Leslie serves as President and is a founding member of GIMS. She is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with a private practice on Gabriola and is the Principle of Cygnus Counselling. Her deep love for the environment and natural ecosystems is core to her identity and she believes a natural cemetery and compassionate deathcare are important to the health and wellbeing of Gabriola residents and the community. Her past board experience includes serving as a director with the Gabriola Housing Society.

Kristina is a founding member of GIMS and serves as Vice President and Secretary. She started working with the green burial exploratory committee (GGBEC) - the precursor to GIMS - in December 2020. She is inspired by the idea of creating a beautiful and sacred space for burial on Gabriola and working to support holistic deathcare in the community. Kristina is an artist, primarily working in ceramics. She has served on a number of boards including the Gabriola Housing Society, the Vancouver Folk Music Festival Society and the Persons With Disabilities Advisory Committee for the City of Vancouver.

Maureen has lived on Gabriola Island since 2007. She is a founding member of GIMS and currently serves as Treasurer. Her M.Ed. focused on the universe story and earth literacy. She was a founding member of the international network Sisters of Earth who deeply value 'earth-as-sacred' while exploring myriad implications for living in balance, including green burial. Maureen served as educator and director for two ecological learning centres (US and Canada), was featured in the book Green Sisters (Harvard University Press), has collaborated with Salvadoran humanitarian organizations and poor rural communities to co-create water projects to serve their needs, and has assisted the Gabriola Ecumenical Society with program development. She leads spiritual ecology programs internationally, helps PHC as a volunteer with seniors, enjoys her pots of herbs and flowers at home and vegetable gardening at The Commons.

Elfi is a founding member of GIMS and of the Gabriola Deathcare Collective. Always aiming to be more and more compassionate in her approach to life (human and otherwise) and community is foundational to Elfi’s spirit. She has long worked as a massage therapist and healer, and continues to grow her knowledge of and experience with community deathcare practices. Elfi is often the face of GIMS at the Gabriola Farmers’ Markets. Elfi really enjoys meeting people and talking about green burial and compassionate deathcare so when you see her, please come and say hello!

Having joined the GIMS Board in February 2024, Brian brings a wealth of experience in corporate communications,  conference and event planning and logistics management. Being a newcomer to the island at just five (5) years, he finds volunteering in the community such a great opportunity to connect with residents on the island and work towards a collective goal, such as the green burial initiative. When not traveling for work for conference planning, Brian dedicates his spare time to gardening and baking for the local farmer's markets on the island. 

Megan is a writer, weaver, and community convenor who brings a creative and contemplative lens to her work with the Gabriola Island Memorial Society. A longtime Gabriola resident, she is engaged in Zen practice and values the role of ritual, simplicity, and presence in both life and death. With experience in nonprofit governance, strategic planning, and public communications, Megan is committed to expanding green burial options and fostering community-led conversations around death, dying, and remembrance. Megan joined the GIMS Board in March 2024.

Emily feels strongly that natural options after death should be the norm, not the exception. Her work in documentaries and podcasts focuses heavily on logistics, and provides constant learning; skills and experience she brings to the Board, which she joined in April 2024.  When not working, Emily can usually be found tending to chickens (spoiling) and the garden (weeding).