Michael Davis

Michael Davis brings an alignment of experience, education, skills and passion to the Vantage Point Board.

For the past two years, he has been Vantage Point’s Vice Chair, chairs the Governance Committee, and founded the Climate Change Committee. He has been a director on multiple boards and a board trainer—a Knowledge Philanthropist for the past four years and a board trainer with VP’s predecessor, Volunteer Vancouver back in the late 90s.

Michael has experience building NPO policies, procedures and systems as a Director of Operations. His board experience includes Board Chair at BoardVoice, where he conceived and developed a campaign advocating for a province-wide social policy framework; board director at Rainbow Refugee, where he created the governance, finance and fundraising committees, developed their finance system and policies and procedures for their operations.

Michael is the founder of Governance for Our Kids Climate which helps organisations build sustainability into their governance structures and has helped VP develop a suite of climate change tools for non-profits.

For over 20 years Michael provided strategic communication and government relations counsel to organisations seeking change—whether in public perception or government policy. He brings together the ability to understand long-term goals, facilitate discussions to focus objectives, implement the most effective actions, then measure outcomes and adapt to achieve the desired goals.

Michael is a political junky and has volunteered on political campaigns at all three levels of government. He was the Director of Communication for Canada’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

Michael earned a master’s in communication in 2019 and utilizes the advanced techniques of communication and conflict resolution in all his work. Exposure to the critical paradigm of communication theory informs his work and ongoing development regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Truth and Reconciliation.

As a gay man and survivor of AIDS who has transitioned into a position of considerable privilege, Michael understands how rooted structural, societal and systemic disadvantage can be and the intensive, sustained efforts required to bring about real change that improves people’s lived experience. He continues to listen and learn from people impacted by intersectional discrimination.