2024 Fall Conference and AGM
Sandra Woitas
Lieutenant Governor Lois E. Hole Dinner Guest Speaker - Wednesday, October 16
Sandra B Woitas brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion to the education community. As one of the 100 influential Edmontonians of the Century, a tried-and-true educator for 42 years, a serial volunteer, and an advocate for Edmonton’s most disadvantaged children and families, Sandra has adopted several roles all aimed towards children and youth and those working with them to realize their full potential.
Sandra has garnered several awards for her dedication, including the Queen Diamond Jubilee Medal, Alberta Centennial Medal, Rotary Woman of Integrity, Alberta’s Premier’s Award for Excellence, Global Woman of Vision, ATA Advocate of Young Children Award, Distinguished Alumni of MacEwan University, Honorary U of A Alumni Award. and an honourary doctor of laws from the U of A. Most recently, this seasoned educator received the Lions Club International Foundation Citizen of Distinction Award and was inducted into the City of Edmonton Hall of Fame for her dedicated work in community engagement.
Her Honour, the Honourable Salma Lakhani
Lieutenant Governor Lois E. Hole Dinner Guest - Wednesday, October 16
On Wednesday, August 26, 2020, Her Honour, the Honourable Salma Lakhani began her tenure as the Crown’s representative in Alberta. The formal installation took place at the Alberta Legislature.
Her Honour is a community leader and volunteer who is guided by her deep commitment to the values of pluralism and inclusion and her dedication to championing those who face barriers in life. Born and raised in Kampala, Uganda, she came to Canada in 1977 as a stateless person after all Ugandans of Asian origin were expelled from that country. She is a proud Ismaili Muslim who has offered longstanding service to a range of organizations, including NorQuest College, the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, the Lois Hole Hospital for Women, the Aga Khan Foundation Canada, Kids Kottage, Sorrentino’s Compassion House, the Alberta Cancer Board, and the Zebra Foundation. She also operated a business focused on early childhood education. Her Honour is married to distinguished Edmonton cardiologist, His Honour Dr. Zaheer Lakhani.
Honourable Demetrios Nicolaides | Alberta Minister of Education
Lieutenant Governor Lois E. Hole Dinner Guest - Wednesday, October 16
Demetrios Nicolaides was first elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Calgary-Bow on April 16, 2019 and was re-elected on May 29, 2023.
Mr. Nicolaides was sworn in as Minister of Education on June 9, 2023. He previously served as the Minister of Advanced Education.
Prior to his service as an elected official, Mr. Nicolaides served as the head of the Calgary office for a national communication-consulting firm. In this role, he worked with senior business leaders across Canada and Alberta, working closely with key players in Alberta’s energy sector.
An expert in conflict resolution, he has extensive training in arbitration, is an accredited mediator and has a PhD in the field. Mr. Nicolaides was active in peacebuilding and reconciliation activities in Cyprus and has consulted in high-stakes arbitrations and regulatory hearings in Alberta, B.C. and Manitoba.
Mr. Nicolaides was born and raised in Calgary. Along with his wife they have 2 daughters, and he volunteers extensively in his community.
Julie Kusiek, Board Chair | Edmonton Public School Board
Thursday, October 17 - Infrastructure Board Panel
Julie (she/her) believes public education is a fundamental and essential human right for every child. She is passionate about community engagement and positive advocacy, to which she has dedicated much of her time over the last decade. She holds an M.A. in political science (with a focus on youth engagement in local communities) and a B.A. hon in political science (studying the democratic deficit). She has volunteered her time on various boards and local advocacy initiatives that build stronger, more connected communities. Some of this work has been referenced in interviews for published books and a variety of podcast episodes. Julie is also the proud parent of four children who attend Edmonton Public Schools. As Board Chair, Julie works with her seven Trustee colleagues to strengthen public education through collaboration.
