For more than 3 decades John Vos has been immersed in the ‘business of stories.’ His craft and trade has been honed in leading people, telling stories and staying tuned into audiences. Wanting to chronical the city around him, John worked as a reporter covering vast array events.

With a decade of reporting under his belt John took his unfettered curiosity and interest in other people to deliver leadership at 770 CHQR Calgary. Under his direction as News Director, CHQR's newsroom blanketed the city of Calgary and Province of Alberta. Wanting to expand his horizon, John took his appetite for telling stories to Global Calgary where he worked as Managing Editor for Global News. John answered a clarion call back to radio as Program Director at 770 CHQR and Operations Manager at Corus Radio Calgary in 2006. Since then his work has zeroed in on leading integration across radio, digital and TV news platforms. 

John joined the board of the Calgary Children’s Foundation in 2007 and became the foundation Board Chairman in 2014.

Award winning journalist, Linda Olsen, is a proud born and raised Calgarian.  She graduated from SAIT in 1988 with Honors in Broadcast Journalism and started her career that same year at Global Saskatoon.

Linda joined Global Calgary in 1995 and since then has covered some of the biggest events to hit the city including the 2013 Southern Alberta floods. 

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Linda was also host and producer of Global’s Woman of Vision series since its inception in Calgary in 1998. For 15 years, she highlighted the stories of inspirational women in the community. In 2001, the Alberta Media Production Industries Association (AMPIA) nominated the special as Best Public Affairs Program. In 2002, Linda received the AMPIA Award for Best Anchor, and in 2003 she accepted the Best Host award for the Woman of Vision Special. Linda was also part of the team that won RTDNA’s award for Canada’s Best Newscast in 2018 and 2014.

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An advocate for the community, along with her position as board member with the Calgary Children’s Foundation, Linda is an honorary board member of Believe in the Gold, a local charity aimed at raising awareness and supporting research for children with cancer in Calgary.

When she’s not on the anchor desk, Linda can be found out in the city hosting a number of charity events or spending time with her three children.

Carmela Gentile has been with Global News for 14 years and is a graduate of Humber College. She has been a news leader for ten years, the majority of which has been spent leading teams in Lethbridge and Calgary. She is passionate about journalism and community and focuses on engagement, diversity and innovation. She loves mentoring young journalists and ensures she is proactively engaging youth in Calgary post-secondary schools to help them learn and grow.

Doug Young is the Market Sales Manager for Corus Entertainment in Calgary.  Doug has been with Corus for 21 years.  Doug’s role is to manage the sales and the sales team for Global TV Calgary, Global TV Lethbridge, Country 105 FM, CFGQ FM and CHQR News Talk Radio.

Doug has served on the Board of the Canadian Country Music Awards as the Chairman, The Board of Tourism Calgary and the Board of the Southern Alberta Shopping Center Association.

In addition to over 26 years in media. Doug was also the Director of Sales and Marketing for the Calgary Cannons Baseball Club and the marketing director for Cambridge Shopping Centers  

Doug is a born and bred Calgarian with three boys.  Doug is a huge Flames and Stampeder fan. Doug worked for the NHL for 33 years as an off-ice official.

Family is a priority for Doug and his wife Chantelle. The wellbeing of the kids of Calgary is of paramount interest and concern. . I am honored and excited to join the board of the Calgary Children’s Foundation.

Len Perry is an independent management consultant with 35 years of experience in the broadcast and digital media industry

Most recently he was a Regional Vice-President for Bell Media.  While leading the operations at CTV Calgary, CTV Edmonton and CTV 2 Alberta, he also had a strategic role on the leadership team, overseeing assets in television, radio and digital media.  Len has held news leadership positions with CBC, Calgary7 (Global) and CTV.  His teams have been consistently rewarded with ratings growth and industry recognition, including the Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence.

In addition to his Broadcast Journalism credentials from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Len has studied at Queen’s School of Business and Mount Royal University.  He has been a guest lecturer on journalism and media at the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University.  Len is the recipient of the Broadcaster of the Year Award, presented by the Broadcast Educators Association of Canada.

