Power. When we think of those who possess that mighty trait, minds go to the famous, those in the public eye, the headline grabbers. But “power,” by definition, means the ability to direct or influence the behaviour of others. Often, those working behind the scenes bring about big change with little fanfare.
From keeping the ferries running to building seamless commuter routes, from managing pension funds to caring for newcomers to advocating for sensitive health care, this noteworthy quintet use their influence to elevate others, a real superpower.
Eric McNeely: Navigating troubled waters
Since April 2021, Eric McNeely has been provincial president of the powerful 4,200-member BC Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union. Nanaimo-based McNeely, in his mid-40s, speaks for a diverse membership that includes everyone from skilled trades and engineers to IT and catering staff. The BCFMWU is Canada’s largest marine union.
Issues facing McNeely, a marine engineer who became a BCFMWU member in 2009, include settling a staff housing lawsuit, attracting more union members, dealing with staff abuse and improving policies around gender and faith requirements.
“It’s a challenge to bring all these needs together. What frustrates me is not seeing the change I want to see, as fast as I want to see,” says McNeely, the married father of two daughters. “The timeliness aspect is one of the things that grinds my gears.”
A former Navy gun commander who spent almost 23 years with the Department of National Defence, he says ferries are critical to the Island because of the vessels’ connections not only to people, but other modes of transport and delivery of goods.
Despite the BCFMWU’s role to address the growing need for ships and staff, McNeely doesn’t think he holds a lot of power. “But I do speak for over 4,000 people. That holds a lot of weight. It’s a responsibility being the face of the union.”
When he was elected, McNeely focused on the Holy Trinity at the union altar: working conditions, wages and retirement. To stoke his power and ensure he’s representing union members, he’s found that being patient, willing to listen, engaging with workers and planning strategically are vital.
“We have made significant gains,” says McNeely, who will continue to flex his muscle. “I’m not pulling any punches, not shying away from hard discussions. We can be a real catalyst for improving ferry service. Power is the ability to hold decision-makers accountable.”
Michelle Mahovlich: Stickhandling development, scoring big
If you travel anywhere in Langford, from the Westshore Parkway to Leigh Road Interchange, Michelle Mahovlich’s imprint is there. With both geosciences and engineering degrees, she spent over 14 years as the City of Langford’s director of engineering, overseeing the 2009-2023 construction explosion.
Today, she’s self-employed, offering project management services as well as being the 40,000-member Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s board chair.
“It’s pretty neat to drive through Langford and see things you built,” Mahovlich says. “I always tried to stay ahead of the game, looking out for showstoppers. I made sure I got things done in days, not months.”
Molasses municipalities, where processes move achingly slow, are a common complaint in the region. Mahovlich worked hard to address all aspects of a development proposal with her 18 staff members to avoid sluggish processes. “I tried to lead by example. You’re willing to get your hands dirty, not always taking the position of power,” she says.
“I motivated them by always encouraging them to ask questions. I try to be someone at the same level as them. No one person knows everything,” says the self-confessed curious person.
A former hockey mom who jumped at the chance to work on Langford’s arena, Mahovlich operated in the male world of contractors and developers. She created healthy relationships with them and also learned plenty at job sites. “I wasn’t singled out as a woman,” she says.
Today, she puts her enabling skills to work at B.C. municipalities. “It’s interesting to see how many municipalities have fallen behind in keeping their bylaws up to date.” Mahovlich has found that communities need to revise their bylaws to match ever-changing provincial and federal legislation, a job she embraced in Langford as an antidote to snail-paced bureaucracy.
A golfer, hiker, kick-boxer and mother of an adult son and daughter, Mahovlich (yes, her husband is related to legendary hockey brothers), admits the word “power” doesn’t pepper her prose. “For me, it’s being someone who’s able to enable,” she says.
Evan Adams: Standing up for Indigenous health
The realms of science and art are where Evan Adams circulates. Adams, who grew up on the Tla’amin First Nation in Powell River, is the deputy chief medical officer at the First Nations Health Authority as well as an associate dean at Simon Fraser University’s faculty of health sciences.
The father of six just also happens to be a versatile actor, performing in comedies, dramas and even a horror flick. After being discovered in Montreal, Adams appeared in the indie film Smoke Signals, Reservation Dogs, Indian Road Trip and other productions.
“My career as a physician is a lot about taking care of others. Acting is the opposite, having fun, and full of creativity,” he says.
Adams earned his doctor of medicine degree at the University of Calgary, graduating in 2002. In 2009 he added a master of public health from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
He credits his late father Leslie, and a few influential mentors, with instilling valuable traits such as working hard, being empathetic and ethical and standing up for yourself. “I always think of my dad, a very wise First Nations man, who told me, ‘One day, you’ll be in charge,’ ” Adams recalls.
