For the past 17 years Karen has worked as a Community Development Officer with Alberta Culture and Status of Women to provide support to non-profits in the area of board governance, planning, community engagement, evaluation and fund development. She holds a Master of Science degree in Community Development, Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a diploma in non-profit management. Karen also stays active in community service with her involvement in Rotary, the YMCA, Community Foundation, and many other boards, committees, and projects across the region and province.

Yvonne Chenier, is a lawyer and philanthropy consultant – and co-founder of IntegralOrg. She brings more than 35 years of experience helping those in the philanthropic, nonprofit, and social enterprise sectors as general legal counsel and as an advisor on planning, organizational, regulatory and governance matters. Yvonne is an active member of the executive of the Charities and Nonprofit Section of the Canadian Bar Association and is past Chair of both the Alberta and National Sections. She is named in The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory* for excellence in Charity Law and has been selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in Canada for her work in Charities/Nonprofit Law.

Dwayne Van Bavel has had a wide variety of professional and volunteer experience working on Teams. He currently leads a Team of talented staff with the Alberta Government’s Community Development Unit that provides facilitation and consultation services to Non-profit organizations throughout the province. In Dwayne’s volunteer life, he has sat on non-profit boards and committees. His volunteer efforts have also included coaching hockey, baseball, and football –this has added up to 21 different teams working with fellow Coaching colleagues and players! Dwayne finds motivation and inspiration from volunteers stepping up to make their community better and is pleased to be a part of this year’s Board Leadership Lethbridge conference.

Jerry Firth is a Community Development Officer with the Community Development Unit of the Government of Alberta, supporting the non-profit and volunteer sector in building organizational and board capacity. His Blackfoot name is Píítaana (bee-daa-na) meaning Eagle Man. He is a Registered Social Worker (RSW) and has a Master of Social Work degree specializing in Leadership in Human Services. Jerry has extensive experience in different capacities within the human service and non-profit sector, as well as leadership capacities. Jerry is very involved in the community, having volunteered for various committees, boards, and projects. A fun fact about Jerry is that he is a professional mime, known as Rufus, and entertains at various community events, sometimes with his children. Family is the heart of Jerry’s life. He is married to Tammy, and they have two children together, Addisen and Caydence. Jerry’s favourite activities are when he is playing and having fun with his kids, such as impromptu dance parties, joke telling, and board games.

Daniela Galindo is passionate about positive change in community and dedicating her work to organizations with purpose, ones that serve as catalysts for connection and innovation. She has over ten years of valuable work experience in settlement and immigration program development, higher education, and the charitable sector and has facilitated over 60 meetings and workshops. In her free time, Daniela can be found trying new recipes, volunteering actively in her community, and on adventures with her dog, Paco.

Amanda oversees all aspects of Volunteer Lethbridge, from community development to connecting and supporting volunteers and non-profits. Her devotion for bringing people together inspires every aspect of her work, and her wish is for everyone who connects with Volunteer Lethbridge to have the greatest experience possible. For the majority of her career, Amanda has worked in the non-profit sector, including, Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden, Community Futures, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Amanda holds an M.A. from the University of Guelph in Leadership, as well as a Business Management Degree from the University of Lethbridge. She is currently an instructor in the non-profit Management Program at Mount Royal University.

Roy has dedicated the past two decades to sparking conversations about Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) and to engaging and educating people about the history and rights of Indigenous peoples. He draws on his lived experience as a Métis/Cree person as much as he does his education and professional experience. He grew up in Saskatchewan and his family comes from the communities of Green Lake, Meadow Lake and Flying Dust First Nation in the Greater North. He currently works with organizations and individuals in the corporate world, the non-profit sector, academia, and Municipal governments, inspiring them towards strategic change – and helping to lead them forward with their Truth & Reconciliation (TRC) calls to action.

Chris Roedler has been involved in fundraising since 2005. He has worked with various not for profits including Volunteer Lethbridge, Southern Alberta Technology Society, Youth Science Canada, and others in various roles, often helping out with resource development and fundraising. His current role is with the Galt Museum & Archives in Resource Development and Volunteer Coordination, where he has been since 2011. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing music on many instruments, and seeing and experiencing new adventures.

