June 15th, 2023
In 2021, after 42 years in broadcasting, David retired from what he can only describe as a dream job, Chief Meteorologist at CTV Calgary. In a career that took him across Western Canada from Vancouver Island to Winnipeg, David settled in Calgary in the 1980s, and for almost 30 years, was the person who forecast the weather, good or bad, right or wrong, on CTV Calgary.
David worked his way up from playing country records (yes, 45 rpm records) on a radio station in Campbell River, B.C., to becoming one of the most prominent broadcast meteorologists in Canada. Over the years, he has received numerous awards, including the Calgary Herald Readers' Choice Awards, the Best of Calgary Award, and in 2017, was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Radio and Television Digital News Association.
In addition, he has donated his time to numerous charities and organizations over the years, including the Prostate Cancer Centre, and Prostaid Calgary. A prostate cancer survivor, David knows the importance of early detection, and never passes up an opportunity to encourage men to get tested. He is currently volunteering with AHS, in his role as a Patient and Family Advisor.
The greatest highlight of his career, though, was meeting Susan Martell, with whom he worked on Broadcast Hill. They married in 1992, and have since raised three terrific children, all now in their mid 20s. A year ago, David and Susan began their latest adventure - retirement, and have plenty of exciting adventures on their agenda.
April 19, 2023
Chris Turner
"HOW TO BECOME A CLIMATE OPTIMIST"
In this presentation, Chris Turner distills 20 years on the climate solutions beat worldwide into a powerful case for optimism in the face of the challenge of climate change. Turner has been reporting on emissions reduction, sustainable business, and smart design and policy the world over since long before any of these were mainstream interests, and he draws on the full breadth of his extensive reporting to paint a vivid portrait of a global energy transition already tackling the climate crisis and pointing the way to a much brighter future.
Chris Turner is one of Canada’s leading voices on climate solutions and the global energy transition. His latest book is How To Be A Climate Optimist, a survey of the first two decades of progress on solutions to the climate crisis. His previous books on climate, energy and technology include multiple bestsellers and winners of the National Business Book Award, the City of Calgary's W.O. Mitchell Book Prize, and the Writers' Union of Canada's Freedom to Read Award. His essays and features on energy, climate and technology have appeared in The New Yorker, The Guardian, The Globe & Mail, Maclean's, and many other publications, and won 10 National Magazine Awards. He was a 2019 media fellow at the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue, a 2013 writer-in-residence at the Berton House in Dawson City, Yukon, and a 2010 Paul D. Fleck Fellow at the Banff Centre. He lives in Calgary with his wife, the author Ashley Bristowe, and their two children.
March 15th, 2023
Nicholas Bell
The Glenbow
Nicholas R. Bell is the President and CEO of the Glenbow. Originally from Vancouver, Nicholas joined the Glenbow in 2019 from his position as Senior Vice President for Curatorial Affairs at Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut. Nicholas launched a formidable exhibitions program during his three years at the preeminent American maritime museum.
He previously served as The Fleur and Charles Bresler Curator-in-Charge of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery in Washington, DC, where he led the Renwick’s relaunch, increasing attendance from 150,000 annually to one million. Nicholas is also an author and editor of ten books on art, museums, and contemporary culture and offers a proven background in spearheading change and successfully implementing strategic initiatives.
February 22, 2023
Sid Dutchak
"Cybersecurity and Decision Makers"
Sid graduated with a Law Degree from the University of Saskatchewan and practiced commercial law. He served as Saskatchewan’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice prior to moving to Alberta in 1992. Since that time Sid has provided executive management and corporate advisory services in the areas of regulatory compliance, corporate governance, organizational structuring, and risk management.
As society evolves, we become more reliant on digital services in virtually all walks of life. As we become more dependent on technology, our risks increase. We become more vulnerable to today’s criminal element which includes, domestic and international hackers, attackers, nation-state criminals, and a multitude of other wrongdoers. Along with these trends, comes new challenges and related responsibilities relating to those in charge of managing and protecting businesses and organizations.
Sid owns an interest in Seekintoo Ltd., a Calgary based Cybersecurity services company:
January 18, 2023
Erin Gibbs Van Brunschot and Jean-Christophe Boucher
Erin Gibbs Van Brunschot is a Professor of Sociology and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Calgary. Her primary research interests are in the realms of crime, risk, security, and social control, with specific interests in how individuals, organizations, agencies, and states orient to threats and how responses diverge and converge. Her current projects focus on information and security, crime risk management, policing, victimization, and terrorism.
