Dr. Les Gammie (EPCOR) Chair Sector: Utility
Until his recent retirement, Les Gammie was the Director of Quality Assurance for EPCOR Water Services, based in Edmonton. He graduated with an honours degree in Chemistry from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland in 1968, immigrated to Canada, then obtained a PH.D. in Chemistry from the U of A in 1975. He has a 33 -year career in the drinking water industry, first with the Regina/Moose Jaw water supply at the Buffalo Pound Water Plant, as Chemist, then Assistant Superintendent (1976 – 1989). Work there included the upstream investigations of contaminant sources on the Qu’Appelle River.
He then joined the City of Edmonton Water Branch in 1989 as Director of Process Development, then became Director of Quality Assurance in 1993 and remained in that role as the Water Branch became AQUALTA (EPCOR) in 1996, and then EPCOR Water Services in 1999.
He carried out Edmonton Water’s first upstream watershed audit in 1991, (aimed primarily at finding sources of contamination in the watershed), and has supported subsequent EPCOR Watershed Officers in their work in the groups which developed into the NSWA, and with ongoing projects including the 1998-2001 Alberta Agriculture project on sources of Giardia &Cryptosporidium in the watershed. He has been a member of the NSWA Board of Directors since November 2005, and President since July 2007.
Pat Alexander (County of Clearwater) Vice-chair Sector: Municipal
Joint owner/operator, with wife Patricia of the Carlos Valley Ranch in the Carlos District north of Leslieville since 1973. He has four children and seven grandchildren. He has also worked for Imperial Oil for twenty years, operating oil and gas wells, compressor stations and over-seeing facility and pipeline construction. He has been director and president of the Aurora community center, 5 years as the chairman of the David Thompson High School Parent council and involved with the Gilby 4H beef club for 18 years and a coach for minor fastball for 10 years, 5 years at the provincial level. He was appointed to the environment, subdivision and development appeal board for the County of Clearwater for six years.
Since 2004 he has been councilor for the Clearwater County, Reeve for three and half years (as of Dec 2011) and served on various boards and committees. He is Vice-Chairman for the Rocky Rural Electrification Association board of directors, was appointed member of the Provincial Court Nominating Committee, and also of the Utility Consumer Advocate Committee.
Candace Vanin (PFRA) Secretary Sector: Federal Government
Candace is a Land Use Specialist with the Agri-Environment Services Branch, of Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada. Candace works with the Landscape Integration Unit, based out of Edmonton, Alberta. Her work involves provision of technical expertise on land-use issues, food system planning and policy development impacting agricultural landscapes across Canada. Candace was raised on a mixed farm near Indus, Alberta (southeast of Calgary). She completed her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 1983.
Candace has worked with Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada since 1995, originally with the former branch known as P.F.R.A, in various capacities ranging from technical specialist, to management, to policy and program development; and has contributed to numerous prairie-based and national agri-environmental programs and initiatives. Prior to coming to AAFC, she worked with the provincial government of Saskatchewan in agricultural extension, and co-managed a family farming operation involving over 4500 acres of crops, grazing lands and a 120 head cow-calf operation in the headwaters of the Assiniboine River. She possesses 20 years of professional experience in integrated land use planning, land and water resource conservation, GIS analysis, community-based watershed planning, and multi-sector, multi-disciplinary initiatives.
Candace’s involvement from 2000-03 as Co-chair of the Land Use Core Action Team (LUCAT), an Alberta-wide, multi-sector stakeholder group tasked with developing a “Provincial Land Use Strategy Framework for Alberta”, subsequently formed much of the groundwork for the current Land Use Framework initiative in Alberta. Past and current projects include: Upper Assiniboine River Basin Study, Beaver Hills Initiative, Alberta Capital Region Ag Profiling Study, North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance, Cold Lake-Beaver River Basin Advisory Council, and Vermilion River Watershed projects.
Bob Kitching (County of Brazeau) Treasurer Sector: Municipal
Councilor for Brazeau County. Owner operator of Bear Paw Ranch, an Ag tourism business. Bob served on the NSWA Intergrated Watershed Management Steering Committee for five years prior to joining the NSWA Board of Directors in 2010. He is a liason between NSWA and his rural community, his county council and other member municipalities not represented on the NSWA board.
