Conference Leadership

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., O.Q., C.D.

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon was sworn in on July 26, 2021, as Canada’s first Indigenous governor general. She is the country’s 30th governor general since Confederation. Born in Kangiqsualujjuaq, Nunavik (Quebec), Ms. Simon has dedicated her life to advocating for the mental and physical well-being of Arctic and Indigenous peoples, and has been a champion of Inuit rights, culture and education. Ms. Simon has been the president of regional, national and international Inuit organizations, as well as the first Inuk in Canada to hold an ambassadorial position, first as the ambassador of Circumpolar Affairs and then concurrently as the ambassador of Canada to Denmark.

Kathleen Taylor, Conference Chair

Kathleen (Katie) Taylor is an experienced international business leader and corporate director in the public and private sectors. Based in Toronto, Canada, she is well recognized for her leadership and governance skills, and for her multifaceted business expertise across various industries and geographies.

Most recently serving as the Chair of the Board of the Royal Bank of Canada, she was appointed as a director from 2001 and as Chair from 2014 to 2023, helping to oversee a period of significant growth and international expansion for the bank. Prior to this role, Ms. Taylor was the President and CEO of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, where she was instrumental in building Four Seasons’ global portfolio and international brand over almost 24 years with the company.

Today, Ms. Taylor is Chair of Altas Partners, a fast growing private equity investment firm, with approximately $10 billion of capital under management and invested with numerous companies across North America. She is also the Vice-Chair of The Adecco Group (Zurich), the world’s leading talent advisory and solutions company, and serves as a director of Air Canada (Montreal), Canada’s largest air carrier, and Mattamy Asset Management (Toronto). In addition, she is the Chair of the Advisory Board of the Cabot Collection, a developer and operator of golf resorts and residential properties.

A champion of women and children, Ms. Taylor is Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Hospital for Sick Children and the Immediate Past Chair and a member of the Board of Directors of the SickKids Foundation. She is also a Founding Visionary and Co-Chair of the Advocacy Committee of The Prosperity Project, a national not-for-profit devoted to the advancement of women in leadership and the economy.

Ms. Taylor is a member of the C.D. Howe Institute’s National Council, Co-Chair of their Human Capital Policy Council and a member of the Task Force on the Digital Economy. She is also the Chancellor of York University and serves on the Dean’s Global Advisory Council of the Schulich School of Business.

She has been inducted into the Canadian Marketing Hall of Legends and was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) in 2011, 2014 and 2016. In 2016, Ms. Taylor was made a Member of the Order of Canada.

John Hannaford, Vice Chair, Government

John Hannaford was named the 25th Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet on June 24, 2023.

Prior to becoming Clerk, John served as Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Canada, from 2022 to 2023, where he helped advance some of the government’s signature clean energy initiatives.

He contributed to the public service for the preceding two decades representing the Canadian government on key international files, from free trade to foreign and defence policy.

After graduating from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in history, he earned a Master of Science in international relations at the London School of Economics, before completing a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Toronto.

Roberta L. Jamieson, Vice Chair, Community

Roberta L. Jamieson is a Mohawk woman from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory in Ontario, where she still resides. In November of 2004, she was appointed CEO and President of the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation.

In February 2012, the Foundation changed its name to Indspire and incorporated its new tag line, “Indigenous education, Canada’s future.” Under Roberta’s leadership, Indspire is flourishing. Bursary and scholarship funding has dramatically increased to over $49 million to 14,000 students, more than doubling since Roberta’s 2004 appointment.

She has extended Indspire’s career conferences to all regions of Canada. Roberta is leading the development of the Indspire Institute, an online laboratory of learning focused on increasing high school completion rates and K-12 success.

Roberta has enjoyed a distinguished career of “firsts.” She was the first First Nations woman to earn a law degree; the first non-parliamentarian appointed an ex-officio member of a House of Commons Committee; the first woman Ombudsman of Ontario; and in December 2001, she was the first woman elected Chief of the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory.

Roberta was also Commissioner of the Indian Commission of Ontario and for ten years, Ombudsman of Ontario.

