She enjoys every stage of the process these projects bring, careful to alway keep the community first and foremost.

Nicole observed the importance of giving back from her parents who practised the philosophy of learning, earning and returning. Nicole is proud to keep their tradition of philanthropy and volunteering going. She was on the Board of Directors for the Halfmoon Bay - Chatlech Community School Committee as well as the Sunshine Coast Minor Hockey Board. Nicole currently sits on the Board of Governors of the Gibsons Community Building Society (The Gibsons Public Market & community outreach programs).

Nicole has no choice but to love gardening, as she has two acres of gardens to look after. She sneaks in her daily Pilates practice on her “lunch” and loves to travel the world, but mostly to Victoria to see her biggest accomplishments.

Deborah MacDonald

Deborah MacDonald brings a unique combination of business leadership, mental health expertise, and community experience to her work. She began her career as a Vice President of Professional Services with an international IT firm specializing in software for the non-profit sector. She later became an International Executive Coach before returning to her first professional passion — mental health.

Deborah holds a BA in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology, along with several specialized professional credentials. She is a Registered Psychotherapist and Clinical Supervisor and has spent more than 20 years working in the mental health field.

Her interest in mental health began at the age of 14, when she worked at the former Whitby Psychiatric Hospital throughout high school and university. Although her career unexpectedly took her into the business world for two decades, she ultimately found her way back to the field that had inspired her from the beginning.

Deborah moved to Gibsons from Ontario more than three years ago. Since arriving on the Sunshine Coast, she has transitioned her private practice from in-person to virtual care, allowing her to continue supporting clients throughout the province. Her practice welcomes adolescents, adults, and couples, with areas of specialization including trauma, addictions, anxiety, depression, ADHD, relationship challenges, anger management, partner violence, personality and mood disorders, grief, and self-esteem.

Outside of her professional life, Deborah enjoys many creative pursuits and feels most at home in the woods, beside the ocean, or simply looking at the moon. She shares her home with her hubby of 45 years and her two beloved dogs, but her greatest passion — apart from them — is cooking.

Having previously served on two boards, Deborah is eager to bring a fresh perspective to the challenges facing mental health in the community. As someone who is relatively new to the Sunshine Coast, she is equally interested in listening and learning — particularly about what makes this community unique, what its residents need, and how local organizations can work together to strengthen mental health and well-being on the Coast.

She looks forward to contributing her professional experience, curiosity, and commitment to the community while learning from those who know the Sunshine Coast best.

Lynth Brown

Lynth Brown believes education has the power to change lives. A Licensed Practical Nurse, Certified Foot Care Nurse, healthcare educator, and community advocate, her work has been driven by a simple goal: helping people build the knowledge, confidence, and compassion needed to make a difference in the lives of others.

Lynth has worked across long-term care, home care, community health, healthcare education, and program leadership. She is an instructor in the Health Care Assistant program at Western Community College in Surrey, where she teaches across the HCA curriculum. She is also the Founder and Director of Seaside Coast College, a private post-secondary institution where she serves as Senior Educational Administrator. Building the college from the ground up has involved curriculum development, program planning, educational leadership, and the day-to-day work of growing a small institution. She is currently working toward establishing a presence on the Sunshine Coast.

Lynth completed her practical nursing training at Stenberg College and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing through the LPN-to-RN pathway at St. Francis Xavier University, while continuing to teach, develop programs, and advocate for accessible health and wellness education.

Her interests extend well beyond the classroom. Lynth is passionate about healthy aging, dementia awareness, caregiver support, and creating educational opportunities that help older adults remain independent and connected. That interest is what first led her to Sunshine Coast Community Services Society. While learning more about local programs supporting older adults to age at home, she discovered the work of Community Services and wanted to contribute.

Lynth moved to Davis Bay in March 2026. She has a hands-on streak that shows up in construction and building projects, along with a deep love of gardening and flowers. She is always looking for meaningful ways to become more involved in life on the Coast.

She is honoured to serve on the Board of Sunshine Coast Community Services Society and looks forward to working alongside fellow Board members, staff, volunteers, and community partners in supporting a strong and connected Sunshine Coast.