COMMITTEE & STAFF
With Vancouver slated to play host to the 102nd Grey Cup Championship in November, BC Lions president and CEO Dennis Skulsky, along with 102nd Grey Cup committee co-chairs Bill Weymark and Michael Graydon and 102nd Grey Cup Festival General Manager Jamie Pitblado, have introduced members of the 102nd Grey Cup Festival Committee.
The co-chairs of the committee, Bill Weymark and Michael Graydon bring an outstanding network of contacts with local business and community leaders and are very successful businessmen who also believe strongly in giving back to their community.
In addition to overseeing Weymark Engineering Ltd., a company providing consulting services to businesses in the private equity, construction and resource sector, Weymark is also director of the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation Board, and a number of public and private companies. Bill has been active with the BC Lions for many years as one of the co-founders of the Waterboys and a member of the 2005 and 2011 Grey Cup Committees.
“I am very pleased to be named co-chair of the 2014 Grey Cup Festival,” said Weymark. “As long-time Lions and CFL supporter, I look forward to making our festival the very best it can be for the people of British Columbia as well as visitors from across Canada.”
Graydon, a former member of the 2011 Grey Cup Committee and Waterboy has more than 30 years of progressive marketing and general management experience. His innovative approach in the highly-competitive and challenging gaming market resulted in the launch of PlayNow.com and he is leading the transformation of BCLC’s lottery, casino and eGaming businesses to generate socially responsible revenue growth.
“It is truly an honour to be a part of 2014 Grey Cup Festival,” said Graydon. “I look forward to working alongside Bill and Jamie as well as the Lions staff to make our event a great success. Grey Cup Festivals are a celebration for our entire nation and 2014 will raise the bar yet again.”
THE 102ND GREY CUP FESTIVAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Bill Weymark – Co-Chair, 102nd Grey Cup Festival
Michael Graydon – Co-Chair, 102nd Grey Cup Festival
Moray Keith – Senior Advisor, 102nd Grey Cup Festival Committee
Greg Keith – Vice President/Owner of Dueck Auto Group
Penny Ballem – City Manager, City of Vancouver
Howard Blank – Vice President, Great Canadian Gaming Corporation
Debbie Butt – Director of Marketing and Communications, Canuck Place Children’s Hospice
Nicholas Cartmell – Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives, TELUS
Andrea Southcott – Partner, Southcott Strategy Inc.
Doug Kelsey – Chief Operating Officer, TransLink
Brent Johnson – Investment Professional, CIBC Wood Gundy
Marsha Walden – President & CEO, Destination BC
Michelle Stilwell – MLA for Parksville-Qualicum
Jordan Willms – Manager, Business Analysis Services, BCLC
BC LIONS REPRESENTATION
Dennis Skulsky – President & CEO
George Chayka – Vice President, Business Operations
Stefan Kalenchuk – Director, Marketing
Kristi Van Binsbergen – Manager, Game Day Operations & Events
Jamie Cartmell – Director, Communications
Arlene Stewart-Irvine – Manager, Fan Customer Services
Carol Longmuir – Finance Administrator
102ND GREY CUP FESTIVAL STAFF
Jamie Pitblado
General Manager
Jamie spent 19 years with Pacific Newspaper Group, publishers of The Vancouver Sun and The Province newspapers, prior to joining the BC Lions in July 2013. At PNG, he was responsible for overseeing the company’s sponsorship and community investment portfolio.
He has a long history with the BC Lions and the CFL having worked closely with the club in his time at PNG. In 2005 he received the Commissioner’s Award, the CFL’s highest honour for volunteers, as a founding member of the Waterboys – a group created to grow support for the Lions amongst the business community.
He is a Trustee of the BC Football Hall of Fame and the BC Sports Hall of Fame. Jamie has served on the 1999, 2005 and 2011 Grey Cup committees and now leads the charge as General Manager of the 102nd Grey Cup Festival.
Tim Hopkins
Director, Festival Events & Operations
Tim graduated from UBC in 1993 and has worked in the event industry ever since, working for clients including Molson Sports & Entertainment, IMG Canada, Red Bull Canada, and the Canada Running Series. In 2000, Tim started his own consulting firm specializing in event operations and management which today includes the following clients: The Vancouver Sun Run, Scotiabank Half Marathon, Reconciliation Canada, Easter Seals BC, and The BC Lions Football Club.
Tim has been involved with the Grey Cup in Vancouver since 1998 and was the Director of Events & Operations for the 2011 Grey Cup in Vancouver.
Stephanie Dornan
Manager, Festival Events & Operations
As a new comer to the West Coast, Stephanie has joined the 102nd Grey Cup Festival team after building her event consulting practice in Toronto, Ontario. Stephanie has been a part of the Canadian Football League family since 2011 where she worked in the league office and later joined the 100th Grey Cup Festival team.
As an Event Management graduate of George Brown College, Stephanie uses her trademark skills of problem solving, creativity, and flexibility to help her team produce innovative and memorable experiences through events. She excels at logistics and operations, making her very excited to be a part of this new team and help CFL fans ROAR on the Shore this season.
Carey Summerfelt
Manager, Corporate Partnerships
Carey’s career started taking direction after she moved to Vancouver in 2001. Over the last 13 years, Carey has worked for advertising and marketing agencies, not-for-profit organizations and the amateur sport sector which has allowed her to work on a variety of projects like the IIHF World Junior Hockey Tournament, the Memorial Cup Championship and many National Ad campaigns.
Taking all of the skills she has developed in marketing, event management, and corporate partnerships, Carey opened her consulting firm in 2012, servicing clients such as Rugby Canada, Basketball BC, BC Rugby and Vancouver 125. This has now led to her current role with the BC Lions Football Club, leading the charge as Manager of Corporate Partnerships for the 102nd Grey Cup Festival.
Jessica Doherty
Manager, Marketing & Communications
Jessica joins the 102nd Grey Cup Festival team as Manager, Marketing & Communications, following a return to Canada from England, where she had the opportunity to work in a marketing capacity on events such as the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games, BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and the Henley Festival of Music and Art. Originally from Metro Vancouver, Jessica also has experience in both professional and amateur sport in the BC market, and looks forward to showcasing Vancouver to Grey Cup fans from across the country.
Joy-Ann Lee
Manager, Volunteer Services
Joy-Ann has been volunteering for events since 1994 and her volunteer experiences include the Molson Indy, World Figure Skating Championships, World Weightlifting Championships, Canadian Figure Skating Championships, and 2010 Olympics.
She has held several volunteer coordinator/manager positions including Symphony of Fire fireworks, Taste of the Nation, World Junior Hockey Championship, Grey Cup 2005 and 2011, Memorial Cup Championship, Celtic Fest Vancouver, World Police & Fire Games, and the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Soccer Tournament.
Sarah Hale
Festival CoordinatorSarah is a recent Masters of Business Administration Graduate from Vancouver Island University. Prior to joining the 102nd Grey Cup Festival team, Sarah held the position of Community Relations Associate for the BC Lions Football Club, where she helped coordinate and execute over 175 school programs such as, Lions Pride, Energy Champions, Lions in the House and Be More than a Bystander.