She has earned numerous awards, including the National Aboriginal Achievement Award
(Law and Justice 1998), the Indigenous Bar Association’s highest award, Indigenous Peoples Council Award (IPC) and 22 honorary degrees. She has been named three times to the Women’s Executive Network’s Top 100 list. She is an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Bea Bruske, Vice Chair, Labour

Bea Bruske was elected President of the Canadian Labour Congress at the 29th Constitutional Convention in 2021. She is only the second woman to hold the position.

For more than three decades, Bea has served workers and their families as an activist, workers’ advocate, negotiator, community organizer and labour leader. Her experience has served her well as President of CLC in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before her election as President, Bea served as Vice-President of the UFCW Canada National Council, which sets the strategic direction for the national union and its more than 250,000 members across the country. She had previously served as Secretary-Treasurer for UFCW Local 832, where she was responsible for the largest private-sector union local in Manitoba.

Bea’s passion for the rights of working people was ignited in 1987 when she and her UFCW Local 832 co-workers held the line for 125 days to achieve a fair contract at the Westfair grocery chain in Manitoba. Over the next seven years, Bea took on roles as a shop steward, health and safety committee member, and was elected by her fellow members as a vice-president of the Local’s executive board. She is a graduate of the University of Manitoba’s Labour Studies program.

Bea Bruske is an alumni of the 2012 Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference.

David Black

David was elected president of MoveUP in 2011. He previously served as MoveUP’s vice-president for the ICBC group, starting in 2005. Prior to that, David sat on the MoveUP executive board since he was appointed by the executive council in 2001. He was also elected as the COPE-SEPB National President in June of 2016.

David first became a member of MoveUP working at ICBC Head Office in 1995. His current workplace of record is the ICBC 5th and Cambie Claims Centre in Vancouver. In addition to MoveUP committees, David also sits on the BC Federation of Labour Political Action Committee and Canadian Labour Congress Canada Council. He is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Sustainable Communities Initiative and a former delegate to the Vancouver and District
Labour Council.

David is also a former member of the Board of Directors for the United Way of the Lower Mainlandand in 2012 was awarded the Joe Morris Labour Community Service Award by that organization. In the past David has sat on the board of directors for both the Vancouver Foundation and the Margaret Mitchell Fund for Women.

John Elvidge

John Elvidge is the City Clerk for the City of Toronto. He is responsible for many parts of the machinery of local government, including City Council and school board elections, City Council’s legislative activities, administrative support to the Mayor and Councillors, as well as protocol and external relations. He is also responsible for information management including records, privacy, access to information and the City of Toronto Archives.

A graduate of the University of Guelph, his municipal public service career includes posts in cultural affairs, grant-making, citizen engagement, governance and ethics and integrity. Before joining the City Clerk’s Office as Deputy City Clerk in 2007, he managed Corporate Policy in the City Manager’s Office.

A master swimming official since 2004, John contributes his time as a volunteer with Special Olympics swimmers and swim teams in the region west of Toronto.

He is a 2008 member of the GGCLC and has served as Greater Toronto Area and Ontario chair for the 2012, 2015 and 2017 conferences before joining the Executive Committee.

Stuart Forman

In October 2020, Stuart Forman was appointed Senior Vice-President and Business Unit Leader for CGI’s Global Technology Operations, Canada business unit, overseeing the delivery of infrastructure services across the country. He is also the Canadian Strategic Business Unit representative on CGI’s Global Corporate Social Responsibility committee.

Since joining CGI in 1997, Stuart has held a variety of senior leadership roles, including the Global Chief Information Officer for several years. More recently, he was working in Global Business Engineering supporting the Sweden business unit with the integration of the Acando merger and the Scandinavian Global Technology Operations organization. Immediately prior to this, Stuart served as the interim Chief Information Officer and Strategic IT Advisor at McGill University.

With more than 25 years in the information technology industry, Stuart has held various leadership roles in Enterprise Systems Design, Delivery & Support, Information Technology Service Management, Vendor/Partner Management, Human Resources, Project Management, Business Analysis, Process Engineering, Business Planning and Quality Systems.

