Mount Royal University Board of Governors
O'Leary, Thomas
Mr. Thomas O'Leary is a partner with Dentons Canada LLP in its Calgary office. He is a senior member of the Litigation group and his advocacy practice involves a broad spectrum of commercial disputes. He served as a director on the board of the Calgary Stampede from 2010-20. He holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Western Ontario. He was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 1991.
Competencies required for members of The Board of Governors of Mount Royal University include the core competencies of leadership and governance, and preferred competencies of finance, human resources, legal, risk management, and/or strategic planning. Mr. O'Leary was directly appointed in December 2019 on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above. August 2022
Schaefer, Robert
Mr. Robert Schaefer is a retired executive with a 30-year career in the energy business, with experience in Canada, United States, Europe, and Bermuda. His previous experience includes positions at Transalta Corporation, TransCanada Pipelines, and ENMAX Corporation. He is a board member and Audit Committee Chair with the Northern Genesis Acquisition Corp. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University of Calgary, and is a Chartered Professional Accountant.
Competencies required for members of The Board of Governors of Mount Royal University include the core competencies of leadership and governance, and preferred competencies of finance, human resources, legal, risk management, and/or strategic planning. Mr. Schaefer was directly appointed on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above. August 2022
Pestun, Shannon
Ms. Shannon Pestun has been on the board since September 2019 and serves as a member of the HR Committee, member of the Audit Committee, and special advisor to the President Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. She is the founder and CEO of Pestun Consulting and co-founder of The Finance Café. She is a board member on NPower Canada and previous member and co-chair of the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Organization. She holds a Bachelor of Management degree from the University of Lethbridge and a diploma in Marketing from Mount Royal University.
Routledge, David
Mr. David Routledge has been on the board since September 2019. He has 30 years of experience in real estate investment, management, and development. He oversees Oxford Properties property construction and management portfolio in Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver. Mr. Routledge has served on the board of the Calgary Health Trust since 2011 and was appointed Vice Chair in 2018. Mr. Routledge holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calgary and has completed the ICD.D program through the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Evers, Sherri
Ms. Sherri Evers was appointed Vice President, Commercial and Corporate Development, with Imperial Oil in January 2021. She has worked for Imperial Oil in a range of positions, including sales, logistics, pricing, and analysis within refining and supply. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Marketing and General Business with Distinction from the University of Saskatchewan.
Competencies required for members of The Board of Governors of Mount Royal University include the core competencies of leadership and governance and the preferred competencies of finance, human resources, legal, risk management, and/or strategic planning. Ms. Evers was directly appointed on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above.
Musabende, Jacqueline
Dr. Musabende is an Associate Professor of International Business courses at MRU. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Association for Non-profit and Social Economy Research and REACH Worldwide Education. She holds a PhD in International Business from Saint John's University, a Master’s degree in Geographical and Spatial Information Systems and Applications from the École Nationale des Ponts et Chausses in Paris, and a Bachelor's degree in Information Systems and Accounting from the Université adventiste d'Afrique centrale in Rwanda.
Roberts, Kari
Dr. Kari Roberts is the Department Chair and an Associate Professor of Economics, Justice, and Policy Studies at the Mount Royal University. Dr. Roberts holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Calgary and Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Studies from the University of Manitoba.
Lee, Chris
Mr. Chris Lee has served on The Board of Governors of Mount Royal University since August 2019 and held the role of vice chair. He recently retired as the Vice Chair and Deputy Chair of the Deloitte Board of Directors. Mr. Lee holds the distinction of being a former leader of the Deloitte & Touche LLP National Litigation Support Committee and the former President, Vice-President, and executive member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators. His community affiliations include being a board member of Alberta Blue Cross, WinSport Canada, and Makadiff Sports. He is co-founder and board member of Ignite Calgary, Global Business Forum planning committee member, and member of SAIT Business Advisory Council. Mr. Lee holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Manitoba, a Chartered Accountant designation from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Manitoba, and a Chartered Business Valuator designation from the Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators.
Competencies required for members of The Board of Governors of Mount Royal University include the core competencies of leadership and governance and the preferred competencies of finance, human resources, legal, risk management, and/or strategic planning. Mr. Lee was directly appointed in 2019 on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above.
Singh, Sheba
Ms. Sheba Singh is the Chief Executive Officer of Canarch Immigration Solutions Inc. Prior, she was a Customer Service Agent with Westjet, a Mortgage Advisor with CIBC, and a Financial Services Manager and Mortgage Specialist with BMO. She holds a master’s degree in Management and Computing for Business from Birmingham City University, a Bachelor of Engineering, Electronics and Electrical Communication degree from Punjab Engineering College, and an Immigration Consultant Diploma from Ashton College.
