CALGARY FRENCH & INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL SOCIETY

BOARD MEMBER BIOGRAPHIES

Chair - Joanne Weninger, BSc, MBA

Joanne Weninger is a Director of KWC Consulting in Calgary, which houses an independent and skilled consulting team with significant public sector experience in managing substantial health care initiatives, higher education and research institute coordination, and public sector business planning and strategy. Joanne started her career as a registered nurse, but moved into management/business administration after obtaining her MBA in 1996. Joanne has applied her international consulting and business administration experience in a wide range of functional areas within health and education-related organizations, including information systems, capital planning, human resources, finance and infrastructure quality assurance/audit, and business and strategic planning. Joanne helped build the strategy in supporting a successful move of the Alberta Children’s Hospital from its old site to the new one, led the University of Calgary project management team in building $200+ million capital research project plans for federal funding opportunities, and more recently, is providing project management and strategic/change management expertise to the Ministry of Children and Youth as they introduce a new funding model to facilitate better outcomes for children and families in the Calgary area. Joanne has two children at CFIS in Grades 2 and 4.

Vice-Chair - David Tupper, B.A., LL.B.

David Tupper is a partner in the Litigation Group of the Calgary office of Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. David is married to a family doctor, and they have two children attending CFIS. (A third attended CFIS until Grade 9.)

During his 16 years in Calgary, David has chaired the 2005 World High School Debating Championships Association as well as ran the Championships. David has also chaired the Calgary Stampede Youth Speech and Debate Committee, served as a Director of the Alberta Debate and Speech Association, and assisted in coaching the CFIS Debate Club. He is on the Stampede 2012 Centennial Committee. David has coached a number of children’s soccer teams, is Vice President of the Signal Hill Soccer Association, and volunteers with Calgary Legal Guidance. He also volunteers as a mentor to law students, and regularly teaches CPLED courses. He has served on the CFIS Society Board for six years.

David has been named as one of Calgary Inc.’s “Top 40 Under 40”, and has been named by two international lawyer rating services as one of Alberta’s leading business dispute resolution lawyers. As a lawyer, a committed volunteer, and a long-term CFIS Society Board member, David has consistently reflected all of the desired characteristics of a CFIS Society Board member. He also brings strong legal skills to the Board, which have been useful to CFIS and to the Board over the past years.

Secretary-Treasurer - Trevor Kawka, C.A., CBV, CFA

Trevor Kawka is a partner in the Valuations and Litigation Support Group of the Calgary office of MNP LLP. Trevor’s past experience includes working as Director of Strategy and Planning at CCS Corporation (now Tervita). Prior to that, Trevor spent time working in the financial services industry in the Cayman Islands. He and his wife have two young children attending CFIS.

Trevor was a member of the Board of Directors of Volunteer Calgary for four years and also served as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee. He has also coached his children’s hockey and soccer teams.

Trevor obtained his Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Manitoba in 1999 and obtained his Chartered Accountant designation in 2001. He is also a CFA charter holder and a Chartered Business Valuator.

Peter J. Forrester

Peter Forrester is Assistant General Counsel for the Kinder Morgan Group of Companies, which is the largest energy infrastructure company in North America. Peter is a lawyer and manager, with over 20 years of business experience in Calgary. He has a B.A., Juris Doctor (law degree)  from the University of Alberta, and is currently completing his Executive Master of Business Administration degree at the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business (graduate candidate, May 2013), focusing on financial corporate management.

Peter has significant governance, board and finance experience. He sits as a member of Kinder Morgan’s Executive Steering Committee and Core Leadership team, which roles include assessment and approval of corporate and project financials. He is also the legal officer for the Express Platte Audit Committee (a major international pipeline), sits on the Governance Advisory Committee of the Southern Alberta Land Trust Society (a not-for-profit land preservation society), and was a former member of the special committee of Profico Energy prior to its sale. He has also taught as a sessional lecturer at S.A.I.T. and the University of Calgary, Faculty of Law, and has taught portions of the Canadian Securities Course. Peter’s son attends CFIS, while his youngest daughter hopes to join her brother at CFIS in a few years.

Dr. Dianne Gereluk

Dr. Gereluk is the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs at the University of Calgary. Prior to this posting, she was Associate Professor and Chair of the Leadership and Policy Studies specialization in the U. of C.’s Faculty of Education. Dianne has a strong record of scholarly service in the areas of leadership, teaching and research. She received her PhD in Education Foundations and Policy Studies at the Institute of Education, University of London. Her first post-secondary academic appointment was at Roehampton University, London, England, where she led efforts to develop stronger coherence and alignment between the Undergraduate and Graduate programs in Education at that institution. Following this, she continued to take on various leadership roles within the Faculty of Education from 2003-2009 in her role as Senior Lecturer.