He has served on the board of the Western Association of Broadcasters, the Board of Governors for St. Mary’s University and the campaign cabinet for the Mustard Seed affordable housing tower.

Len is a creative cook and an enthusiastic fly fisher with an affinity for the backcountry in Alberta and B.C. 

Kari Griffith, a third generation born Albertan was raised on a farm near Balzac and graduated from the University of Calgary with a Commerce Degree majoring in Marketing in 1992.  She currently lives on an acreage NW of Calgary with her husband Rees and together they have 5 children.

Professionally, Kari was a Sales and Marketing Professional for 3 years with Xerox Canada and 22 years with Corus Radio and Global TV. Currently, Kari is a business manager for West Haven Land & Developments and a Realtor with Smith & Griffith Real Estate Team with CIR Realty. 

Kari enjoys giving back to her community through volunteering for several non-profit organizations. She has spent 30 years volunteering for the Calgary Stampede in a variety of leadership roles such as Stampede Queen, Committee Chair, Grouping Chair, Governance and Strategic Chair Support, appointed Board Committees and currently is an appointed member of the Strategic Board Committee. Kari also volunteers as a Board Member for Quest Theatre Society the 4H Foundation of Alberta.

Faisal Karmali provides Canadians with sound retirement planning, financial planning, and investment advice as an Investment Advisor and Portfolio Manager at the Popowich Karmali Advisory Group, CIBC Wood Gundy. In 2018 and 2019, Wealth Professional Canada listed Faisal as one of the top 50 advisors in Canada, and in 2020, he was ranked first in the country.

Faisal has shared his expertise with the public for almost a decade by co-hosting More Than Money, a radio show on Calgary’s Global News Radio (770CHQR) dedicated to retirement finance and lifestyle topics. Faisal also regularly appears across various other media to discuss financial and retirement issues, including providing daily business and market updates on both Global News Radio (770CHQR) and CTV Morning Live.

He joined the Calgary Children’s Foundation in 2015 as a Board Member to give back to the community where he was born and raised.

Born and raised in Calgary, AB, Dan DeSantis has 38 years of Tourism and Hotel Industry experience bringing a wealth of expertise from past positions all over BC and AB. 

Currently the Area General Manager of 3 Marriott Hotel brands in Calgary, Dan takes great joy in managing the Delta Hotels Calgary Airport In-Terminal, Calgary Airport Marriott In-Terminal and The Westin Calgary. 

Dan has enjoyed sitting on many boards and committees in the past, directly involving him in the Tourism Industry. He has been a board member for Tourism Sunpeaks, Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, and Kananaskis Improvement District. Dan’s past positions include Chair on Tourism Canmore/Kananaskis, and as a member of AB Strategic Tourism Council. Dan currently is the past chair of the Board of Directors for Tourism Calgary and is a board Member for the Calgary Hotel Association. 

Being a dedicated contributor to community, a highlight in Dan’s volunteering has been traveling to Disney Land with the Dreams Take Flight Organization for two years providing the trip-of-a-lifetime to medically, mentally, physically, socially, or emotionally challenged children.

Outside of Hospitality & volunteering, Dan enjoys travelling, spending time with family and has a passion for running.
 

Starting a career at the Westin Ottawa, Kimberly Paton is a 20 plus year veteran with Marriott International. In 2006, Kim moved to Calgary to continue her journey in hospitality at The Westin Calgary, who are co-founders of the Calgary Children’s Foundation. Immediately drawn to the energy of Pledge Day and the impact it makes to many little lives, Kim has actively volunteered for Pledge Day every year. Through her work at the foundation over the last fifteen years, Kim has brought her enthusiasm and commitment to the radiothon. This passion of giving back has led her being nominated to the Board in 2009.
In her spare time, Kim enjoys spending time outdoors in Calgary and the surrounding area with her canine child “Jax”.
 

Dave Bronconnier is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Interloq Capital Inc. and former Mayor of Calgary where he served three consecutive terms between 2001 and 2010. Following his third term as mayor, he was appointed Alberta Envoy to the United States where he served between 2011 and 2012.