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
Alain Gaucher, Chair
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.
Bart Hunter, Past Chair
Bart Hunter is First 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 Inaugural Mayor's Cultural Gala in 2007 with net proceeds of $175,000 going to the Foundation. In 2006, Bart was awarded “100 People, 100 Reasons” as one of the 100 people over the past 100 years making a difference in Saskatoon. In 2007, Bart and his wife, Cindy, celebrated their twentieth wedding anniversary.
Zeba Ahmad - Vice Chair
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!
Greg Keller - Director at Large
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 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.
Board Members
MaryBeckett
Executive Vice President, Chief Governance Officer, Concentra Financial Services Association
Mary has been with Concentra Financial Services Association (formerly Co-operative Trust) for over 25 years. She began her career in Personal Trust Administration and has had administrative and management experience in all areas of Personal and Corporate Trust.
Currently, as Chief Governance Officer, Mary serves as Corporate Secretary and has Executive responsibility for the operation of Concentra Trust (a wholly owned subsidiary of Concentra Financial). Additionally she has oversight and accountability the in-house Legal Department and Communications/Creative Services.
Mary is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan and holds a Bachelor of Education (BA) and a Law Degree (LLB).
Mary is involved in many community initiatives including Leadership Saskatoon, The Rotary Club of Saskatoon and the Sutherland-Forest Grove Community Association.
Mary is married and has an adult son.
Brian Bentley
Brian Bentley was appointed as Fire Chief and General Manager, Saskatoon Fire and Protective Services in 2003. He has been with Saskatoon Fire and Protective Services for 30 years, holding several positions within the Department, including Assistant Chief of Training and Assistant Chief of Administration and Quality Assurance. Brian holds several professional certifications relating to the Fire Service , including Fire Service Instructor, Fire Inspector and Fire Investigator. In 2005, he was awarded a Centennial Medal by the Government of Saskatchewan, In 2006, he was awarded the Canada Exemplary Services Medal for emergency services. He has served on the board of Ronald McDonald House and currently serves on the Salvation Army Advisory Board and the Citizens Liaison Committee for the VIDO Level III Lab. In addition, Brian is a member of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs' Governmental Affairs and Resolutions and Bylaws Committees.
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.
Wayne Brownlee
Wayne Brownlee coordinated the privatization of PotashCorp, which began in 1988 and transformed it from a provincial Crown corporation to a publicly traded company. As head of expansion and development efforts in the 1990s, he was instrumental in the acquisition of more than US$4 billion in assets.
He was appointed Executive Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer in 2006 after seven years as Senior Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to that, he had been Senior Vice President, Expansion and Development, Vice President, Expansion and Development and Director, Business Development.
Before joining PotashCorp, Mr. Brownlee served in the Saskatchewan Department of Finance, including three years as Associate Deputy Minister of the Treasury Board Division. He earned a bachelor's degree in science and a master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Saskatchewan.
Mr. Brownlee is a director of Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile, the world's largest potassium nitrate and iodine producer, in which PotashCorp owns a 32 percent equity interest. He is also a director of Great Western Brewing Company.
Brenda Fitzgerald
Brenda FitzGerald brings a depth of experience and working knowledge of the health system and the public sector gained during her 30 plus years in various senior executive leadership roles in Saskatchewan and Newfoundland & Labrador. Her background includes service on the Boards of the Newfoundland and Labrador Hospital & Nursing Home Association, the Newfoundland & Labrador Centre for Health Information, the Newfoundland & Labrador Labour Relations Board (as an employer representative) and as Chairperson of the Council of Licensed Practical Nurses. As Adjunct Professor in the Division of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University, Brenda provided presentations on health systems restructuring and integration, community health issues, and leadership. Brenda served as President and CEO of St. Paul's Hospital from 2002-2008. Currently, Brenda is CEO of Amicus Health Care Inc., a subsidiary of the Catholic Health Ministry of Saskatchewan.
Tracy Muggli
Tracy is a registered social worker and has practiced in a variety of settings over her 23-year career, including the Ministry of Social Services in the service areas of child welfare and domestic violence. She is an 11-year employee with the Saskatoon Health Region (SHR), has worked as a Manager with Client Patient Access Services, and in 2009 assisted with the development of the Newcomer Information Centre, a resource centre for new immigrants and refugees in Saskatoon. She is now the Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services (SHR), responsible for operations of many programs such as the Irene and Leslie Dubé Centre for Mental Health, the Calder Centre, and the Brief & Social Detox Unit. She is also a sessional lecturer with the Faculty of Social Work, University of Regina.
Tracy received the Canadian Association of Social Worker's Award (Saskatchewan) for distinguished practice in 2005 and was also nominated for a YWCA Woman of Distinction Award (2008), and an Athena award (2011). She is a mentor with the SWITCH (Student Wellness Initiative Toward Community Health) program, as well as with the Edward's Business School's Womentorship Program. She serves on the Board for the Saskatchewan Intercultural Association, has recently completed her term with the editorial board for the Canadian Social Work Journal, is the Chair for the City of Saskatoon Social Services Sub-committee, and a member of the City of Saskatoon Race Relations and Cultural Diversity Committee. She also enjoys serving her community through volunteer work with the Georges Vanier Community School Council.
Ian Sutherland
Ian is retired after a career that included senior management positions in the trust industry and in healthcare.
Ian is an active volunteer in the community and has served on our Foundation's Investment and Governance committees. He is Past President of the board of the Centennial Auditorium Board and has served on the board of Habitat for Humanity. He is past president of the Meewasin Rotary Club and served on several Rotary committees at the club and district level. He has served as a leader in Beavers, Cubs and Scouts.
He was an active supporter of his profession serving on several Saskatchewan Association of Health Organization's committees including past chair of the SHEPP employee benefits committee.
Ian and his wife Meredith have two children and have lived in Saskatoon since 1983.
Jan Thomson
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.
Joanne Wurmlinger
Joanne Wurmlinger is Associate Director Development at the University of Saskatchewan and principal of Joanne Wurmlinger Consulting, a practice that provides charities with development expertise.
For the past 20 years, Joanne has held numerous staff and volunteer positions in the health, humanitarian, arts, education and service charitable sectors. She has two children; a daughter who is studying at the University of Saskatchewan and a son who is in high-school. Joanne can often be found spending her leisure time enjoying the Meewasin on bike, foot and inline skates.
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, Fred Ballantyne, Myrna Bentley, Moira Birney, Bernie Broughton, Gordon Bray, Sid Buckwold, Warren Champ, Scott Cherry, Ronan Conlon, Howard Cooper, Joan Emigh, Hon. Dr. Sylvia Fedoruk, Albert Flavelle, Kathryn Ford, Austin Forsyth, Roger Francis, Margaret Harris, Ross Harwood, Wes Heinrichs, Sam Jackson, Judy Harwood, Ken Howland, George Keter, 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, Susan Milburn, Tom Molloy, Penney Murphy, Blair Nelson, Craig Peterson, Dick Pinder, Ross Pinder, Don Ravis, Phyllis Salisbury, Linda Shaw, Mac Sheppard, Paul Tiesssen, Randy Trost, Allan Tubby, Jamie Wall, Jim Wasilenko, Cliff Wright, and Darryl Yausie.
In addition to our board members, volunteers can choose to become members of a variety of required committees.
