Our Volunteer Board

Saskatoon Community Foundation operates under the guidance of a diverse group of community-minded volunteers. The Board of Directors, approved by a three-person Board of Appointers, offers a wealth of expertise, ideas, and enthusiasm for the work of Saskatoon Community Foundation.

The current Board of Directors are as follows:

Executive members

Scott Cherry, Chair

Scott is the owner and President of Cherry Insurance Ltd. Based in Saskatoon, Cherry Insurance operates five branch offices in Saskatchewan. Scott and his wife Connie have been involved in several charitable and industry related organizations and have been active contributors to the Saskatoon Foundation for twenty years. They have three adult children the youngest of whom is active in the family business. They enjoy spending their free time at their cottage at Candle Lake.

Bart Hunter, Vice-Chair

Bart Hunter is Vice-President and Investment Advisor with CIBC Wood Gundy and has worked in the financial services industry since 1992. Bart's community involvement includes twenty-five years with Kinsmen and past-presidency of that organization, as well as membership in the Saskatoon Progress Club. He helped launch the Junior Achievers' Traders Luncheon and Chaired the Mayor's Inaugural Cultural Gala in 2007 with net proceeds of $175,000 going to the Foundation. In 2006, Bart was named as one of the 100 people who have made a difference to Saskatoon in the last 100 years. In 2007, Bart and his wife, Cindy, celebrated their twentieth wedding anniversary.

Alain Gaucher, Director at Large

Alain Gaucher is a senior partner at MacPherson Leslie & Tyerman LLP, one of western Canada's most well respected law firms. Alain is an accomplished tax lawyer and a committed community leader and volunteer who holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of Toronto. He is a regular contributor on tax issues in journals and conference proceedings. Alain's considerable professional and community service work includes terms as Chair of the Board of Management of Saskatoon's St. Paul's Hospital, as a conference Chair for the Canadian Tax Foundation, as a coach for minor hockey and as a Campaign Chair for the United Way. He is a founding Director of the Saskatoon Chapter of the Canadian Association of Family Enterprise. Alain and his wife Cindi have three children, Joel, Ryan and Kerri.

Jan Thomson, Past Chair

Jan Thomson is a Chartered Accountant and an active member of L’Arche Saskatoon Inc. Board of Directors. L’Arche is a charity dedicated to bringing the gifts of the developmentally disabled into the community. Jan also works as a Volunteer Adviser with the Canadian Executive Service Organization (CESO), a not-for-profit organization that offers the services of volunteer advisers to Canada’s First Nations and Métis entrepreneurs. Jan and her husband Keith have been married 30 years and have a daughter, Adrienne Scissons (married to Michael Scissons), studying at the University of Toronto, and a son David, studying at the University of Saskatchewan.

 

Board Members

Myrna Bentley

Myrna is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Concentra Financial Services Association and Concentra Trust, both federally-regulated financial institutions operating nationally. Under her leadership Concentra has received recognition over several consecutive years as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers and one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies. An active community volunteer, Myrna has served on the boards of many non-profit organizations. Myrna and Brian, her husband of 31 years, have one daughter Meaghan. The family enjoys spending time together at their cottage in northern Saskatchewan.

Susan Milburn

Susan is Vice-President and Saskatoon Branch Manager of Raymond James Ltd. Continuously employed in the investment industry since 1980, she holds an MBA and several industry designations. Susan is currently a Board member of Ag-West Bio Inc.; Chair of Investment Saskatchewan, a member of the Board of Governors of the University of Saskatchewan and a member of Raymond James’ Women’s Advisory Council in North America. Outside of work, Susan, her husband, Randy, and daughter, Jillian, enjoy life at their cottage on Emma Lake.

 

Fred Ballantyne

Fred Ballantyne is a retired chartered accountant, having practiced with Deloitte & Touche in Prince Albert and Saskatoon for 41 years, followed by two and a half years as the Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority. Active in the community, Fred coached minor hockey, and is a past director of the Saskatoon Symphony Society, Saskatoon Jazz Society, Riverside Golf & Country Club and the Saskatoon Family Service Bureau. He is married to Anne; they have four children and two grandchildren. Fred's hobbies include jazz piano and classic automobiles.

