Board of Directors
Eve Adams
Eve Adams is a retired Child Care Licensing Officer with one of the Provincial Health Authorities in British Columbia. Her educational background is in child development and Early Childhood Education.
Bobo Yijun Bao - President
MBA (Trinity Western University)
Bobo was born in Shanghai, China. She immigrated to Canada in 2009 to achieve her MBA Degree. Bobo worked as a Purchasing Manager for L'Oréal Asia-Pacific, specializing in supply chain management. Bobo has volunteered with many non-profit organizations including the Sharing Farm, Minds in Motion-Alzheimer Society of BC, etc. She joined the Board of Soong Ching Ling Children’s Foundation of Canada in 2017, and currently serves as its President. Bobo is committed to giving back to the society and helping children in need.
Grace Chou
MEd. Xavier University
Grace Chou has a strong background in early childhood education and is deeply committed to giving back to her community. Grace's expertise lies in Montessori education, where she serves as a teacher, trainer, principal, and own a Montessori school. With a dedicated involvement of over 20 years, Grace is a long-standing member of the Soong Ching Ling Foundation Canada. Her passion for education goes beyond the confines of school walls; she firmly believes that education is a collaborative effort involving the entire community and society. In her view, it takes a village to raise a child.
Christine Chu
CPA, CA, B.Comm (McGill University)
Born and raised in Vancouver, Christine attended McGill University and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce. Christine joined the Board of Soong Ching Ling Children’s Foundation of Canada in 2012 and served as its Treasurer for 8 years. A designated CPA, CA with experience in the real estate investment industry, Christine previously served as a director of Little Mountain Neighbourhood House.
Howard Chu
B.Comm (UBC), C.A
Howard Chu was born and raised in Hong Kong. He attended the University of British Columbia and graduated in the Commerce Faculty. He was a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountant of British Columbia. From 1993 to 2007 he held the position of Corporate Controller with Teck Cominco Limited, a major diversified mining company in Canada. He is currently retired, after working with Teck for 33 years in various positions. He has served on the Board of the Soong Ching Ling Children's Foundation for the past twenty years.
Dr. Nina Halpern
Nina received the Ph.D. in political science from the University of Michigan in 1985. She taught courses on Chinese politics at several universities in the U.S. and Canada and published many research articles on China. Having decided to devote her time to helping children, she obtained her B.Sc. in Occupational Therapy at UBC in 2002, and subsequently worked at different Child Development Centres in the Greater Vancouver area, helping children with disabilities to achieve their full potential. Nina recently retired from her job at the Centre for Child Development in Langley and is now focused on assisting others through her volunteer work.
Sabrina Yaling Hou
Sabrina is a software solution architect at a global financial institution. She took different roles in IT software development ranging from system analyst, project technical lead, solution architect, consultant to software development manager. Sabrina actively participated in community service activities including fundraising for BC Children’s Hospital and the United Way as well as volunteering for community cleanup and local farms. She feels privileged to serve a charity dedicated to helping children in need.
Marian Leung
B.Comm. (UBC)
Marian was born in Guangzhou and grew up in Hong Kong. She graduated from UBC with a degree in Industrial Relations. She retired after working for 35 years in the field of Human Capital Management with Vancouver Stock Exchange, Comcheq Ltd. and Ceridian Canada. Previously she was a board member of Family Services of Greater Vancouver, Chinese Cultural Centre and Chinese Benevolent Association.
Joanny Lu - Treasurer
Joanny graduated from Simon Fraser University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (Accounting) and a Bachelor’s degree in Arts(Economics). She works in public practice for more than 15 years and is now a partner with MYSL CPA’s in Burnaby. Joanny believes in helping people to increase their financial understanding and knowledge. Since 2016, she has volunteered with the CPA Financial Literacy program and hosted numerous sessions to the general public.
Flora Song
Flora graduated from the University of New Brunswick in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She is a Sales Executive with Nuskin, Richmond and a realtor with Lehomes Premier, Richmond. She is responsible for the Foundation’s communication through the social media.
Barbara Jian Tong
BA (Shanghai International Studies University), MBA (Simon Fraser University)
Barbara is a manager at a global financial institution. Her occupations include project manager, personal banker, university teacher, interpreter and translator. Her community service activities include fundraising for BC Children's Hospital and the United Way, presenting Canadian Banker's Association's high school financial education program. She feels privileged to serve a charity dedicated to linking her home and adopted countries for the benefit of the children.
Lisa Tsai
Helping and sharing are the biggest passion in Lisa’s life. She has helped many non-profit organizations such as soup kitchen, women shelters and child literacy in Downtown Eastside. Lisa hopes to influence others, especially her two daughters with her husband, Albert to contribute to society and the environment as well. She is also a member of Burrard Lions Club and Japanese Reiyukai Organization.
Penny Washington - Secretary
LL.B
Penny Washington is a retired partner of Norton Rose Fulbright. She led its Health Care Industry Group in British Columbia. Penny regularly advised hospitals and health authorities on all aspect of law that affect their operations. Penny has presented at a number of Continuing Legal Education Society and Insight seminars on civil litigation, health care consent, privacy and freedom of information issues and has published chapters on consent and freedom of information law in British Columbia. She was recently recognized by her peers as a leading lawyer in the area of Health Care Law in Canada in Best Lawyers in Canada (2010 - 2012). She was previously the President of the Canuck Place Children's Hospice and the BC Health Research Foundation.
Michelle Xue Zhang
Michelle Zhang graduated from the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia with a major in Marketing. She has been leading the marketing direction at a tech company specializing in IT and AI for five years, driving growth and innovation. Michelle is currently the Co-chair of the Vancouver Centre of International Contemporary Art, a non-profit art museum committed to cultivating the creation, development, and engagement of the next generation's art.
Emily Zhong - Vice President
Emily graduated from the Sichuan International Studies University in China in 2004 and attained a master’s degree in business English in 2006. She works part-time as a consultant for employee benefits. Previously, she worked with Aon(Beijing) as a manager in providing employee benefits consultation services.