Our Board of Directors

Dan Allen has decades of experience in the banking sector, leading teams of 300+ employees supporting the financial needs of small to medium-sized businesses and farming enterprises in Alberta. Retired as Vice President of Business and Agriculture from ATB Financial, Dan spent 31 years with CIBC in various leadership roles, including retail banking, private banking, small business banking, and regional office roles.

Dan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from McMaster University. He has served on the Financial Services Advisory Committee at SAIT Polytechnic in Calgary, and for almost 10 years, he was heavily involved in the Killarney Swim Club.

Dan has been involved with United Way of Calgary and Area since 1990, when he was seconded for 10 months to support United Way’s campaign. Since then, he has been involved with United Way in various volunteer capacities and, more recently, was part of the Campaign Cabinets in 2012 & 2013, as Co-Chair of the General Business Division. Dan joined United Way of Calgary and Area’s Board of Directors in 2015.

Dan was born and raised in Peterborough, Ontario. Now an Albertan for 43 years, Dan has lived and worked in Drumheller, Edmonton, and St. Albert. Dan enjoys travelling, reading, walking, and playing golf. Most of all, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Gloria, and seeing all the latest blockbuster movies with his three daughters.

Current Board involvement includes:

• Past Chair of the Board of Directors
• Chair of the Governance and Strategy Committee
• Member of the Board H.R, Subcommittee
• Member of the Revenue Generation Committee

Ashley Anderson is the Manager of Consumer Sales and Learning at Shaw Communications Inc. She has over ten years of experience in leadership development, sales, team optimization, organizational programing, and corporate training. She brings a unique ability to harness the power of human capital both within and between organizations.

Ashely holds a degree in International Relations and Economics. Her multi-disciplinary history has given her a breadth of experience within leadership and consultancy roles where she continually discovered ways to enhance the strengths and processes of her domestic and international clients.

Having successfully transformed grassroots startups and multimillion-dollar organizations, Ashley continually promotes and facilitates the development of transparent, accountable, and performance-oriented cultures. Ashley thrives when business executives and their teams learn to create success by design rather than by default.

Ashley has been involved with United Way of Calgary and Area for several years, serving as Chair and Vice Chair of Gen Next, and as an ex officio Board member.

She joined United Way’s Board of Directors in 2019. Her current Board involvement includes:

• Member of the Revenue Generation Committee

Debasis (DB) has more than 25 years of experience in operational management, solution delivery, professional teaching, and business development in several industries. Currently Vice-President, Information Technology at Nutrien, DB has held senior roles with global corporations like IBM, Siemens Medical, CGI, Enbridge, Potash Corp of Saskatchewan in various geographies including the USA, Canada and Asia Pacific.

DB has an MBA with specialization in Finance and a Master of Science in Physics. He is a certified project management professional (PMP) and is certified in risk and information systems control (CRISC) and organization change management (Prosci). He loves teaching, and currently teaches classes on project management and SAP project management at the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University. DB is also author of Leadership 4.0.

He serves on the board of McMan Youth, Family and Community Services Association of Calgary & Area and Canadian Mental Health Association (Calgary), Let’s Talk Science, and is member of Innovation Leadership team for Calgary Economic Development. DB is also member of advisory councils with Mount Royal University and Waterloo University’s Artificial Intelligence department.

DB joined United Way’s Board of Directors in 2021.

Current Board involvement includes:

• Member of the Revenue Generation Committee

Alec Clark has over 35 years’ experience in corporate finance, energy and investment banking. In November 2019, Alec was appointed Head of Global Energy at TD Securities. With offices in Calgary, Toronto, Houston, New York, and London, Alec leads a team of professionals focused on providing full investment banking coverage for corporate clients participating in all aspects of the energy sector.

Alec is graduate of the HBA program at the Ivey Business School at Western University. As an active volunteer in the community, Alec has held senior leadership roles with the Glenlake Minor Hockey Club, Calgary West Little League, and has also supported numerous local charities.

Alec has volunteered with United Way of Calgary and Area for many years, most recently serving as 2020’s Campaign Co-Chair. His prior roles included Co-Chair of the Major Donor Cabinet, where he championed and promoted innovative ways of giving, like leveraging the gift of life insurance and gifts of securities.

A born-and-raised Calgarian, Alec and his wife Sloan Pipella-Clark have two adult children. He joined the Board of Directors in 2021.

