Dr. Clark Banack is the Director of the Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities and an Adjunct Professor of Political Studies at the Augustana Campus of the University of Alberta. Clark is the author of God’s Province: Evangelical Christianity, Political Thought, and Conservatism in Alberta (McGill-Queen’s University Press), the co-author of Faith, Rights, and Choice: The Politics of Religious Schools in Canada (University of Toronto Press), and the co-editor of Building Inclusive Communities in Rural Canada (University of Alberta Press). He has also authored several academic articles and book chapters related to Alberta politics, rural issues, religion and politics, education policy, and populism in Canada.

Courtney Berner joined the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives in 2011 and served as a cooperative development specialist until assuming the role of executive director in January 2018. Courtney develops research, outreach, and education programs on cooperatives. In 2021, she launched the Cooperative Governance Research Initiative, the first national, cross-sector, mixed-methods study on the governance practices of U.S. cooperatives. Courtney also teaches a course on cooperatives at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and loves challenging students to think critically about why co-ops emerge, how they differ from other forms of enterprise, and how the model can be used to address current social and economic issues. Prior to joining the Center, Courtney worked at the Worldwatch Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based research institute devoted to global environmental concerns. Courtney holds an M.S. in agroecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a B.S. from Pacific Lutheran University.

Tim Carson. Rural community enthusiast, small town champion, soap box educator and volunteer cheerleader. As Chief Executive Officer of the Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies, Tim is able to pursue his passion for driving vibrancy in rural communities.

Toland Cochrane is a local business owner in Vermilion, Ab. He and his wife Tanis have several local retail, construction/development companies that they have run in Vermilion dating back to 1997. He is also involved with volunteering in the community as a vice president of the Vermilion Ag. Society, board member of the Vermilion Community Development Co-op, and Vermilion Heritage Park/Bread Oven as well as a past board member for Vermilion Credit Union.

Jodi has been coordinating all aspects of the Biosphere Institute’s Shift-Climate Transitions program since May 2018. Under her leadership, the Biosphere Institute completed a comprehensive study of the technical and financial feasibility of community renewable energy generation in the Bow Valley.

A sophisticated community engagement specialist and communicator, Jodi has received several certifications in Public Participation and Engagement techniques. In her role, at the Biosphere Institute, she uses a variety of community engagement tools to empower Bow Valley residents to take meaningful action on climate change.

Jodi is motivated by a long-standing interest in climate change issues and sustainable living.

Jodi graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Zoology with an emphasis in Marine Zoology from The University of Wales, Bangor. She has also received her Red Seal Cook Qualification and enjoys cooking up a storm when she is not in her garden or exploring the great outdoors with her favourite pets and people. 

Mary Doyle is a writer, speaker and certified Futurist. In 2017 she co-founded Rural on Purpose and works with rural communities to envision and build a healthy, sustainable future.

Mary is a speaker with the Talent Bureau in the categories of Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Women’s Voice. She has been recognized by the federal government for her commitment to advancing Canadian entrepreneurship, and was named a Woman Entrepreneur Icon by Startup Canada.

Most recently Mary became certified as a Strategic Foresight Practitioner and currently belongs to a global think tank of professional futurists from 56 countries. Today Mary’s focus is on promoting “futures thinking” as a way of bringing people together around a shared vision of the future.

Matthew Enright has been the GM of Battle River Railway since 2015 and has overseen the growth of BRR into a profitable, sustainable short line railway. Matthew has an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Alberta and a Master of Arts in Economics from Simon Fraser University. He also farms near Rosalind AB with his wife and three children.

Gillian works with the local business community providing support, overseeing property development and tourism, and marketing the community to potential residents, businesses, and visitors.

Gillian sits on the board of directors of Maple Creek Childcare Cooperative, a new cooperative focused on bringing licensed daycare to Maple Creek. Childcare is one of the keys to retaining and attracting a workforce and business investment.

Gillian has been working in Community & Economic Development field since 2016 and holds the Professional Community and Economic Developer of Saskatchewan (PCED.SK) designation.

Seth Leon is the Manager of Programs and Projects at QUEST Canada, focusing on the Net-Zero Communities Accelerator. He brings over a decade of experience planning and initiating local economic development projects across Alberta, with expertise in renewable energy, local financing, and business succession. Since 2017 he has worked to advance community energy development by leading workshops and project incubators that have connected municipalities, industry, Indigenous communities, and co-operatives to advance local energy goals. Seth has been active in the not-for-profit and grassroots sector in Calgary, as the former Board Chair of the CommunityWise Resource Centre. He holds a Masters of Development Economics from Dalhousie University (2008).

Judy is a community developer, project manager, adult educator, and entrepreneur with over 35 years of

experience leading business development projects and developing the capacity of business and non-profit

managers. In this realm, Judy also teaches and advises business owners, non-profit boards, and management

teams on all aspects of organizational strategies and efficiencies.

Judy has worked on several coop development projects with Alberta Community and Cooperative Association

(ACCA) over the past 12 years, which has linked her skills and the cooperative sector and fueled her passion

for local investing through a cooperative model.

