University of Alberta Board of Governors
Ashdown, Christopher
Mr. Christopher Ashdown is a retiree and ordained as a Permanent Deacon of the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton. He has served on several boards and committees, including as President of the Edmonton Radial Railway Society, former Board Chair of St. Joseph’s Auxiliary Hospital in Edmonton, and past committee member for Covenant Health and the Covenant Foundation. He holds a Master of Health Services Administration degree and Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Alberta.
Young, Kate
Ms. Kate Young is a Management Consultant with KPMG and Registered Nurse. She is an active volunteer, having served as Chair of the University of Alberta Faculty of Nursing Alumni Board, a member of the Faculty of Nursing Strategic Advisory Committee, and a University of Alberta Senator. She holds a Master of Business Administration degree and a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Alberta, and a Certificate in Quality Management with distinction from the University of Manitoba.
Chisholm, Kate
Ms. Kate Chisholm is the Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer for Capital Power Corporation. She serves on several boards and committees, including Carbon Management Canada, Canadian Electricity Association, and current executive committee member with the Institute of Corporate Directors. She was a founding board member of the Calgary City Centre Rotary Club. She holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Queen’s University, a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Alberta, and Bachelor of Arts degree from Mount Allison University. Ms. Chisholm has her ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Competencies required for members of The Governors of The University of Alberta include the core competencies of leadership and governance as well as preferred competencies of finance, human resources, legal, risk management, and/or strategic planning. Kat Chisholm was directly appointed in August 2019 on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above.
Ross, Tom
Mr. Tom Ross is a practicing lawyer and partner at McLennan Ross LLP. He has experience in the areas of labour arbitrations, wrongful dismissal, human rights, privacy, and a variety of other labour and employment issues. He has received annual recognition in The Best Lawyers in Canada for Labour and Employment Law and the Leading Business Lawyer under Management Labour & Employment, Who’s Who Legal: Canada. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree from the University of Western Ontario and earned his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Alberta.
Competencies required for members of The Governors of The University of Alberta include the core competencies of leadership and governance as well as preferred competencies of finance, human resources, legal, risk management, and/or strategic planning. Tom Ross was directly appointed in August 2019 on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above.
Saraf, Rakesh
Mr. Rakesh Saraf has been a self-employed independent consultant since 2018. Prior to this, he was Head of Private Investments with the Alberta Teachers' Retirement Fund for eight years. He has served as a board member with NCSG, RTL - Westcan, KMC Mining and many more. He holds a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Chennai in India, and a Masters in Management Studies from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies in Mumbai. Mr. Saraf is a Chartered Financial Analyst and holds an ICD.D. designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Competencies required for members of The Governors of The University of Alberta include: leadership, governance, finance, human resources, legal, risk management and/or strategic planning. Rakesh Saraf was directly recruited and appointed on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills and attributes as described above.
Bridgeman, Guy
Mr. Guy Bridgeman is a retiree and a former Senior Vice President with EPCOR. He currently serves on several boards including as Vice Chair with Claystone Waste Management, a member with Alberta Electric System Operator, and Rohit Advisor Board. He also serves on the Executive Committee of Institute of Corporate Directors, Edmonton Chapter. He holds a Ph.D. degree in Economics, a Master of Arts degree in Economics, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Western Ontario. Mr. Bridgeman has his ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Competencies required for members of The Governors of The University of Alberta include the core competencies of leadership and governance as well as preferred competencies of finance, human resources, legal, risk management, and/or strategic planning. Guy Bridgeman was directly appointed in November 2019 on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above.
MacKinnon, Janice
Ms. Janice MacKinnon is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a member of the Order of Canada, and a former Saskatchewan Finance Minister. She is a Professor of fiscal policy at the University of Saskatchewan and an Executive Fellow at the University of the Calgary School of Public Policy. She serves as Co-Chair of The She Leads Economic Council of Alberta and Co-Chair of the Manitoba Commission reviewing the K-12 education system. She served as Chair of Alberta's Blue Ribbon Panel, Chair of Canada's Economic Advisory Council, and Chair of the Board of the Institute for Research on Public Policy and board member of the Canada West Foundation. She holds a Ph.D. and a Master of Arts degree from Queen's University and also a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours from the University of Western Ontario.
Competencies required for members of The Governors of The University of Alberta include the core competencies of leadership and governance as well as preferred competencies of finance, human resources, legal, risk management, and/or strategic planning. Ms. MacKinnon was directly appointed in March 2020 on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above.
Whittaker, Paul
Mr. Paul Whittaker served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Alberta Forest Products Association. He is Co-Chair of the Alberta Softwood Lumber Trade Council, Chair of the Capital Region Housing Corporation, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation. He previously worked at the Government of Alberta where he served as Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Relations, Deputy Secretary to Cabinet and Deputy Clerk of Executive Council. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with Honours from Wilfrid Laurier University, and a Master of Public Administration degree from Queen’s University.
Competencies required for members of The Governors of The University of Alberta include the core competencies of leadership and governance as well as the preferred competencies of finance, human resources, legal, risk management, and/or strategic planning. Mr. Whittaker was directly appointed in March 2020 on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above.
Bhambhani, Zarina
Ms. Zarina Bhambhani is an Audit Partner with KPMG LLP. She has held several senior positions with KPMG in their Edmonton, Calgary, and New York offices. She is a Facilitator with the Institute of Corporate Directors and Treasurer and Executive Committee Member with the Edmonton Downtown Business Association. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree with Honours from the University of Alberta.
