Staff

Geoscience BC President and CEO Gavin C. Dirom has over 25 years of experience in the Canadian mineral exploration and mining industry, with a focus on government and stakeholder relations, industry advocacy, public policy development, project permitting, safety and environmental management.

Before joining Geoscience BC in 2017, Gavin was President and CEO of the Association for Mineral Exploration (AME) for almost a decade, representing over 400 corporate and 4,000 individual members with interests in mineral exploration and development. Gavin led AME through some challenging times and was honoured with the Gold Pick award from the Kamloops Exploration Group in April 2017.

Prior to AME, Gavin was Vice President, Environment, Health and Safety at the Mining Association of British Columbia (MABC), where his work included support for the Northwest Transmission Line, and Senior Policy Advisor with Natural Resources Canada where he reviewed environmental assessments of projects vital to the North, such as the Red Chris and Kemess mines.

Gavin holds a M.Sc. degree in Environmental Management from Royal Roads University, a double-major B.Sc. in Physical Geography and Environmental Science from the University of Victoria and he is also a registered Professional Agrologist.

Christa joined Geoscience BC in 2007 as a Project Geologist and Communications Coordinator. Her role evolved, and she previously held the position of Project Coordinator before being appointed Vice President, Minerals in April 2019. Her role includes project agreement administration, technical project oversight, and identifying, designing and encouraging proposals for new research projects that fulfill Geoscience BC’s vision and mission.

Prior to Geoscience BC, Christa completed a Master of Science in Geology in 2008 from Simon Fraser University and she also worked as a Research Assistant in the Uranium-Lead Geochronology Laboratory at the Pacific Centre for Isotopic and Geochemical Research Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, at the University of British Columbia.

Richard Truman is a communications and engagement professional with valuable knowledge of BC and Canadian communities, natural resource sectors and government.

He supports Geoscience BC by overseeing research project engagement, building partnerships with governments, communities and Indigenous groups, and developing Geoscience BC’s non-voting membership classes. He is also part of the team that identifies and secures funding for Geoscience BC research.

Prior to joining Geoscience BC in 2017, Richard was Communications Lead with Indigenous consulting group Castlemain and managed public relations agencies in the UK, with a focus on natural resources and the environment.

Richard holds a Chartered Institute of Public Relations post-graduate Diploma from the University of Manchester and an Institute of Leadership and Management Certificate.

Brady is a registered professional geologist with a bachelor’s degree in earth science and an advanced diploma in GIS Application.

Brady brings more than 9 years of industry experience working in mineral exploration and development in western Canada, including hands-on technical field work, as well as supervising exploration programs, managing geochemical and geophysical data, building geological models, and preparing technical reports.

Before joining Geoscience BC, Brady held the position of Project Geologist with ALX Uranium Corp. Prior to his role at ALX, Brady gained professional experience working as an exploration geologist at the Red Chris copper-gold porphyry mine located in northwestern BC, as well as working as geologist with several junior exploration companies.

Randy has 40 years of energy industry experience including oil and gas exploration, development and unconventional resource development, most recently as a Geoscience Specialist with a natural gas producer developing northeastern British Columbia’s Montney Play. He is currently President of private consulting firm Deep Source Energy Corporation, and became a member of Geoscience BC’s Energy-Resources Technical Advisory Committee in March 2018.

Randy has experience in a range of development and scientific fields including resource assessment, gas liquids mapping, horizontal drilling, induced seismicity, formation pressure mapping, sub-surface tracer communication studies, gas isotope studies and detailed rock evaluations. Randy holds a B.Sc. in Geology from the University of Calgary and is a member of the Canadian Energy Geoscience Association, Society of Petroleum Engineers, and Canadian Society for Evolving Energy.

Virginie Pochard-Linage (Vee) joined Geoscience BC in June 2022 and is responsible for developing and promoting Geoscience BC membership and sponsorships opportunities, managing the digital platform and channels, scholarships, government relations support and much more.

Vee specializes in marketing and communications strategy, graphic design, project management and special events. She has over 20 years of international experience in leading projects from conception to completion with a robust knowledge of global brand management. Her experience spans over a variety of B2B industries and sectors such as Agency, Government, Security, Mining, Engineering, and Not-for-Profit organizations from small to large scale in France, Switzerland, United States and Canada.

Rhonda Schultz has provided financial and administrative services to British Columbia’s geoscience community for over 30 years. As Geoscience BC’s Accountant and Corporate Secretary, Rhonda is responsible for all of Geoscience BC’s accounting functions as well as administrative and procedural support to the Board of Directors, Members and the President & CEO. Prior to joining Geoscience BC at its inception in 2005, Rhonda held similar positions with the Association for Mineral Exploration BC and several junior mineral exploration and mining companies. Rhonda is also a musician and holds a BFA in Theatre from the University of Victoria.