Current Board involvement:

• Member of the Finance, Audit and Technology Committee

Passionate, dependable, and experienced, Janet has an extensive background in investment management and financial planning. Janet is a certified financial planner with an advanced Estate & Trust Strategies Certificate, she has worked with business owners, high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients on strategic financial planning, and long and short-term financial strategy.

Janet holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree. Committed to community, Janet is an avid volunteer as a Girl Guide leader and participant in The Ride to Conquer Cancer.

Janet has been involved with United Way of Calgary and Area since the beginning of her career. She was a member of United Way’s Leaders Cabinet from 2013-2017, and has been on The Tomorrow Fund Committee from 2015-present. She joined the Board of Directors in 2017.

Current Board involvement includes:

• Member of the Finance, Audit and Technology Committee

Kent Ferguson has over 20 years of experience in the banking industry and, in 2014, was appointed Co-Head of Canadian Energy for the RBC Capital Markets investment banking group. Kent also leads senior account coverage and execution of financing for mergers and acquisitions for oil and gas companies.

Kent holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Saskatchewan and is a member of the CFA Institute. His work in the community includes RBC’s Capital Markets Foundation and annual employee giving campaign, UNICEF’s patrons council in Calgary, and United Way of Calgary and Area. Kent also loves coaching hockey.

Kent has served on United Way Calgary and Area’s Campaign Cabinet from 2015 to 2018, and joined its Board of Directors in 2018.

Kent is married with two children. His current Board involvement includes:

• Chair of the Finance, Audit and Technology Committee

Nancy’s career has established her as an experienced human resources practitioner with extensive oil and gas experience, both domestically and internationally. In 2020, Nancy Foster retired from her role as Senior Vice-President & Special Advisor to the CEO of Husky Energy. Prior to that, she was Senior Vice-President, Human & Corporate Resources, where she was responsible for human resources, diversity, real estate, corporate services, information services, and corporate responsibility.

Before joining Husky, Nancy was the Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Corporate Services at Nexen, responsible for strategic oversight and operation of all human resources functions for a global

employee base. She also provided oversight of the supply management and corporate administration functions.

Nancy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from McMaster University and is a graduate of the Harvard Advanced Management Program. Over her career, Nancy served on several industry and community-related committees, including the Alberta Economic Development Authority, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), the Conference Board of Canada, and YW Calgary.

She is currently a member of the University of Calgary Board of Governors, as well as a member of the Calgary & Area Child Advocacy Centre Board. Nancy has been a member of the International Women’s Forum since 2012.

She joined United Way of Calgary and Area’s Board of Directors in 2020.

Current Board involvement includes:

• Member of the Finance, Audit and Technology Committee

As a partner and 29-year veteran of Deloitte, Marc is focused on relationships and providing value-added services to clients to solve problems or leverage opportunities. Marc has become a trusted advisor to Alberta’s senior executives and owners with his deep industry experience, ability and

willingness to connect people in the business community, and his no-nonsense, straight-talk approach to addressing problems.

Marc has always been a very active community volunteer, mostly with United Way of Calgary and Area. He recently joined the Board of Directors, was 2019’s Campaign Co-Chair and co-chaired the Major Donor cabinet in 2017 and 2018.

Marc is married to Lesley and has four children. He is an avid skier—downhill and backcountry—and road, gravel, mountain bike, and fat bike cyclist.

Current Board involvement includes:

• Member of the Revenue Generation Committee

Pam Kazeil is the Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer of PrairieSky Royalty, and has significant experience in the oil and gas industry managing finance, accounting, treasury, and tax. Prior to joining the company, Pam was Chief Financial Officer at Sinopec Canada. Her experience includes Vice-President, Finance at Daylight Energy Ltd., and increasingly senior roles with Sword Energy Ltd. and its predecessor, Thunder Energy Trust, including as Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer. Pam started her accounting career at KPMG LLP in 2001.

Pam is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Ottawa and a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Saskatchewan.

She is a Board member for Wood’s Homes and joined United Way Calgary and Area Board of Directors in 2021.

Current Board involvement includes:

• Vice-Chair of the Finance, Audit & Technology Committee

Mike MacSween has been Suncor’s Executive Vice President of Upstream since 2017. He leads Suncor’s oil sands, in situ, and exploration and production assets. Since joining Suncor in 1996, Mike has held a variety of leadership roles, including Vice President of Upgrading, Vice President of Strategy and Development, and Senior Vice President of In Situ. He more recently served as Executive Vice President of Major Projects where he was accountable for the safe and cost-effective engineering, procurement, and construction activities for Suncor’s growth projects in the upstream, downstream, and renewable energy portfolios. Prior to joining Suncor, he worked at Betz Process Chemicals Inc. and Shell Canada Inc.