Stuart holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Management Information Systems from Concordia University, as well as an MBA in Strategic Management from McGill University. Stuart sits on the National Executive Committee for the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference and is a 2012 Conference alumnus.

Stuart has been a course lecturer at McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management, teaching and inspiring students on a variety of topics related to the principles and concepts of information systems in organizations.

Anne-Marie Hubert

Focused on opportunities and results, Anne-Marie leverages internal and external knowledge, experience and the global firm to drive change. She has a passion for helping clients re-think business models to create more solid foundations for growth and long-term competitive advantage, while managing underperformance risk.

As a former member of the EY Global Advisory Council and EY Canada’s Executive Committee, Anne-Marie has a reputation for disrupting the status quo and for putting forward services and solutions in anticipation of client and market needs. In the process, she provides our people with market enablers to help them grow their networks and build both their personal and the EY brand.

She’s the Chair of the Canadian chapter of the Human Technology Foundation, and serves on the Board of Directors of Montréal International, the Québec Artificial Intelligence Institute (MILA), the Rideau Hall Foundation and the Institute of Corporate Directors – Québec Chapter.

In 2004, Anne-Marie was named a Fellow of the Ordre des comptables agréés du Québec, which recognizes outstanding achievements in the profession. In 2015, Concordia University recognized Anne-Marie with an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa. And on December 30, 2016, she was named a Member of the Order of Canada for her commitment to parity and inclusion in business and for her skill in corporate governance.

Aluki Kotierk

Aluki Kotierk is the president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., an Inuit organization that ensures that promises made under the Nunavut Agreement are carried out. Previously she worked at the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Pauktuutit and Nunavut Sivuniksavut. She has also worked for the Government of Nunavut as deputy minister in several departments.

Kenneth MacKillop

Ken MacKillop joined the Government of Canada in 1988, as a naval officer in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). He served for 20 years in postings across Canada and in operations globally, including in the Arabian Gulf Region and in Afghanistan, both in naval operations and as a public affairs officer. Since leaving the CAF, he has held many different roles in the public service executive cadre.
As a leader in the field of communications, Ken was instrumental in the renewal of branding and communication efforts at the Canada Border Services Agency, using innovative approaches such as the production of the popular television documentary, Border Security: Canada’s Front Line.

In 2014, Ken joined the Global Affairs Canada team as the first assistant deputy minister, Public Affairs, and was responsible for directing the communications of the department in support of the ministers of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and International Development, and La Francophonie. In June 2017, he joined the Privy Council Office (PCO) as the assistant secretary to the Cabinet, Communications and Consultations, where he advised on critical and horizontal initiatives in support of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, the Clerk and PCO. At PCO, Ken led the renewal of the Communications Community Office, resulting in a vital network of federal communications professionals across the country.

In July 2022, he was named associate deputy minister at Veterans Affairs Canada. And in November 2023, he joined the OSGG as secretary to the governor general.

Ken is a graduate of the University of Ottawa, a native of Hull, Quebec, and a son of Cape Bretoners.

John is an entrepreneur, corporate director and strategic tri-sector leader. John is a Principal of Cresa Toronto Inc, a real estate brokerage and advisory firm where he leads the Strategic Real Estate Practice Group where he provides strategic advice to private, public and institutional landowners on how to better manage, create value and optimize their real estate assets. John held previous public-sector leadership roles including Senior Vice President of Build Toronto, CEO of Invest Toronto, Vice President of TEDCO and was the Director of Parks, Forestry and Recreation for the City of Toronto from amalgamation in 1998 to 2005.

John is an experienced corporate director and currently serves as Director and Chair of the Investment Committee of the Tarion Warranty Corporation, Director and Chair of the Programs Committee of the Toronto Blue Jays Charitable Foundation (Jay’s Care Foundation) and is the Ontario Branch Governor of the Royal Life Saving Society. Previously held leadership roles include Chair of the Parks and Recreation Federation of Ontario, Vice-Chair of the Midland Bay Landing Development Corporation, Chair of the Humber Arboretum Management Committee and Chair of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), Toronto Walk to cure Diabetes.

