Board of Directors
LiR Board of Directors for 2025/26
(Front left) Laura Torrans -Treasurer, Diane Saibil – Secretary, Jean Carne – Chair, Vicki Valks – Eldercare Scholarship, Katherine Gauthier – Social Committee
(Back left) Diane Watts – Program Committee, Ron Robinson – Director at Large, Verle Miller – Safety Committee, Peter Bartl – Director at Large, Peter Macek – Tech Committee, Christine Schmidt – Selkirk College Liaison, Joanne Chevalier – Communications Committee
In any society/organization, the Board and Committees are vital to the survival and vitality of the group. In Nelson’s LiR, this is particularly important because the entire organization is run solely by volunteers. It is their indefatigable work that keeps it vibrant and relevant. We thank them for their boundless enthusiasm and all the work they have done and continue to do.
The Board consists of the following members who meet monthly to oversee the management of LiR consistent with its constitution and bylaws. Members include committee chairs and Board directors at large.
About Us
JEAN CARNE: I’m second-generation Nelson, born and raised…well, in actual truth, a Six Mile brat! I obtained my Nursing Diploma from Selkirk College and left the Kootenays for 40 years, returning “Home” upon retirement after a challenging and rewarding career. I returned to the family property I grew up on…right in the middle of my growing family. Living on the lake enables me to paddle my kayak at a moment’s notice…such a treat for someone who has lived in cities for a long time!
I joined Learning in Retirement because I was interested in becoming a part of the community that was both very familiar, and yet in some ways not so much. I am also very pleased to be a conductor and drive the beautiful Streetcar #23 along the waterfront…channeling my bus driving Father and history-loving Mother.
DIANE SAIBIL: My background includes stints in a variety of social sectors, including co-operative and non-profit housing, international development and women’s health policy. I also worked for a number of years as the School Administrator at the Waldorf Academy in Toronto.
I moved to Nelson from Toronto in 2014 and haven’t looked back since! I live in Heddlestone Village Co-housing, a community of 24 households at 6 mile and enjoys the outdoors and gardening, constantly marveling at the beauty of the Kootenays. My two sons and three grandchildren also live in Nelson, significantly adding to life’s pleasures.
LAURA TORRANS: I came to Nelson from Edmonton as a teenager. My parents were making a lifestyle change and bought what was Lakeside Motel. Nelson became my permanent home and my husband and I raised our children here.
I spent my adult life working a few different jobs, mostly customer service related. I have done a lot of volunteering, the majority of it based in supporting children and families. I came onto the LiR board late last year into the treasurer position. I’m still learning a lot about LiR but love the energy and enthusiasm of the group. Learning never grows old.
DIANE WATTS: I was raised in Nelson and after graduating from UBC taught high school English in Castlegar, Nelson and Vancouver. I returned to Nelson in 1975 and worked in the Office Administration Program at Selkirk College and then at the Canadian International College, a post-secondary school for Japanese students, at the now 10th Street campus of Selkirk College. At CIC I was the director of the first-year program for 12 years.
I retired in 2000 and have loved having more time to spend with friends and family, as well to travel, read and quilt. I joined LiR twelve years ago and have been on the Program Committee for seven years. I appreciate LiR as it has brought me many new friends, activities and challenges.
VERLE MILLER: I moved back to the Kootenays in 1994, to Nelson, the big city where my family went shopping on Saturdays. Roger Oliver asked about the continuing education I needed as a pharmacist, then convinced me to join LiR, so with retirement I had a chance to get involved.
Having first aid training since I was in Grade 6, and having been on school, work and parenting safety committees, the LiR Safety Committee was a logical place to volunteer.
PETER MACEK: I was born in Prague but have been in Canada almost my whole life. I grew up in Vancouver, went to UBC and started working with computers when they were room-sized and fed with punched cards. Nancy and I moved for 12 years to Bella Coola and raised two boys, chickens and a big garden. We moved to the Nelson area in 1992 and I enjoyed 15 years of teaching Adult Basic Education on Selkirk’s Silver King campus before retiring.
I’m interested in history, geography, travel and photography. Nancy and I are immensely thankful that we can still pick up our packs and go hiking in the mountains.
KATHERINE GAUTHIER: I was born in Montreal and shortly after moved to Dawson Creek, BC where I grew up. I have also lived in Edmonton, Calgary, Vernon, Yellowknife, Sooke, Victoria and Ladysmith.
I moved to Nelson in the summer of 2022 to live close to my son and family, and my only grandchild. I worked for BC Telephones in Vernon and the Ministry of Forests and I retired from UVic in 2017. Before moving to Nelson I inquired about groups to join in order to meet people and create a sense of community. I heard about LiR and joined before I made the move. All the people I know and most friends I have made are all from LiR. It is not unusual to run into LiR members while doing errands in town or shopping at the mall.
I have learned so much from the Friday presentations and courses offered through LiR. I very much enjoy being a member of the Social Committee and working with the wonderful team organizing our fun events and working together on Fridays. The interest groups are also a big part of LiR which I enjoy! So happy I made the move to Nelson!
JOANNE CHEVALIER: I’m fairly new to Nelson (2020) and have found the LiR Friday presentations to be a great way to meet some amazing people and learn more about our community.
Ottawa is my hometown but my husband, Mike, and I have lived in several different places in Canada, Europe and the USA. Along the way I enjoyed being an RN, a school librarian and a magazine publisher.
We moved here to be near our son and his family, long-time Kootenay residents. Our daughter and her family live in Ottawa and any time spent with our four granddaughters, here or there, is time we treasure.
VICKIE VALKS: I wasn’t born in Nelson but have lived most of my life here except for a couple of years in the mid-seventies. I have two children and five grandchildren who are the lights of my life. I have always been a volunteer over the years and am now involved with The Capitol Theatre, Grans to Grans and the Legion.
I retired in April 2020 and after almost two years of isolation I needed to be around people again. I did have Learning In Retirement on my list of things to do once retired and when I felt comfortable enough to be around people again, I joined LIR. After a few months it felt right to join the Program Committee of LIR when they were asking for folks to help. I then added on the role of scheduling the courses and now have taken on the LIR Eldercare Scholarship position on the Board as well.
My LIR experience has been great and I have met so many wonderful people. It has been a positive addition to my life.
RON ROBINSON: A retired public school teacher from Calgary, Ron moved to Nelson in 2012 and has been part of the Nelson District Arts Council since then. He is on the Planning Team of the West Kootenay Climate Hub. Ron has given several Friday morning LIR presentations and facilitated five multiday sessions.
PETER BARTL: Peter Bartl came to Montreal in 1969, as a freshly baked Swiss graphic designer, ready to redesign Canadian pharmaceutical packaging. After a year and a half a wonderful job offer from the Department of Design at the University of Alberta in Edmonton started a lifelong trek westwards.
Upon retiring after 29 years of teaching he followed Jane Merks to Cincinnati. After 9/11 they moved back to their little paradise at Pilot Bay. After one cold and wet winter they moved across the lake to Balfour and established their hand printing press there, having tons of fun creating beautiful thought-provoking prints. Balfour being too far (especially in Winter) from any cultural life, they moved into Nelson. Since then they both are actively involved in the local cultural and social life.