We’re pleased to feature Carolyn Gibson, a Forest Impact Recovery (FIR) Advisor hosted by Community Futures Revelstoke, with funding from ETSI-BC.

Carolyn’s journey has encompassed a wide range of roles, from academia to strategic consulting and entrepreneurship, all converging to shape her mission of serving and guiding Revelstoke and Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) Area B through the intricate challenges posed by forest sector changes.

Carolyn has experience as a professor at Okanagan College, an advisor on the MBA program with Queens University, as a consultant specializing in strategy, human resources, leadership, and organizational development for both non-profit and for-profit organizations, and as a coach at StartUp Revelstoke. Her professional background bears witness to her adaptability and dedication to community development.

Last year, Carolyn was a Business Advisor as part of ETSI-BC’s Rural Business & Community Recovery Program, helping Southern Interior communities realize their economic development aspirations with funding, resources, and knowledge.

Now as a FIR Advisor, Carolyn’s objectives have been developed in collaboration with the City of Revelstoke’s Economic Development department, Community Futures, and the Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce. Collectively, Carolyn explains, they have identified a set of key priorities, including sector and business outreach, relaunching of local business emergency preparedness workshops, delivering innovation workshops and community discussions, promoting Indigenous businesses within the community, and identifying potential economic diversification opportunities.

To achieve these goals, Carolyn will be connecting individuals and businesses with the necessary support, facilitating roundtable discussions, and assisting with grant applications. She is passionate about identifying unique needs within the community and helping members access the resources and information they need to succeed.

For Carolyn, being able to bring community members together to help share information, learn, and identify new directions forward during times of change is truly gratifying.

“I’m looking forward to increasing the understanding between different groups within our community and identifying new directions and opportunities.”

Our thanks to Carolyn and all the FIR Advisors for your tireless efforts on behalf of your communities. You are truly making a difference!

Forest Impact Recovery (FIR) Advisors like Carolyn are located throughout the Southern Interior of BC. These Advisors are hosted by 18 different business support organizations, with funding from ETSI-BC. Click here to see the list of Host Organizations. ETSI-BC acknowledges financial support from the Province of BC in delivering this program.