Northwestern Polytechnic Board of Governors
Beairsto, Andrew (Cody)
Mr. Cody Beairsto is a Senior Director and Managing Partner with Beairsto and Associates Engineering Ltd. Currently, he is a member with the Northern Alberta Development Council, Trustee with the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees, and a member on the Northwestern Polytechnic Workforce Advisory Committee. He is a professional engineer and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Alberta.
Competencies required for members of The Board of Governors of Northwestern Polytechnic 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. Beairsto was directly appointed on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above.
Miller, Shawna
Ms. Shawna Miller is the Chief Financial Officer of Virtus Services Ltd., as well as the President and Business Owner of Smithco Enterprises Ltd. which operates 16 Subway Restaurants. She is the Chair of the Alberta Chamber of Commerce, board member with the Workers' Compensation Board, and a board member with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Sociology from the University of Alberta and a Business Administration certificate in Accounting from Grande Prairie Regional College.
Forbes, Jason
Mr. Jason Forbes is a Senior Partner with KMSC Law LLP. He has served on a number of boards and community organizations, including Chair of the Grande Prairie and District Society for Christian Education, former interim Chair of the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital Foundation, and a member on the BILD Grande Prairie. Mr. Forbes holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Victoria and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Saskatchewan.
Competencies required for members of The Board of Governors of Northwestern Polytechnic 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. Forbes was directly appointed on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above.
Wittig, Ken
Mr. Ken Wittig is part Owner and Business Development Manager at Northstar Hydrovac and President and Business Owner of Star Energy Logistics Ltd. He is also currently serving as a Councillor for the Town of Valleyview and as a board member with both the Valleyview and District Chamber of Commerce and the Grande Prairie Regional Tourism Association. Mr. Wittig holds a Business Management certificate from Grande Prairie Regional College and a Project Management certificate from Northern Lakes College.
Competencies required for members of The Board of Governors of Northwestern Polytechnic 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. Wittig was directly appointed on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above.
Landis, Dennis
Mr. Dennis Landis is the former Chief Executive Officer and Chairman at Prairie Coast Equipment. He is active in his community and serves at various boards, including Chairman of the Workforce Advisory Council at Northwestern Polytechnic and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Peace River Bible Institute. Mr. Landis holds a Bachelor of Religious Education degree from the Peace River Bible Institute.
Competencies required for members of The Board of Governors of Northwestern Polytechnic 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. Landis was directly appointed on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above.
Kerschbaumer, Heather
Ms. Heather Kerschbaumer is the owner of Golden Acre Seed, a forage seed cleaning facility and marketing business on her family farm. She has more than 25 years of leadership experience with agricultural organizations, and is currently serving as Treasurer at Organic Alberta. Ms. Kerschbaumer was the past President of Forage Seed Canada, and a founding member and past Treasurer of the Peace Region Forage Seed Association. Ms. Kerschbaumer was a student at the former Fairview College, now part of the Northwestern Polytechnic campus.
Competencies required for members of The Board of Governors of Northwestern Polytechnic include the core competencies of leadership and governance and preferred competencies of finance, human resources, legal, risk management, and/or strategic planning. Ms. Kerschbaumer was directly appointed in February 2021 on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above.
May, Tyler
McMann, Michael
Jyotheendran, Karthika
Ms. Karthika Jyotheendran is an International Student Recruitment and Retention Specialist at Northwestern Polytechnic. Prior to this, she was an International Services Assistant at Georgian College in Barrie, Ontario. She served as a student representative on the Board of Governors of Georgian College. She holds certificates in Good Governance, Advanced Good Governance, Leadership Excellence, Risk Management, College Financial Leadership, and Computer Desktop Publishing. Ms. Jyotheendran also holds a Social Service Worker diploma from Georgian College in Orillia, Ontario. July, 2024
Pietsch, Andrew
Mr. Andrew Pietsch is a Heavy Equipment Technician Instructor at the Fairview campus of Northwestern Polytechnic. He has completed the Becoming a Master Instructor program at NAIT and has a Red Seal certificate in the Heavy Equipment Technician trade.
Ezzeddine, Hala
Ms. Hala Ezzeddine is currently enrolled in the Business Administration diploma program at Northwestern Polytechnic. She has served as the Vice President Internal for the Northwestern Students’ Association from May 2023 to May 2025. She currently works in the Event Services department of Northwestern Polytechnic and volunteers at the Grande Prairie Art Gallery. Ms. Ezzeddine is a recipient of the Jean Duplessis Family Legacy Fund, Volunteer of the Year Award, and the Lawrence Décor Award. June 2025.
Nutting, Jan
Mr. Jan Nutting is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and Certified Financial Planner with over 15 years of experience in auditing, public accounting, and financial reporting. His work includes conducting audits for municipalities, non-profit organizations, and private entities. He has served as a treasurer on several boards, including the United Way Alberta Northwest and the Grande Prairie Alberta Summer Games Society. Mr. Nutting has been a partner at Fletcher Mudryk LLP since 2017 and is a recipient of the CPA Alberta Early Achievement Award. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta.
Pollock, Tab
Mr. Tab Pollock has over 30 years of experience in financial planning and sales through his work with Neil and Associates and Quadrus Investments Services Ltd. Mr. Pollock is currently the President of Signco Commercial Billboards. He has served on the Grande Prairie Chamber of Commerce, the Alberta Chambers of Commerce, the Board of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and the Northern Alberta Chapter of the Advocis Board, which represents the Financial Advisors Association of Canada. Mr. Pollock also served as the Vice-Chair of The Board of Governors of Grande Prairie Regional College (now Northwestern Polytechnic) from April 2011 until June 2017.
Schmaltz, Wendy
Ms. Wendy Schmaltz is the Principal and Managing Partner of Schmaltz & Company, Chartered Professional Accountants, in Fairview, Alberta, and she supports her family’s mixed farming operation, Schmaltz Acres Ltd. She previously served as Controller and Assistant Manager for Clear Hills County and has held volunteer roles on various boards and community initiatives. Ms. Schmaltz holds a degree in Administration from Athabasca University and earned her Chartered Professional Account designation in August 2002, where she received the highest marks in Northern Alberta on the 2001 Uniform Final Exam.