Board of Directors

Rob Bromley, Chair

Rob is the President and Partner of Force Four Entertainment where he has developed successful relationships with national and international networks and production partners on a variety of drama, lifestyle, and documentary projects. Rob is actively involved in the Canadian production community and is currently the Chair of the BC Branch Council of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association and is an advisor to the Canadian Film Centre. He participates at International markets, conferences, and as a presenter at various workshops and panels. He is also the President of the Canadian Angelman Syndrome Society. Rob and his wife Kathy are parents to a daughter Shannon and son Michael.

Helene Eschbach

Helene joined PLAN in 2007. She was drawn to the organization because if offered answers to questions that her family had been asking for many years: Who will be there for our son when my husband and I are gone? Where do we look for information about education, home and employment for our son with disabilities? Who will advocate for our family when we need help? Helene is a retired teacher who enjoys tutoring young learners. As a PLAN one-to-one support person for the RDSP, she shares information with people all over the country.

Ted Kuntz

Ted is an author, a college professor and a psychotherapist with a private practice in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology and 25 years of clinical experience. Ted and his family became one of PLAN’s youngest Lifetime Members and over the years he has grown to become an active part of the future of PLAN. Ted is a previous Board Chair of PLAN Institute and currently is on the Board of Directors of PLAN.

John McDermott

John has worked in the fields of development, monitoring and evaluation of social services; delivery of Child Welfare services in a large, inner city district office; multi-sector approach in dealing with issues; program design, program evaluation and quality assurance; and federal/provincial/territorial initiatives and networking.
As well John has his BA in Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario, MA in Psychology from the University of Guelph, and further graduate work in Psychology at the University of Alberta.
John has nearly 30 years experience with the Alberta Public Service, including executive management of policy, program development and quality improvement related to Child Welfare, Family Support for Children with Disabilities and Child Care. For the past five years, he has been a consultant in human services with McDermott Consulting Inc. working in the areas of Child Welfare, Mental Health and FASD prevention. Living in Vancouver, John is married to Irene McDermott with three adult children, Sarah, Molly and Adam.

Andy Smith

Andy assumed the role of President and CEO of the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) in October of 2007. Prior to that, he worked as an advisor to the president on labour, environmental and forest policy matters at Interfar, a major BC forest company. Previous positions include: Assistant publisher at Pacific Press, President of BC Hothouse Foods Inc. and various senior positions at Loblaw’s Companies including Vice President Labour Relations, North America and President, Kelly Douglas and Co. Ltd.
Andy has held directorships with the Health Employers Association of BC, Vancouver Coast Health Authority, Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network (PLAN) and the PLAN Institute, an independent family support agency and a developmental institute focused on the long term support of intellectually impaired adults.

Ray Smith

Ray Smith recently retired from a career in healthcare technology management within the Vancouver Health Authority, where he spent the latter years leading a team in the acquisition and support of medical diagnostic systems. He apprenticed in electronic engineering in the U.K., and later worked in the scientific apparatus manufacturing industry before emigrating. Ray and his spouse, Hazel, have three sons: Robert, Andrew, and Chris. They became Lifetime Members of PLAN, with Robert, in December 2010. Ray has been active in membership support, and has served on advocacy and research committees at PLAN. He has a particular interest in housing, and during the last year has helped Robert successfully transition from home to living independently in an apartment, thanks in large part to the knowledge and advocacy skills he gained at PLAN.

Pat Tesan

Pat’s title in no way fully describes her incredible contribution to families not only in PLAN but also throughout the province of BC. Pat has years of experience supporting and advocating for and with families. Her warm manner and strong listening skills are greatly appreciated by all of us at PLAN. Now retired, Pat has provided family support, conducted PLAN orientations, facilitated will and estate workshops and trained PLAN facilitators. Pat and her husband Ric have four children. They are Lifetime Members of PLAN who support their daughter Erin, now a young woman, to live a meaningful life, with a personal network and individualized staffing through a “Microboard”.

Gail Wilkinson

Gail is a longtime member of PLAN and she is grateful for her family’s involvement over the years. Her sister and brother each have a PLAN network. She was introduced to the vision and values that PLAN is based on at one of the Wills and Estates workshops that Jack Collins, a PLAN founder, provided to families throughout B.C. As an family member, the solid philosophy behind PLAN resonated with her immediately. She later joined the Board of PLAN along with two other longtime members, Beryl Sawyer and Susan Whittaker. PLAN has grown and changed, and will continue to change, but it’s core values and vision remain as the foundation of it’s work. Currently, Gail is Chair of the Lifetime Members Committee. She remains committed to working with others to create new options for individuals with disabilities and their families.

Martin Wittman

Marty is a Lifetime Member of PLAN. He is also the parent of two sons, Michael and Stefan. It is his concern for Michael, which first compelled him to serve as a PLAN board member during its formative years. Over the years, Marty and his wife Jackie (now deceased) worked tirelessly (both individually and as members of various boards/committees) to advance the concept of integration and inclusion of people with disabilities. The Michael Wittman Society for Autonomy, a microboard, is an example of this continuing philosophy.
As a long-serving Association Board member at The Centre for Ability (CFA), Marty has been active on several committees, including the Finance Committee. In the private sector, Marty was involved in a number of enterprises; he founded and was Director of a private post-secondary college (Metro College) until his retirement. During those years he served on several industry and provincial governing boards.
Marty has taught at Capilano University/ College for some 35 years. Most recently, he spent two months in China teaching courses in Communications in International Relations at an affiliated university. He continues to enjoy the role of part-time Instructor in the School of Communication at Capilano.

PLAN enables families to create a good life for people with disabilities. . Work with us to give your loved one a network of caring relationships, a sound financial plan, opportunities for contribution and supported decision-making, and a place to call home…. . .

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