The BCCPA has undergone a significant amount of change over the last year. In addition to the hiring of Daniel Fontaine, our new CEO, it has kick-started a successful speaker series “Care to Chat” and introduced a new awards ceremony in Victoria.
That renewal process continues with the recent announcement that Cathy Szmaus has assumed the position of Executive Assistant to the CEO and Board Secretariat. Szmaus will be working to provide executive support to both Fontaine and Jennifer Lylye, the new Executive Director for SafeCare BC.
“I’m very pleased to be joining such a dynamic team with a clear vision of where the organization is headed,” says Szmaus. “I look forward to meeting as many of our members as possible during the upcoming convention in Whistler this May.”
Szmaus lives in Vancouver and has a Bachelor of Arts with a major in English Literature from the University of British Columbia and has worked in retail management as well as a Montessori teacher before joining the Association. Szmaus has also worked as a freelance writer for the Association over the last year having written a number of popular care provider profiles.
Another area of focus for the Association over the past number of months has been on engaging and expanding our membership base throughout the province. In that regard, we are exploring the possibility of introducing a new BCCPA member-only affinity program this spring. The program would provide our members with cost savings through exclusive special discounts and bonuses on a wide range of products and services such as insurance, group purchases, energy consumption and pooled savings.
Hart Dashevsky has been hired as the new acting Director of Membership Services to help support this initiative. Dashevsky will be working to develop a comprehensive affinity package that will help increase the value proposition for our all of our current and future members. He has also been assigned the duties of managing corporate sponsorships, selling advertisements and exhibitor booths at our upcoming annual conference.
“I have been reaching out to hundreds of current and former members of the BCCPA over the last several weeks,” says Dashevsky. “Many of the key products, research and services we currently offer appear to really resonate within the continuing care sector. What is great to see is how many unsolicited inquiries we’ve had from from prospective members who want to become part of the renewal.”
Dashevsky joins the BC Care Providers Association having worked for over 20 years in sales-related career positions in both his hometown of Winnipeg and Vancouver. Born in Tuxedo, Manitoba, Hart obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Manitoba and has worked in the insurance and retail industries and most recently for over 7 years, as a senior account executive for a local software firm. Hart lives in downtown Vancouver near Stanley Park and enjoys travel, food and wine, current news affairs, and his beloved old-time Winnipeg Jets.
A familiar face at the BCCPA, Maria Capostinsky, has also left the organization. We thank her for her years of dedicated service and we wish her well in the future. If you want to contact any of the BCCPA staff, you can access the new staff directory by clicking here. If you want to become a member, please contact Hart at hart@bccare.ca.
