Bala Kathiresan
President & CEO
Bala is an influential leader who empowers organisations to establish and achieve a bold vision through his inspirational and influential leadership style. Throughout his 30+ year career in information systems in both the public and private sector, Bala has been a transformational leader in building strategic alliances and partnerships, aligning stakeholders towards a shared vision, and driving business for positive change. As president and CEO, he has evolved and grown BCNET to become one of the leading shared services organizations for higher ed and research with over $100M in member spend for technology services and procurement contracts.
Dennis Silva
Chief Procurement Officer
Since 2016, Dennis has led the development of procurement strategies for BCNET’s higher education members, where he has doubled service adoption and participating spend. He directs a wide array of collaborative agreements across multiple categories, manages supplier relationships and leads all procurement activities for the organization. Dennis has years of leadership in procurement and extensive buyer experience prior to joining BCNET. He was the director of payment and procurement services at the University of British Columbia, as well he advanced through a number of leadership roles at Best Buy.
Ellis Herbert
Director, Shared Technology Solutions & Enterprise Resource Planning
Ellis Herbert is an accomplished IT leader with over 25 years of experience in driving technology transformations within the higher education, K12, research, and healthcare sectors. Specializing in enterprise resource planning (ERP) and technology solutions, he consistently aligns digital initiatives with organizational goals to enhance service quality and operational efficiency in both public and private sectors. His strategic vision and expert navigation through complex technology landscapes have led to impactful improvements and the implementation of scalable technology solutions. Ellis has held senior technology roles at Kwantlen Polytechnic University and served as Director of Enterprise Systems and Deputy CIO at Thompson Rivers University.
Glen Montgomery
Chief Technology Officer
Glen has over 30 years of experience in information technology within the private and public sectors, in both technical and management roles. He was the manager of IT infrastructure at the University of Northern British Columbia, where he worked in various IT roles since 2002. Glen holds a B.Sc. in Computer Science as well as many certifications in networking and cloud technologies, and administrative management.
Ivor MacKay
Director, Cybersecurity Services
Ivor is responsible for fulfilling and planning the future of BCNET's internal IT needs. He facilitates cybersecurity collaboration and future service direction through the BCNET Cybersecurity and Identity Management Services Committee. Ivor has 29 years of experience in management and 22 years as an IT professional. He began his IT career working at the world track and field games in Edmonton, where he led the rolling out and support of desktops and servers for the games. Following his work at the games, he worked in IT for CBC in Edmonton for 10 years. He moved from Edmonton to join Coast Mountain College (formerly known as Northwest Community College) as the director of IT.
Nathan Doidge
Chief Financial & Administrative Officer
Nathan Doidge is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) with many years of experience in administrative leadership roles at not-for-profits and broader public sector organizations. Before relocating to Vancouver in 2020, he was the Chief Administrative Officer at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Nursing and was responsible for supporting the division’s finance, HR, IT, and office space needs.
Sabrina Feula
Director, Member Engagement and Communications
With over 15 years of experience in fostering connections, Sabrina is a results-oriented professional committed to cultivating relationships and driving positive change. Experienced in implementing corporate-level programs to increase public awareness, she excels at creating collaborative environments. Recently, she led Prospect Human Services' external-facing team, focusing on revenue diversification and partnership development. Formerly, as the director of client development with the Alberta Municipalities Association and the Alberta Municipal Services Corporation, Sabrina managed a diverse services portfolio.
Tom Samplonius
Director, Network Services
With over 20 years of experience in telecom technology and services, Tom is a seasoned specialist in operations, hosting, data centers, national IP networks, and PSTN. His expertise extends to peering, interconnection, and infrastructure acquisition. As the Director of Network Services at BCNET, Tom is dedicated to connecting people both technically and organizationally. He emphasizes the importance of not only providing Internet access but also empowering users to take control of their services.