Andy was a member of EQUS’ Executive Leadership Team for two years prior to becoming CEO, leading EQUS’ Operations Group through multiple innovative projects including the deployment of Canada’s first ultra-rural smart grid and the construction of a near net-zero office facility, as well as a period of record growth for EQUS.

His career in Central Alberta’s electrical and construction industries led Andy to hold several executive positions prior to EQUS. A seasoned executive, Andy now oversees a team of over 100 employees in Innisfail, Onoway, Medicine Hat, and Claresholm. This team provides quality, reliable electricity distribution services to over 12,000 rural Albertans in 26 rural Counties and Municipal Districts between Barrhead and the U.S. border.

Andy is committed to further developing and strengthening EQUS’ values-based culture and leadership model and to continuing to ensure that EQUS’ values of Quality, Community, Accountability, and Knowledge are reflected in EQUS’ corporate culture and that they guide day-to-day decisions and strategic priorities.

He is also committed to supporting the rural communities that EQUS serves both with their electricity services and with community-level sponsorship and support. Ensuring that rural Alberta businesses and industry continue to have access to reliable, competitive, and sustainable electricity distribution and innovative electricity solutions.

Andy’s commitment to community development has also led him to participate in several community initiatives personally, including joining the United Way of Central Alberta’s Priority Impact Team where he has volunteered for over five years. Andy is also the past Chair of the Foundation for Red Deer Public Schools and has sat on the Board of Directors for over five years. As the EQUS CEO Andy sits on the Operation Round Up committee, which distributes grant funding to non-profits that serve youth and seniors in the EQUS Service Area with the goal of developing sustainable community supports in rural communities.

The future of rural Alberta is diverse, and Andy is prepared to lead EQUS in adapting and innovating into the future, transitioning the past 70 years of co-operative success into the next.

Dan is a proud husband, father, life-long entrepreneur, and community-builder.

Dan was instrumental in the incorporation of Sangudo Opportunity Development Co-operative (SODC) in 2010. This led to working with ACCA developing the Unleashing Local Capital program. He has spoken about Opportunity Development Co-ops in dozens of communities across Western Canada, the Yukon, and the USA, inspiring numerous ODCs. He works with the ACCA team to support new/existing ODCs. A great example of this is the Vermilion Community Development Co-operative through the Peavey Industries initiative.

Dan is a Professional Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation, a Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, and has numerous other certifications which allow him to bring out the best in community leaders.

Marc-André Pigeon is the director of the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives and an assistant professor (without term) in the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (JSGS). His research interests center around the study of co-operatives, money and banking, and governance. Prior to joining the JSGS, Dr. Pigeon worked as the assistant vice president of financial sector policy at the Canadian Credit Union Association, where he was responsible for monitoring, researching and advocating on behalf of credit unions. He has also served as an advisor at the Department of Finance, a lead analyst for two major Parliamentary committees (Senate Banking, Trade and Commerce; House of Commons Finance), an economist at the Levy Economics Institute, and a business reporter for Bloomberg Business News.

Dr. Pigeon holds a PhD from Carleton University in mass communications, a master’s degree in economics from the University of Ottawa, and a journalism degree from Carleton University. Dr. Pigeon has served on several non-profit and charitable boards, including the Co-operative Development Foundation (CDF), the Saskatchewan Co-operative Association, and Saskatoon Unitarians.

In his spare time, he enjoys all-season camping with his family and their dog Pepsi and volunteering as a mechanic at Bridge City Bicycle Co-operative.

Dr. Dionne Pohler is an Associate Professor at the University of Saskatchewan Edwards School of Business and the Co-operative Retailing System Chair in Co-operative Governance at the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy and the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives. Dionne was involved in community-engaged research that led to the creation of Co-operatives First, a business development and community-building organization that works with rural and Indigenous communities to address their needs through the co-operative model. Her work in this area was recently published in a research volume she co-edited titled Building Inclusive Communities in Rural Canada (2023: University of Alberta Press).

Colin is interested in intersectional community based solutions that acknowledge the severity of the climate and ecological overshoot we are in. He is an advocate for ecosystem health, stewardship and restoration via community participation.

I am a white settler, born in Southern Alberta and have lived in Calgary all my life. I am committed to working to decolonize my mind and communities. I am working on building respectful and supportive relationships with the First Nations of Southern Alberta.

I am full time care giver for my 96 year old Grandmother.

I am a small business owner. Self-employed project management consultant for the Peace River Energy Project, a community owned 5 MW solar farm being developed by Peace Energy Cooperative just outside of the Town of Peace River.

Kyle is the Director of Education with Co-operatives First, where he leads the development and delivery of start-up support services on online courses for Co-operatives First. Originally from Newfoundland and Labrador, Kyle has worked his way across Canada, focusing on community economic development in rural and Indigenous communities. With degrees in Geography and Public Policy, Kyle’s educational background has focused on community development, governance, and organizational policy. Aside from his work with Co-operatives First, Kyle stays busy as a volunteer, history enthusiast, and long-distance runner.