It is my pleasure to welcome two new members who have been appointed by Minister Mary Anne Jablonski to the Calgary Region Community Board. I look forward to working with new Board members, Dr. Keith Seel, Dr. Deborah Sword, returning Board members and Administration in achieving the Board’s vision of “An Alberta that honours and respects the dignity and equal worth of persons with developmental disabilities.”
Dr. Keith Seel comes to us with extensive experience as the Director of the Institute for Nonprofit Studies at Mount Royal College where he designed Canada’s first Bachelor’s degree in Applied Nonprofit Studies. Dr. Seel is the past Chair of the Calgary Service Provider’s Chairs Council, which is an association of the Chairs of 45 service provider agencies.
As a parent of a daughter with Down Syndrome, Dr. Seel looks forward to applying his wide range of work and volunteer experience to further improve services to adults with developmental disabilities.
Dr. Deborah Sword, the daughter of parents with disabilities, brings to her role as a new Board member, experience in Board governance and teaching disability management facilitation for an international service provider. Dr. Sword’s background as a lawyer and in cross-cultural and diversity training will certainly provide valuable insight as our Board moves ahead with future goals.
With these two new appointments comes the departure of two of our longest serving Board members. On behalf of the Calgary Region Community Board Persons with Developmental Disabilities, I would like to express our appreciation to Kathy Clarke and Dick Cochrane.
Kathy has given tirelessly to the Board for the last eight years in various committee roles, culminating in her serving as Board Vice – Chair.
Dick Cochrane has been a steadfast contributor to those with special needs for over 25 years, including serving on numerous PDD committees. Dick brought a perspective of the individual’s needs to our discussions.
Our best wishes to Kathy and Dick and our sincere appreciation for their role on the Board in supporting people with developmental disabilities.
I am pleased that there is a continuity of current Board members as Irene McEachern, Pam Crosby, Jean Fraser, and Jerry Muelaner will carry on to serve as Board members. Our Board will build on what has been achieved and we look forward to working together with Dr. Alex Hillyard, CEO and all stakeholders as we address the opportunities and challenges facing our region today and in the future.