Hello, I’m Todd Evalina and it’s nice to meet you.
As an experienced entrepreneur, I bring over 20 years of business leadership, fundraising, and problem-solving to everything I do. During my career, I’ve lead purpose-driven work for local and global organizations, helping them to simplify the process of making scary, complicated decisions.
My spouse, Sarah, and I run Evalina Goods here in Ucluelet. We make innovative seaweed-based food and beverage products under the brand SEAJOU, featuring local botanicals like salmonberries, wild roses, stinging nettle, and spruce tips.
In community, I’m currently a board member with the Ucluelet and Area Childcare Society. I also regularly volunteer my time at a number of local organizations and events, such as, Clayoquot Biosphere Trust, Ukee Days, and Coastal Queers Alliance, to name a few.
In the past, I’ve served our community as a member of the District of Ucluelet’s Accessibility Committee, as the Vice President for our MLA’s riding executive, as a Member at Large for our MP’s riding executive, and a board member at the Ucluelet Chamber of Commerce.
Where are you from?
I’m a third-generation Canadian settler of Scottish-Slovak ancestry, born in a small farming community on Treaty Six Territory (Northern Alberta). The population of my hometown was 500 people; long days, hard work, community cooking, and handshake agreements were a staple of everyday life.
As a young child, I spent free time helping in family businesses, then later working as a dishwasher, chef, server, groundskeeper, carpenter, mechanic, salesperson, cattle farmer, and electrician, until moving to British Columbia 23 years ago. At the time, everything I owned fit spaciously into a 300 sqf. studio. With a negative balance on my chequing account and thousands of dollars in student and personal loan debt, I survived on canned soup, rice, and frozen venison steaks from game I’d hunted in the forests where I grew up.
I empathize with anyone who has struggled to pay rent, worked all-nighters, and had a dream to achieve a better life, all while striving to participate meaningfully in community.
For example:
As a previous director with Tofino Community Food Initiative (TCFI), I’ve written grants and helped secure over $45,000 in federal funding for their ‘Sowing Seeds Across Generations’ program to support intergenerational learning and seniors aging in place.
With TCFI, I also created and delivered fundraising initiatives to support gardening and food security programs in our community. These initiatives ranged from hand-making over 2,000 Smoked Kelp Farfalle (Bowtie Pasta) to partnering with Space Ukee to host their first “Flash Tattoo Day” where artists tattooed vegetables for dozens of local and international customers.
Then, later, in partnership with Space Ukee, we replicated this successful Flash Tattoo Day event to raise over $1,000 in additional funds for organizations like the Ucluelet Aquarium Society and Coastal Queers Alliance.
Sarah and I were able to purchase our first home here in Ucluelet in 2021. This opportunity has allowed us housing security for the first time in our adult lives, and we dream for others to have the opportunity to rent or own stable housing that suits their needs.
Two years ago, we welcomed our first child into this community, and we look forward to raising him alongside the wonderful people who call this place home.
Experience & Qualifications
-
Ucluelet and Area Childcare Society — Director, Board of Directors
Clayoquot Biosphere Trust — Vital Grants Assessor
Ucluelet Economic Development Committee — Chair, Committee Member
District of Ucluelet Accessibility Committee — Committee Member
Ucluelet Chamber of Commerce — Director, Board of Directors
Tofino Community Food Initiative — Director, Board of Directors
Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks Allies — Certified Ally, Ambassador (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NlaP93X0UY)
Ucluelet Aquarium — Seaweed Festival Co-Organizer, Volunteer
Pacific Rim Arts Society — Member, Volunteer
Coastal Queer Alliance — Volunteer
Surfrider Pacific Rim — Volunteer
-
BC NDP Mid Island Pacific Rim Riding Association — Vice President, Executive Team
BC NDP Standing Committee on Environment and Economy — Regional Representative
BC NDP SOGI Caucus — Regional Representative
BC NDP Women and Gender Rights Convention — Regional Representative
BC NDP Standing Committee on Agriculture — Regional Representative
Queer Business BC - Mentor
-
Federal NDP Courtenay Alberni Riding Association, Executive Committee Member
Futurpreneur/Canadian Youth Business Foundation — Entrepeer Mentor
Design Professionals of Canada — A/V Content Co-Chair
Design Professionals of Canada — Ethics Committee Member
-
Founder, Evalina Goods
Founder, Dawn Patrol Supply Co
Independent Contractor, Professional Leadership Coach
Lululemon Athletica
Director, Futures Innovation
Senior Manager, Futures Innovation
Venture Incubation Concept Manager, Research and Development
Innovation Global Associate
Manager, Experiential Product Design, Research and Development
User Experience Designer, Research and Development
Independent Contractor — Product Designer and Design Researcher
DesignStamp — Product Designer and Design Researcher
Vancouver Film School, Instructor and Project Advisor
Giant Ant Media, Motion Designer and Animator
StemCell Technologies, Motion Designer and Animator
THANK YOU STUDIOS, Motion Designer & Animator
Media Producer, Vancouver Film School
-
Harvard University, Certificate in Organizational Leadership: Building Organizational Cultures
Harvard University, Certificate in Data-Driven Behavioural Decision-Making
Co-Active Training Institute - International Coaching Federation (ICF) Accredited
OCAD University, Certificate in Inclusive Design
McGill University, Certificate in Understanding Patents: Intellectual Property Institute of Canada
North Island College, Seaweed Production and Processing
Olds College of Agriculture and Technology, Craft Distilling
Vancouver Community College, Mandarin Level I and II
Vancouver Film School, Foundation for Visual Art and Design