Office of the President and Vice-Chancellor

Pam Alexis, former MLA; Minister of Agriculture and Food

Born and raised in Victoria, British Columbia, Alexis attended the University of Victoria, receiving a bachelor of fine arts degree in 1980 and a teaching certificate in 1982. She lived in Japan with her family from 1985 to 1990 before moving to Dallas, Texas, teaching English as a second or foreign language during that time. They returned to Canada in 1994, settling in the community of Mission. She worked at the Clarke Theatre in Mission from 1996 to 2001 before founding an event management company.

Prior to politics, she served on several boards and non-profit organizations, including the Mission Chamber of Commerce, and the Rotary Clubs of Mission where she earned four Paul Harris Fellowships. She was vice-president for the 2014 BC Winter Games hosted in Mission which absolutely connected her to the community.

She was first elected as a Mission school trustee in the 2005 municipal election and was re-elected in 2008. She unsuccessfully ran for a seat on Mission District Council in 2011, before winning election to council in 2014 by taking the largest number of votes. In 2018, she won the district's mayoral race.

She ran in the 2020 provincial election as a BC NDP candidate in the riding of Abbotsford-Mission, and became the riding's first female member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). She resigned as mayor of Mission on November 12, 2020. She suffered a stroke in September 2021, but recovered with no permanent side effects and resumed her work as MLA the following month.

She was named Minister of Agriculture and Food by Premier David Eby on December 7, 2022 but lost the seat in the following election of 2024. Alexis has formed a consulting company and helps organizations and businesses, primarily in the agriculture sector, in government relations.

Charmaine de Silva, Vice President & National Lead, Earned Media, Burson

Charmaine de Silva (she/her) leads the Canadian earned media practice at global communications agency Burson, previously known as Hill & Knowlton. She specializes in media relations strategies, issues management, facilitation, and inclusive practices.

Charmaine is best known for her multi-decade career as an award-winning journalist in some of Canada’s best-known newsrooms like CKNW, Global BC, and CBC Vancouver, and most recently led the radio, television and digital teams for CityNews in Vancouver and Calgary. As a leader in the journalism space, she championed platform integration along with inclusive and trauma-informed storytelling, developing practices still used by many Canadian newsrooms.

She is also a driven community leader. Charmaine previously served as Co-Chair of the Vancouver Pride Society and currently serves on the fundraising Cabinet for QMUNITY’s new building. For her work in media and in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, Charmaine was previously recognized on VanMag’s Power 50 list.

Charmaine has a degree in Political Science from Simon Fraser University and graduated with Honours from BCIT’s Broadcast Journalism program.

Stephanie Fredette, Indigenous Facilities Lead, Fraser Health

Stephanie Fredette is a member of Xwchíyò:m of the Pelólxw Tribe within the territory of the Stó:lō People. She is connected to Sik-E-Dakh, from the House of Xhliyem-Laxha of the Wolf Clan in Gitxsan territory. Her traditional name is Líxwlets’ iye.

Stephanie previously served six years as Councillor for Cheam First Nation, holding portfolios in Education, Children and Family, and Health. Her leadership is grounded in lived experience, cultural identity, and strengthening community systems. She now serves as Indigenous Facilities Lead with Fraser Health, supporting culturally grounded design in health and community spaces.

Alex Mitchell, CEO, Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce

Alex Mitchell is a seasoned communicator and public affairs professional with a decade of combined communications, public affairs, and economic development expertise. Prior to joining the Chamber, Alex was an Account Director with Hill + Knowlton Strategies, a leading global agency in public affairs and communications where she has provided leadership on crisis communications files, executed national media campaigns for some of the Country’s largest corporations, and delivered strategic counsel for executive leaders on media relations and corporate reputation.

Alex brings a robust understanding of intergovernmental affairs and advocacy with a strategic approach that is informed by her previous roles in the municipal economic development space with a focus on sector development in clean technology, agriculture, and ag-tech. She formerly led public relations at the City of Abbotsford, honing her expertise in how to effectively speak to government and advance complex initiatives facing businesses and residents of Abbotsford, while building positive and effective relationships with the Provincial and Federal governments.

Alex holds an MBA from Simon Fraser University and a BA in political science from the University of British Columbia. She was a fellow in SFU Beedie School’s Social Innovation Lab (RADIUS) and a ’10 Weston Loran Scholar.  She is passionate about community involvement and serves on a number of local boards and initiatives.