Jeff comes to the Forward House team with a diverse background, but one with a single purpose: service. He is a Canadian Forces veteran who served nine years in uniform. After leaving the military, he attended Mount Royal College in Calgary, studying journalism. Having fallen in love with Vancouver Island while in uniform, he moved to Qualicum Beach in 1992 and quickly found work at the PQB News. He is the longest serving editor in the paper’s history (1993-2004). He then served 12 years as an addictions counsellor and marketing coordinator at one of Canada’s top treatment centres located in Nanaimo. He has been a Rotarian, volunteered with the Hospice Society, and was a Director on the Board of the Qualicum Beach Chamber of Commerce. Jeff is a father, a soon to be grandfather, a golfer, and bass player. He is adamant none of it would be possible without his 33 years in recovery.

Bio coming soon

Glenn moved to Oceanside from Ontario in 2018 after retiring from a career in engineering, teaching and management. He has been an active volunteer swimming official for over 25 years, and continues to serve as an official, educator and meet organizer for Swim BC and Swimming Canada. He believes strongly in our responsibility to look after each other, and has volunteered with service organizations including Frontier College, the London Mission and Child Haven. Glenn is committed to Forward House’s mission of nurturing mental wellness within our community, and looks forward to contributing to its continued success.

Bio coming soon

Lisa is the Referent Relations Manager at Edgewood Treatment Centre in Nanaimo. This role ensures all referring professionals experience a smooth, efficient and hassle-free experience when they contact the facility and while their person is in Edgewood’s care. Before her role as Referent Relations Manager, Lisa spent 18 years in various roles at Edgewood, with the majority of it working as an Admissions Coordinator, a position that helped her build on her customer service skills when supporting professionals and families who were seeking addiction treatment. Lisa holds a Business diploma from Vancouver Community College and has continued to work on educating herself from both an addictions perspective as well as attending VIU in the Community Support Worker program. She has sat on the Board for BC Community Living in Parksville, currently belongs to 100+ Women Who Care Oceanside, and has recently joined the Board of Forward House.

Bio coming soon

Deborah retired to Vancouver Island after decades working as a family doctor, with professional and volunteer work in public health services, child abuse evaluation, women’s health issues and international health. She has a long-time interest in the social determinants of health, factors that strongly influence health that are not health care services. She believes that social support and community, education and skills are essential for all of us to be healthy and thrive. Her leisure activities include gardening, mountain biking and grandchildren.

Dan has lived in the Parksville area since 2000 and has helped guide three kids through local schools, sports, dance, and eventually, the mental health care system. He believes in more robust and less judgemental mental health supports for everyone, because life is hard and it’s ok to need help. He currently works with Risebridge as a low-barrier outreach worker, he is the garden manager at the MAC Community Garden, and he plays banjo and trombone with local cover band, the Apollos.