Mike holds a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the University of New Brunswick and a Master of Business Administration from Queen’s University. He is Chair of the Board of Directors at Syncrude Canada and serves on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Welding Bureau and Go Productivity.

Mike joined United Way of Calgary and Area’s Board of Directors in April 2017.

Current Board involvement includes:

• Chair of the Community Impact Committee

Bruce McFarlane has over 38 years of experience in the energy sector, with 19 years in executive positions in small and large energy companies. Retired as Vice President of Business Development at RMP Energy, Inc. in 2017, his oil patch career started as a landman at Dome Petroleum and includes Rider Resources, Meota Resources, and Poco Petroleum. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Landmen (CAPL).

Bruce holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in math and a Bachelor of Physical and Health Education degree from Queen’s University, where he currently sits on the Queen’s Campaign Cabinet. Bruce and his wife were recognized by the Calgary Branch of the Queen’s University Alumni Association with the Johnson Award in 2012. Bruce was also recognized by the CAPL as its Distinguished Citizen in 2012. In 2019, Bruce was awarded the United Way Centraide Chair’s Award of Distinction for his sustained dedication and commitment to the success of the organization.

Bruce was Co-Chair of the Financial Services division for United Way of Calgary and Area’s 2010-2013 campaigns. His past Board commitments include Chair of the Governance and Strategic Planning committees, and past member of the Tomorrow Fund. He joined United Way of Calgary and Area’s Board of Directors in 2014 and became Board Chair in 2017.

Bruce is married to Dr. Janice Heard and has three daughters, three grandsons, and two granddaughters.

Current Board involvement includes:

• Member of the Community Impact Committee
• Board Liaison for the Indigenous Advisory Committee

Rachel has two decades of experience working in a variety of industries helping organizations develop and implement human resource, information technology and communications strategies. She is the Executive Vice President of Corporate Services for Ovintiv Ltd. Prior to joining Ovintiv in 2015, Rachel held senior leadership positions, including Executive Vice President of Human Resources, with Savanna Energy Services Corporation, and Vice President of Human Resources with Enerflex Systems Ltd.

Rachel holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Calgary. She was born and raised in Alberta.

Rachel served as Co-Chair of the Women’s Leadership Council of United Way of Calgary and Area from 2013-2015 and served as Board Chair 2019-2020. She joined United Way’s Board of Directors in 2016.

Current Board involvement includes:

• Member Governance and Strategy Committee

Stephanie Pankratz is a Chartered Professional Accountant and an Audit Partner with KPMG LLP. She has been with KPMG Calgary since 2006, where she serves clients in the agricultural, chemical, oil and gas and power sectors.

Stephanie holds a Masters of Professional Accounting from the University of Saskatchewan and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary. She served on the public practice working group for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta from 2014-2016.

She currently sits on Glenbow Museum’s board of governors.

Stephanie joined United Way of Calgary and Area’s Board of Directors in 2020.

Current Board involvement includes:

• Vice Chair
• Vice Chair of the Community Impact Committee
• Member of the Governance and Strategy Committee
• Member of the H.R. Sub Committee

Beth Reimer-Heck, Q.C., ICD.D is a dedicated, proud Calgarian, with over 30 years of board, legal, and executive experience. She is Senior Counsel for BLG LLP, Canada’s largest law firm, and has extensive experience in governance, including as past Co-Chair of the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Throughout her career, Beth has helped organizations navigate transformational change whether because of crisis, innovation, or growth. She believes in collaboration and community, demonstrated through her numerous community leadership positions including past Chair of HomeFront, past Chair of Banff Centre Foundation, and past Vice-Chair of SAIT.

Beth was appointed Queen’s Counsel by her peers in recognition for her contributions and was named an Acritas Star in 2019 and 2021. She has also been spotlighted by Canadian Diversity Network’s symposium among female business leaders.

Beth served as 2020’s Campaign Co-Chair and joined United Way of Calgary and Area’s Board of Directors in 2021.

