Board of Directors

Cheryl Ashlie

President

Cheryl has been a resident of Maple Ridge since 1995. She worked at Vancouver General Hospital as a Food Service Supervisor for 14 years but left the profession to stay home with her kids while they were young. Her involvement in her children’s school’s Parent Advisory Committee drew her towards the role of a school trustee. This interest launched her into a 15-year commitment to civic politics: 9 as a school trustee and 6 as a municipal councillor. She also ran her own consulting company for non-profit board development, which led her to several years as a project manager with the Ridge Meadows Division of Family Practice. Cheryl was proud of going back to school to secure her real estate license to finish her working career. Her deep commitment to volunteering garnered Cheryl the Maple Ridge Community Services Citizen of the Year award in 2017. In her retirement, Cheryl continues to enjoy volunteering on various non-profit boards, spending time with family and friends and travelling. Cheryl can often be found walking on one of the many trails in the community with her dog Lucy.

Matt Kennedy

Vice President

Matt Kennedy is a retired aquatic biologist with nearly 30 years of experience working around western and northern Canadian rivers. Matt was formerly VP Environment at Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. (2010-2024) where he was responsible for environmental management of a fleet of renewable hydro, wind and solar electricity generation projects in Canada and internationally. Matt holds an MSc in Zoology from Western University in Ontario (1995). In 2013, Matt spearheaded a partnership between ARMS and Innergex to develop two fish habitat channels at ARMS’ grounds; the channels were built in 2015 and continue to provide year-round habitat for salmon. Matt believes passionately in the importance of environmental education, with the idea that if a person understands nature they will also value and protect it. Matt joined the ARMS Board of Directors in 2023.

Doug Stanger

Treasurer

Doug has been treasurer and a Director at the Alouette River Management Society for over 15 years. He is a Retired Industrial Accountant with many years of experience. He has lived in Maple Ridge as a resident for over forty years and actively helps to monitor Pacific Salmon habitat like Millionaire Creek.
“It is our collective and individual responsibility to preserve and tend to the environment in which we all live. ” ~Dalai Lama

Geoff Clayton

Geoff Clayton

Founding Member

Geoff was a founding member of the Alouette River Management Society (1993) and shortly after became President in 1995. He has served as President or Co-Chair since that time.
He has been apart of many committees that have helped steward the protection of Pacific Salmon habitat, including the Alouette Monitoring Committee (AMC), Stave Monitoring Committee (SMC) and is a member of the UBC Research Forest Community Advisory Board. He is an active member in the community advocating thoughtful stewardship of the environment for over 46 years and was presented with the BC Minister’s award in the category of Individual Citizen 2001.

John Kelly

Director

Recently retired from BC Hydro where he held a number of senior environmental management positions. These include leading the Water Licence Requirements Program to deliver on the over 300 projects and studies BC Hydro committed to in the Water Use Planning process. He also managed the Water Use Planning projects on the Peace, Campbell and Clowhom watersheds. John also managed the environmental portfolio for the Coastal, Vancouver Island and Bridge River generation fleet. He was the project manager for developing and implementing the Canadian Electricity Associations Environmental Commitment and Responsibility Program that established an industry-wide environmental monitoring and reporting program.

Mark Caros

Director

Born, raised and continue to reside in Maple Ridge, nearby the Alouette River. A thirty five year career with the provincial government was spent in adult and youth justice, largely in and around the Alouette River watershed, including the Allco Fish Hatchery in its early days. In retirement, time is spent traveling, doing contract work and volunteering with various non-profit organizations focused on protecting BC’s coastline, inland waterways and their respective ecosystems.

Craig Speirs

Director

Craig lives on a tributary of the Alouette and is a past five term councilor with the city of Maple Ridge. Craig is a long term environmental, political and social activist. He also serves on the Historical Society board and the Tourism Committee from the Maple Ridge Economic Development office. He believes service is an investment in democracy.

Scotti Griffin

Director

Scotti Griffin was raised on the banks of the Alouette River in Maple Ridge, BC. She spent her childhood dip netting for salmon fly in the spring and poking spawned out Chum Salmon in the fall. It was nothing short of an amazing privilege because it lead her to her current career in Fisheries. She holds a BA in Geography from UFV and a Fish, Wildlife, and Recreation Diploma from BCIT.

Lance Leger

Director

Born, raised and lived most of his life in Maple Ridge, Lance manages a local equity investment firm comprising of several diverse companies. Operations include several park operator contracts to manage provincial parks across the province, including operations at Golden Ears Provincial Park, under his company’s management for over 30 years. Lance currently serves as Board Chair for the Meadowridge School Society and Vice Chair for the BC Society of Park Operators. A passionate environmentalist and outdoor enthusiast, he enjoys hiking, exploring new areas and gardening.

James Hall

Director

James Hall, a dedicated resident of Maple Ridge with over 23 years of experience managing operations at Golden Ears and Rolley Lake Provincial Parks as a Park Operator. James is a passionate environmentalist committed to promoting conservation and ensuring positive outdoor experiences for people of all ages and abilities. Outside of his professional life, James enjoys spending time with his family, exploring various outdoor pursuits, and engaging in water activities.

Liam Pimlott

Director

Liam is a Software Engineer who spends much of his free time hiking, fishing, camping, and volunteering with ARMS. A lifelong outdoor enthusiast, he is passionate about environmental stewardship and conservation. Liam hopes to leverage his technology and software development experience to support environmental initiatives and strengthen community stewardship efforts.

Gordy Robson

Director

Tim Suddaby

Tim Suddaby

Director

Tim grew up in Pitt Meadows, spending much of his youth along the Fraser River, Pitt Lake, Katzie Slough, and the Alouette River. A lifelong environmentalist, he has been involved in conservation and sustainability initiatives for decades, including volunteering with Greenpeace during the early 1990s protests in Clayoquot Sound and supporting community recycling and tree-planting initiatives in both Golden and Calgary. Tim has also worked extensively in green building and renewable energy, specializing in environmentally conscious home construction, geothermal systems, and solar energy. Since 2011, he has been a partner in Vertical Oxygen Ltd, helping design, install, and maintain hydroponic living walls across Canada.

BC Corrections

February 26th, 2025

With tremendous sadness, ARMS is sharing the news of the passing of our long-standing director, member, and friend, Gavin Roache.

Gavin has been an active member of ARMS since 2012, where he served as a director throughout his membership in the organization. His interest in ARMS was predated by his involvement with the Silver Valley Neighbourhood Association, of which he was a founding member and director. This association was born out of citizens’ concerns over the development of the Silver Valley area. Their commitment and motto being, “there had to be a better way of developing,” which put pressure on the city to develop progressive policies within the plan inclusive of enhanced green space and wildlife corridor protections and crucial stormwater management practices on the hillside communities above the Alouette River watershed.

Gavin brought this commitment to ARMS where there was never a task too small or hard for him, immediately gaining the respect and admiration of all who worked with him. He was quick to offer sage advice, thoughtful insight into an issue and guidance on many projects and issues ARMS encountered; typically accompanied by a good laugh and a positive attitude that always made working with him enjoyable.

Gavin joined ARMS because he cared about Maple Ridge and specifically the Alouette watershed area and wanted to leave it in a better state for the next generation. As stated by Gavin in his bio for ARMS, “As a community grows and changes, the need to preserve our natural heritage grows with it. The Alouette River has, in large part, created Silver Valley, and its preservation, along with the salmon and their habitat is essential, not just for us, but for all the generations that follow.” To this end, ARMS is committed to continuing our work in Gavin’s name. His work may be done, but his memory will live on in our hearts and the work that we will continue to do.