Competencies required for members of The Board of Governors of Mount Royal University include the core competencies of leadership and governance and the preferred competencies of finance, human resources, legal, risk management, and/or strategic planning. Ms. Singh was directly appointed on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above.
Hunter, Brenden
Brenden Hunter is a partner with Fasken Martineau and is responsible for mentoring, marketing, planning and budgeting. Brenden also sits on the board of an environmental consulting company and is a volunteer coach with Level Justice’s Dare to Dream program. He is on the organizing committee for the Canadian Energy Law Foundation Jasper Seminar and was an executive in the Alberta Aboriginal (South) branch of the Canadian Bar Association. He has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alberta and a Juris Doctor from the University of Victoria.
Daniels, Laura
Ms. Laura Daniels is a retired partner of PwC Canada (PricewaterhouseCoopers). She continues to teach various technical courses at Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) Alberta. She is a community member and Corporate Director of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee with Invest Alberta Corporation, and member of the Practice Review Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta. She received her Fellow of the Chartered Accountants of Alberta (FCPA) in 2023. Ms. Daniels holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calgary and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Competencies required for members of The Board of Governors of Mount Royal University include the core competencies of leadership and governance, and preferred competencies of finance, human resources, legal, risk management, and/or strategic planning. Ms. Daniels was directly appointed on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above. Mar 2024.
Tetzlaff, Reynold
Mr. Reynold Tetzlaff is the Vice-Chair and Managing Partner for the Alberta and Prairies Region with PwC Canada (PricewaterhouseCoopers), a Chartered Professional Accountant, and an instructor for the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) on courses regarding effective Audit Committees. He is a member of the Alberta Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants and member of the firm’s Extended Leadership Team. He is on the Patrons Council for UNICEF, the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business Advisory Council, the Alberta Securities Commission New Economy Advisory Committee, and Forum Vice-Chair of the 23rd World Petroleum Council. He received a Distinguished Service Award from the Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta in 2014 and his Fellow of the Chartered Accountants of Alberta (FCPA) in 2021. Mr. Tetzlaff holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Saskatchewan.
Competencies required for members of The Board of Governors of Mount Royal University include the core competencies of leadership and governance, and preferred competencies of finance, human resources, legal, risk management, and/or strategic planning. Mr. Tetzlaff was directly appointed on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above.
Melatdoost, Cheryl
Ms. Cheryl Melatdoost is an Academic Quality Assurance Coordinator at Mount Royal University. She has held numerous positions at Mount Royal University, including serving as an Academic Advisor, an Instructional Assistant, and an Academic Advising Assistant. She is a recipient of the Outstanding Contribution by Staff (Faculty of Science and Technology) Award. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Alberta, a Financial Accounting certificate from Bow Valley College, and an Arts and Science diploma from Mount Royal College. September 2024.
Tilston, Anisa
Ms. Tilston is currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Nursing degree program, minoring in Social Innovation at Mount Royal University. She is the Students’ Association’s Representation Executive Council Vice-President Affairs for 2023/24 and a Peer Support Centre volunteer with the students’ association.
Hayyaneh, Tala
Ms. Tala Abu Hayyaneh is currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts degree program in Policy Studies at Mount Royal University. She has been the Vice President, Academic –Representative of Executive Council of the Students’ Association of Mount Royal University since 2023. She is also the organizer and social support lead of the World University Service of Canada Student Refugee Program Local Committee at Mount Royal University. She was previously an Arabic-English Interpreter and Community volunteer with the Calgary Immigrant Support Society. September 2024.
Hughes, Denise
Ms. Denise Hughes is the Founder and Principal Consultant with Blueridge Management Consulting Inc. She has over 15 years of board experience in private enterprise and has experience with not-for-profit organizations, including serving as a Board Chair of the Kindred Connections Society and Chair of their Human Resources Committee. She is a Certified Human Resource Professional and holds a Master of Industrial Relations degree from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Mass Communications from York University.
Competencies required for members of The Board of Governors of Mount Royal University include the core competencies of leadership and governance and the preferred competencies of finance, human resources, legal, risk management, and/or strategic planning. Ms. Hughes was directly appointed on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above. November 2024.
Nelson, Dexter
Mr. Dexter Nelson is the Owner/Operator of Horsetrack Ranche Ltd. In Carseland, Alberta. He currently serves as President of the Sport Medicine Council of Alberta and is a past President of the Southern Alberta Pioneers and their Descendants Association. He is a Certified Athletic Therapist, and he holds a Master of Science in Physical Education degree from Brigham Young University in Utah and a Bachelor of Physical Education degree from the University of Calgary.
Competencies required for members of The Board of Governors of Mount Royal University include the core competencies of leadership and governance and the preferred competencies of finance, human resources, legal, risk management, and/or strategic planning. Mr. Nelson was directly appointed on the basis of meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes as described above. November 2024.