Image: UFV

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Chilliwack lawyer named board chair

Chilliwack lawyer, a law firm partner, elected chair of Board of Governors at UFV

Oct 2, 2025 | 11:55 AM

CHILLIWACK — A Chilliwack lawyer who played basketball at Queen’s University, fought forest fires aboard helicopters in Ontario and worked in Jamaica and Guatemala on global outreach projects has been named chair of the Board of Governors at UFV.

Cristen Gleeson, King’s Counsel, a managing partner at Baker Newby in Chilliwack, becomes the 15th chair of the UFV Board of Governors and the third woman to serve in this capacity. She succeeds John Pankratz, who has wrapped up his second term as chair but will stay on as a board member.

UFV’s Board of Governors oversees the management, administration, and control of the property, revenue, and business of the university. It consists of volunteer members appointed by government and elected faculty, staff, and students. The UFV president and chancellor are also members by virtue of their office.

After growing up in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Gleeson earned her B.A. degree in 1998 and her law degree in 2001, both from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. While at Queen’s she played two seasons of varsity basketball. She also gained international experience in her twenties by participating in the Canada World Youth program. She spent her summers on helicopters fighting forest fires in northern Ontario. She joined Baker Newby in 2006, became a partner in 2010, and joined the management team of the firm in 2019.

She knows from experience how transformative a post-secondary education can be and was happy to join the UFV Board in 2020 to support education in the Fraser Valley.

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“At UFV we call ourselves a house of transformation,” she notes. “In my own life, post-secondary education helped to open my eyes to new perspectives and show me options. I also matured a lot by going to university. It gave me the confidence to reach out in the world, and you need confidence to succeed.”

Gleeson has already served five years on the UFV Board, most recently in the role of Vice Chair. She says she has enjoyed the experience immensely.

“UFV is a great university,” she says. “I find the atmosphere very collegial, friendly, and respectful of diversity and Indigenous peoples. That feeling extends all the way to the board level, where we are very focused on students.”

Highlights of her time on the UFV Board include being involved in the drafting and implementation of Íyáqáwtxw (House of Transformation — UFV’s strategic plan) and supporting former UFV president Joanne MacLean through successes and challenging times, including the pandemic and major flooding in the Fraser Valley.

In May 2023, Gleeson was one of 30 lawyers to earn the King’s counsel designation for their counsel, teaching contributions, publications, advocacy and volunteerism.

In a news release from the B.C. Attorney General’s office on May 4, 2023, the B.C. government said appointees include lawyers in private practice, government, and academia.

“The recipients of the honour of KC have made exemplary contributions to ensuring B.C. is a just and equitable place for everyone to live,” said Attorney General Niki Sharma. “This is a highly coveted honour, particularly because the recipients are nominated by their peers.”

The King’s counsel designation grants each appointee the honour of adding the letters “K.C.” to their post-nominals (letters after one’s name), so their colleagues and clients know that among their credentials they have been recognized by their peers for exceptional merit and contribution.

To be considered for the King’s counsel designation, the potential candidates must be members of the B.C. bar for a minimum of five years. Their nomination is reviewed by an advisory committee, which then makes recommendations to the attorney general. The appointments are made by cabinet through orders in council.