Board of Directors

David Gruber joined the VHS Board of Directors in November 2019.  A native of Washington, DC, David moved to Canada after high school to pursue architecture studies at McGill University.  After a brief career as an architectural journalist, he attended law school at the University of Victoria and was called to the BC bar in 1997 and the Ontario bar in 2000. He is currently a partner with the law firm Bennett Jones LLP, where he practices litigation and arbitration with a focus on corporate, commercial and insolvency disputes. David also sits on the Vancouver International Arbitration Centre board and has formerly participated in Turnaround Management Association Northwest Chapter, and Wall Financial Corporation boards. David’s personal interest in hospice care stems from an experience of helping to care for a father with ALS.

Jennifer joined VHS as a Director in November 2021. Jennifer obtained her Chartered Accountant designation with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.  She is currently the Vice President, Finance at Century Group, a family-owned development company with a diverse portfolio of assets and lines of businesses. She is experienced in strategic and business planning, securing financing for real estate developments and overseeing all aspects of the accounting, treasury and tax functions for a portfolio of projects and assets. Jennifer attributes her success to being forward-thinking, having a strong work ethic, and fostering good relationships. Prior to joining Century Group, Jennifer held a senior financial position at a North American development company.

Jennifer has sat on the boards of British Columbia Summer Swimming Association and the Lawyers Inn Society, where she served as treasurer. Jennifer’s personal interest in hospice care stems from her experience in watching her parents provide end-of-life care to her maternal and paternal grandparents. Jennifer enjoys traveling, culinary adventures, and spending time with her young family.

Neil is a successful entrepreneur and business leader. He is co-owner, Vice President and CFO of a leading geological consulting firm based in Vancouver. As owner and manager of a growing company for nearly a decade, Neil has experience in all aspects of business and specific interests in strategy, operational leadership and financial oversight. He is a graduate of the University of Victoria (B.Sc. Earth Science) and McGill University (MBA).

Neil became interested in volunteering in the not-for-profit sector while completing an expansion project for the Centre Philou, a pediatric respite center in Montreal. Through his recent experience supporting his grandmother’s end-of-life care, Neil developed a personal connection to the comfort and dignity provided by hospice care.

Pat is a retired Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist. During her 31-year career in palliative care, she has worked as a clinician, an educator, and a researcher. Prior to her retirement in 2012, she was the Vancouver Coastal Health Regional Lead for Palliative Care. She has served on the Boards of the B.C. Hospice Palliative Care Association and the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association and contributed to initiatives such as the development of a national Hospice Palliative Care Nursing Certification examination and national standards for hospice palliative care. Throughout her career, Pat has advocated for the development of community hospice programs as essential to the continuum of care. Since her retirement, Pat has engaged in research activities related to a palliative approach to care and advance care planning. As a volunteer with the Vancouver Coastal Health Community Engagement Advisory Network, she provides public education about Advance Care Planning to the community at large. Pat welcomes this opportunity to serve on the Board of Vancouver Hospice Society and hopes that her past professional and current community experience will be helpful to VHS in fulfilling its mission and goals.

Pat joined the VHS Board of Directors in 2019. She is an RN who recently retired from a career primarily devoted to specialized palliative care in a variety of settings; including hospices, palliative care units, community/home based palliative care, and liaison – connecting patients and families with community resources. Her connection to hospice/palliative care began in 1970 with the death of her mother. She describes it as being a time when death, dying and loss were rarely discussed, and also a time when the development of a philosophy of palliative care and services was dawning in Canada. She says it has been rewarding to see the advancement of care for people and their families over the decades, and she is pleased to be part of Vancouver Hospice Society and the continued advancement of Hospice.

Afzal Mangalji joined VHS as a Director in 2022, with over 35 years of experience in health care.  With an academic background in Nuclear Medicine Technology, Social Work and Public Administration, he has held a number of clinical, administrative, and organizational development roles at the Vancouver General Hospital. He was a key member of the multidisciplinary Palliative Care Unit Team at the hospital from 2003 – 2017 and is currently a Clinical Instructor with the Division of Palliative Care in UBC’s Faculty of Medicine. He has considerable international and local volunteer experience in initiating programs and services that help to ensure that vulnerable patients and families are able to access Palliative Care in a timely manner.

Mandy is a marketing professional with over 10 years of experience in real estate marketing. In her current role as Vice President Marketing for Intracorp Homes, BC, she is responsible for corporate brand initiatives in Intracorp’s four regions across North America, working to ensure Intracorp’s well-founded brand is consistent and extraordinary everywhere it appears. In addition, Mandy leads the project marketing team for Intracorp in B.C. and Austin, TX. This includes the development and implementation of all creative marketing strategies that increase awareness of their projects – from intimate townhome communities to luxury condo towers, while reinforcing each project’s unique vision. Her interest in hospice care began after seeing the immeasurable impact it had on her family during her Oma’s end-of-life care.

Patricia Lucy is the Director of Brand, Marketing, and Ridership Development for TransLink, Metro Vancouver’s regional transportation authority.  Patricia oversees the teams responsible for marketing, the enterprise strategy and delivery of customer experience both digitally and in-system, as well as demand side management initiatives and the key regional partnerships that make it possible.

Patricia holds a bachelor’s in business administration and a master’s in urban studies from Simon Fraser University providing her with a unique foundation for managing complex public projects and behavior change initiatives.

On a personal note having dealt with the end of life care for her father she has seen the need and the importance for support of the families and loved ones of those going though hospice care and is honored to offer her skills to the Vancouver Hospice Society.

Dr. Elinor Wilson worked in the academic and public sectors at the international, national, and provincial levels.

She served most recently as president, Assisted Human Reproduction, a federal regulatory agency established to promote health, safety, dignity, and rights for Canadians who use or are born of assisted human reproduction technologies. Previously, she served as CEO of the Canadian Public Health Association.

Currently, in retirement, she Chairs the Council of Pacific Spirit United Church and Chairs the Michael Smith Health Research BC Board. 

Elinor holds a PhD in Administration Management from Walden University in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and an MHSC from McMaster University. Her numerous professional activities included membership of the Institute of Population and Public Health Advisory Board at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. She was formerly vice president of the World Heart Federation; president, Inter-American Heart Foundation; and chair, Canadian Coalition for Public Health in the 21st Century.