Dr. Laurie Danielson (NCIA) Sector: Industry
Dr. Danielson joined the Northeast Capital Industrial Association as the Executive Director in 2007 following a lengthy career with Sherritt Inc., Viridian Inc. and The Westaim Corporation. Dr. Danielson holds a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Alberta and has extensive experience in regulatory compliance, government relations, and regional issues management. A longtime resident of Fort Saskatchewan, he is a member of the Association of the Chemical Profession of Alberta, and a board member of the Fort Air Partnership. Dr. Danielson resides in Fort Saskatchewan with his wife.
Tracy Scott (DU) Sector: Non Government Organization
Raised on the family farm near the City of Camrose, Tracy is a graduate of Olds College, completing studies in the Agronomy – Land Resources Program and in the Ag. Business Program with a Finance Major. Following graduation, he worked as an Agricultural Fieldman for the County of Paintearth in east central Alberta prior to obtaining employment with Ducks Unlimited Canada in 1990. During his career with DUC Tracy has functioned in various capacities including delivery of upland and wetland habitat programs to agricultural producers and as a Technical Assistant for the Alberta Environmental Farm Plan. In his current role as Provincial Watershed Coordinator for DUC, Tracy works closely with many partners to incorporate the importance of wetlands, riparian habitat and upland cover into watershed planning initiatives.
Over the last several years Tracy has played numerous roles in support of watershed partnerships. These include two terms as President of the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance (NSWA) Board of Directors. During those terms NSWA obtained WPAC status, completed its State of the Watershed Reportand received an Emerald Award for its accomplishments. In addition to his other duties on the NSWA Board, Tracy serves as the Board rep. on the NSWA Integrated Watershed Management Plan Steering Committee, is a member of the Communications Working Group and chaired NSWA’s Watershed Stewardship Group working group. He served as a member of the Red Deer River Basin Advisory Committee since early 2003 and was an initiating partner of the Red Deer River Watershed Alliance (RDRWA). He currently serves on the RDRWA Board and as chair of the RDRWA State of Watershed Steering Committee. Involved in the work being done in the Battle River Watershed from the very initial stages, he was an active member of the Battle River Watershed Advisory Group and now serves as Vice Chair of theBattle River Watershed Alliance (BRWA) Board of Directors and sits on BRWA’s State of the Watershed Project Steering committee. Additionally, he is a member of the Bow River Basin Council’s IWMP Steering Committee and Strategic Watershed Action Team, the Nose Creek Technical Advisory Committee and theAlberta Stewardship Network’s Board of Directors as well as serving on the curriculum review committees for Lakeland College and Olds College. As a past member of the Iron Creek Watershed Improvement Societyand other local initiatives, he is well attuned to local stewardship issues in rural Alberta.
At a provincial scale, Tracy has recently served on two Alberta Water Council (AWC) project teams, the Shared Governance and Watershed Planning Framework Project Team, where he represented the interests of Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils throughout Alberta, and on the AWC Healthy Aquatic Ecosystems Project Team.
Fayi Zhou (City of Edmonton) Sector: Large Urban Municipality
Fayi is the general supervisor in the development planning sub-section of the Drainage Services department of the City of Edmonton. He leads various watershed management projects such as Low Impact Development Implementation, River for Life vision, Stormwater Servicing and management, and public education. Prior to his current employment, he was a senior research fellow at the St. Anthony Falls Hydraulic Laboratory at the University of Minnesota. He has also worked for international consultant firms CH2MHILL and AMEC. He holds a position of adjunct associate professor with the University of Concordia.
Fayi got his PhD from Civil & Environmental Engineering from University of Alberta (2000), his bachelor (1984) and master degrees (1987) in Civil and water resources engineering from Dalian University of Technology (formerly Dalian Institute of Technology) in China. He has over 25 years of experience in water resources and environmental engineering, covering the project management, planning, design and construction. He is also a certified project management professional (PMP) with the Project Management Institute.
Fayi has published over fifty papers in peered reviewed journals and conference proceedings. He is a reviewer of Journal of Hydraulics (ASCE), International Journal of Hydraulic Research (IJHR), Journal of Computation Engineering (IJCES), and Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering.
