Community Food Systems Development
Our Team
Working in partnership to
strengthen the food systems sector in the north and across BC.
The Community Food Systems Development Team is a diverse team of individuals dedicated to supporting the vision and food systems transformation projects taking place across BC that are investing in more just, equitable, sustainable and resilient food systems.
“Working together with our partners, we are helping local groups meet the increasing demand for nutritious food.”
– Honourable Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.
Meet the CFSD Team
Dr. Shannon Turner (she/her)
Executive Director
PHABC
Dr. Shannon Turner, MSc, PhD, is grateful to live and work on the traditional and unceded territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) peoples, known today as the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.
Shannon is the Executive Director of the Public Health Association of British Columbia and has more than 35 years of experience in public health practice, healthy public policy, health promotion, program and project management, strategic planning, health informatics, quality assurance, risk management, logistics and accounting, as well as conducting research on digital communication and citizen engagement.
Aside from her extensive academic credentials, Shannon has a wide range of experience from both the public and private sector. Shannon is currently serving as Co-Chair of Prevention of Violence Canada, and served as Chair of the World Health Organization Vaccine Safety Net from 2019-2023.
Shannon has a number of years of service as an advocate for public health at the regional, provincial and national levels. The University of Hawaii named Shannon to the Delta Omega Society for outstanding contribution to public health.
In 2017, she was awarded the Honorary Life Membership Award by the Canadian Public Health Association for being an exemplar practitioner scholar and has been a stalwart advocate for public health and health equity throughout her career. In 2009, she was presented with the President’s Award by the Public Health Association of BC for her work in rebuilding and renewing the association. In 2008, she was awarded the James M. Robinson Award (UBC Public Health) for her significant contributions to public health.
Dan Huang-Taylor (he/him)
Executive Director
FBBC
Dan Huang-Taylor is the Executive Director of Food Banks BC, the provincial association representing 111 food banks across British Columbia. Since assuming the role in 2020, he has provided strategic leadership through a period of unprecedented demand, guiding the network through the COVID-19 pandemic, climate-related emergencies, and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
Under his direction, the organization has not only strengthened its position as a critical resource to the hunger-relief sector but also deepened its commitment to addressing the root causes of food insecurity.
Dan brings over 15 years of non-profit leadership to the role, with a career spanning direct frontline service, innovative program development, and executive strategy. Prior to joining Food Banks BC, he held senior positions at the YMCA of Greater Vancouver, where he spearheaded community initiatives focused on youth employment and settlement services for new immigrants and refugees.
Dan is grateful to live on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem First Nation) with his partner and their two daughters.
Richard Han (he/him)
Senior Director of Public Health and Community Engagement
PHABC
Richard Han gratefully lives, works and raises his family on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Semiahmoo, Katzie, Kwikwetlem, Kwantlen, Qayqayt, and Tsawwassen First Nations.
Richard is the Senior Director of Public and Planetary Health at the Public Health Association of BC (PHABC), where he leads strategic initiatives that advance equity, youth leadership, food systems transformation, and climate-resilient communities.
With over 15 years of experience across governments, philanthropy, and the nonprofit sector, he works at the intersection of policy, systems change, and community-rooted innovation. His approach centres relational leadership, lived experience, and shifting power toward communities most impacted by systemic inequities.
Richard holds a Master of Public Policy from Simon Fraser University and is also on the board of BC Poverty Reduction Coalition. As a husband and father, Richard has little spare time — but when he does, he dedicates it to making meaningful memories with his family, often centered around good food.
Christina Lavoie (she/her)
Operations Director
PHABC
Christina was born and raised in Victoria, on the unceded territory of the Lekwungen speaking First Nations, and is now fortunate enough to call the Comox Valley home; where the K’òmoks First Nations have prospered for millennia on their unceded territory under the watchful eye of K’one-is (Queneesh).
Before entering public health, Christina attended the University of Victoria, attaining a double bachelors degree in Linguistics and Anthropology with a focus on language and society while owning and operating a successful home-business, allowing her to graduate debt-free. She began working at the Public Health Association of BC in the spring of 2017 and hasn’t looked back.
She has worked in multiple roles in the organization, currently as operations manager, has managed the coordination of PHABC’s major events, and supported a number of short- and long-term projects collaborating with various partner organizations.