Leah is the Senior Manager of the Non-profit Ecosystem and Government Team with the Government of Alberta’s Ministry of Arts, Culture and Status of Women’s Community Development Unit. Leah contributes to the development and analysis of strategic policy options and recommendations to inform decision-making to ensure a thriving, resilient and adaptable non-profit sector in Alberta. Leah has been working with the non-profit and voluntary sector in multiple roles within both municipal and provincial government as well as a private consultant for the past 18 years. She is committed to and passionate about building the capacity of the voluntary sector and comes with a range of leadership, facilitation, and project management experience working with the non-profit sector. She holds a Bachelor’s of Management Degree and a Master’s Certificate in Project Management. In her spare time, Leah enjoys trying to keep up with her children, being outdoors, exploring the mountains and attempting to tackle her ever-increasing list of books to read.

Justin works as a Community Development Officer with the Community Development Unit of Alberta Arts, Culture and Status of Women as a member of the team at the Cochrane Office. Justin’s background is in community organizing and engagement, program development and coordination, and facilitation and training. He has a Master of Social Work degree specializing in International and Community Development from the University of Calgary. Highlights include experience with the International Federation of Social Workers, and their role in the Non-Governmental Organization Committee at the United Nations in New York. Originally from Vancouver, Justin also has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology & Family Studies from the University of British Columbia, and a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Victoria. He has a wealth of experience working with diverse communities and organizations with diverse needs.

After completing her medical degree in France, Dr. Wirzba worked internationally and in Canada, developing and managing health and social-related projects, conducting and overseeing community-based research initiatives, leading evaluation projects, designing and implementing evaluations. As a Credentialed Evaluator with the Canadian Evaluation Society, Dr. Wirzba has worked for government, not-for-profit and public organizations.

Jaci Zalesak works as the Executive Director of the United Way Lethbridge & South Western Alberta. Jaci's background is business development and has a vast amount of experience in both the non-profit and profit sector. Having a passion for the non-profit sector has led Jaci to the United Way as well as the many volunteer positions she has held over the years including at Volunteer Lethbridge, Skate Canada AB l NWT l NU, YWCA Lethbridge & District, and many more. Jaci has collaborated on various projects that have helped put Lethbridge & South Western Alberta on the map She believes individuals and businesses play a strong role in supporting our communities and however you can give back makes all the difference.

Dan has been providing creative and marketing solutions for Lethbridge and southern Alberta businesses since 2001. In 2004 Dan produced the website and digital marketing company LethbridgeLink.com that was awarded a Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year award for innovation in it's first year of business. Since then, Dan evolved the website platform into the SouthernAlberta.com Network, a local information website network and destination marketing platform, while continuing to serve businesses with digital marketing, creative, video and photography services.

Caitlin Gajdostik is the Grants Coordinator at the Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta, and began her career with the Foundation in 2015. Caitlin works with many community groups and charities throughout southwestern Alberta to help them develop their projects, as well as guide them through the grant application process. In addition to working with community groups, Caitlin also works with donors and grant review volunteers to ensure the success of the grant programs. Caitlin holds a B.A in Communications from Mount Royal University. She has previously served as chair of National Philanthropy Day Committee in Lethbridge, as well as led the review of various Federal Government grant programs for charitable groups in Alberta throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic. Caitlin is currently participating in the “Future Forward” learning exchange program of emerging philanthropic leaders from community foundations throughout Canada and Europe.

Matt Pitcher works as the Housing Solutions Coordinator in the Community Social Development Department of the City of Lethbridge. Having grown up in and completed his B.MGT in Lethbridge, he is passionate about the wellbeing of the City and its residents. Within his roles at the City of Lethbridge, Matt has been actively engaged in the awarding and management of federal, provincial, and municipal grant funding for social services, and has worked closely with agencies to improve program performance and processes. As Housing Solutions Coordinator, he allocates capital funding for Housing and other projects, while working to improve internal systems to facilitate community growth. In his spare time, he enjoys trying to keep up with his two daughters, hiking, and golfing.