Our Team
President
timothy szo
2023/2024 CSS President
My name is Timothy Szo and I am honoured to be this year's President for the Commerce Students' Society (CSS). I am in my third year of the BCom program and I am excited to be returning to the CSS after being the Executive of Corporate Relations last year. I chose to get involved with the organization at the end of my first year as a means to give back to the business school and support events that enrich the commerce student experience at UVic. As the President, I am responsible for overseeing the operations of the organization and managing a team of nine Executives as they plan and host both social and professional events throughout the school year. Outside of my main goal of ensuring the CSS runs smoothly, I am hoping to support emerging business clubs like the UVic Real Estate Club, Investment Group, Consulting Group, and Girlboss as they grow and offer events in more niche business areas.
css portfolios
Community Outreach
rain yeung
Executive of Community Outreach
Hi there, my name is Rain. I'm originally from Hong Kong, China. But I've been an international student in Canada for seven years now. And I am honoured to serve the CSS as the executive of Community Outreach this year. I'm currently pursuing my BCOM degree in my third year. After finishing my first year, I aimed to be more involved and serve the international community on this campus. I worked part-time as a student administrative assistant at the International Centre for Students (ICS) and as the Director of the International Buddy Program in the CSS this past year. I'm still actively involved in these roles and will continue to do so.
Community Outreach Team
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Grace Gunn
Director of 5 Days for the Homeless
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Hanna Garcia
Director of the International Buddy Program
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Kalina Winkelman
Director of Charity Events
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Cailin Whipple
Director of Charity Events
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Maggie Harvey
Director of 5 Days for the Homeless
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Mckenna Laing
Director of 5 Days for the Homeless
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Oliver Cross
Director of the International Buddy Program
Corporate Relations
fritz petersen
Executive of Corporate Relations
Hey! My name is Fritz Petersen and I am a third year student in the BCom program. I am so pumped to be leading corporate relations this year. Goal is to create a more diverse and engaged portfolio of partnerships amongst local and national firms to provide students with a vast variety of knowledge across different fields.
Corporate Relations Team
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Attila Knaitner
Director of Corporate Relations
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Evan Sandes
Director of Corporate Relations
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Isabella Riopel
Director of Corporate Relations
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Lauryn Sims
Director of Corporate Relations
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Morgan Bender
Director of Corporate Relations
Events
sophie winder-berkey
Executive of Events
My name is Sophie Winder-Berkey, and I am super excited to be stepping into the Executive of Events position for the second portion of the 2023-24 school year! I am currently in my third year of the commerce program at UVic and have been in the commerce students society for two years as a Cohort Representative, Director Commerce Student Partnerships, and Co-Chair of the Business Banquet. The Events Portfolio is responsible for executing the large-scale events put on by the CSS, being the Greater Victoria Business Banquet and the Gustavson School of Business Conference. Our goal is to put on events that allow commerce students to attend professional events, network with local business professionals, and learn valuable skills. This year, the Events Portfolio team is working towards bringing learning and career opportunities to the BCom community. My personal goals are to support my team to the best of my ability and successfully organize fun and memorable events for my peers! I have had an amazing time with the CSS so far, and am greatly looking forward to seeing what the next year brings.
Events Team
Banquet Team
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Patrick Gagnon
Co-Chair of Business Banquet
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Kristen Mahood
Director of External Outreach
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Michael Kirk
Director of External Relations
GSBC Team
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Corbyn Kutak
Co-Chair of GSBC
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Leah Wilson
Co-Chair of GSBC
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Emma Kemper
Co-Director of Academic Simulation
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Lia Van Dyk
Co-Director of Academic Simulation
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Aiden Bamford
Co-Director of Athletics
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Colton Sammut
Co-Director of Athletics
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Emily Bell
Co-Director of External Relations
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Julie Timm
Co-Director of External Relations
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Guru Sundesh Sarai
Co-Director of Logistics
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Vidwaan Singhania
Co-Director of Logistics
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Jada Parlee
Co-Director of Social Events
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Mikayla Boulanger
Co-Director of Social Events
Finance
natalie butler
Executive of Finance
My name is Natalie Butler and I am entering my third year at the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business. I spent my last year as a Director of Charity Events in the Community Outreach portfolio and am excited to return as the Executive of Finance for the 2023/2024 school year! I chose to be part of the CSS as a way of giving back to the business community as well as developing a deeper sense of connection to the school and program. My responsibilities in this role include managing the club budget, tracking income and expenses, and general financial management for the CSS. This year I look forward to supporting the team in planning, organizing, and running successful and exciting events for the student body!