 

 

Ross Harwood

Ross Harwood has been a partner with Deloitte & Touche for 25 years, primarily involved with audit and tax matters related to corporations of all sizes. He is a top fund-raiser for the Multiple Sclerosis Society and volunteers with United Way, Crimestoppers, the Saskatoon Blades and as Chair of the Board for Cedar Villa Estates.

 

 

 

George Keter

Chief Executive Officer of Affinity Credit Union, George Keter has worked in the co-operative financial system for over thirty years. He is a Director of SaskCentral Credit Union, the Canadian Co-operative Association, and Apex Investments. An active community volunteer, George was appointed to the Board of United Way of Saskatoon and Area in 2007 and previously served on the United Way Cabinet and the Saskatoon Boards of the Community Clinic Foundation and Abbeyfield Homes. George received a First Class B.A. in 1972, the same year that he and Elinor married.

 

Paul Tiessen

Paul Tiessen is the President and senior partner of Action Office Interiors, an office furnishing supplier throughout the province for 26 years. He has served on numerous community committees and non-profit boards. He currently serves on the International Board of Meda and CMU University Council in Winnipeg. He believes it’s important to give back to the community, corporately and personally. Paul and his wife Lois have been married for 31 years and have five adult children. They enjoy golf and their cottage at Emma Lake.

 

Zeba Ahmad

Zeba comes to the Saskatoon Community Foundation with a great deal of volunteer experience and commitment to our community. She has worked as a pharmacist for the last 20 years, as well as teaching at the University of Saskatchewan. She has recently finished her term as Board Chair of the Royal University Hospital Foundation, and has served on the RUHF Board since 2002.

She was nominated in 2007 for a YWCA Woman of Distinction award, and in 2008 was the recipient of the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award. Zeba’s fundraising experience with sponsors, donors and special events is sure to be a great benefit to the Saskatoon Community Foundation!

Jeret Bode

Jeret is an investment banker with MGI Securities, a subsidiary of Jovian Capital where he sources, structures and places capital for early stage companies.  Jeret graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a Masters of Business Administration and undergraduate degrees in Biology and Agriculture.  While his initial focus was on the field of science and research, where he worked for Novartis, Cargill, Sony Japan, and LifeSync, he later turned his focus to Saskatchewan’s business community working as an analyst for a large venture capital company and in corporate finance for a national brokerage firm. Jeret sits on a number of committees and boards in the province of Saskatchewan and was awarded “100 People, 100 Reasons” as one of the 100 people over the past 100 years making a difference in Saskatoon.

Joanne Wurmlinger

 

Greg Keller

Greg Keller has been a partner at Hergott Duval Stack LLP since 2005 and has been with the firm since 1996.  He has been involved with the Canadian Progress Club – Saskatoon Downtown since 1999 serving as Treasurer and currently as Vice President and was involved with the United Way Community Campaign as Chair and Vice Chair of the Finance and Insurance Division.  During the World Juniors recently held in Saskatoon Greg helped manage Worldfest and also is a past Treasurer and President of what is now Big Brothers Big Sisters of Saskatoon.  Greg is married to Rhonda and they have two young daughters who keep them busy with various sporting and music activities.

Past Board Members

Today’s Board Members follow in the footsteps of numerous other volunteers who dedicated their time, knowledge and energy to the Saskatoon Community Foundation. These cornerstone volunteers include:

Derek Arnold, Roger Arnold, Moira Birney, Gordon Bray, Sid Buckwold, Warren Champ, Ronan Conlon, Howard Cooper, Joan Emigh, Hon. Dr. Sylvia Fedoruk, Albert Flavelle, Kathryn Ford, Austin Forsyth, Roger Francis, Margaret Harris, Wes Heinrichs, Sam Jackson, Judy Harwood, Ken Howland, Robert Klombies, Susan Lamb, Betty Anne Latrace-Henderson, John Leddy, Don Leier, Dale Linn, John Loraas, Fred MacDermid, Wally Mah, William Manning, Bonnie Marcoux, Fay McCann, Madge McKillop, Neil McMillan, Tom Molloy, Penney Murphy, Blair Nelson, Craig Peterson, Dick Pinder, Ross Pinder, Don Ravis, Phyllis Salisbury, Linda Shaw, Mac Sheppard, Randy Trost, Allan Tubby, Jamie Wall, Jim Wasilenko, Cliff Wright, Darryl Yausie, and Myrna Bentley.

In addition to our board members, volunteers can choose to become members of a variety of required committees.