Competencies required for members of The Governors of The University of Alberta include the core competencies of leadership and governance as well as the preferred competencies of finance, human resources, legal, risk management, and/or strategic planning. Ms. Bhambhani was directly appointed in July 2020 on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above.
Zenari, Lillian
Ms. Lillian Zenari is the Senior Assistant Vice President Finance with Canadian Western Bank. Previously, she was the Controller of EPCOR Water Services and a Senior Manager with EPCOR Utilities Inc. She is a Member of the YWCA Finance and Audit Committee and a past Treasurer with the Italian Cultural Society. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta.
Competencies required for members of The Governors of The University of Alberta include the core competencies of leadership and governance as well as the preferred competencies of finance, human resources, legal, risk management, and/or strategic planning. Ms. Zenari was directly appointed in July 2020 on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above.
Policicchio, Sett
Mr. Sett Policicchio has over 38 years of experience in the utility and construction industry as a Professional Engineer. He has spent the last 17 years within senior executive roles with ATCO Electric. He serves as member on the Board of Directors of Catholic Social Services. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alberta. He has an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and is a Professional member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta.
Competencies required for members of The Governors of The University of Alberta include the core competencies of leadership, and governance as well as the preferred competencies of finance, human resources, legal, risk management, and/or strategic planning. Mr. Policicchio was directly appointed in September 2020 on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above.
Vethanayagam, Dilini
Professor Delini Vethanayagam is a Professor with the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. She is an Academic Clinician (Respirologist) with her academic practice based at the University of Alberta Hospital/Kaye Edmonton Clinic. Over the past seven years she has sat as a faculty representative to the General Faculties Counci (GFC), GFC representative to the Council of Student Affairs, Chair Selection Committee and GFC representative to the Senate.
Dr. Vethanayagam followed her medical degree from the University of Alberta with a rotating internship at Dalhousie University, an internal medicine residency at Queen’s University, a respirology fellowship at the University of Western Ontario and an asthma clinical research fellowship at McMaster University. She was recruited from Hamilton Health Sciences to the University of Alberta in 2003.
Vemana, Venkata
Mr. Venkata Vemana is a professional engineer licensed in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario. He is the Project Technical/Quality Director with TransEd Partners and Technical Director with EllisDon Capital. He serves as a member on the Alberta Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta Board of Examiners and a member on the Registration Competency Assessor with the Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia. Mr. Vemana holds a Master of Engineering degree in Structural Engineering from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Mysore in India.
Competencies required for members of The Governors of The University of Alberta include the core competencies of leadership and governance as well as preferred competencies of finance, human resources, legal, risk management, and/or strategic planning. Mr. Vemana was directly appointed on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above.
Arshad, Muhammad Haseeb
med Arshad is a third year Ph.D. student in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He holds a Master’s degree from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, where he worked on AI-powered intelligent variable speed drives. In 2021, he was a research assistant at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Glock, Lisa
Ms. Lisa Glock is in her fifth year of a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Political Science and Women and Gender Studies, with certificates in Leadership, and Sustainability.
Lam, Adrien
Ms. Adrien Lam is a fourth year Honors Immunology and Infection student. She volunteers with the Stollery Children’s Hospital and works with children as a coding instructor.
Bricker, Ross
Mr. Ross Bricker is the Managing Director with Westcott Ventures Inc. He is a Director and Audit Committee Member with Fortis Alberta, Director with the Agriculture Financial Services Corp, Chair of Genome Canada, and is on the Core Evaluation Team with Genome Canada. He serves on the Bachelor of Applied Science Agribusiness Advisory Committee with Olds College and is a member of the Canadian Hereford Association. Mr. Bricker holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Regina and a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture from the University of Alberta.
Competencies required for members of The Governors of The University of Alberta include the core competencies of leadership and governance as well as the preferred competencies of finance, human resources, legal, risk management, and/or strategic planning. Mr. Bricker was directly appointed on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above.
Durstling, Darren
Hastman, Ryan
Safranovich, Miles
Seidel, Rob
Wheatley, Diane
Kadima, Ange
Dr. Ange Kadima is the President of AnKAD Consulting Inc., a consulting firm that provides services to government agencies, entrepreneurs, and small- and medium-sized businesses in the development and commercialization of technologies in the life sciences sector and overseas market. He has served as Director of Industry Programs with Alberta Ingenuity Fund and Alberta Innovates Technology Future, as board chair of the Center of Well Being and Prevention for African-Canadians, and as Prairie Regional Chair on the National Ethnocultural Advisory Committee. Dr. Kadima holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology, a Master of Science degree in Microbiology, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from the University of Alberta.
Morrish, William
Dr. William Morrish is an Undergraduate Labs Coordinator with the Department of Physics at the University of Alberta. He is the recipient of various awards, including the Associate Dean of Learning and Innovation Bestie Award, Doctoral Dissertation Award, Faculty of Science Graduate Student Teaching Award, Vega Prize for Astronomy, Louise McKinney Post-Secondary Scholarship, Altalink Centennial Scholarship, and the Jason Lang Scholarship. Dr. Morrish holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Physics and a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics with Distinction from the University of Alberta. July, 2024
Kane, Kevin
Dr. Kevin Kane is a professor with the department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology within the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta. He is also a member of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology. He served as president, past president, and vice president of the Association of Academic Staff at the University of Alberta, and he has also served as the co-chair of the Public Interest Alberta Post Secondary Education Task Force. October, 2024.