Gail Alty
Phone: 604 317-4755
email: galty@sd43.bc.ca
Gail Alty has been a Coquitlam resident and active advocate for public education in School District 43 for twenty-three years. Her two children have both graduated from the Coquitlam School District.
She completed her formal education with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Alberta.
She was first elected to the Board of School Trustees in 1993. She has chaired the Human Resources Committee, served as Board Vice-Chair and acted as Board Liaison to a variety of other district and policy review committees.
Trustee Alty believes every child has the right to an education that builds on and challenges their abilities, that encourages them to reach beyond what they believe is possible, that encourages a love of learning and teaches them to respect themselves and others. She believes in consultative decision making, in listening to all education partners and in keeping the focus on what is best for students.
Brian Robinson
Phone: 604-936-2263
email: brobinson@sd43.bc.ca
Brian Robinson is a retired child protection supervisor for the TriCities. Previous positions were in the family and youth sector which included serving as the General Manager of the U.B.C. Alma Mater Society and as Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Vancouver.
His political career began in 1976 when he was first elected to Coquitlam City Council where he served for 20 years. Brian was elected to the Board of School Trustees in 1999 and is currently serving his fifth term as a school trustee.
He is a graduate of Sir George Williams University, Montreal and received a second undergraduate degree and a Master’s degree in community organization from U.B.C. He is the recipient of a number of awards for public service and volunteer community work, most recently The Spirit of Community Award for 2010.
Diane Sowden
Phone: 604-939-8973
Fax: 604-939-8954
email: dsowden@sd43.bc.ca
Diane Sowden was elected as a school trustee in the fall of 2005, and serves as a School District No. 43 appointee to the Coquitlam Foundation and the City of Coquitlam/School Board Liaison Committee.
She has been a resident of Coquitlam for the past 22 years, married for 32 years and has eight children of whom four are now adults. She is the owner/operator of a public opinion market research firm and the co-founder/Executive Director of Children of the Street Society, both located in Coquitlam.
As a Certified Family Support Worker, Diane has had the opportunity to work with many youth and their families throughout British Columbia.
Gerri Wallis
Phone/Fax: 604-931-7351
email:gwallis@sd43.bc.ca
Gerri Wallis was first elected to the Board of Trustees in 1993. Since then, she has worked on the Corporate Relations, Student Services, Aboriginal, and Year Round Schooling Committees, as well as, the ESL Consortium for the Lower Mainland and the Cultural Task Force for Coquitlam.
Prior to her election as Trustee, she was the Parent Education coordinator for the District Parent Advisory Council. Currently, Gerri is working on the City of Coquitlam and School District No. 43 Liaison Committee, the District Parent Advisory Council and previously the Human Resources Committee, the Finance and Facilities Committee and the Montessori Advisory Committee. As well Gerri volunteers as a director and vice chair of the Coquitlam Foundation and was a Trustee of the Coquitlam Public Library from 1992 to 2000.
Gerri is married with one daughter who graduated from School District 43 and has completed a Master’s degree at Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland.