Meet our Board of Directors

Marilyn Lenzen, Chair
Chair, Client Services Committee

After Marilyn was introduced to the MS Society in 2003, she began volunteering to plan an MS Walk. She continues to be involved in event planning and fundraising. She now serves on the BC & Yukon Board of Directors. She finds her involvement with the MS Society rewarding, as it provides her with an opportunity to help other people with MS while still using her professional skills.

In 2008, Marilyn was recognized for her 5-year contribution to the MS Society. Marilyn is also the founder of the SUCCESS MS self-help group. The self-help group is a dynamic and supportive resource to those with MS living on the North Shore of Metro Vancouver.  The group also forms an energetic MS Walk fundraising team that achieves top fundraising status each year as a friends and family TeamMS.

John Folka, Vice Chair

John Folka graduated from Simon Fraser University with a BA in Economics and went on to become a Chartered Accountant articling with KPMG LLP. He is currently a Senior Manager in the KPMG Enterprise practice working with private companies, as well as non-profit organizations.

In 1999, a member of John's family was diagnosed with MS. After receiving the diagnosis, they found the MS Society to be an incredibly helpful resource for information and support. The effects of the disease have been negligible so far, but they want to put an end to the uncertain effects of MS. This led John to participate in the MS 100 Hole Golf Challenge, something he has enjoyed for several years.

Roger Merkosky, Treasurer

Roger is a financial executive with over 20 years experience in senior leadership roles. After earning his B.Comm. Degree from the University of Alberta, he began his professional career with KPMG, Edmonton, earning his Chartered Accountant designation. 

Roger later  joined  InBev,  parent company of Labatt,  in roles including  North America CFO based in Toronto, Global Head of Audit based in Brussels, Global VP Financial Reporting also based in Brussels, and CFO of InBev Croatia, based in Zagreb. Roger relocated to Vancouver in 2007 and recently held the role of VP Finance for Mr. Lube. He is currently an independent consultant.

Dan Carlson, Secretary

Past BC & Yukon Division board member, Dan Carlson, has been on the West Kootenay Chapter board of directors since 2003. He has been involved on several committees at both Chapter and Division levels; most recently, Dan has become involved as a volunteer in the MS Society’s VLAP program and the BCY Division Client Services Committee.

Dan’s mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1991, and he himself was diagnosed in 2001. He is married and lives in Nelson, BC with his wife Shannon. Dan looks forward to continuing to work with the Society, so that he can continue to play a role in furthering our common goals.

Gerry Bramhill, Director

Gerry's introduction to MS was through his friend and colleague, Jim Wolfgang, who has MS. Since then, he has contributed extensively in his numerous roles and positions at the MS Society, serving as a member of the BC & Yukon Division Board for 14 years. Some of his notable achievements as Chair of the Governance Committee include representing the division in the national governance review, meeting with Ruth Armstrong of Vision Management Services, and framing the division’s feedback to various drafted reports.

A faithful advocate of good governance, Gerry has demonstrated strong and diplomatic leadership within the Society. He became a staunch supporter of board and staff, and has been a committed volunteer in many MS Society events.

John Hadley, Director

John Hadley is News Director and morning news announcer for three Vancouver radio stations owned by Bell Media,103.5 QM/FM, TEAM 1040 & TEAM 1410, where he has worked continuously for well over 20 years (an eternity in the radio business!).

John was born and raised in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan where he graduated high school before attending the University of Saskatchewan to achieve a BA in political science. He relocated to Vancouver to attend the University of British Columbia School of Law and has remained in Metro Vancouver ever since. John practiced law in Vancouver before realizing his dream to return to his true passion: radio broadcasting.

John has had an interest in MS since his older brother was diagnosed with the illness almost 30 years ago. He enjoys helping in the effort to support individuals who are living with MS and helping to raise money to end MS. He is married, with four school-aged children, and lives with his family in Metro Vancouver.

Dave Knee, Director

Half of Dave’s working life was in the Distribution and Transportation business and the other half was in Information Technology, System and Functional design, and Project Management. He worked for the same company, The North West Company, for 32 years before going on long-term disability due to MS. The North West Company is a leading retailer of food and everyday products and services to rural communities and urban neighbourhoods across Canada, Alaska, the South Pacific & the Caribbean.

Dave started volunteering at the Winnipeg Chapter of the Manitoba Division of the MS Society doing administrative work and later became a Friendly Visitor and part of the Peer Support program. Because of what he experienced while volunteering in the Friendly Visitor program, Dave became interested in and involved with Social Action, now called Government and Community Relations. Dave served as Chairman of the Social Action Committee/Government and Community Relations and on the executive of the Manitoba Division Board.

George P. Maclagan, Director
Chair, Government & Community Relations

George Maclagan lives with his wife and two children at Campbell River, where he is the Sergeant of the Campbell River Sheriff Services. He supervises a staff of 10 Deputy Sheriffs who work out of 5 court locations, serving Powell River, Courtenay, Campbell River, Port Hardy and Gold River.

After six years as a School Trustee, George continues to be active in his community by serving as a Special Olympics coach for softball and soccer as well as an advocate for Parent of Special Needs Children. He recently joined the Board of Directors for the North Vancouver Island Chapter of the MS Society.

George has a long history of actively supporting and fundraising for the MS Society BC & Yukon Division. He draws inspiration and motivation from his mother, Peggie, who was diagnosed with MS in 1986.

Fred Nenninger, Director

Fred Nenninger is a civil engineer with expertise in project delivery and strategic planning. He was responsible for the development of the Metro Vancouver region’s drinking water, liquid waste and solid waste management plans and is the Project Manager for wastewater treatment upgrading.

