Leadership

Dr. Claudia Hudspeth is a medical doctor and public health expert with 25 years of international experience in global public health, with work spanning more than 40 countries.

She has designed and led major public health and health systems improvement portfolios with the Aga Khan Foundation, UNICEF, WHO, the UK Government and McKinsey & Company. With her experience in strategy development, program design, advocacy, fundraising, and organization-wide capacity building, Claudia has mobilized governments, international donors, multi-sectoral partners, and diverse teams of experts to advance health outcomes and promote health equity for women, children and vulnerable communities.

Calgary has been home base for Claudia for more than a decade, so she is very excited that her global expertise will soon benefit children and families in her own community.

Jo Ann joined Alberta Children’s Hospital as Senior Operating Officer in September 2023, bringing more than 30 years of health care leadership experience across acute care, primary and community care.

Prior to joining Alberta Children’s Hospital, Jo Ann held a senior leadership role on Alberta Health Services’ Connect Care team, supporting the implementation of Alberta’s provincial electronic health record system—one of the largest health care transformation initiatives in Canada. She also served as Executive Director for Surgical Services and Allied Health at Rockyview General Hospital.

Jo Ann holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Saskatchewan and a Master of Health Care Administration from the University of Minnesota.

A collaborative and values-driven leader, Jo Ann is passionate about building high-performing teams, leading transformational change, and improving outcomes for patients and families. She is deeply committed to patient- and family-centred care and believes it is foundational to the mission of Alberta Children’s Hospital and organizations serving children and youth.

Jo Ann is proud to serve on the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation Board, where she has witnessed firsthand the transformative impact of philanthropy in advancing care, research, and support for children, youth, and families.

Mr. Begin is Chair of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation Board.

He is an active community advocate with roles that include past chair, governor Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), corporate and personal support of many post-secondary initiatives and programs across western Canada, leadership with several other community support initiatives including the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, United Way, STARS, Dennehy Foundation, Canadian Blood Services, Corporate Challenge, as well as coaching competitive level sports.

Mike is also an entrepreneur and technology startup company investor; Fellow with Creative Destruction Labs – Rockies; advisor to multiple startups; investment advisor to the UCEED innovation initiative at University Calgary, and Alberta Cancer Centre campaign cabinet member.

He is a retired long term CEO of Spartan Controls, a leading process control and automation technology company and one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies for over two decades. Past executive business roles have included global marketing and sales, business leadership for Asia Pacific and Canada, and several industry board chair, director and governor positions. His education includes a Bachelor of Applied Science Engineering degree – University of Waterloo; Honourary Bachelor of Science degree – SAIT; Director Designation (ICD.D) – Institute of Corporate Directors; and Honourary Bachelor of Technology degree – NAIT.

Dr. Francois Bernier is an academic clinical geneticist, Professor of Medical Genetics and Pediatrics, and Director of the Alberta Children Research Institute (ACHRI) at the University of Calgary.

His clinical practice includes rare genetic diseases, cardiogenetics, and prenatal genetics. His research program is focused on the identification of genes for rare genetic disorders, and the translational application of genomic technologies to the clinic. Dr. Bernier is the project lead of the Canada First Research Excellence Fund One Child Every Child: A Transformational Child Health Research Initiative with a vision for all children to be healthy, empowered and thriving. He is also the Scientific Director of Precision Health at ACHRI.

Ms. Bregazzi is a CPA, CA with more than 20 years of business experience. She has worked as a financial consultant principally within the energy and financial sectors. Meg has experience with both public and private companies and, most recently, she was the treasurer and co-founder of an investment fund. Meg is currently an expert advisor with Innovate Calgary and volunteers with a community mentorship program.

Prior to becoming a CPA, CA, Meg earned her Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Alberta and spent the first five years of her career working in diagnostic hematology labs in Canada and the U.S.