In her spare time, you can find Christina hiking, biking, kayaking or camping with her husband, Ryan, and rescue pup, Mocha, in some of the most remote places on Vancouver Island and the Pacific Northwest Coast.
Selenna Ho (she/her)
Communications Director
PHABC
Selenna is grateful to live, work and play on the ancestral, traditional and unceded Indigenous territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/ Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.
As PHABC’s first Communications Director, Selenna leads the strategic development, vision and implementation of PHABC’s communications foundation and evolution. Selenna’s media expertise spans over ten years, with experiences in academia, magazines, radio, news and non-profit communications.
She is the first person to have won both the prestigious Jack Webster and the Ruth Hancock awards, among many other academic awards. Selenna has also been published in both national and international anthologies and has won awards for her poetry.
Alongside media work, Selenna has also done crisis work in women’s centres and organizations dedicated to educating the public on youth sexual exploitation and gang violence.
Outside of work, Selenna continues to express creativity through ballet, contemporary dance, drawing, yoga and meditation.
Rebekah Erickson (she/her)
Project Management Office and Quality Assurance Manager
PHABC
Rebekah has over seven years of experience working in project and program management, research and knowledge mobilization in various areas of public health including food access, mental health, substance use, homelessness, violence prevention and global health.
She was the recipient of several awards throughout her education in public health (MPH, MSc) and psychology (BA Hons.), including the European Union’s prestigious Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Scholarship.
Rebekah has a passion for travel and learning about different cultures. She has worked and studied public health in several countries, including Nigeria, the Netherlands, England, Wales and Canada.
Rebekah is also a yoga and meditation teacher, with a focus on the intersection between spirituality and well-being on both the individual and community level.
With a deep love for the mountains, rainforest and ocean, Rebekah is grateful to call Vancouver Island home, which resides on the unceded territory of the Lekwungen peoples, known today as the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.
Roanne Whitticase (she/her)
Senior Community Food Development Officer
PHABC
Roanne Whitticase lives on the traditional, unceded territory of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, where she gratefully grows and harvests food and is nourished by the lands and waters.
Roanne is the Community Food Systems Development Officer working with the Community Food Systems Development team to support and guide food systems transformation projects taking place across BC.
Roanne holds a Bachelors in Community and Population Health, and runs a cooperative market garden farm in community with other local growers. She is also a member of the Everyone at The Table food collective in Prince George, BC. Her spare time is filled with the endless wonders that northern forests and communities provide with her partner and her dogs.
Lizeth Ardila (she/her)
Program, Policy, and Engagement Lead
PHABC
Lizeth (Liz) is a first-generation immigrant who now lives, works, and enjoys the outdoors in the traditional and unceded Indigenous territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/ Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Nations.
As the Program, Policy, and Engagement Lead at the Public, Liz oversees program evaluation, research, and engagement initiatives that strengthen food security and community-based innovation in BC. In this role, Liz strives to support the team in driving transformative, community-centred food systems change across the province.
With an MSc in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems (UBC) and a BA in International Development and Conflict Resolution Studies (University of Winnipeg), Liz brings a wealth of knowledge to her work. She specializes in decolonizing theory, Indigenous research methodologies, and equity-driven project stewardship.
When Lizeth is not working, she enjoys spending time in nature. Whether it’s hiking in the north shore or on Vancouver Island, swimming in rivers, going on climbing adventures, spending time with her loved ones, or tending to her garden, Liz finds solace and inspiration in the outdoors.
Angelina Sharma (she/her)
Senior Program Lead
PHABC
Angelina is a second-generation immigrant who resides on the ancestral, traditional, and unceded territory of the Kwikwetlem Nation. She is grateful to have called this land home throughout her childhood, growing up connected to the waters of the Burrard Inlet and surrounded by the forests of Port Moody, Belcarra, and Anmore.
Angelina is a Project Lead with the Community Food Systems Development (CFSD) Team and Community Garden Roots. With a Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences, she is passionate about building healthy environments that support health equity, food justice, and community engagement.
She has contributed to several key reports with the Public Health Association of BC, including Activating the Food Access Sector and Re-Defining Dignified Food Access, and brings a thoughtful, systems-based lens to her work. Angelina is excited to continue supporting CFSD projects across the province and deepening her knowledge of food systems while working alongside food access organizations throughout BC.