John is a graduate of York University with a B.A. Degree undertaken on a P/T basis over a 13 year period. He is a graduate of McMaster University holding the Chartered Director (C.Dir.) designation and also completed the H.R.C.C.C., Human Resource Designation from McMaster and the Directors College. John is also a registered Real Estate Broker licensed in the Province of Ontario.

John is an Alumni of the 2004 GGCLC serving as Co-Chair of the Saskatchewan Study Group. He has held numerous leadership roles in the organization including 2008 GTA Chair, 2012 Ontario Chair and member of the National Board of Directors from 2012 to 2017, He continues to provide ongoing support to the conference, including the Chair of the 2022 Signature Event as part of the 2022 Conference.

Teresa Marques

Teresa Marques is the President and CEO of the Rideau Hall Foundation, an independent and charity established to amplify the Office of the Governor General, and established during the mandate of His Excellency, the Honourable David Johnston. The RHF’s vision is a smarter and more caring Canada, and the organization works to address key challenges facing the country in areas of learning equity, culture of innovation, leadership development, and the promotion of giving & volunteerism. Previously the Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Rideau Hall Foundation, Teresa is an accomplished fundraising executive with extensive experience leading development teams in the healthcare and post-secondary education sectors.

Teresa is a sought-after public speaker on Canadian giving patterns and is an instructor at Ryerson University’s G. Raymond Chang School. She has been instrumental to major gift fundraising efforts at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Foundation, York University and the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research.

She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Canadian history from the University of Ottawa and York University, respectively and has pursued post-graduate studies at Dalhousie University’s School of Continuing Education, with a focus on non-profit governance. Teresa’s Board service has focused on community development, with directorships with Family Services Toronto, the Working Women Community Centre, and the Boys & Girls Club.

Teresa is interested in how giving patterns and attitudes towards philanthropy in Canada are changing and is passionate about strengthening the non-profit sector and civil society more broadly.

Lili-Anna Pereša

Lili-Anna Pereša, C.Q., President and CEO, McConnell Foundation

Lili-Anna Pereša is an engineer and a graduate of the École Polytechnique de Montréal (1987). Prior to her appointment as President and CEO of the McConnell Foundation, she was the president and executive director of Centraide of Greater Montreal, which supports a wide network of community agencies that fight social exclusion and poverty.

From 2009 to 2012, Ms. Pereša led ONE DROP, which manages a project providing access to safe water in Burkina Faso. Prior to that, she directed community and humanitarian organizations, including les petits frères des Pauvres, the YWCA of Montréal and Amnesty International France.

She had her first experience as a volunteer aid worker at the age of 25 when she taught with the World University Service of Canada in Malawi. Following that, she was a management consultant to Oxfam-Québec’s Burkina Secours in Burkina Faso. In 1994, Ms. Pereša joined CARE Austria as head of the Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina Mission, during the armed conflict that was affecting the region at that time. She also supported women’s entrepreneurship efforts with the Bureau d’Appui aux Micro Entreprises (BAME) in Bobo-Dioulasso in 1995.

Ms. Pereša holds a graduate degree in management from McGill University and a master’s degree in political science—with specialization in international co-operation and humanitarian aid—from the Sorbonne in Paris.

Ms. Pereša’s involvement in humanitarian aid has earned her various distinctions, including the title of Chevalière from the Ordre national du Québec, an honorary doctorate from the Université de Montréal, and an Engineers Canada fellowship.

Ms. Peresa is a member of the Independent Advisory Board for Supreme Court of Canada Judicial Appointments. She is currently a board member of the Domaine Forget and of the Mobile Giving Foundation Canada, and was also a board member of the École Polytechnique de Montréal.

Daniel Quan-Watson

Daniel Quan-Watson is a proud public servant who is passionate about the role that public institutions play in shaping Canada and the lives of Canadians. His appointment at Crown-Indigenous Relations and Indigenous Affairs is his fifth appointment as a Deputy Minister, having been Deputy Minister (and previously Associate Deputy Minister) of Western Economic Diversification, Chief Human Resources Officer for the Government of Canada and Chief Executive Officer, Parks Canada.