Prior to her retirement in 2020, Ms. Daniels led the Public Sector practice at PwC. She joined the firm in Toronto in 1988, transferred to the Calgary office in 1992 and spent more than 32 years serving municipalities, not-for-profit organizations and private companies. Having supported many multinational organizations, Laura has extensive experience working collaboratively with teams located in different locations.

She has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calgary and served on the Practice Review Committee for CPA Alberta for 5 years. Laura also serves as a director of Invest Alberta.

Mr. Dusterhoft is the President and CEO of Prostar Energy Services, a new technology service rig manufacturer and service supplier to the Oil and Gas business in Canada, USA, and Australia. Prior to this, Dale was the President & CEO of Trican Well Service, a position he retired from in 2020. He joined Trican at its inception in 1996 and, preceding his 11 years as CEO, was the Company’s Senior Vice President of Technical Services. Before joining Trican, Dale worked with a major Canadian pressure pumping company where he held management positions in Operations, Sales and Engineering.

He graduated from the University of Calgary in 1984 with a degree in Chemical Engineering. Dale is a graduate of the ICD program and serves on the boards of Cobalt Energy, Cnergreen Corporation, Prostar Energy Services and the Strategic Advisory Board of the Arnie Charbonneau Cancer institute. He is a past Chairman of the Canadian Executive Oilmen’s Association, past President of the Canadian Association of Drilling Engineers, past President of the Canadian Section of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and a past member of the Industry Advisory Board of the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary.

Kate brings more than 15 years of experience in law, governance, risk management and sustainability in Canada and abroad. She has spent her career working for and in the Canadian energy sector in a variety of legal and business roles. She is currently the Associate General Counsel & Corporate Secretary with South Bow Corporation.

A dedicated Calgarian, Kate lends her time to charitable and community initiatives, including as a board member with Canada Powered by Women and member of the Strategic Advisory Board of the Charbonneau Cancer Institute. Previously, she served on the boards of the Calgary Health Foundation, YWCA of Calgary, Contemporary Calgary, and Young Women in Energy.

Kate holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law and an Honours B.A. in Economics and Ethics, Society and Law from the University of Toronto. She holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and is a member of the Law Society of Alberta and the New York State bar.

Mr. Giles is the founder, owner and principal dealer for NorthStar Ford Group. He started his first Ford dealership in 1995 and now operates in 5 different locations including Fort McKay, Calgary, Cochrane and two in Fort McMurray.

Marty, his family and employees participate in a number of fundraising and philanthropic initiatives including Drive 4 UR School, Charity Poker Tournament and We Scare Hunger. He is the only Canadian winner of the Ford Salute to Dealers award for philanthropy. NorthStar Ford received the 2010 Blueprint Award for its Workplace Campaign from the United Way and won the 2010 President’s Award by Ford Motor Company for its outstanding corporate citizenship. Marty and his wife, Dennine, were among the finalists in the 2010 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards and recipients at the 2011 Heart of Wood Buffalo Leadership Awards. Marty is a past Campaign Chair for the 2015 United Way campaign in Fort McMurray and he has also served as a Board member of the Northern Lights Health Foundation and Vista Ridge (a recreational park in Fort McMurray).

Ryan Giles is a Partner at TriWest Capital Partners and an experienced corporate director with a strong track record in governance and strategic leadership.

He currently serves as Board Chair of Spence Diamonds and is a director of Phoenix Fence, Broda Group, and Colter Energy. Ryan also serves on the Board of Directors of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation and previously served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association.

Prior to joining TriWest, Ryan worked with Onex Corporation and Morgan Stanley, focusing on investment evaluation, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate finance. He holds an Honours Business Administration degree from Western University’s Ivey Business School and received his A.B. in Economics and Mathematics from Bowdoin College.