Now that he is in charge, he recognizes that he’s a person of influence and with that comes expectations. “Do I have the power to make change? Those of us who do, should. It requires knowledge about how to make change,” Adams says.
“It’s not about knowing how to run. It’s about leading the run, empowering others, meeting people where they’re at, from the star runner to those who come last,” he says.
Working in Indigenous health, Adams employs his power to make health attainable for as many as possible as well as making Indigenous health practices mainstream. “We have to reach for equity. I’m glad to be a part of it. But we have to do it with grace and dignity,” he says.
On his radar is public health, not individual medicine: Childhood vaccines, primary care, the need for more health workers and ensuring the public has good knowledge are some of the issues Adams is passionate about. And add his thespian pursuits, which include a wish to appear in a TV series.
“I have had many titles and hold power. What’s more interesting is personal power than power given to me. You want to use your power to do good things,” he says.
Laura Nashman: Protecting the future of retirement
In 2008, Laura Nashman left her Southern Ontario home to become CEO of the BC Pension Corporation, a guiding light in the pension galaxy. The BCPC provides administrative services for five of B.C.’s largest pension plans, serving about 650,000 people, over 1,000 employers and paying out $5.8 billion per year in pensions. In February, for the fifth straight year, BCPC was named one of B.C.’s top employers by MediaCorp Canada.
So it’s not surprising that Nashman, whose previous experience includes working for Legal Aid Ontario and the Region of Peel, also has numerous honours. In 2022, Business in Vancouver magazine recognized her as one of B.C.’s most influential business leaders; in 2018, as the public sector B.C. CEO of the Year; and in 2017, she was named one of Canada’s Influential Women in Business.
When this mother of twin sons was asked to comment on “power,” she deliberated on her answer. “Power is a thing you have. How you acquire it is another story. It’s a huge burden to responsibly exercise the power I have in the most generative way. I use it to create an environment and space where people can thrive,” Nashman says.
Outside of the office, in a grocery store lineup she’s aware that people in front of and behind her may be buying food with pension money, an observation not lost on the self-aware leader.
“I do feel that I’m a powerful person. It’s not a luxury, but a burden, one I totally embrace. I’m reminded often to exercise that power thoughtfully, in a just, ethical way,” she says. “If you think of power as a tool, you miss the point. Think of power as a responsibility. That changes the whole conversation.”
Of late, Nashman has focused on the workplace physical environment and mental health as well as the BCPC’s nine-year plan, started in 2020, where addressing technology demands, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence are concerns. Nashman is proud of the ground covered by BCPC. “We punch way above our weight. Our reach is around the world.”
A champion golfer in the 1980s and today a hardcore cyclist, Nashman is a UVic PhD candidate, where her research involves how sports relate to women’s career triumphs. “My own success and accomplishments are not the things I celebrate,” she says, just prior to attending a baby shower. “I’m very quick to celebrate others’ successes and achievements.”
Luis Gutierrez Aguirre: Helping immigrants in their new home
Luis Gutierrez Aguirre arrived in Victoria three years ago from Mexico City. For over two decades, the MBA-holder had worked as a corporate executive and served in the presidential office. “But I felt stuck in Mexico,” says Aguirre, whose work often addressed poverty reduction.
Soon after arriving in Victoria, Aguirre, who for a couple of years lived in the U.S. and picked up English, enrolled at Royal Roads University where he earned a master of arts degree in global relations in 2023.
In March of that year he began work as the executive director of the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre where he’s in charge of about 30 staff and a similar number of volunteers, all of whom provide services for the 4,000-plus economic immigrants and refugees who arrive in Greater Victoria each year.
“We provide tools and knowledge for newcomers to navigate a very different environment from their countries,” Aguirre says. “Some were thriving in their homelands. Some find everything not as it was in their homeland.”
Helping thousands of people to secure work and a doctor get a driver’s licence, place to live or English lessons requires dedicated efforts. “It’s about finding partnerships, shared visions. I don’t need an image of authority. It’s more about empowerment. Taking your power to help others,” says the married father of a young son.
Aguirre reports to a board and is mindful of where funding is derived (local, provincial and federal governments, charities, individuals). Holding power or influence is less important than leading clients to success or staff to play important roles. “I don’t have ambitions to wield influence. I aim to translate understanding,” he says. “I see myself as a facilitator of change.”
The change means that newcomers thrive after their VIRC experience. “Our clients contribute to the culture of Greater Victoria and play a crucial role in enhancing the economy,” he says. “We’re working from a local perspective, but it makes an impact globally.”