Chris Wright, Managing Director of Infrastructure | Edmonton Public School Board
Thursday, October 17 - Infrastructure Board Panel
Chris Wright is the Managing Director, Infrastructure with the Edmonton School Division. Chris began his career with Edmonton Public Schools more than 30 years ago as a teacher, but has nearly a decade of experience in the private sector and has held his current position with the Division since 2014. When it comes to new school construction and modernizations, Chris has a strong commitment to collaboration with industry, intentional design to support teaching and learning, and engagement.
Daryl Scott, Board Chair | Wild Rose School Division
Thursday, October 17 - Infrastructure Board Panel
Daryl Scott is the current board chair for Wild Rose School division after a 28 year career with the RCMP, then 10 years as a business owner and is now retired. Daryl works on many provincial school related committees and brings a rural perspective to the conversation, as well as bringing that perspective back to the Wild Rose School board table
Brad Volkman, Superintendent | Wild Rose School Division
Thursday, October 17 - Infrastructure Board Panel
Brad Volkman is the Superintendent of Schools for Wild Rose School Division. He works closely with the WRSD Board of Trustees and administrative team to create powerful learning environments focused on student learning and wellbeing.
Brad has a Bachelor of Education Degree from the University of Lethbridge and a Master of Arts Education in Administration and Supervision from San Diego State University.
Brad holds a Permanent Professional Teacher Certificate, Leadership Certificate and Superintendent Leadership Certificate.
Luci Henry, Board Chair | Wolf Creek Public Schools
Thursday, October 17 - Infrastructure Board Panel
More information to follow...
Tim De Ruyck, Superintendent | Wolf Creek Public Schools
Thursday, October 17 - Infrastructure Board Panel
Tim has spent his 30 year career thus far exclusively in Public Education within rural settings. Tim joined Wolf Creek Public Schools as the Superintendent in the fall of 2021, after serving 27 years in Manitoba as a Teacher, Vice-Principal, Principal, Assistant Superintendent and finally as a Superintendent for the eight years prior to joining Wolf Creek Public Schools. Tim is a strong advocate for Public Education, and always takes an equity approach when working to support the success of every student. Tim holds a Bachelor of Education Degree from the University of Manitoba, as well as a Masters Degree from the University of Calgary.
Kevin Pobuda, Secretary-Treasurer | Wolf Creek Public Schools
Thursday, October 17 - Infrastructure Board Panel
Kevin is currently the Secretary-Treasurer at Wolf Creek Public Schools, where he contributes to enhancing educational outcomes for Wolf Creek students. He has over 16 years of experience in the rural K-12 public education system and previously worked at School District #60 (Peace River North) in Fort St. John, BC, for almost 10 of those years. Kevin earned a degree in Actuarial Science from the University of Alberta and has a Certified General Accountant (CGA) designation, which has been integrated into the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada).
Jeff Willan, Assistant Deputy Minister and Senior Financial Officer | Financial Services and Capital Planning Alberta Education
Thursday, October 17 - Infrastructure ADM Panel
Jeff was appointed the Assistant Deputy Minister for Financial Services and Capital Planning and the ministry’s Senior Financial Officer in the fall of 2023. Jeff provides leadership and fiscal oversight for the ministry’s financial priorities, including the K-12 funding framework, grant allocations to school authorities, financial reporting and monitoring services, school capital plans and school capital programs, the modular classroom program, maintenance and renewal priorities, and building renovation projects as well as corporate IT priorities. Jeff has a BComm and is a CPA/CMA.
Prior to his current role, Jeff served as the Assistant Deputy Minister for Strategic Services and Governance for several years, providing leadership for the ministry’s policy and legislative agenda, corporate planning and system assurance, intergovernmental relations, international education, French language services, and strategic engagement activities.
A dedicated public servant, Jeff has been with the Alberta Public Service for over 26 years. His career in Education has spanned numerous portfolios including School Finance, Business Operations and Stakeholder Support, Policy and Planning, and Capital Planning.
