Board and Staff Bios
Board Members
Liza Hughes - Vice President
Liza has been a tool library member since she moved to Vancouver in 2016. She has a real DIY spirit and no job is too big for her to take on. A great lover of the outdoors and adventure, she can often be found working in her yard with tools she borrowed from the shop, tuning up her camper van, swimming in a hard to find lake, or hiking up a mountain somewhere far afield. She can usually be seen with her best travel buddy, her terrier Eli.
Matthew Ellies - Financial Director
Matt has been a member of the VTL since 2018. Through his facilitation of the VTL’s leather craft workshops, he has had the privilege of meeting and connecting with the VTL community. Matt works as a registered occupational therapist, assisting in the recovery and rehabilitation of people who have been injured in motor vehicle accidents. Outside of work, Matt enjoys travelling, camping, woodworking, leatherworking and cooking.
Colin McIntosh - Secretary
Colin is excited for a much deserved second term on the Vancouver Tool Library's board. He's been a member of the VTL since 2016 and served as Secretary and President in that time. Colin has spent countless weekends working on projects with tools from the shop and has frequented a variety of the Library's wonderful workshops. An engineer during the day, Colin has dabbled in woodworking, home improvement, bread making, glass blowing, and hide tanning. He enjoys spending his off time traveling with his partner, Courtney.
Charles Brockman - Member-at-Large
Charles is a new member and volunteer at the VTL, who is honoured to contribute within the Vancouver community he now calls home. He is a freelance motion designer by trade, and a future journalism grad student at UBC. On the weekends Charles can be found hiking, baking sourdough, or tinkering on his beloved camper van.
Julia Lasarte - Member-at-Large
Julia Lasarte (she/her/hers) hails from La Plata, Argentina. She has called the unceded, traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-waututh Nation home since 2016. By day, Julia is a software engineer and in her spare time she likes to play around with tools, paddle boards and fitness equipment as well as spend time with her wife and dog
Chad Townsend - Member-at-Large
Chad has been a longtime fan of Canada's first tool library, and a member of the VTL since 2019, volunteering and asking everyone about their projects from the rental counter through his first years in Vancouver. He has built many things using VTL tools, and even restored parts of two heritage buildings. Chad is a professional planner / ecologist, and recent amateur documentary filmmaker who enjoys bike commuting, paddling, camping, and woodworking.
Reed Schrad - Member-at-Large
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Rob Gill - Treasurer
Rob has been a member of the Vancouver Tool Library since 2012 and joined the board in 2015 as the tool coordinator and later became Treasurer. When he's not taking care of tools, you can find Rob building things out of wood, electronics or whatever else comes to hand. In his day job, he works as an administrator in health care.
Staff
Laine Hughes - General Manager
Laine has been the GM of the Vancouver Tool Library since September 2018. He's a creative problem solver, big time dog lover, and always happy to talk tools and projects with VTL and community members alike. When he's not in the shop he can be found in the mountains, on the water, or playing ball somewhere in East Vancouver. Laine spent many years working as a bicycle mechanic, teaching Gender Studies at York University, and is extremely passionate about social justice.