Much of his career has focused on work with Indigenous peoples and issues, having been the Senior Assistant Deputy Minister for Policy and Strategic Direction at the former Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Director General of the Aboriginal Justice Directorate at the federal Department of Justice, and Director of Aboriginal and Territorial Relations at INAC’s Northwest Territories Regional Office. With the Government of British Columbia, he was Director of Treaty Implementation and Settlement Legislation where he led the development of the Nisga’a Final Agreement Act (British Columbia) among other major initiatives and, with the Government of Saskatchewan where he was responsible for first negotiations between provincial Department of Education and what was then the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations.

In the context of these positions, he played key roles in the negotiation of modern treaties, specific claims and many other agreements and processes. He was also the lead for several key legislative initiatives, litigation files and alternative justice programs. He has worked with Inuit, Métis and First Nation governments, communities and entities in every jurisdiction across Canada, and has lived in British Columbia, Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec.

Beyond this experience, Daniel has significant background in economic development and innovation issues, federal-provincial-territorial relations, labour relations and human resources issues, and cultural and ecological heritage matters. He has represented Canada on numerous issues at forums around the world and has represented the federal government in several national federal-provincial-territorial forums.

Daniel is a pilot, sang for a time with the Regina Philharmonic Choir, has taught firearms safety and hunting courses, and has represented Canada in French, English and Spanish. His record for riding a Harley-Davidson from Ottawa to Edmonton is 46 hours and 10 minutes, one he intends never to repeat or beat.

Cory Royal

Cory has an eclectic mix of community involvement and professional development.

Cory attended the 1991 Conference and has since served as Alberta Chair, Chair, Program Chair, Membership Chair and Organizing Committee Member for the last six conferences, including the 1998 Duke of Edinburgh’s Commonwealth Study Conference. She currently sits on the Conference Board of Directors.

Cory has been active in the community since first volunteering for the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary. During her four-board term with the Canadian Paraplegic Association, she spent one day working while confined to a wheel chair.

As Chair of the Calgary Grey Cup Committee for five years, she has ridden horses into numerous downtown hotels, and as a committee member of the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede, she has flipped her share of complimentary pancakes, all topped with a smile.

Cory’s work career began in the banking sector with Scotiabank in Ottawa and later for Telesat Canada. She became involved in the oil and gas industry after her transfer to Calgary and currently works as President for privately-run Guardian Protective Clothing. She continues to enjoy tennis and golf and is very happy that all three of her boys have carried on the family passion for volleyball.

Mark Schaan

Mark Schaan is the Senior Assistant Deputy Minister for Strategy and Innovation Policy at the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED). In this role he is responsible for advancing the government’s microeconomic policy agenda; supporting the development of the department’s horizontal policy and strategic priorities, including by ensuring robust marketplace frameworks telecommunications policy, and the deepening of external relations; and, providing support to regional economic development.

Throughout his time in the public service, Mark has also been actively involved in the Recruitment of Policy Leaders program, an initiative aimed at bringing exceptional Canadian graduates into the public service and enriching the Government’s policy capacity. Mark served as Coordinator of this initiative from 2007 to 2009.

Mark earned his BA (Honours) from the University of Waterloo in Political Science with an Honours Option in Peace and Conflict Studies in 2002, where he studied as a Loran Scholar. Mark earned his MPhil in Comparative Social Policy, conferred in 2004, and his DPhil in Social Policy, conferred in 2010 from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar.

Mark has been awarded the Nathalie des Rosiers Audacity of Imagination Award, the Barnett Prize in Social Policy, and the University of Waterloo Young Alumni Award. Mark is also actively involved in his community: chairing the board of the Ottawa Art Gallery; founding a new initiative at the National Gallery of Canada; active involvement in the Ten Oaks Project, including helping to launch Project Acorn, a community building space for youth of LGBTQ+ identities, families, and communities; and continued involvement with the Loran Scholars Foundation.

