The Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) made history by electing a female board chair and vice-chair to serve at the same time.
The TNRD’s board of directors, consisting of 27 elected officials from the area, elected Village of Ashcroft Mayor Barbara Roden as chair and District of Logan Lake Mayor Robin Smith as vice-chair at the inaugural board meeting held at the Sandman Hotel in Kamloops on Thursday (Nov. 17). This is the first time the top two positions in TNRD has been held by women.
Roden, who was acclaimed as Ashcroft’s mayor for a second term last month, was also the first-ever female vice-chair of the TNRD board in 2021. She has been Ashcroft’s mayor since 2018.
Roden is the second-ever female to serve as the TNRD board chair, following former City of Kamloops director Patricia Wallace, who served as Board chair between 1983 and 1986.
Smith has been the mayor of Logan Lake since 2018, and also served as a councillor between 2014 and 2018.
“It’s about time, seeing as how the regional districts have been around for more than 50 years,” Roden said about the historic moment. Roden also strongly advocated a “future is female” sentiment and added, “It will be nice when ‘first female’ titles stop being a novelty and are accepted as a normal part of how the world works.”
Roden said she is honoured to have been chosen to lead the TNRD Board of Directors for the next year, and very happy to have Director Smith as vice-chair.
“I know that we will make a good team. We’re both dedicated to listening to what residents have to say, building a strong team around the board table, and doing what’s best for the TNRD,” she said.
“There are a lot of new faces around the board table, and everyone there brings unique skills and fresh ideas. It’s an exciting time for the TNRD, and I’m looking forward to what the next 12 months bring, and acting as guide for that journey.”
During the inaugural board meeting, the electoral area and municipal directors took their Oath of Office for the current four-year term, presided over by provincial Judge Lorianna Bennett.