Longtime Surrey Board of Trade (SBOT) CEO Anita Huberman, who left the role at the end of August, has landed one new job, with another slated to be announced soon, she told BIV this morning.
The job she can reveal is board chair and chief public affairs global officer at Western Community College.
"Both jobs will be part time," she said.
Huberman had spent 31 years at the Surrey Board of Trade, including 18 years as CEO.
Western Community College lists seven campuses plus one flying school campus on its website. Four of those campuses are in Surrey while other campuses are in Abbotsford, Prince George and Agassiz.
Huberman's new role at the college will see her lead Western Community College's global public-affairs strategy, focusing on strengthening external relationships, enhancing its global presence, and furthering its commitment to community engagement, she said.
"I've worked with them in the past in my capacity at the Surrey Board of Trade," she said. "I'm excited about what's happening here at Surrey's health and technology district and the work that the college is doing as part of the district to build curriculum and workforce training. It's just a very exciting district to be a part of."
That health and technology district is at the intersection of King George Boulevard and 96th Avenue, adjacent to the Surrey Memorial Hospital. Three towers are built, with another eight towers to come, Huberman said. The district is adjacent to a University of British Columbia campus. It also has many health-technology businesses that are in the start-up phase. A hotel is expected to be built in the area, she added.
Western Community College operates a campus in the district and it plans to own some student housing on the site, she said.
As board chair, Huberman said she plans to advocate and guide Western Community College through its next phase of growth, helping it expand its influence locally and internationally.
When Huberman left the SBOT, she said that she was not sure what she would do next and that she was "hunting down new opportunities."
BIV has bestowed many awards to Huberman through the years, including the Top Forty Under 40 award more than a decade ago. She is a regular in BIV's BC 500 list of influential British Columbians. She has written many opinion pieces in BIV, including one as recently as June 26.
