Media Release April 29 2010

Vancouver, April 29, 2010 - Vancity's Board of Directors has re-elected Patrice Pratt as chair and Virginia Weiler as vice chair, both for a one-year term.

returns as chair of Vancity's Board for a fourth consecutive year. She will also chair the Human Resources Policy Committee and serve on the Financial Policy Committee, the Governance and Conduct Review Committee and the Member Services ad hoc Committee.

Patrice retired from the British Columbia Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) in 2003, after 27 years on its executive team. Patrice has held numerous directorships over the years, including serving as chair of United Way of the Lower Mainland; she also chaired the Four Pillars Advisory Committee while serving on the board of the Vancouver Foundation. She was a member of the Disability Advisory Committee for the 2010 Winter Games and serves on the advisory board of the Columbia Institute's Centre for Civic Governance. Patrice also chairs the Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion's Sharing our Futures Foundation.

In 2008, Patrice received a Business in Vancouver “Influential Women in Business” award; that same year, she was a YWCA “Women of Distinction” nominee in the category of Community Building. The City of Burnaby named Patrice to its Local Heroes list for 2007.

“We took great strides last year to focus our business around our vision of redefining wealth,” says Patrice. “ As Board chair, I'm delighted to help guide the organization as we work with and support our members and communities, guided by a definition of wealth that balances financial profit with environmental sustainability, social justice and individual and community well-being.”

returns as vice chair for the second consecutive year. She will also chair the Governance and Conduct Review Committee and serve on Vancity's Human Resources Policy Committee and Community Investment Committee. Virginia also currently serves on the Citizens Bank Board as vice chair.

Virginia's association with Vancity goes back more than a decade. Joining as an employee in 1996, she was instrumental in introducing Vancity's Peer Lending program, which offers microloans to non-traditional entrepreneurs, and helped create Vancity Community Capital which finances growing businesses.

An economic development consultant, Virginia has an MBA and draws on her experience launching and managing non-profit programs and working with small businesses; she also spent four years in Africa, working with international development agencies and was Ecotrust Canada's founding director of economic development.

In 2008, Virginia achieved Director designation through the Institute of Corporate Directors.

“Our vision gives us such enormous focus to continue our contribution to the wealth of our members and community,” says Virginia. “Our 2009 annual report talks about why Vancity is ‘for the wealthy' and I particularly look forward to engaging with staff and members around that concept as we develop our community investment strategy.”

In the recent Vancity Board of Directors' election, Vancity members re-elected Virginia Weiler and Bob Williams and elected new Board member Allen Garr, all for three-year terms. They join current board members Lisa Barrett, Ian Gill, Wendy Holm, Catherine McCreary, Jan O'Brien and Patrice Pratt.

About Vancouver City Savings Credit Union

Vancity is Canada's largest credit union, with $14.4 billion in assets, more than 414,000 members, and 59 branches throughout Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Victoria and Squamish. Vancity is guided by a commitment to improving the quality of life in the communities where we live and work.

Media Contact:
Vancity Media Relations
Stephanie Vicic
mediarelations@vancity.com
778-837-0394