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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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DOUG YOUNG

Board Chair

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, and QR Calgary.
 
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.

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CARMELA GENTILE

Board Member

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.

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LINDA OLSEN

Board Member

Award-winning journalist Linda Olsen is a proud born and raised Calgarian.  After graduating from SAIT in Calgary in 1988 with Honors in Broadcast Journalism, she started her career at Global Saskatoon.  Within six months, she moved back to her hometown after accepting a role at CTV Calgary.

In 1995, Linda joined Global Calgary and just recently retired after a 36-year career as a reporter, anchor and producer.

Linda has extensive experience as a trusted voice of the community as a senior news anchor and community advocate and has spent her career highlighting the stories of Calgarians and the work being done in this world-class city. She has been a host, emcee and keynote speaker for numerous charitable events throughout the city and beyond.  

Linda was also host and producer of Global Television’s Woman of Vision series from its inception in Calgary in 1998. For 15 years, she highlighted the stories of inspirational women in the community with monthly television news features and columns in the Calgary Herald, culminating with a gala luncheon every year on International Women’s Day.

An ambassador and advocate for the community, Linda is honoured to be a board member with the Calgary Children’s Foundation and has also served as a board member with Parks Foundation Calgary, and as an honorary board member of Believe in the Gold, a local children’s cancer charity.

Linda is proud to have received an Honorary Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from SAIT in 2015, as well as SAIT’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2022. Linda was also recognized with the Honorary Fellow Award at Calgary’s St. Mary’s University in 2020.   

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LEN PERRY

Board Member

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. 

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DAN DESANTIS

Board Member

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.

 

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KIMBERLY PATON

Board Member

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”.

 

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TAMMY TRUMAN

Board Member

Tammy Truman is well known in Calgary as the owner of Truman Insurance Agency for over 28 years. She sold her business Dec 31/22 back to The Co-operators insurance and is now employed part time with them as a Business Consultant. In addition to her wealth of knowledge in the insurance industry for a total of over 40 years, Tammy has been very involved with numerous charities.  Many organizations have been the recipient of her generosity including the Calgary Children’s Foundation.
Tammy has been a member of Chinook Rotary for the past 28 years and currently sits as secretary for the Chinook Rotary Society. Calgary Stampeders and Flames are also huge beneficiary of Tammy’s community spirit, as sponsor, partner, suite and season ticket holder and foundation supporter.
If you don’t see Tammy at a sports game or a charity fundraiser you then might find her on a boat, watersking with one of her 34 nieces/nephews.

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DAVID POPOWICH

Board Member

Dave Popowich is a Portfolio Manager and Senior Wealth Advisor with the Popowich Karmali Advisory Group, CIBC Wood Gundy. Growing up with a parent in the financial industry, Dave was exposed to investing at a young age. After earning a degree in commerce from the University of Alberta, he saw a unique opportunity to make a difference for people in the most financially vulnerable time of their lives: retirement.
Dave co-hosts More Than Money, a weekly radio program that covers a variety of financial and lifestyle topics. He is also a business and market expert for QR Calgary and CTV, where he appears regularly to share his insights on retirement as well as financial and economic issues.
Dave is a dedicated supporter of the Calgary Children’s Foundation because he believes that all kids should have access to the opportunities that his children have.

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SPRYNG KUBICEK

Board Member

Spryng Kubicek is currently serving as the Executive Director of CALEP. With over 30 years of experience across for-profit and non-profit sectors, she's developed a passion for improving business efficiencies and driving process improvements. In her previous role as Vice President of Operations at Associations Plus, she managed a diverse portfolio of associations and accounting clients, always striving to accelerate success through problem-solving and multitasking.
Now, at CALEP, Spryng is excited to lead and support the organization’s growth. She is always eager to connect with members and volunteers, inviting them to stop by for a coffee and chat. Relationships are essential to her— she feels a strong sense of accountability for the success of those she works with and is always looking for ways to improve, learn, and contribute. Outside work, Spryng is proud to serve on many boards, including the Calgary Children's Foundation, Girls Hockey Calgary, and two condo boards, where she continues to see the power of volunteers and collaboration.

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CHRIS BASSETT

Board Member

Chris Bassett is the current Vice President of Network Content, Production and Distribution & Editorial Standards for Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment. 
 
Chris has been in the news media industry for more than 25 years - including 14 years in leadership positions with Global - and has worked in a variety of editorial positions on all platforms for media outlets over his career including CTV News and ABC News. Teams he has led and worked alongside have been recognized with numerous high-profile awards over the years including multiple Canadian Screen Awards and numerous Radio Television Digital News Assocation, Edward R. Murrow, and Western Association of Broadcasters awards. He currently oversees a number of departments at Global News including the division's national streaming service and internationally syndicated program Crime Beat. 
 
Born, raised, and educated in Calgary, Chris has supported countless local charities and believes strongly in grassroots charitable initiatives like those supported by the Calgary Children's Foundation and is honoured to join the CCF board. 

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