Jerry Firth is a Community Development Officer with the Community Development Unit of Alberta Arts, Culture and Status of Women, supporting the non-profit and volunteer sector in building organizational and board capacity. His Blackfoot name is Píítaana (bee-dah-nah) meaning Eagle Man. Family is the heart of Jerry’s life. He is married to Tammy, and they have two children together, Addisen and Caydence. He has a Bachelor of Social Work and Master of  Social Work degree specializing in Leadership in Human Services from the University of Calgary; with 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.

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.

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.

Justin works in the community development area within Alberta Arts, Culture and Status of Women. His first role was supporting non-profit groups affected by the 2013 Southern Alberta Floods, and over the years has morphed into non-profit sector capacity building through online and in-person governance learning and development training.

Justin’s background is in community organizing and engagement, program coordination and facilitation. He has a Master of Social Work degree specializing in International and Community Development from the University of Calgary. Highlights include a practicum with the United Nations Non-Government Organization Committee in New York. He has a wealth of experience working in diverse communities and organizations with diverse needs.

Lori Harasem lives for community! Driven by opportunities to improve quality of life through collective impact, relationships are the most important thing to her, whether that be with volunteers, CEOs and EDs, boards, or elected officials, funders, and policy makers.  She thrives on helping organizations flourish and getting people excited about the possibilities that exist.  She loves all things well-being related, especially and reminds everyone that giving of their time has a positive outcome on our mental well-being and often our social and physical as well.

 Lori brags often about how she is in her dream job as Health Promotion Coordinator in Wellness Services at Lethbridge Polytechnic where she gets to bring together all of her favourite things - from relationships and fund development, to guerilla marketing and promotions to connecting others to that dozens upon dozens of community resources that help make our community so great! Lori holds a BA from Uleth and is currently working on an MEd from University of Calgary with a focus on adult learners and mental health.  She also holds a certificate in Effective Workplace Responses to Mental Health, as well as numerous other certificates in Volunteer Management, Event Planning, and Addiction Studies and will be conferred with a Graduate Certificate in Post-Secondary Leadership and Learners from UofC next month!

Timothy Hachkowski is an entrepreneur, software developer, and real estate investor with deep expertise in large language models (LLMs), IT infrastructure, and real estate finance. As the creator and lead developer of Blueprint's Fund Director, he is building an AI-powered platform that automates private equity investing and asset management, enabling firms new to the space to scale into managing hundreds of millions of dollars in assets.
Timothy has also served as Chair and President of Economic Development Lethbridge, where he introduced AI-driven governance tools to improve efficiency and implemented board development initiatives. His work blends technical innovation with economic vision, always with a focus on helping others succeed.
He sees LLMs as a transformative opportunity to strengthen local economies, attract talent, and give Canadian communities a leading role in the creation and adoption of emerging technologies—ensuring that homegrown talent thrives and the next wave of AI innovation grows within Alberta’s borders.

Trevor Lewington is the CEO of Economic Development Lethbridge, working alongside a 31-member volunteer board and a dedicated team to promote economic growth in southern Alberta. With a background in executive leadership in the food processing sector, small business ownership, and public service, he brings a well-rounded, collaborative perspective to his work.

Trevor holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Human Resource Management, a Change Leadership Certificate from Cornell, and several professional designations, including CPHR, CCLP, and ICD.D. He served as Mayor of Stirling, sits on multiple boards including as chair of the University of Lethbridge Business Corporation, and has held leadership roles within the Boards of Economic Developers Alberta, Economic Developers Association of Canada, Intelligent Community Foundation Canada and Ridge Utilities Ltd.

His contributions have earned him numerous honors, including an honorary doctorate, the 2019 Economic Developer of the Year award, recognition from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities for international development work, and the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.

James’ work in the philanthropic sector is driven by curiosity—both in understanding the experiences of donors and in advancing the vision and mission of organizations. He is deeply committed to accountability and transparency in stewarding gifts held in trust, and he holds an unwavering belief that every act of generosity, at every level, contributes incrementally to system-level transformation.

James has led fundraising efforts at Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden and the Southern Alberta Art Gallery – Maansiksikaitsitapiitsinikssin, and currently serves as Senior Development Officer at Lethbridge Polytechnic. His educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Lethbridge and a Business Administration diploma from Lethbridge Polytechnic. James is also pursuing the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) accreditation.

Lane is the founder of local marketing firm London Road Marketing and has worked with hundreds of organizations, from small family businesses to multi-billion-dollar global brands. He's a Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce Top 40 Under 40 and a community volunteer himself, currently sitting on the Tourism Lethbridge board.

Jesse Amos (He/Him) is an owner and senior technician at Altis MSP, a Lethbridge based managed services provider.  He graduated from the Computer Network Technologies program with honors from Lethbridge Community College in 2003 and has worked in various areas of IT in southern Alberta ever since. As the senior technician he is responsible for creating the computer policies and procedures used for administering corporate network of numerous small and medium sized businesses, and consulting with IT departments of various organizations regarding network technologies, telephony, and various other managed services. The last five years he's has had an increasing focus on IT policies to respond to the changing security landscape in addition to the day-to-day administration of client networks.

Mandy has spent 20 years in leadership, starting off her career as a non-profit Executive Director, and later as the past co-owner of a successful and award-winning Southern Alberta business. Mandy completed her Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology in 2021 and is a Canadian Certified Counsellor with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), as well as a Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) Candidate. Mandy created Collaborative Strategies with the goal of providing organizations with external, solution-focused, partnership support while combining high-level business strategy design. Looking to her own leadership and entrepreneurial experiences in a variety of corporate, non-profit, and volunteer capacities, Mandy recognized that at times, business leadership can be lonely and that everyone can use an ally.

Shelby is a Designated Professional at MNP LLP, in their Lethbridge office. As part of the firm’s Assurance Services Team, Shelby delivers a range of audit and compliance services to non-profit organizations, commercial businesses, and First Nation entities in a variety of industries.

She has been the senior team leader for several audit files ranging from owner managed to large corporate groups, as well as various municipalities and not-for-profit entities for over 3 years. This experience has allowed Shelby to gain extensive knowledge in auditing and specific reporting requirements within these industries.

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.

Born and raised in Southern Alberta, Sandi brings with her a deep-rooted passion for community and an impressive track record of leadership. With many years of experience, Sandi has demonstrated a strong commitment to supporting local organizations, building community partnerships, and leading with vision and heart. A dedicated volunteer herself, Sandi understands firsthand the power of giving back. Her long-standing involvement in community and regional initiatives reflects her belief in the value of service and the strength of collaboration.

Ryan Lacanilao is an economist and writer who grew up in Lethbridge, now based in Edmonton. For the Alberta Living Wage Network he guides the living wage calculations, manages the certification program, and leads the Network’s projects.

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Coming soon!