Jenne (pronounced Jennie) with she/her, they pronouns, Ontario born and Nova Scotian educated, I moved to Prince George and found a community I now call home. I regularly visit and benefit from our library services, programs, books, and safe spaces. I experience rich nostalgia when entering the library; my mother proudly worked in our community library for her entire working career. I remember reading in cozy nooks and studying scattered papers on Titanic tables, all while enjoying the quiet solitude. I am a Registered, Community Occupational Therapist who celebrates differences, cultivates connection, and advocates for safe and inclusive spaces.
For me the library is more than the books on the shelves, it is a safe haven, a resource for learning and growing, and a place to bring people together. I am delighted for the opportunity to contribute to the Prince George Public Library Board and our community as Vice-Chair.
Board Members
The Prince George Public Library is directed by a dedicated volunteer Board appointed by Prince George City Council. Meetings of the Prince George Public Library Board are open to the public.
You can contact the Board at board@pgpl.ca.
Jennifer Amell (Vice-Chair)
Councillor Garth Frizzell
Garth is the Prince George City Council representative on the Library Board.
He has borrowed and returned books to libraries at UVic, UNBC, CNC, U of Ottawa, Ottawa Civic Library, the Sechelt Public Library, Chatelech Secondary School Library and the Prince George Public Library. He paid fines twice.
Garth came to Prince George as a student, founded Terra Cognita Software Systems, pursued politics and moved into teaching. He is currently a Business instructor at the College of New Caledonia, teaching entrepreneurship, economics and business. He was re-elected in 2022 for his fifth term on Prince George City Council.
Garth’s interests and experience include technology, politics, international development, equity diversity and inclusion He rides a motorcycle and is currently writing his own book, though not at the same time.
Rahim Somani
Rahim (he/him) is a son, husband, father, and a transformational leader fostering compassion, innovation, creativity, excellence, and societal impact. He self-identifies as an Ismaili Muslim from South Asia and immigrated to Canada in 2017 and moved with his family to Prince George in 2020. Rahim has a bachelor’s degree in Commerce, a master’s degree in Educational Planning, Economics, and International Development, is a CPA, CA, and currently pursuing Doctor of Education (EdD) in Leadership and Innovation at the Arizona State University.
The fundamental premise of Rahim’s approach to leadership is transforming challenges into opportunities, effective people engagement with compassion, fostering innovation, creativity, and excellence. His transformational journey which started with the Aga Khan Education Service, Pakistan in 1998 took a leap of faith in 2008 joining the leadership team of the University of Central Asia to setup a multi-campus development university established through an international Treaty with operations across Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Afghanistan. Over the last two decades, Rahim played an integral role in setting up, leading, and managing people, programs, and institutions with an aim to develop ethical, responsible, and compassionate citizens through innovation in, and relevance of teaching and research, addressing gender disparity in education and enabling socio-economic development of the communities. The journey has evolved to Canada with his appointment as the Vice President, Finance and Administration at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC).
Rahim believes that libraries can play an important role in positively engaging all members of the community and improving their quality of life and is looking forward to making his humble contribution through the Prince George Public Library. In addition, Rahim serves as Director of the Prince George Community Foundation, United Way of Northern British Columbia, and the UNBC Land Development Corporation, and President and Director of the Northern Sport Centre Limited.
After serving communities in five countries across two continents, Rahim and his family are respectfully grateful for the opportunity to live, learn, and work on traditional unceded territory of the Lheidli T’enneh and opportunity to work with First Nations and Indigenous Communities as part of UNBC family.
Vash Ebbadi-Cook
Vash (he/they) first travelled to Prince George as a student on a four month practicum placement with Northern Health, and the Prince George Public Library was the first place he visited after stepping off the plane. He completed a Master of Public Health in 2016 from the University of Waterloo, and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto in 2010. Prior to moving to Northern BC in 2017 to the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Lheidli T'enneh, Vash lived and worked in Toronto, the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples. Vash has worked in healthcare for nearly 20 years, beginning his career in clinical research, eventually turning to quality assurance and improvement, and public health. He is currently the Executive Director, Workforce Sustainability, Quality & Innovation with Northern Health, and is a strong advocate for continuous learning, community development, equity, and anti-racism. Outside of work, he enjoys exploring all the adventures that BC has to offer with his husband and dog, Charlie, of whom he will happily share plenty of silly photos (the dog not the husband).