Victor T. Thomas

Victor Thomas is the President and CEO of the Canada-India Business Council, the key bi-national link for businesses between Canada and India. He previously held the position of Vice-President, Prairie Region, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. He has worked with high growth private sector companies in Canada and Australia with reach to India, China, South East Asia, USA, and the UAE over his career.

For close to 20 years, he has held various leadership roles including Chair of the Banff Forum, Vice-Chair of SaskEnergy, and Chair of the Regina & District Chamber of Commerce. He currently serves as Chair of CARE Canada’s Board of Directors and sits on the CARE International Council. He is Chair of Saskatchewan’s Innovation Place, a director emeritus of the Rideau Hall Foundation Board of Directors, and is a member of Canada’s Future Skills Centre Advisory Board. Victor was a Group Co-Chair of the 2012 Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference and served as a Regional Co-Chair for the 2015 Conference.

Siobhán Vipond

Biography to follow

Sean Wiltshire

Sean Wiltshire hails from Newfoundland, but is rarely there, as an award-winning diversity expert and international speaker. Sean has been working with businesses, crown corporations, governments, and communities to help them diversify their workforce and be more innovative. From St. John’s to Bombay, from Vancouver to Kathmandu Sean has been helping audiences see diversity as part of a business solution.

Professionally, for the last 26 years Sean has been the Chief Executive Officer of Avalon Employment Inc (AEI). – An employment agency for individuals with disabilities. Sean has also build a large social enterprise that does over $5 Million Dollars a year in payroll for other not for profits and local businesses.

Sean is a past President of the Provincial Regional Economic Development Association and was a member of the Ministerial Committee on Regional Renewal for the Government of Newfoundland & Labrador.

Sean has also been a member of two Federal Ministerial Advisory Committees; is an Alumnus of The Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference (2000), and currently is a member of the National Executive Board.

In 2017 Sean was at the United Nations in Vienna; Austria to accept the “Zero Project Award” as part of the team From York University working on employment and diversity issues in South East Asia.

Sean’s commitment and vision has been celebrated with numerous awards and accolades, including being named one of Atlantic Canada’s Top 50 CEO’s by Atlantic Business Magazine, and nominated for the Top 40 Under 40 in Canada.

As well as being the inaugural recipient of the Canadian Association of Supported Employment’s “Wiltshire Award of Excellence in Supported Employment”; an award named in his honour.

Deanna Zumwalt

Deanna Zumwalt assumed multiple key roles within Coril, being appointed as Director and Chair of Coril’s subsidiaries, while simultaneously taking on the position of President and Chief Executive Officer for Coril in 2021. In this multifaceted role, Deanna is responsible for overseeing the company’s investment portfolio and spearheading Coril’s business endeavors across Canada, the United States, and globally.

Deanna’s journey with Coril began in September 2015 when she joined as Chief Financial Officer, leveraging over two decades of senior executive experience in the energy sector, with a strong background in finance, governance, and commodity marketing. By February 2019, Deanna advanced to the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, followed by a promotion to President and Chief Financial Officer of Coril in September of the same year. Concurrently, she assumed the positions of Chair at INLIV Inc. and Director at Triovest Inc. Deanna was also elected to the Board of SECURE Energy Services in 2019, where she Chairs the Audit Committee and is a member of the ESG Committee. Additionally, she is actively engaged as a member of the Business Council of Canada and plays a crucial role on the Advisory Council for Platform Calgary.

Prior to joining Coril, Deanna served at Nexen Energy ULC, holding the position of Vice President, Energy Marketing, where she led a highly successful global marketing and commodity trading business. Her career path also included leadership roles within various energy and professional accounting firms. Deanna’s academic credentials include a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary, a Diploma in Financial Strategy from Oxford University, a CPA CA designation from the Certified Professional Accountants of Alberta and an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Deanna is a passionate supporter of community investment, with a special commitment to promoting equal opportunities for female athletes across Canada. She serves on the boards of Foothills Sports & Entertainment and the Alberta Soccer Association. As Chair of Foothills Sports & Entertainment, she’s actively working with the Calgary Foothills Soccer Club to bring professional women’s soccer to Canada by building the franchise in Calgary.