Upon her return to Canada, Dr. Gereluk played an integral role in the conceptualization and implementation of the restructured Bachelor of Education program at the University of Calgary prior to her academic appointment as Associate Professor in the summer of 2011. Since then, she has continued to serve on many committees and serve as Chair of Educational Studies in Leadership.

Dianne began her career as an elementary teacher in a trilingual-track public elementary school in Edmonton. Since then, Dianne has conducted research on the charter school movement in Alberta; the promotion of community in schools; and dress code and uniform policies in schools. Her latest project has been to consider the historical evolution of school choice movements in Canada. She has written extensively in these areas, including Education and Community (Continuum, 2006), Symbolic Clothing in Schools (Continuum, 2008), Education, Extremism and Terrorism (Bloomsbury Press, 2012), and Understanding School Choice in Canada (forthcoming in 2013).

Dianne contributes to the continued sustainability and integrity of CFIS’s educational mandate, particularly related to challenges and opportunities of leadership in immersion schools; fostering and enhancing a strong community ethos in schools; quality and academic integrity of the K-12 curriculum; and innovative and sustainable pedagogies for the 21st century learner.

Dianne has two young children at CFIS. In her spare time, she teaches Ukrainian dancing and plays violin in a community-based orchestra.

Samantha Lenci, B.Ed., M.Ed.

Samantha Lenci is the Director for The Centre of Instructional Technology and Development at SAIT Polytechnic. She has over two decades of progressively senior experience with a variety of educational institutions and not-for-profit organizations, including SAIT, Bow Valley College (the Parent Link Centre Project and Early Childhood Education Program), Alberta Children and Youth Services, Mount Royal University, the Calgary Immigrant Aid Society, and the University of Calgary. Her professional experience comprises education, leadership, and curriculum and program development and review. Samantha’s strengths include strong leadership, communications and implementation skills, practical experience, a consistent ability to create a cooperative work environment in varied settings, and recognition of the need for the educational field to move forward in the areas of collaboration, accountability, evaluation, and instructional philosophy and techniques.

Samantha earned her Bachelor of Community Rehabilitation and Master of Education degrees at the University of Calgary, and is working on obtaining her Ed.D. in Education from that same institution. Her graduate work focused on workplace learning and leadership, and her doctoral work is continuing that focus while extending to graduate outcomes as they relate to industry identified professional skills. Over the past decade, she has served in a volunteer capacity on Boards and committees of a number of local child-centric education-based not-for-profit organizations.

Samantha was asked to join the CFIS Society Board in 2010 as a “non-parent” member, in light of her wide-ranging experience in the field of non-profit education. Since that time, she has been an active and valued member of the Board and its Personnel and Headmaster Selection Committees.

Jim McEvoy

A partner with the accounting firm of KPMG LLP, focusing on US corporate taxation, Jim has over 16 years of business advisory experience. Having worked in New York and Montreal before moving to Calgary, Jim has experience advising the management and boards of directors of organizations of various sizes and industries. Jim is a Certified Public Accountant (licensed in the State of New York) and has a B.Sc. in Accounting and a M.Sc. in Taxation.

Jim has three children at CFIS (Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 3) and currently chairs the Administrative Procedures Committee of the CFIS Community Builders. Jim joined the CFIS Society Board to help it in its mission to establish a strategic vision for the school that incorporates the views of all CFIS stakeholders (students, faculty, staff and parents) with a goal of ensuring that CFIS is a safe and caring school for years to come.

Dr. Robert (Bob) O'Reilly

Bob O’Reilly is a former teacher, school and university administrator, and university professor. He is currently Professor Emeritus of Education at the University of Calgary. He has held academic positions at the Université de Montréal, the University of Ottawa and the University of Calgary, where he was Department Head and Associate Dean. Bob also served as President of the Alberta Branch of Canadian Parents for French and for nine years on the Board of the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group.

Bob has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Calgary French & International School Society since November 2005, and serves on the Board’s Personnel Committee and Headmaster Selection Committee. He and his wife enjoy travelling, hiking, golfing and doting on their grandchildren. They have two adult children.

John Piasta

John is a partner with the law firm of Bennett Jones LLP, where he has a corporate law practice focusing on mergers and acquisitions and private/public company matters. Over the last 11 years as a lawyer, during the course of his practice, he gained significant experience advising clients, of varying structures and sizes, on a number of board and board committee issues, including governance matters and financial and strategic planning. In addition to his experience as a corporate lawyer, he has previously sat on a non-profit society board for a two-year term and prior to achieving his law degree, he obtained a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) from the University of Alberta. He is able to draw on his past experience to provide a unique perspective to CFIS Society Board matters as CFIS continues its growth and development.