Jeff enjoys golfing, baseball and coaching hockey in his spare time.
Greg Leitch, Executive Director | Strategic Partnerships and Learning Facilities Division at Alberta Infrastructure
Thursday, October 17 - Infrastructure ADM Panel
Greg is a professional engineer and is currently an executive director with the Strategic Partnerships and Learning Facilities Division at Alberta Infrastructure. He has been working for Alberta Infrastructure for the last 15 years as part of their school project team.
He received his mechanical engineering degree from the University of Alberta and has spent his career both in the field and office doing project management. His background is in industrial construction, working with oil sands projects from both the contractor and owner sides.
Greg has been involved with public-private partnerships (P3), design-build and design-bid-build school projects, working from planning to design to construction to completion.
Jordan Tinney Ph.D.
Thursday, October 17 - Professional Development Session
Session Title: My job, Your job: Governance in Partnership
Session description: In this session, trustees will discuss the complexity of their roles and learn how to adequately balance governance and operations in a way that strengthens the partnership between boards and staff. Trustees need to come prepared to roll up your sleeves and engage with each other in an interactive session where we will create clarity, share our experiences, and strengthen our understanding and commitment to serving all children.
Jordan Tinney is recently retired as Superintendent of one of Canada’s largest school districts in Surrey, British Columbia. Serving previously on three other Boards, he knows places large and small, rural and urban. With a Ph. D. in curriculum, a Master’s in Leadership, and a Certified Evidence-Based Executive Coach, Jordan now serves leadership and education as a strategic consultant. With a deep interest in the complexity of leadership and ways to support effective governance, Jordan is currently working across Canada in numerous jurisdictions to support governance and leadership at the system level.
Jordan recently led a two-year project to write leadership competencies for system leaders in BC, was an external advisor on Manitoba’s rewriting of leadership standards for school leaders and recently co-authored a series of case studies on global leadership competencies. He also has written a series of documents supporting powerful and inclusive governance for Boards of Education across BC. Jordan enjoys a range of work from governance, policy and strategic planning to executive coaching at the individual or team level all in service quality education for all children. He now lives in Kelowna with his wife and son where he enjoys getting out on his dirt bike roaming the hills and mountain lakes while also trying to improve his golf swing.
MUSICIANS GONE WILD IN NASHVILLE: MUSIC CITY
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2024
The creators of last season’s Rock the Canyon have gone country! There’s a saying in Nashville, “it all begins with a song”… but how did Nashville become the uncontested home of Country music? Was it the infamous Grand ol’ Opry, was it the boot-scootin’ music, or was it the artists who came to play, and never left? Nashville: Music City shines a neon light on the artists and songs that gave the city it’s nickname. With just a suitcase, those infamous three chords and the truth, superstars like Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Shania Twain, Garth Brooks, Keith Urban and (yes, even) Taylor Swift all hit that honky-tonk highway of country music dreams, and look where it led them. Join us for an unbelievable evening of country stardom, celebrating the music we love and the iconic artists who created it.
Created by: Tracey Power and Van Wilmott
Philip Campiou | Elder Advisor
Friday, October 18 - Elder Blessing - Annual General Meeting
Phillip Campiou is a Traditional Woodland Cree who is originally from Driftpile Cree Nation, Alberta. He now resides in the Onoway area. As a young man, his father taught Phillip how to be self-sufficient and live off the land. Inherent in these teachings was an unwavering respect for Mother Earth and the spirituality held by all Her inhabitants. As an adult, Phillip has devoted his life to sharing his knowledge of traditional values and lifestyle. He is often contracted to do numerous presentations in Edmonton and surrounding areas. He is invited to help host many traditional and community events across Canada. Phillip is actively involved in teaching holistic approaches to health and healing.
Elder Phillip works with many school divisions and organizations across the province to share his knowledge and to encourage healthy relationships with all people.