Current Board involvement includes:

• Member of the Community Impact Committee

John Rossall is currently a director of Peyto Exploration & Development and Pipestone Energy and is an Associate of the Creative Destruction Lab at the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. Prior to his retirement in 2018, John was the Executive Director, North America for Repsol Oil & Gas Canada Inc. Prior to the acquisition of Talisman Energy Inc. by Repsol, John led Talisman’s Canadian oil and gas business.

Before joining Talisman, John was President and CEO of ProspEx Resources, a TSX listed junior oil and gas company, from 2004 to 2011. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of the North Business Unit of Burlington Resources Canada, and led the Deep Basin business at Canada Hunter Exploration before it was acquired by Burlington. John served as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers from 2014 to 2016.

John holds a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the University of Waterloo and has completed the Program for Management Development at the Harvard Business School.

John joined United Way’s Board of Directors in 2017.

Current Board involvement includes:

• Chair
• Vice Chair of the Governance and Strategy Committee
• Chair of the Board H.R. Subcommittee
• Member of the Finance, Audit and Technology Committee

Ken Skingle, Q.C. is a tax lawyer and has been a partner at Felesky Flynn LLP for the past 25 years; he was co-managing partner from 2008 to 2015. He has extensive experience in corporate income tax planning, including reorganizations of public and private business enterprises, and personal income tax planning.

His practice focuses on tax litigation and tax dispute resolution, and he has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada and other Canadian courts with tax jurisdiction.

Ken holds a Bachelor of Law (with Distinction) degree and Bachelor of Commerce (with Great Distinction) degree from the University of Saskatchewan. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2008.

His community volunteer roles include past member of the Board of Trustees of the Calgary Health Trust and past Chairman of the Planned Giving Committee of the Calgary Health Trust. He is also a past member of the Board of Directors of the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter Association.

Ken has served on United Way of Calgary and Area’s Campaign Cabinet a as Division Chairman of the Legal and Accounting Division (1999 and 2000) and a Section Chairman within the Accounting, Legal, and Finance Division (1996 to 1998). He has been a community member on United Way’s Finance and Audit Committee since 2013 and joined the Board of Directors in 2016.

Current Board involvement includes:

• Chair of Revenue Generation Committee
• Member of Governance and Strategy Committee

Darwin Smith is the Office Leader, Managing Director, and Partner at Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) Calgary office. He joined BCG in 2007 and has worked with leading energy and industrial goods clients across Canada, United States, Europe, and Asia. Prior to joining BCG, Darwin worked as a drilling engineer in Canada, Yemen, and the United Kingdom.

Darwin holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (with Distinction) from the University of Calgary and Master of Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, where he was awarded the Gold Medal for highest overall academic performance.

Darwin has been involved with United Way of Calgary and Area since 2013 and joined the Board of Directors in 2017.

Darwin enjoys spending time with his wife and two young children. Originally from Saskatchewan, Darwin has called Calgary home since his undergraduate days at UCalgary.

Current Board involvement includes:

• Member of Governance and Strategy Committee

David Smith has more than 38 years of experience in Canada’s energy industry. Most recently, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of Keyera Corp. from 2015 until he retired in 2020. David held senior management roles with Keyera and its predecessors since the company’s began in 1998. He began his career with Imperial Oil, Ltd. in 1982, before joining Gulf Canada Resources Limited in 1991.

David holds a Bachelor of Mathematics degree from the University of Waterloo, a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard University, and the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

David is currently a director of Arts Commons (Calgary Centre for Performing Arts), in addition to his role with United Way of Calgary and Area. He has been a supporter and volunteer with the United Way of Calgary and Area for many years. He was Co-Chair of the Campaign Cabinet in 2018 and he joined the Board of Directors in 2019.

Current Board involvement includes:

• Vice-Chair of Revenue Generation Committee

Roc Spence is Vice President of Global Sales, Marketing, and Business Development for VIC, a global leader in the chemical manufacturing industry.

A third generation Calgarian, Roc is committed to building a more open, accessible, and rewarding community for all Calgary residents. He believes the true test of any great city is how it provides support to those who need a fresh start, a leg up, or a safe and encouraging environment to help youth succeed.

Roc is a long serving board member with the Calgary Stampede, Winter Start Events Ltd., and is the founder and president of the National Alpine Training Centre. He was the sport representative to the Canadian Olympic Development Association (CODA) Board from 1996 to 2000. He also serves on several corporate advisory boards for leadership and human resource utilization and engagement.