Dr. Nomi Krogman (U of A) Sector: Individual Member at Large
Naomi is an environmental or resource sociologist with a particular interest in cumulative social impacts of resource development and how local people can play a stronger role in resource management. This has led her to examine integrated resource management, forest co-management, local perceptions of changing land uses (e.g. poplar plantations), local buy-outs of forest product mills and forest tenures, public involvement in forest management, and social impacts of resource development (currently in Fort McMurray and Yellowknife). Her dissertation (1995) addressed why wetlands continued to be filled in Louisiana despite a “no net loss” policy at the time, and currently, as part of a larger Alberta Water Research Institute grant, she (with Suzanne Bayley, Lee Foote, Irena Creed, Shari Clare, and Gabor Sass) are studying wetland policy implementation in Alberta and how it might be improved in the Beaver Hills sub watershed. For the past several years she has taught a special graduate seminar with Killam Memorial Professor Dave Schindler on “Water in Western Canada”, “Integrated Resource Management”, “Oil Sands in the International Spotlight”, and “Social and Ecological Impacts of Northern Development.” This course and her research has acquainted her with relevant experts to NSWA across the U of A campus, the province, and throughout Canada.
She has served on the Edmonton Environmental Advisory Board for 3 years, and currently sits on the Environmental Task Force for the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce. As an academic, a citizen, and a person with a long term commitment to Alberta, she is pleased to merge her academic interests with her role as an elected member of the NSWA WPAC.
Pat Gordeyko (County of Two Hills) Sector: Municipal
Involved in municipal politics since 1998, Patrick is currently Councilor for the County of Two Hills, a position he has held since 2005. Previously, he was the Deputy Reeve/Councilor in 2003-2004, and Reeve/Councilor from 1998-2002. He is also Chairman of Agricultural Service Boards Provincial Committee, a member of the Federation of Gas Utilities Strategic Task Force Committee, and current President of the Two Hills Agricultural Society, an organization he has belonged to since 1998.
Pat farms near the Town of Two Hills.
Andrew Schoepf (Alberta Environment and Water) Sector: Provincial Government
Andrew is Senior Planner with Alberta Environment, Regional Services and is the Department’s representative on the NSWA Board and Integrated Watershed Management Committee. Andrew has over 15 years experience working on integrated resource management issues within both the forestry and agricultural sectors. Born in Germany to first generation immigrants, raised on the prairies, and studied in Sweden, Andrew brings an eclectic mix experience and perspectives to the table. He shares a passion for the conservation of our natural environment, and has been an active member of the NSWA since its founding.
He currently resides in Edmonton with his wife and children, and is an avid fly fisherman, photographer, and home handyman.
Bill Fox (Alberta Beef) Sector: Agriculture
With a certificate of Practical Agriculture from Vermilion School of Agriculture, now Lakeland College, Bill Fox operates a mixed farm in the Elk Point/Bonnyville area. He is an Alberta Beef Producers Delegate for Zone 8, a member of Alberta Conservation Tillage Association, has participated in a working group for AG Summit 2000, is on the Board of Lakeland College Alumni, and is presently Alberta Beef’s Environment Committee Representative member on the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance Board. He is also the Agriculture rep on the Bever River Watershed Alliance Board.
In his spare time, he farms and does custom work for other farmers and for Provincial Grazing Reserves.He has also done construction work in the oil field.
Bob Winship (forestry) Sector: Forestry
Bob has been a professional forester for over 32 years, practicing primarily in Alberta. His work experience has been varied and encompasses all aspects of professional practice including silviculture, forest management planning, integrated resource management, timber harvesting, road construction, and environmental certification.
He has authored landscape level forest management plans involving resource inventory and analysis. In recent years, he have represented both Weyerhaeuser and the forest industry with Government and other stakeholders on key issues related to Aboriginal interests, integrated land management and resource management policy. Hs current role with Weyerhaeuser is in business management for the forestry side of the Company (termed Timberlands).
Aaron Rognvaldson (Husky) Sector: Petroleum
Aaron is an Environmental Specialist with the Husky Ram River Sour Gas Processing Plant. He is a certified Engineering Technologist and is a 1999 graduate of the Hydrogeological Technology course at NAIT.
Since graduation he has been employed as groundwater specialist by various firms including Komex International, Thurber Environmental Ltd. andEnvironmental Solutions Group Inc. He was also employed as a project manger with Alberta Research Council. Aaron has been with Husky Energy since 2005 and is the chairman for the Parkland Airshed Management Zone (PAMZ).
Shirley Benson (Métis Association of Alberta) Sector: First Nations
Vacant Sector: Utility
