Grieve, McKelvey acclaimed as SD73 board chair, vice-chair

Nov 4, 2026 | 12:25 PM

KAMLOOPS — The Kamloops-Thompson School District (SD73) board has chosen its leadership to serve for the next year, as it prepares to begin a new four-year term.

Heather Grieve will return as board chair after she was acclaimed to the post at Monday’s (Nov. 2) inaugural meeting. Grieve has been SD73 board chair since 2021, and she has said this will be her last term as trustee.

“Thank you, first of all, for the privilege as the chair for the next year with the new board,” Grieve said Monday. “I’m really looking forward to seeing new voices and new people also sitting in vice-chair and chair roles over the next number of years of this term.”

Cara McKelvey will take over as SD73 vice-chair after she was also acclaimed to the role. The Savona and Logan Lake-area trustee is in her fifth term on the board, and she takes over as vice-chair from long-time Barriere-area trustee Rhonda Kershaw, who did not seek re-election last month.

“I just want to thank you for entrusting me with this position,” McKelvey said. “I look forward to this new challenge. I’ve never done this before, so looking forward to learning alongside all of you.”

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Rounding out the SD73 board are newcomers Troylana Manson in Kamloops and Bronwen Bird in Area 3 (Barriere-Little Fort) and returning trustees Cole Hickson, John O’Fee and Kathleen Karpuk in Kamloops along with returning trustees Shelley Sim in Area 2 (North Thompson) and Diane Jules in Area 4 (Chase).

Karpuk will serve as the SD73 representative on the B.C. School Trustees Association Provincial Council, while Hickson will be the representative to the B.C. Public School Employers Association.

The SD73 board is scheduled to make select committee and liaison assignments at Wednesday’s Committee of the Whole meeting. Their first regular public board meeting is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 16.

Grieve also addressed the board and the gallery, where representatives from CUPE 3500, the Kamloops-Thompson Teachers Association (KTTA), the SD73 District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC) and Indigenous Education Council were seated.

“I’m really excited to see where these relationships and connections continue to take us and that we build on some foundational work that has been done already,” Grieve said. “I’m really excited for the work that the board is going to take on in partnership with everyone here in the room.”

by Victor Kaisar

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Grieve, McKelvey acclaimed as SD73 board chair, vice-chair

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