Roc was the Chairman of United Way of Calgary and Area’s Community Leaders Program from 2012-2015 and joined the Board of Directors in 2016.

In his spare time, Roc rides his horses at his home just west of Calgary. Roc has been married to his wife, Lori, for 44 years. They have two grown children.

His current Board involvement includes:

• Member of the Community Impact Committee

Trevor Wills is the Chief Operating Officer of Valence Energy Capital Corp. Having directed his research at the London School of Economics toward exploring the link between energy infrastructure investments, economic performance, and socio-economic outcomes, Trevor is passionate about the implementation of innovative constructs in the energy sector that strengthen society by delivering responsible, reliable, and cost-effective energy.

Trevor holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Alberta and a Master of Science in Management (with Distinction) from the London School of Economics.

Trevor and his wife, Justine, are grateful for the opportunity to raise their children in a city like Calgary.

Trevor joined United Way of Calgary and Area’s Board of Directors in 2017.

Current Board involvement includes:

• Member of the Revenue Generation Committee

Karen Young joined United Way of Calgary and Area as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in June 2014, and has been the President and Chief Executive Officer since January 2017.

Karen came to United Way from The City of Calgary where she served for 26 years as an award-winning leader. As the Director of Community and Neighbourhood Services at The City, Karen led change management, strategic planning and policy, partnership management, funding and grant programs, financial administration, community relations, and program development initiatives. She was instrumental in securing $480 million to build four new recreation facilities in Calgary and led the Emergency Social Services efforts during the flood of 2013.

Karen is a visionary leader who believes that positive change begins at the community level and values partnerships and collaborations in achieving a common goal. Driven by her belief that all Calgarians have the right to a good quality of life, Karen is a catalyst for social change and has been serving our communities since the 1980’s, including on the Calgary Housing Company Board of Directors, Calgary TELUS Convention Centre Board of Directors, Trustee of the Burns Memorial Fund, and the Calgary Economic Development Advisory Group.

Prior to joining the Executive Team, Karen worked closely with United Way over the years on many projects including the Calgary Poverty Reduction Initiative, Calgary AfterSchool, and the Calgary Local Immigration Partnership.

Karen holds a master’s certificate in municipal leadership and a Bachelor of General Studies in Leisure, Recreation, and Tourism.

Alex Shevalier is President of the Calgary and District Labour Council, where he represents the interests of affiliated unions before the City of Calgary, the school boards, and the community.

Alex is a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers’ (UFCW) Local 401, where he has served as Vice President. He also serves as a Director for both Public Interest Alberta and Friends of Medicare, and as the Chair of the pride and solidarity committee at the Alberta Federation of Labour. He sat as a Worker Representative on the Employment Insurance Board of Referees until it was dissolved in 2013.

Alex is a United Way of Calgary and Area ex officio Board Member representing labour partnership.

Jason Hatcher is the Managing Principal of Navigator and leads their Western Canadian operations from Calgary. He specializes in strategic communications, media relations, issues management, and government relations. He works with clients in the telecommunications, technology, health, agriculture, finance, and energy sectors to enhance their public profiles through communication, stakeholder consultation, and government advocacy strategies.

Jason has also worked extensively with provincial and federal governments, advising premiers in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as cabinet ministers and other political leaders across the country.

Originally from St. John’s, Newfoundland, Jason’s English and French bilingual education covered political science, business, and law. He is a current board member of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce and is also involved with the Shriners Hospitals for Children.

As a community leader and passionate volunteer, Jason believes it is important for people to be involved and to give back to their community. Jason is proud to work alongside United Way of Calgary and Area’s dedicated staff, partners, and donors towards improving lives and communities through lasting social change. Jason joined United Way’s Board of Directors in 2012 and is a former Vice Chair of the Board Public Policy Committee and represented the Board on the 2018 Campaign Cabinet.

Jason lives in Calgary with his wife and two children.

Larry Macdonald is President, CEO, and Director of Point Energy Ltd., and Managing Director of Northpoint Energy Ltd, both private oil and gas exploration companies.

Larry and his wife, Gloria, are long-time United Way of Calgary and Area supporters who are the first Canadian recipients of United Way Worldwide’s highest award, the Alexis de Tocqueville Award, which recognizes extraordinary and continued volunteer and philanthropic leadership across community or national borders. Their leadership in representing United Way around the world has changed countless lives.

Larry is a United Way of Calgary and Area ex officio Board Member, and serves as its Director Emeritus.