Finance Team
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Alex Overend
Director of Finance
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Austin Jeffrey
Director of Finance
Internal
cece la montagne
Executive of Internal
My name is CeCe La Montagne, and I am thrilled to be the 2023/2024 Executive of Internal! I will be in my third year at the Gustavson School of Business and with the Commerce Students’ Society this year. I started my journey with the CSS in the Professional Development portfolio before transitioning to the Internal portfolio as a Director of Performance Evaluations and Online Systems. The CSS has been an incredible experience as it allowed me to meet amazing people, develop new skills, and push myself out of my comfort zone. As the Executive of Internal, I oversee a team responsible for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI), Hiring, Performance Evaluations, the Cohort Representative Program, and overall internal operations. This year, we plan to create a more cohesive internal culture by integrating more EDI initiatives, hosting accessible internal bonding activities, and promoting cross-portfolio collaboration. I look forward to what this academic year holds for the CSS!
Internal Team
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Alex Scher
EDI Officer
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Amy McKellar
Director of Performance Evaluations and Online Systems
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Lassah Johnson
Director of Internal Bonding
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Michael Ng
Director of Cohort Representatives
Marketing
kyla mihalcheon
co-Executive of Marketing
My name is Kyla Mihalcheon and I am entering my third year at the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business at UVic. I am excited to be this year’s Executive of Marketing for the CSS. This is my second year on the CSS where I was previously the Director of Social Media Strategy. Advocating for students’ needs and building a strong community has always been important to me. The Marketing Portfolio is responsible for connecting the CSS to the BCom student body. Our goal is to create a stronger community in the BCom program where students feel involved and connected. We strive to market in an inclusive and representative way where everyone feels supported and heard. This year, we are aiming to enroll a more extensive Brand Ambassador program, expand our physical marketing and boost engagement for all CSS events. Our team and I are looking forward to connecting students and enriching the BCom experience.
lillian crowder
co-Executive of Marketing
Hello, my name is Lillian Crowder. I use she/her pronouns. I am in my third year of the BCom program and am a co-executive of marketing on the CSS. I originally joined the CSS in my second year as a director of corporate relations and loved the experience. This year, as an exec, I oversee the creative side of the marketing portfolio, including our graphic and visual designs, merchandise, and photography. I am also passionate about the research side of marketing and have led the analytical and insight-gathering methodology for the CSS. In my spare time, I also volunteer for UVic Girlboss, a CSS umbrella club focussed on uniting those less represented in the business industry. I am also an avid outdoorswoman and love hiking, camping, and skiing (including back-country).
Marketing Team
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Camryn McCorriston
Director of Management
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Carly Appelbaum
Director of Design
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Christopher Henderson
Director of Social Media Strategy
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Ella Ostrikoff-Perepelitz
Director of Visual Strategy
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Evan George
Director of Apparel
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Marea Forgeron
Director of Design
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Ronac Chauhan
Director of Online Presence
Professional Development
nainika banger
Executive of Professional Development
My name is Nainika Banger and I am very excited to be the Executive of Professional Development for the 2023/2024 school year! During my first-year, I was looking to get more involved with the BCom community and joined the CSS as a director of Office Crawls. I enjoyed my time so much that now, I am entering my second-year and have decided to continue my time with the CSS as an Executive. The Professional Development portfolio puts on events that allow students to meet and network with business professionals. We also run workshops and case-competitions to give students the opportunity to work on an array of skills. As the Executive of Professional Development, my role is to lead and support my directors as they plan their respective events. For this school year, I hope to successfully bring back the Pre-core Case Competitions and help create more Pre-core engagement within the BCom program. I also aim to hold the very first Victoria Office Crawl to give students the opportunity to tour local Victoria businesses. With these goals in mind, I am ecstatic to work with my team of directors and execute fun events for the BCom community!
Professional Development Team
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Aidan Leslie-Marseille
Director of Career Fairs
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Alec Kemp
Director of Workshops
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Allison Morrey
Director of Career Fairs
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Claire Fournier
Director of Office Crawls
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Faith Dublonko
Director of Office Crawls
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Zitan Wang
Director of Pre-Core Case Competitions
Student life
caitlyn sewell
Executive of student life
Hello! My name is Caitlyn Sewell and I am a third year student in the BCom program. I am beyond excited to be the incoming executive of Student Life. This year I am looking forward to starting off the school year strong with CRASH week. I first got involved with the Commerce Student Society as a Director of 5 Days. In this role I fell in love with the team atmosphere of the CSS and how the CSS allows students the opportunity to make an impact on the Greater Victoria community. This year the Student Life portfolio will be responsible for the biggest kick off of the year, CRASH WEEK, organizing pre-core and core events like acro yoga and pub crawls, as well as conducting the Commerce Cup for third year students. With the help of my incredible team the Student Life portfolio hopes to improve communication with the student body, rebrand the engagement portfolio to student life, and allow for larger scale events with cross portfolio event planning.
Student Life Team
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Abbie Roth
Director of Pre-Core Events
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Julien Millaire
Director of Event Management
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Kristiana Kloss
Director of Core Events
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Maya Southam
Director of Commerce Cup
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Olivia Johnston
Director of External Outreach