Sonia Sidhu
Sonia grew up in Prince George, where her love of reading developed during regular weekend visits to the Prince George Public Library. She later moved to Abbotsford where she completed her undergraduate degree in English and earned a TESL (Teaching English as Second Language) Certificate. With a passion for teaching and learning, she spent eight years teaching English to adult learners from diverse backgrounds worldwide. Now back in Prince George, Sonia works at UNBC as a Co-op Coordinator, helping students bridge education and career. In her free time, Sonia enjoys staying active, exploring new books to read, and experimenting with delicious vegetarian recipes.
Anna Duff (Chair)
Born and raised in Prince George, Anna has fond memories of eagerly anticipating regular trips to the Bob Harkins branch as a child with her family. At a young age, she recalls appreciating the diversity of resources available to all patrons, from picture books to car repair manuals and everything in-between.
As a communications professional with a background in leisure and tourism, Anna highly values the importance of having a welcoming and inclusive space where everyone is welcome to spend time without any obligation to spend money. She is constantly amazed at the creative and effective ways PGPL staff respond to the changing needs of their patrons and the innovative programming and collections that are offered. She is also appreciative of the extensive and free learning opportunities that are available through programming and digital resources.
Jennifer Wilczek
Jennifer has always enjoyed reading and often had a book nearby, and often still does to this day. She remembers being in the children section exploring the books, progressing to the teen section and then upstairs to the general fiction section at the Bob Harkin’s Branch of the Prince George Library. Jennifer has a Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science from UBC and a Doctor of Optometry from Pacific University in Portland, Oregon. Jennifer has been at Parker Optometry for over 10 years where she helps bring everyone’s life into focus. Jennifer has been a director at Integris Credit Union for 9 years and brings with her experience in governance, policy review and strategic planning. She is excited to be a part of the Library Board team and to continue the great work of the library.
Luke Spooner
Luke (He/Him) was born and raised in Hazelton, initially moving to Prince George to complete his undergraduate degree in biochemistry. After living as a self described ‘tumble weed’ for many years, he continued to find himself being drawn back to Northern BC, and Prince George in particular.
Returning to Prince George in 2016, Luke has never looked back, finding a community where he can finally set out roots. Luke has worked in many different libraries throughout Prince George, but most notably as a Homework Help tutor and reader’s advisor for the Prince George Public Library. Despite being an avid library patron throughout his life, it was during his employment at PGPL that he fully realized the many different services public libraries offer and how many folks depend on them.
Having left PGPL in 2021 to pursue his career as a biology instructor at the College of New Caledonia, Luke’s commitment to PGPL has never waivered. He continues to work as a volunteer with the Home Service delivery program and regularly contributes to programs like ‘Media literacy 101’ and ‘Job Chats’.
Luke sees public libraries as a key part of social infrastructure: a place where folks of all identities and backgrounds are able to come together and share space. During these divisive times, spaces like PGPL are invaluable to fostering understanding and community. As such, Luke is excited to serve as a library board member and further contribute to the important role that PGPL plays in Prince George.
Joseph Jeffery
Joseph (he/him) is a lifelong reader and library user, at one time so prolific that other kids at school called him "lord of the library," as that's where he could be found every day. Joseph is the district learning commons teacher librarian for School District 57, a proud member of the BC Teacher Librarian Association, and the current chair of Canadian School Libraries. Joseph came to Prince George as a student at UNBC, from which he has graduated twice (once in Computer Science and again in Education), during which he borrowed a lot of manga, graphic novels and fantasy books from PGPL. As a teacher librarian he has helped students sign up for PGPL library cards, bought students down for field trips, and met often with the youth librarians. Joseph has also been teacher-librarian to two fellow board members' kids over the years. If you want to talk about nerdy, big fantasy books, he has probably read them.