In her spare time, you can find Angelina practicing yoga, exploring local cafés and farmers’ markets, or dog-sitting her favourite four-legged friends.
Jenna Kelly (she/her)
Graphic Designer and Website Assistant
PHABC
Jenna is an Indigenous graphic designer working in Vancouver. Her focus is on branding, illustration and supporting communications for PHABC. She feels grateful to represent Indigenous creatives through her work on the ancestral, traditional and unceded Indigenous territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/ Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.
With roots from Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, Jenna brings a thoughtful perspective to her creative voice in public health. Deeply inspired by her Indigenous heritage, she incorporates themes of land, growth, and interconnectedness into her practice. She is passionate about creating inclusive, purposeful work that resonates with diverse audiences.
Jenna believes that creativity should strengthen understanding. She strives to make the world more beautiful through art rooted in connection and lived experience. Outside of work, she finds inspiration from animals, painting, spirituality, and all forms of self-expression.
Madison Pinder (she/her)
Communications Lead
PHABC
Madison Pinder was born and raised in The Bahamas and now lives, works, and plays on the ancestral, traditional, and unceded territories of the Halkomelem-speaking peoples in New Westminster, BC. She’s grateful to have found a home away from home that nurtures her connection to land, sea, and local food.
As a PHABC Communications Specialist, Madison supports food systems projects across the province. This role beautifully melds her passion for food and nutrition with nearly a decade of experience in communications and design.
She is a proud graduate of UBC, where she earned a BSc in Food, Nutrition and Health with a Minor in Sustainable Food Systems. Both her studies and time at PHABC have shaped her appreciation for collaborative work, systems thinking, and knowledge mobilization.
Outside of work, you’ll find her creating art, cooking fresh meals from locally rescued food, or embracing joyful forms of movement through dance.
Véronique Emmett (she/her)
Community Food Development Coordinator
PHABC
Véronique Emmett lives on the traditional, unceded territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples, known today as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations, where she gratefully tends the land, grows food, and learns from the surrounding ecosystems.
Véronique is the Community Food Development Coordinator, supporting food systems transformation projects across BC. She has several years of experience in regenerative and organic agriculture, which grounds her work in a deep connection to food, land, and community.
With a background in experiential and outdoor education, she brings a hands-on, relational approach to connecting people with food, environment, and community.
She holds a BA Honours in Dance from The School of Contemporary Dancers and the University of Winnipeg, and integrates creativity and collaboration into her work with food and community.
In her spare time, Véronique can be found dancing, spending time on and in the water, and adventuring with friends and family.
Samantha Piansay (she/her)
Videographer
PHABC
Samantha is deeply grateful to live, work, and play on the ancestral, traditional, and unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. Having grown up on these lands and been surrounded by their natural beauty, she feels incredibly fortunate to call this place home.
Samantha developed a passion for visual storytelling at eight years old. This creative passion grew throughout her school years, and eventually, into her career. As the photographer and videographer for a corporate brand, she was in charge of producing high-quality product and lifestyle shots that transformed and modernized the company’s entire website. That hands-on experience eventually led her to PHABC, where she helped launch Rise Up!
Now, as PHABC’s Communications Specialist, she aims to tell stories that emotionally resonate and inspire action. Sam takes pride in building meaningful connections through her work and believes that effective communication can be a powerful tool for positive change. Sam is excited to continue growing her skills and supporting initiatives that promote equity, community engagement, and public health awareness across BC.
When she’s not working, Samantha stays grounded and inspired through volleyball, meditation, and listening to music. These activities help recharge her creativity and energy.
Shannen Piansay (she/her)
Photographer
PHABC
Shannen is deeply grateful to live, work, and create on the ancestral, traditional, and unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.
Shannen first discovered a love for photography during the pandemic, when film photography became both a creative outlet and a way to slow down. The hands-on process —capturing shots, developing, and editing —quickly grew into a passion that continues to inspire her.
Shannen was the Photographer PHABC’s Rise Up! pilot event, and has since evolved into a deeper commitment to visual storytelling.
Alongside her creative work, Shannen is also a CAD and BIM technologist, where she brings precision and detail to engineering projects. She finds joy in balancing the technical and the artistic, both of which require patience, problem-solving, and a sharp eye for detail.
When she’s not working, Shannen enjoys crafting model DIY kits, spending time outdoors with her partner, and exploring the world with her sweet dog, Simba!