John and his wife, Anne-Marie, have two children that are in pre-kindergarten and Grade 2 at CFIS. He envisions that both of his children will be students with CFIS for many years to come. He considers involvement with the CFIS Society Board as an opportunity to draw upon his experiences and background with a view to assisting not only the CFIS Society Board but also to give back to the greater CFIS community during this important time in the development of CFIS.

Corey Ruttan, B.Comm., C.A.

Mr. Ruttan has served on the CFIS Society Board for the past two years and was appointed Treasurer in December of 2010. Mr. Ruttan is President and Chief Executive Officer of Petrominerales Ltd., which is a Toronto Stock Exchange-listed international oil and gas company operating in South America since 2002. Petrominerales is the most active exploration company and the fourth largest oil producer in Colombia. Mr. Ruttan is also a Director of Petrobank Energy and Resources Ltd., PetroBakken Energy Ltd., and Xtend Energy Services Inc. Previously, Mr. Ruttan was the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Petrobank, PetroBakken and Petrominerales.

Mr. Ruttan obtained his Bachelor of Commerce degree majoring in Accounting from the University of Calgary in 1994 and obtained his Chartered Accountant designation in 1997.

Mr. Ruttan states, “I believe I possess the desired skill sets to continue to make a valuable contribution to governance on the CFIS Society Board. With two children attending CFIS in Grades 4 and 6, I feel I understand and relate well to stakeholder needs. In my capacity as President and CEO of Petrominerales, along with my experience on the Boards of two other public companies, I have a strong appreciation for the governance/oversight model that can effectively help guide the strategic direction of CFIS. I feel I bring innovative ideas and a strong strategic business perspective to the CFIS Society Board discussions.”

Gertrud Schneider Chary, B.A. (Hons.), M.A. (Inc.)

As manager of StMU bookstore and publication services, I have daily contact with students and faculty. Technology is changing learning, reflecting the many inadequacies in our educational system. Our children here at CFIS will have to cope, as university life within the next 5 years will change irrevocably. How well are our children prepared? Are they receiving instructions in all areas pertinent to succeed? Are we willing to take risks with our children’s education in terms of electronic learning? Are we better off to keep the older formats of education alive? These are some of the questions I ask myself when I think about my children‘s future. My husband and I have the opportunity to guide our two younger children through life, in which CFIS plays a big role. We have chosen this school with the intent to give our children the best possible start and options in life, but, as it is in all good things, change will and must occur. I want to be able to support and nurture that change.

I am of German descent, having come to Canada after High School. After attending the U of S, I left with degrees in History, French and Spanish and taught while doing graduate work. Over the past 15 years I worked in administration and managed our businesses, while my husband pursued his vocation.

Steve Stowkowy, B.Sc., MBA

Steve Stowkowy received his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and a Masters of Business Administration degree at the University of Alberta. He has senior leadership experience in all aspects of consulting engineering business practices, including senior and project management, technical group leadership, corporate and business development, strategic planning, and human resources. He is currently the manager of the Prairie region for Hatch Mott MacDonald.

Steve has extensive Board experience, having been a member of the University of Calgary’s Senate (2003-2009) and Board of Governors (2007 to 2009), and the Board of Directors of the Consulting Engineers of Alberta (2007-2009). He is a Member of the Order of the University of Calgary. Steve and Bonnie’s son has been at CFIS since 2006.

Ryan Sullivan, BScEng, MBA

Ryan Sullivan is a Performance Management and Strategic Analysis professional with a broad range of experience in enabling decision makers to better understand their business in both the upstream and downstream fields of the oil and gas industry. He has held positions of increasing responsibility with a number of oil and gas development companies and service companies, currently as Manager, Capital Control & Portfolio at Harvest Operations, overseeing spending controls and portfolio analysis for the company. He received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degree in 1996 from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and obtained his Master of Business Administration degree from the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary in 2003.

Ryan is fluent in English and French, and is himself an alumnus of the Calgary French & International School, having graduated with the first Grade 6 class in 1985. He is currently Chair of the CFIS Community Builders (CCB) Alumni Committee. Ryan has one child at CFIS in the Kindergarten program, and another who will be attending the school when old enough, and he looks forward to supporting their opportunity to attend a top-tier K-to-12 French Immersion school.

Jim Zunti, B.Sc. (Elec. Eng. and Applied Mathematics)

Jim Zunti earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering and Applied Mathematics from the University of Saskatchewan, followed by a Master of Business Administration degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business. He has 20 years of technical and business experience in the energy industry with major companies including Talisman Energy, Nexen, and TransCanada. He has successfully led engineering and information technology teams and projects. Jim has a child in preschool at CFIS. He is a private pilot, coaches children’s soccer, and plays hockey and soccer. Jim is interested in contributing to the ongoing quality of CFIS programs and administration.