Meet the Team

We have a fantastic group of people working to organize the CCFCC 2011 National Conference! With mixture of tried-and-true professionals and new-to-the-scene interns, it is certain that this year's conference cannot be missed.

Dawn Donahue

2011 CCFCC Conference Director, President and CEO of Go Golf Events Management

In her own words, Dawn is the “glue” that holds our team together. We are all so grateful for her guidance and support as we work towards the Conference in June 2011!

Mahin Rashid

2011 CCFCC HR Director, Charity Event Coordinator, Mentor

A Simon Fraser University graduate, Mahin has drafted job descriptions, created online profiles for positions, and continues to recruit, interview, and place volunteers for the Conference.

Maria Dowa

2011 CCFCC HR Manager

A University of British Columbia Graduate with a degree in Psychology and Family Science, Maria is currently transitioning into the Human Resources and Nutrition field. With experience as an employment counsellor, and now HR Volunteer, Maria will be organizing the 60 volunteers needed for various committees and the Conference.

Thorsten Gohl

2011 CCFCC Photographer

A graduate in Professional Photo-Imaging at Langara College in 2011, Thorsten captured the West Coast Chocolate Festival on film and will be our official photographer for the CCFCC 2011 National Conference.

Naomi Koit

2011 CCFCC Executive Assistant to Dawn Donahue

A fourth-year Political Studies major at Queen’s University, Naomi was an event organizer and media representative for both the 2008 and 2009 West Coast Chocolate Festivals. As executive assistant to Dawn Donahue for the 2011 CCFCC, she will be maintaining files, creating action plans, drafting various documents, and managing projects to help keep everyone organized.

Susan Fung

2011 CCFCC Intern—Event and Finance Manager

A fourth-year Business Administration major at Simon Fraser University, Susan has contributed to the 2011 CCFCC by drafting budgets, creating event overviews, and utilizing her multilingual talents to translate conference materials into Chinese.

Angelina Tagliafierro

2011 CCFCC Intern—Content Manager, Blogger, Online Marketing

A third-year English major/History Minor at the University of British Columbia, Angelina has worked to strengthen the online presence of the Conference through the CCFCC 2011 National Conference Blog, online promotion, and maintenance of web postings on event listing services.

Naz Kohan

2011 CCFCC Intern—Administrative, Research, and Database Manager

A third-year Political Science major at the University of British Columbia, Naz has worked on the CCFCC website, drafted spreadsheet documents, and translated conference materials into French, German, Chinese, and Spanish.

Celina Vergel de Dios

2011 CCFCC Intern—Event Organizer

A graduate in Educational Psychology from the University of British Columbia, and current student of Event Marketing Management at BCIT, Celina worked extensively with the 2010 West Coast Chocolate Festival Team last year. As Event Organizer, Celina will take on a wide array of tasks with the 2011 CCFCC National Conference.

Thanks to the many others who help us all on a daily basis! We couldn't do it without you all.

And one last thought: thanks to Naomi Koit for compiling the bios of our team members!