Jim Thompson
Jim Thompson is active in the business communities in both Washington and British Columbia as an angel investor, board member and advisor for emerging growth companies. His areas of interest include software, systems, healthcare and cleantech. He has a BEng in Civil Engineering from McGill University and an MBA from Stanford University.
Jim has thirty plus years of executive experience in high-growth, technology-based businesses, serving a variety of commercial and business markets. He has held senior management positions ranging from President and CEO to VP Finance and CFO, following earlier roles as Controller, Director of Sales and Marketing, Product Manager and Sales Manager. He has worked with both public and venture-backed companies, delivering hardware and software products as well as systems and services, worldwide.
From his homes in Bellingham WA and in Pinecrest next to The Brew Creek Centres south of Whistler, Jim is a frequent supporter of the Forum’s dialogues, symposia and leadership events.
Bob Adams
Bob is President of Bevendale Enterprises Inc (The Grocery Store & Delish Catering and Café and Pemberton Valley Supermarket Ltd). With a BSW and MSW from UBC Bob has worked in the community and is keenly aware of issues related to social and economic well-being. Through his work and community involvement in Whistler and the Sea to Sky Corridor Bob has been Past President and Director of Whistler Chamber of Commerce, past Director of Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, Chair of Community Futures Howe Sound, Vice Chair, Advisory Land Use Commission, Pemberton, and Joint Business Person of the Year with his wife Sue.
Bob and Sue were Honorary Co-Chairs of Leadership Sea to Sky Cohort V with his commitment to ‘Learning and Leading with First Nations’, and with Sue travelled to Shanghai and Shangri-la China as participants in the Forum’s Harmony Tour in 2010.
Pitman Potter
Pitman Potter is a Professor of Law at UBC Law Faculty and Hong Kong Bank Chair in Asian Research at UBC's Institute of Asian Research. Professor Potter's teaching and research are focused on PRC and Taiwan law and policy in the areas of foreign trade and investment, dispute resolution, intellectual property, contracts, business regulation, and human rights. Professor Potter has served on numerous Editorial Boards for journals such as The China Quarterly, The Hong Kong Law Journal, He has published several books, including most recently A Guide to Business Law in Asia. In addition to his academic activities, Professor Potter is admitted to the practice of law in British Columbia, Washington and California, and serves as a consultant to the Canadian national law firm of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. As a Chartered Arbitrator, Professor Potter is engaged in international trade arbitration work involving China. He has served on the Board of Directors of several public institutions, including Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, where he is now a Senior Fellow.
Pitman was instrumental in supporting the Forum’s 2005 November Summit on Collaborative Governance in the Asia Pacific, and on three occasions has worked with the Forum to co-host UBC’s Summer China Institute in Whistler. He has been a frequent speaker at and advisor to the Forum’s developing China and Asia programs. He is also an ordained deacon in the Anglican Church of Canada serving at St Helen’s near his home in Point Gray.
Graham Fuller
Graham Fuller is an independent writer, analyst, lecturer, and consultant on Muslim World affairs and adjunct professor of history at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. He served 20 years as a CIA operations officer, later as vice chairman of the National Intelligence Council at CIA, with overall responsibility for national level strategic forecasting. Mr. Fuller was later a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation for twelve years. He speaks several Middle Eastern languages. Since 1990 he has been working as an independent analyst on Middle Eastern affairs, particularly on issues of Islam, ethnicity, democracy, and geopolitics. He has written many books and articles relating to the Middle East, global geopolitics, and religion in politics, including a book on the Geopolitics of Islam and the West, several books on Turkey, one on Iran, and a study of the Arab Shia. His most recent book is A World Without Islam 2010.
Graham has been an advisor to the Forum Board and President for the past four years from his home in Squamish, and has presented at the Forum’s symposia on Canada in Afghanistan and Canada in a Multipolar World. With his wife Prue, Graham was Honorary Chair of Leadership Sea to Sky Cohort VII.
Bill Brown
Bill is the Manager of Community Planning for the Resort Municipality of Whistler, one of several positions he has had with local governments in Alberta and British Columbia. He is currently heavily involved in the revisions and community input to Whistler’s Official Community Plan. Originally from Alberta, Bill has a BSc from the University of Lethbridge, and a MA from the University of Waterloo.
Bill is a graduate of Leadership Sea to Sky Cohort IV, where he was honoured as the 2009 Cundill Fellow attending the Aspen Institute’s Leadership Seminar. He was also instrumental in planning and participating both of the Forum’s Harmony Tours to China in 2008 and 2010. With his new wife Hui he connects with many groups in Squamish and throughout the Sea to Sky Corridor. Bill became a Director of Forum Board in 2009 and continues to serve as Secretary on the Board.
William Roberts - President
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William Roberts is a leader, facilitator, enabler and fundraiser who is passionate about practical applications of citizen engagement and collaborative leadership. Founder of the Whistler Forum for Leadership and Dialogue in 2003, he combines twenty five years of experience in leading faith communities, seven years as a provincial legislator and seven years managing fundraising campaigns for capital and special projects for a host of environmental and non-profit groups in British Columbia. Licensed in the Diocese of New Westminster he has served in transitional management at 12 faith communities throughout the Lower Mainland and Sea to Sky Country. He has worked with community, academic and business groups in the BC, Alberta, Ontario, as well as in the US and China.
His studies at Harvard in the late seventies led to his Masters of Divinity and his involvement with the Centre for World Religions. In the early nineties he graduated with a MBA from the Executive Programs at the University of Colorado, Denver’s School of Business, and his contact with the Aspen Institute. These quality educational experiences led to his commitment to interdisciplinary approaches to understanding and addressing issues of collaboration and sustainability.
As a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for seven years, he spearheaded policy forums on settlement services, immigration, health and energy policy. He worked with members of all parties to establish the AIDS Network of Edmonton, the Northern Alberta Children’s Heath Consortium, and the Terry Fox Run.
As a manager Roberts has worked throughout the Pacific Northwest with non-profit Boards in health care, the arts, environment and faith communities. He led and managed campaigns that raised more than $10 million for capital and special projects and well as strengthening Boards and diversifying their sources of revenue.
At the Whistler Forum he developed the Leadership Sea to Sky Cohort program and LSS Forum program. The Forum’s annual November Summits convene citizens and leaders in from across North America and the Asia Pacific to share best practices and build networks of support. He has also been an active Board Member of the Canadian Community Leadership Network and a Fellow of SFU’s Centre for Dialogue.
