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Chamber of Commerce fills board vacancies

Incumbent Walterhouse, three newcomers to begin three-year terms in 2014
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One incumbent and three newcomers will fill the four vacancies on the Whistler Chamber of Commerce's board of directors, beginning three-year terms that will start in 2014.

Theresa Walterhouse will return for another stint with the board, while Ro Davies, Melissa Pace and Kirby Brown also had their nominations accepted.

With four nominees put forward for four board vacancies, no electronic vote will be required to select the new directors this year.

"We have four openings on our 2014 Board of Directors and we serendipitously received four strong candidate nominations," said chamber CEO Val Litwin in a statement. "We are delighted to have Theresa Walterhouse, who has already served on our board for three years, returning for a new term and we have three new faces who bring diverse representation from some key industries shaping our local economy."

Walterhouse is a chartered accountant and partner in the Whistler and Squamish offices of BDO Canada Ltd. During her previous term, she chaired the finance committee and also served on the membership and governance committees.

"I think the board over the last few years has worked hard on a lot of initiatives, so I'm kind of keen to see that through and continue to evolve," said Walterhouse. "We've done a lot of work on our governance and have really tried to focus on members, what members are looking for and what services we can provide. We're constantly wanting to make sure we're relevant to our members, so that's really what I intend to continue to work for."

Walterhouse said she is looking forward to working with the three new directors, but added that having some continuity at the board table is important at this time, particularly as Litwin is stepping into a new role as CEO.

"It's great that we've got some new people coming in," she said. "The board in my mind always needs that combination of continutity and new people coming in, and that's why we moved to three-year terms, so that two-thirds of your board is always there and you're getting more of a planned, slower turnover that allows you to get new people in but not a wholesale change every year."

Davies has been the Whistler Golf Club's sales manager for more than 10 years and has been regularly active in chamber activities, helping to create the organization's golf tournament nine years ago, participating in each year's Canada Day parade and attending as many chamber luncheons as possible.

"In fact, I got an attendance award one year for top attendance," laughed Davies.

"I'm sure that everyone has their own strengths when they come (to the board) and I'll hopefully bring some creative ideas."

Pace is an owner of Landsea Tours & Adventures. She is a part-time Whistler resident who also serves as a director at large with the Vancouver Coast & Mountains Tourism Region board.

Brown, CEO of The Adventure Group, has several years experience working in the Whistler community. He helped oversee the merger of Whistler and Blackcomb mountains in the late 1990s and also spent time serving as COO of Panorama Mountain Village.

All nominees are members, or representatives of members, in good standing for at least two years and received endorsements from three other members in good standing for the board positions. Each nominee was interviewed by the chamber's nominations committee and determined to be a strong addition to the board.

The new directors will be voted in by the membership at large during the chamber's Dec. 3 annual general meeting, and then be sworn in at the first board meeting in January.