Ms. Goldman is a partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP. Alyson has been practicing law for over 25 years with her practice focused on securities and corporate law, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, shareholder activism and corporate governance. Alyson is a member of the Alberta Bar Association, the Law Society of Alberta, the Law Society of Ontario, the Canadian Bar Association, the Calgary Bar Association, the Calgary CFA Society and the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Alyson has an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree (Kinesiology) from Western University and a Bachelor of Laws Degree from Queens University. She is also a Chartered Financial Analyst and holds the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Ms. Jasinski is the former Senior Vice President of Human Resources & Communications with Nova Chemicals, headquartered in Calgary, Alberta and wholly owned by Mubadala Investment Company of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Previously, she was the Executive Vice President, People & Culture with Vermilion Energy, a mid-cap Oil & Gas firm operating in Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia. Prior to joining Vermilion, Mona held various leadership roles in Sustainability, Strategy, Human Resources and Communications.

Mona is a graduate of the Director Education Program and earned her Institute of Corporate Directors Designation (ICD.D). She graduated from the University of Calgary with a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.). Mona also serves on the Board of Governors of Calgary Petroleum Association as Vice-Chair and was previously a Board member and Chair of Governance of the YWCA of Calgary.

Chris Redgate is Global Co-Head, Energy Investment Banking for RBC Capital Markets and has been with the firm for over 15 years. In addition to leading the Global Energy Investment Banking group, Chris has coverage responsibilities for a range of energy clients and is a member of RBC’s Global Investment Banking Canadian Executive Committee, M&A Opinion Review Committee, and RBC Capital Markets’ Donations Committee.

Chris holds a Master of Business Administration from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, and is a CFA Charterholder. Prior to pursuing his MBA, Chris worked as a mechanical engineer in the oil and gas sector.

Chris also serves as a Director on the board of the Lionheart Foundation.

Mr. Riddell has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Paramount Resources Ltd. since May 2015. Over the past 30 years, he has held various positions at Paramount, in addition to serving as a director since 2000. Jim also currently serves as a Director of Akita Drilling Ltd., as well as several additional private companies in Canada. He graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology and received a Masters of Science Degree in Geology from the University of Alberta in 1993.

He is a member of the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. Jim is Chairman of the Rogers Charity Classic.

Dr. Stang is the Academic and Zone Clinical Department Head for Pediatrics. Antonia joined the Alberta Children’s Hospital as an emergency physician in 2008. From 2018 until 2022 she served as the Section Chief for Pediatric Emergency Medicine. Antonia is a member of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and a Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine and Community Health Sciences.

She completed her medical training and degrees in health care administration and research methods at McGill University. Her academic interests include healthcare systems research, patient safety, quality improvement and the translation of best evidence into clinical practice.

Doug van Spronsen is the Co-Founder of Anchorbase, a payments and automation company.

He was previously the CEO and co-founder of Versett, a leading technology consulting firm, which was later acquired by the Belgian-based holding company CBTW. This led to Doug being on the founding team of CBTW, a technology firm with over 2,500 employees operating in 20 countries worldwide.

Doug serves on the board of Wood Automotive Group and Calvert Home Mortgage and was named EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year (Prairies) for Technology in 2019. He was also recognized as one of Avenue’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2018.

In his role, Mr. Velani serves as a key member of the CPKC executive leadership team responsible for helping plan the long-term strategic direction of the company with duties including financial planning, investor relations, reporting and accounting systems, as well as procurement, treasury and tax.

Previously, Mr. Velani served as Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer at Canadian Pacific (CP) having earlier served as Vice-President Investor Relations. Prior to CP, Mr. Velani spent 15 years at Canadian National where he worked in a variety of positions in Strategic and Financial Planning, Investor Relations, Sales and Marketing and the Office of the President and CEO.

Mr. Velani holds a Bachelor of Economics degree from Western University and an MBA in Finance/International Business from McGill. In 2022, Mr. Velani completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Mr. Velani was recognized by Institutional Investor as a member of the inaugural 2020 All-Canada Executive Team. He was ranked as the top CFO in the Capital Goods/Industrials sector as voted on by buy-side analysts, money managers and sell-side researchers. He was also named Canada’s CFO Of The Year in 2020, and recognized as one of the inaugural top 50 2020 Best Executives by the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business.