New Faculty Advisory Board Members
Members of our Faculty Advisory Board provide their expertise to support the Dean and senior administrative team on activities related to teaching, research, extension, education and funding. They are also an important conduit to external communities, sharing our message and improving the quality of information exchange.
Brian Curin, co-CEO/co-Founder & President of Little Kitchen Academy
Brian Curin is a visionary and innovative business leader who has founded, led, and transformed several Inc. 500|5000 companies. He’s built some of the most exciting and fastest-growing brands globally including Flip Flop Shops, OfficeZilla, JOE’S Jeans, Moe’s Southwest Grill, and Cold Stone Creamery.
Curin’s latest venture, Little Kitchen Academy, the key ingredient for an independent child, is the first-of-its-kind, Montessori-inspired cooking academy for kids ages three through teen, focused on providing a safe, inspiring, and empowering space for children to identify, develop and refine their senses. The concept was co-founded by proven global brand and franchise expert and serial entrepreneur Brian Curin, his wife, Montessori-trained, culinary expert, and visionary Felicity Curin, and social impact investor and entrepreneur Praveen Varshney, on the belief that by empowering children with practical life skills and knowledge in a positive and joyful environment, they and their company will affect positive lifestyle changes that result in a healthier world.
Over the years, Curin has built impactful partnerships with Make-A-Wish Foundation, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Soles4Souls, and American Heart Association. He has also served on several committees for American Heart Association, UBC’s Centre for Molecular Medicine & Therapeutics (CMMT) and is a Past Chair of Heart & Stroke Foundation.
Currently, Curin serves on the Boards of Incisive Genetics and ChopValue. Curin resides in Vancouver with his wife and three daughters (two of which are twins).
Resilience is the one ingredient that is always in his kitchen.
Tamara Rebanks, Director, Weston Family Foundation
Tamara Rebanks is a skilled funder with over 25 years of experience working with charities. She has worked on both sides of not-for-profits in Canada, the US and the UK. Tamara managed the corporate donations of George Weston Limited and Weston Foods for nearly 20 years and is a Director and past Chair of the Weston Family Foundation, one of Canada’s largest private foundations. She currently sits on the Board of Governors of the Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thompson Hall and is a Director of Park People. She is also a Trustee and past Chair of the Reta Lila Howard Foundation in the UK, a charity focused on supporting children in the British Isles.