Fred grew up in Edmonton, but he has lived in British Columbia for the past 35 years. He has delivered many projects and programs that required the cooperation of municipal, provincial and federal agencies. He has been active in initiatives at the local community level as well as some on the national scale.

Fred joined the Board in 2008 with an active interest in the MS Society's vision and mission, and its strategic direction and targets as articulated in Momentum 2015.

Florence Roberts, Director

Florence lives in the Yukon with her partner and two adult children. She has a truly illustrious background, having worked in psychiatric nursing, business ownership, management, health and social services, and a myriad of community organizations such as Crime Prevention Yukon, Whitehorse Housing Authority, Utilities Consumers Group, Fireweed Lions Club, Golden Age Society, Yukon Council on Aging, and various children's organizations in the community.

Florence remains active in her community post-retirement, and is currently serving her second term as councillor for the City of Whitehorse. She sits on the Whitehorse Housing Authority, and is a member-at-large on the Yukon Hospital Corporation Board.

Her daughter was officially diagnosed with MS in 2008 after having symptoms for nearly 10 years. Florence is an active supporter of the MS group in the Yukon, with her passion for giving people a voice.

Chelsea Seaby, Director

Chelsea is a Certified Executive Coach (CEC) working with clients in both the for-profit and not-for-profit environments. Prior to starting her coaching business, Chelsea built a career in human resources, holding positions with some of Canada’s  fastest growing companies:  lululemon athletica inc. (Vice-President of People Resources) and Intrawest ULC (Director Total Compensation).      

Chelsea’s passion is to partner, through a coaching relationship, with leaders as they develop themselves, their teams and their organizations.  She brings integrity, leadership and fun into fast paced and often complex workplaces.

Roberta J. Stewart, Director
Chair, Governance Committee

Roberta J. Stewart is a lawyer with Heather Sadler Jenkins LLP in Prince George. Her practice includes corporate/commercial transactions and loans, residential conveyancing, wills and estate planning, and estates. 
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Roberta was born and raised in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, where she lived until she moved to attend the University of Saskatchewan to obtain a B.Comm. in 1999 with a double major in finance and economics. She attended the University of Saskatchewan, College of Laws and graduated in 2003. She articled at Heather Sadler Jenkins LLP and was called to the bar in May 2004. 

Roberta has served as president of the Prince George Crime Stoppers and is also involved in the Prince George Estate Planning Counsel as secretary. She is a marathon runner and ran her fifth marathon in Vancouver. Her spouse is an independent contractor for BC Hydro. They share a house on four acres with a new kitten and a young Sheppard-blood hound.

Dr Anthony Traboulsee, Director

Dr. Anthony Traboulsee is the Director of the MS Clinic and Clinical Trials Group and Assistant Director of the Multiple Sclerosis/Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research Group at the University of British Columbia, where he is an assistant professor in Neurology. Dr. Traboulsee is President of the Canadian Network of MS Clinics.

He received his undergraduate education at McGill University in Montreal, and his medical degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax. He completed his residency training in neurology and a clinical fellowship in multiple sclerosis (MS) research, the latter with Prof. D. W. Paty, at the University of British Columbia. He then served as a research fellow in MS at the Institute of Neurology in London, United Kingdom, where he worked with Prof. D. H. Miller on magnetization transfer imaging (MRI)techniques.

A Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada and a member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia, Dr. Traboulsee is board-certified in neurology and actively involved in efforts to educate patients and the public about MS. His major research interests lie in the development and application of new MRI techniques for clinical trials of MS therapies.

A frequent guest lecturer, Dr. Traboulsee has presented his work on MS and MRI to numerous professional organizations, including the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers, the Canadian Congress on Neurological Science, and the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS). He is also an author whose work has been published in journals such as Multiple Sclerosis and Neurology.

Helen Tremlett, Director

Helen Tremlett, PhD, is an associate professor in the Faculty of Medicine (Neurology), Brain Research Centre, University of British Columbia. Dr. Tremlett earned her PhD at the Welsh School of Pharmacy at Cardiff University, Wales, UK in 1996, and a B.Pharm(Hons) at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Bath University, UK in 1994.

Dr.Tremlett’s research is funded by various bodies (see below) as well as: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the US National MS Society, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the UK MS Trust and the Martha Piper Foundation. From 2001-2004, she was a post-doctoral fellow in the Faculty of Medicine (Neurology) at the University of British Columbia, with funding from the MS Society of Canada and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.

Medical research expertise:

• Pharmacoepidemiology, epidemiology, multiple sclerosis
• Side-effects and effectiveness of the immunomodulatory drugs for multiple sclerosis 
• Natural history of multiple sclerosis: disease progression and relapses
• Prognosis and predictors of disease progression in multiple sclerosis
• Pregnancy outcomes and multiple sclerosis

Recent Honours and Awards:

• Canada Research Chair in Neuroepidemiology and Multiple Sclerosis
• Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Don Paty Career Development Award
• Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, Scholar Award
• Winner of the 2008 Stephen C. Reingold Award for highest merit-ranked project awarded by the US National MS Society for the grant proposal titled: ‘The BeAMS Study, Long-term Benefits and Adverse Effects of Beta-interferon for Multiple Sclerosis’
• Winner of the 2008 European Charcot Foundation’s Young Investigators Award for Multiple Sclerosis Research; first prize for the poster presented at the European Charcot Foundation Symposium 2008, Sicily, Italy.