Board Members

Heather Cochran attended Oak Bay High School and, after travelling to work and study, is thrilled to have been able to return here to raise her young family. She works as a lawyer for the provincial government and has served on the Oak Bay Police Board since 2022; she previously served on the Oak Bay Heritage Commission. Heather is also an active volunteer in the legal community. In her spare time, she enjoys getting outdoors with her family.

Bruce has lived in Oak Bay since 1992 as well as spending part of his childhood here. Retired as Executive Director, Communications + Marketing at UVic, Bruce is also a founding member and co-chair of the 12-organization (including CAOB) ReconciliACTION Oak Bay Network. He has advised governments in two provinces on housing, municipal affairs and finance, and has served as a board member, coordinator and coach for Bays United Soccer, on Oak Bay’s Advisory Planning Commission—Land Use and on the Victoria Cool Aid Society board. His three grandchildren live in Oak Bay.

John came to Canada after years of travel resulted in meeting his wife on the Acropolis. Early years in wildlife and natural lands management lead back to a career in community-based architecture including many schools, theatre productions and Indigenous-led projects. He has lived in Oak Bay since 1991 and joined the CAOB board in 2014 to oversee construction liaison for the Sno’uyutth Pole project. He has also served on the Oak Bay Advisory Design Panel and other regional boards and charities.

Bill has lived in Oak Bay since 1994; raised two sons; and has been involved in soccer and scouting. Retired from the position of Chief Privacy Officer at the University of Victoria, he advised Simon Fraser University on access and privacy matters. Previously he worked in the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of BC. He was with the Offices of the Ombudsman in BC and Ontario, and Psychiatric Patient Advocate Office, Ontario. He has served on boards of community organizations including the Parkdale Activity and Recreation Centre (Toronto) and Planet Earth Poetry (Victoria).

Margaret Case has lived in Oak Bay for 18 years, choosing this community to raise kids, attend school, be an active artist and make a short bike commute to downtown Victoria. Margaret is recently retired from communication work for the provincial government and is passionate about nature, engaging in community and events. Margaret is involved in arts organizations, takes part in running and hiking events, spends time with family and enjoys gardening.

Patricia was born in Victoria and attended Oak Bay High School and University of Victoria. Now retired from engineering and product marketing, where she helped companies reduce energy use and carbon emissions, she moved back to Oak Bay 10 years ago to spend more time with family. Her interests include nature, hiking, and gardening. She's also worked with a coalition of climate, conservation, and community groups across the CRD to promote nature-based solutions, watershed health, and climate resilience in urban design.

Kathleen arrived in Oak Bay, with her family in 1991 having accepted a librarian position with UVic Libraries, eventually retiring in 2024. As a CAOB founding member, she helped develop the print edition of the Oak Bay Green Map and co-founded the Friends of Uplands Park. Kathleen returned to the CAOB Board in 2024 and joined the ReconciliACTION Oak Bay Network as a CAOB representative. Favourite pastimes include rambling in Uplands Park with her camera, singing in Daniel Lapp’s Choir, collecting/reading print books, walking her dog, puttering in her backyard garden, and enjoying family and grandchildren visits.

Chris has a B.A. in Public Admin from Sir George Williams University (Concordia University) with a specialization in Marketing and Public Relations, and a Diploma in Conflict Resolution. Before retirement, Chris spent 21 years as Director of Community Investment with the United Way of Greater Victoria. During her career she worked with colleagues across Canada to showcase the non-profit sector as an important and critical link to healthy and sustainable communities. She is past Chair of the Quality Council of BC, Board Member of Ready-to-Rent Victoria, Volunteer with the Cancer Society and a local Community Kitchen. Chris was Chair of the Gordon Head Community Association for 8 years and on moving to Oak Bay in 2024 connected with and joined the Board of the Community Association of Oak Bay.

An Oak Bay resident of 32 years, Rob is the proud owner of Front Runners / New Balance and the founder of Running Retailers of Canada. In addition to his work with CAOB, Rob serves as a director with the Royal Victoria Marathon and Terry Fox Centre, and volunteers his time with the UVic Mentorship Program, the Existence Project, Shoes for Youth Program, Runners of Compassion, and Oak Bay Rotary. He previously served on the Telus Community Board and Shop Local. Rob is the proud father of four children and five grandchildren.

Sonja Sun moved to Oak Bay with her husband and young daughter in 2023. Having lived on many different continents, Sonja feels privileged to be able to now call this beautiful place home. She joined CAOB to get to know the community better and hopes to make a positive contribution. Sonja is a wildlife lawyer and loves horses and ridgebacks.