Jean-Christophe Boucher is an Associate Professor at the School of Public Policy and at the Department of political science at the University of Calgary. His current work focuses on applied machine learning to understand how the digital world shapes our society. He is currently responsible for projects funded by the Department of National Defence (DND) to study information operations; the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to understand civil-military relations in Canada. He specializes in international relations, with an emphasis on foreign policy, international security, and data analytics.
As our lives become intertwined with digital technologies, the information environment is increasingly confrontational, particularly on social media platforms. The current conflict in Ukraine demonstrates daily how strategic communication is now an essential aspect of modern warfare, using narratives and images to bolster domestic and international support, as well as spread confusion and undermine the morale of adversaries.
As such, mis/disinformation is a menace to democratic resiliency as it limits the ability of citizens to access verified information and for governments to find the needed public support to engage in policymaking. Thus, democracies are now investing significant resources to understand better what factors increase the susceptibility of their citizens for mis/disinformation.
December 20, 2022
Dr. Mary Anne Moser
Telus Spark welcomed Mary Anne Moser as the new president and CEO in April 2019.
Her record of building innovative, community-based enterprises with high performing collaborative teams, and her commitment to strong internal and external communications makes her the perfect fit to lead Telus Spark into the future.
Dr. Moser has more than 25 years of experience in entrepreneurial roles. She co-founded Beakerhead, which is well-known for its annual festival that blends art and engineering for a vibrant and interactive experience, about a decade ago.
Mary Anne has built a career where science and society intersect. She worked as a journalist and an award-winning graphic designer before finding her entrepreneurial wings as the founding editor of the Banff Centre Press in the mid-1990s. She then started the Banff Science Communications Program in 2005, Canada’s Iron Science Teacher competition in 2007, and was a member of the start-up steering committee for the Science Media Centre of Canada in 2010.
In parallel with these entrepreneurial pursuits, Mary Anne worked in communication leadership roles for high-speed networking and computing infrastructure organizations, government-funded initiatives to stimulate Alberta’s tech sector as well as the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary.
November 16, 2022
LUKE AZEVEDO
Vice President Creative Industries, Operations & Film Commissioner, Calgary Economic Development
In 2007 Luke joined Calgary Economic Development as the Commissioner for Film, Television and the Creative Industries. He works with studios, government, unions & producers in Southern Alberta to facilitate and develop local projects and attract new foreign film, television & digital media productions to Alberta.
Prior to joining CED, Luke was the Director of the Creative Electronic Environment, as well as the Banff New Media Institute and the Acting Director of Literary Arts at The Banff Centre, where he developed and directed television and interactive media facilities and personnel.
Prior to Banff, he was owner operator of VisionWorks Commercial Productions. Luke worked with Hockey Canada through four Olympic Games as well as numerous Junior and Women’s World Championships. During this period Luke also was the broadcast liaison for the Calgary Flames hockey operations.
In 2014 Luke was named as one of Venture Magazine’s 50 most influential Albertans.
Wednesday October 19, 2022
MAYOR JYOTI GONDEK
Jyoti Gondek was sworn in as Calgary's 37th mayor and the first woman to be elected to this role on October 25, 2021.
Prior to being elected as mayor, she served as city councillor for Ward 3 from 2017 to 2021. She holds a Ph.D. in urban sociology, and an M.A. in organizational sociology.
Throughout her career, Mayor Gondek has taken a big picture approach to pressing challenges. Often, she has found processes and policies exist simply because they have never been questioned. She has come to understand that by probing and chipping away at issues, we move forward with improvements that have meaning in our everyday lives.
Mayor Gondek’s professional background includes leading the Westman Centre for Real Estate Studies at the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business where she examined the challenges facing Calgary’s commercial sector as property values in the core plummeted. She knew then that this issue would be a big one for Calgary. She also ran a successful consulting practice for 12 years helping clients in the energy and city-building sectors evolve their business models to fit a changing regulatory and economic environment.
September 21, 2022
RICHARD HEHR
"The Death of Public Education"
Richard Hehr has spent over 58 years in Alberta’s Public education system. It commenced with his entry into grade one at St. Louis School in Medicine Hat in 1949. It concluded with his retirement as a trustee from the Calgary Public School District in 2021.
In his career he has taught everything from high school social studies up to elementary. He has served as a vice principal and a principal. He spent two years as a university associate working with student teachers and was a four term president of Calgary Public Local 38. He retired in 2007 after eleven years as Executive Assistant for Calgary Public Teachers ATA.
Richard firmly believes that the public education system is the foundation stone of Canadian democracy. He is concerned that over time the Alberta system has been eroded and debased. Alberta’s commitment to equality of opportunity and a level playing field for all students is a vestige of a bygone era.
At 79 years young Richard remains passionate about public education and will expand on what Alberta should do to return to a public education system which works in the best short and long term interests of all Albertans.