RICHMOND, B.C. – British Columbia Golf has announced the election of Patrick Kelly as the association’s new President. Kelly assumes the role from now immediate past president David Atkinson, who has held the position since 2013.
Patrick, who operates a consulting business, is a member of the Leq:amel First Nation (Sto:lo Nation.) and was elected their Treaty Representative for treaty negotiations, a role he held from 1998 to 2001. He has had a number of high level positions including a five-year term as Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor of BC.
The Attorney General for British Columbia appointed Patrick as a Bencher for the Law Society of BC, to represent the public interest in the administration of justice and in December 2010, he was appointed as Governor of the Law Foundation of BC.
A member of the UVic Gustavson School of Business International Advisory Board and the UBC Sauder School of Business Ch’nook Indigenous Business Advisory Board, Patrick also serves on the Board of Directors of the Victoria Foundation.
In addition, he has been the Vice President, National Services, CESO; BC Director, Strategic Planning and Communications, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and Manager, Cultural Relations and Corporate Training in BC Hydro’s Aboriginal Relations Department as well as having the role of Executive Director of the BC Chapter of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business.
Joining Patrick as Directors on the Board are Victoria’s Barry Petrachenko, Vancouver’s Michelle Collens, Summerland’s Edwin Helgason, Fort St. John’s Jim McKinnon, Sechelt’s Helen Steeves, who was elected as Secretary, Duncan’s Grace Hui, Helen Jung from Maple Ridge, Fairmont Hot Springs’ Wilda Schab, Surrey’s Jasvinder (Jolly) Dhaliwal, and Adam Fritz from Vancouver. Immediate Past President David Atkinson of Vancouver rounds out the 12-person Board.
British Columbia Golf – a member-based organization governed by the British Columbia Golf Association (BCGA) – represents more than 57,000 individual golfers, in over 300 clubs at 261 member courses. As the governing body for golf in the province, British Columbia Golf acts as the voice for provincial golf affairs and functions as a resource centre for the golf industry. Through its affiliation with Golf Canada, the association is also involved in national golf affairs. British Columbia Golf as it exists today was formally established on October 1, 2004, following the amalgamation of the British Columbia Ladies Golf Association Golf Association (BCLGA) and the British Columbia Golf Association (BCGA).