Staff and Board

The Burnaby Neighbourhood House has an active Board with several working committees such as a Governance Committee, Strategic Directions Committee, HR Committee, and a Finance Committee. We currently employ 88 full-time staff, 54 part-time staff, and several other staff who are employed on a temporary, seasonal basis. In addition, we have an active volunteer base.

Current Board of Directors

Mikaela Torres

Executive Director

Passionate about delivering exceptional results, I thrive in a collaborative environment. I am committed to creating seamless user experiences and exceeding client expectations.

Ted Wiens

Board Chair

I am adept at leading cross-functional teams and managing budgets effectively. I am a creative problem solver, always seeking innovative solutions to marketing challenges.

Alfred Romann

Vice Chair & Strategic Directions Committee Chair

Alfred Romann

Vice Chair & Strategic Directions Committee Chair

Alfred Romann is the Board’s Vice-Chair, and Chair of the Strategic Directions Committee. An economist, entrepreneur and former journalist he has experience in Canada, Latin America and Asia. Fluent in Spanish and conversant in Mandarin, Alfred is the CEO of Delta Analysis, a data-driven research firm, and MD of Bahati, a Hong Kong-based communications consultancy. He brings a practical, evidence-based approach to problem solving. Alfred’s work often focuses on how systems—markets, cities, and institutions—can serve people better, especially during periods of change. He has lived and worked in Burnaby since 2017. Alfred is married, has a teenage son and enjoys snowboarding and cycling.

Kathy Berggren-Clive

Governance Committee Chair

Kathy Berggren-Clive

Governance Committee Chair

Kathy Berggren-Clive is a Director and Chair of the Governance Committee with more than 40 years’ experience in government and nonprofit roles serving children, youth, and families. A Master of Social Work graduate, she worked in advocacy and oversight, parent education, and leadership positions with the Ministry of Children and Family Development, retiring in 2019. Her expertise spans children’s rights, policy, program development, evaluation, community development, and strategic planning. She has volunteered on several boards and helped develop the City of Vancouver’s first Accessibility Strategy. A BNH board member for three years, Kathy enjoys retirement, time with grandchildren, gardening, pickleball, and part time work in the fashion industry.

Nikhil Jain

Treasurer & Finance Committee Chair

Nikhil Jain

Treasurer & Finance Committee Chair

Nikhil brings both financial expertise and a deep-rooted love for community to the Board. A Partner at a family-run accounting firm, his journey with the BNH began as a staff member in school-age care. After completing his CPA designation, he returned as a dedicated volunteer; a role he passionately maintains today alongside his duties as Treasurer. You can still find him volunteering in the programs, proving he is just as happy hanging out with the kids as he is balancing the books. When he isn’t crunching numbers or serving his community, Nikhil is likely planning his next travel adventure.

Wanja Mwariga

HR Committee Chair

Wanja Mwariga

HR Committee Chair

Wanja T Mwariga has been a proud Burnaby resident for 28 years and began her journey with the Burnaby Neighbourhood House (BNH) as a child in its daycare programs. Over the years, she remained connected to the organization, later completing the BNH Youth Leadership Course, which helped shape her commitment to community service and leadership. Wanja has spent the past five years working as a Human Resources professional at PHC. She is currently an HR Business Partner specializing in labour relations and serves on the BNH Board as the HR Committee Chair, supporting strong governance and people-focused practices.

Kyle Nelson

Board Member

Kyle Nelson

Board Member

Kyle Nelson (He/Him/His) has worked at the intersection of education and community engagement for 12 plus years. His role at UBC is to build capacity for faculty and students to engage ethically and effectively with community partners to address critical social and environmental issues. Kyle has been volunteering in the Burnaby community for 15 plus years. As an educator, facilitator and strategic planner, Kyle works to address root causes of systemic issues. A board member since 2025, Kyle enjoys being active outdoors and relaxing with a good book.

Esther Moreno

Board Member

Esther Moreno

Board Member

Esther Moreno brings over 20 years of experience as an educator and community builder. Her career began as a high school math teacher and department head in Surrey, where she led teams and championed collaborative learning. After moving to Vancouver, Esther shifted her focus to working with students in alternate programs, supporting youth at-promise. She is now a learning and behavioural support teacher in Burnaby working with neurodivergent learners and at-promise students. Her professional journey includes four years in the non-profit sector with United Way BC where she supported programs that increased participants’ understanding of public policy, leadership and evaluation.

Jenny Zhao

Board Member

Jenny Zhao

Board Member

Jenny Zhao is a director on the Board of Burnaby Neighborhood House. She works at a local law firm in Burnaby, practicing in civil litigation, mainly in the area of family law. Through working closely with individuals going through challenging periods of their lives, it has strengthened Jenny’s commitment to give back to her community outside of an adversarial setting. When not at work, Jenny is either travelling and pretending she packs light or she’s at home deep in a YouTube and TikTok spiral, enthusiastically attempting to learn new arts and crafts, no in-betweens!

Azza Rojbi

Board Member

Azza Rojbi

Board Member

Azza is a Tunisian immigrant who lives and works in Burnaby. A community organizer at heart, she cares about people looking out for each other and loves bringing people together to make their communities and the world a better place for all. She previously coordinated Burnaby Pride and now works as the Communications Manager at AMSSA (Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC).

BNH Management Team

Management Team	Position
Mikaela Torres	Executive Director
Kimberly Barwich	Director of Community Programs
Sara Shaw	Director of Children and Family Programs
Gulalai Habib	Director of Settlement and Integration
Kamaljit Rai	Director of Finance
Jill Sakamoto	Director of Operations