Committee
A LOOK AT THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THIS HAPPEN
Angela Vaasjo
Born and raised in Edmonton, Angela is proud to still call Edmonton home! She received her Bachelor of Arts with a major in Sociology and a minor in Education at Concordia University of Alberta. Angela went on to do her Public Relations Diploma at Grant MacEwan College. She currently works in Marketing at the law firm of Miller Thomson LLP. Angela strongly believes in giving back to the community through volunteerism. She is a volunteer for the Edmonton YMCA and is the Events Coordinator for the Summerlea Community League. In her spare time, Angela enjoys spending time with her husband, gardening, cooking, and keeping active.
Avi Thiessen
Avi is a Construction Manger for the City of Edmonton in the Capital Construction Department. Growing up, his family moved around frequently, living in Israel, Manitoba, Vancouver Island, and The Fraser Valley, BC. During high school, Avi lived in Japan for a year on Rotary exchange. After gradating from UBC with a Civil Engineering Degree, Avi spent seven months living in a village in Uganda designing and constructing a rural water system.
Avi has a passion for people; his activities have included advising students for three year in residence at UBC, volunteering at his church and other non-profits, and serving as a Director on the CEMA Board. To relax and unwind Avi enjoys running, back country hiking, snowboarding, and washing dishes ;-). Avi is looking forward to working on making Edmonton even more attractive to the Next Generation.
Brian Murray
Brian's passions have always been architecture and urban planning and have led him to work for the City of Timmins as a Youth Planner and Building Plans Examiner, a Toronto based architecture firm as a draftsperson assisting in the design of homes for the Greater Toronto Area and Ottawa-Gatineau region, and for the City of Edmonton as a Planning Technician for the Current Planning Branch.
You can find Brian running in the River Valley, reading the latest planning journal at the local cafe, snapping a few shots around town, or patiently awaiting his next flight home.
Carol Neuman
Carol is currently the Executive Director of the Alberta Students' Executive Council, a provincial advocacy group for 120,000 post-secondary students. Carol completed a BA in Communications from the University of Ottawa, and an MA in Communications from the University of Calgary. For the past six years, she's worked at the intersection of communications, technology and education.
Carol is a born-again Edmontonian. After five year stints in Quebec and southern Alberta, Carol finally completed her ten-year migration from a farm near Pigeon Lake to Edmonton in 2008. She and her husband live in an art-, robot- and book-filled apartment in Boyle Street.
Cary Williams
Like many Edmontonians, Cary spent a lot of years planning how to leave Edmonton. After university stints in Ontario and Japan, Cary came back enlightened to the fantastic people and opportunities in Edmonton, IF someone makes the effort and gets involved in the community. Although he's been lucky enough to visit some of the world's great cities in his previous job as a textiles product manager - including Shanghai, New York, Barcelona, and Milan - Edmonton is still the best place to call home. In January, Cary realized that his true interest is in helping people navigate the challenges of personal finance. He joined Edward Jones and is training to open his own Edward Jones office in 2009.
In addition to the Edmonton Next Gen Committee, Cary sits on two other volunteer organizations. artsScene is a national initiative to bring together young business leaders who are dedicated to growing the Arts, Culture, and Creative Industries through support, volunteerism, and patronage. Humanity Calls is a unique, on-line fundraising platform for nonprofits that uses crowdsourcing and viral marketing to ensure the world's best nonprofits get the funding they need to do great work.
Christine Causing
Christine is the Coordinator for the Next Gen Initiative. She grew up in Edmonton and completed a Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of Alberta where she studied monkeys in Costa Rica and became interested in ecotourism and sustainable development. She then went on to complete a Masters degree in Environmental Studies at the University of Waterloo in Ontario. In her Masters degree she focused on sustainable tourism development in developing countries and did her research for her thesis in Samoa in the South Pacific.
Christine loves Edmonton for its arts and cultural scene. She was part of the Cultural Plan Steering Committee for the City of Edmonton's 2008 Cultural Plan, The Art of Living.
In her spare time Christine is an avid snowboarder, enjoys traveling when she gets a chance to get away, camping in the mountains, the theatre, and attending as many music concerts and events as possible!
Councilor Don Iveson
City of Edmonton Councillor, Ward 5 Don Iveson graduated with his BA in Political Science in 2001. Prior to that he was Managing Editor of the Gateway, the U of A’s official student newspaper. He spent the last year of his degree on exchange at the University of Toronto. He stayed in Toronto an additional year to serve as president of Canadian University Press (CUP), a national news and professional development organization comprised of more than 70 university newspapers. In 2002, Iveson returned to Edmonton, and became the Business Manager of the Gateway. Under his management, the paper’s revenues increased by almost 50 per cent in 3 years. Prior to his running for City Council, he was the director of the advocacy department for the University of Alberta’s Students’ Union, where he led negotiations with the city to implement a Universal Bus Pass for all students at the U of A. Iveson remains linked to the U of A by serving as president of the Gateway Alumni Association. He has also volunteered for Public Interest Alberta, Canada25, the Alberta Debate and Speech Association, and the Alberta Sailing Association. In October 2007, Iveson was elected city councillor for Ward 5, and is the youngest member serving on City Council in Edmonton. Iveson is also an active member of his community. While living in downtown Edmonton from 2003 to 2005, he served as a director of the Fifth Street Lofts Condominium Association, worked with the coalition opposing the Baccarat Casino expansion, and advocated for better urban design in the warehouse district. Since moving to Malmo with his wife, he assumed the role of Vice-President of the Malmo Plains Community League which he has since resigned from due to his duties on City Council. In his capacity as a Councillor, Iveson also serves on the Edmonton Public Library Board and the River Valley Alliance. He has also been asked to take a leading role in environment and sustainability initiatives in the City of Edmonton.
Councilor Kim Krushell
Councilor Kim Krushell spearheaded the Next Gen Initiative which began as a Task Force in 2005-2006. Along with her colleague Councilor Don Iveson, she provides leadership and supports the expertise and energy of a talented group of Next Generation members as they work to engage their generation of Edmontonians in articulating their vision for a city that attracts and keeps its young people! Who are these leaders of today and tomorrow? What do they bring to the work of the Next Generation? These short biographies offer some insight into their expertise, their passions and their hopes for Edmonton and the Next Gen Initiative.
Doug McLean
Doug McLean is the Director of Account Management with Incite, an Edmonton marketing firm. He joined the company as a Marketing Manager in 2007 and now works with the Account Executive team on Incite's strategic client work.
Doug has previously worked in a variety of marketing roles in his career, primarily in the sports world. He was the Athletic Events Manager for University of Alberta Golden Bears and Pandas Athletics, the coordinator for the International Division at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics and worked with the International University Sports Federation (FISU) in Brussels, Belgium.
A St. Albert native, Doug completed a U of A Bachelor of Commerce degree (with Distinction) in 1998 and has completed courses in McGill's MBA program.
An avid sports enthusiast, when not cheering for his beloved Oilers or Eskimos, he enjoys getting out with his rollerblades, playing football and basketball. He also throws in his two cents when providing colour commentary on U of A football and basketball broadcasts. He loves experimenting in the kitchen and traveling, which is also in his blood having visited various parts of Europe and North America.
Heather McRae
Janice Wan
Janice Wan has been an Edmontonian all her life and appreciates the rich fabric that makes up her hometown. From the vibrant cultural arts scene to the natural beauty of the river valley, she truly believes that the city has a lot to offer its citizens. Janice feels that she has a role to play in promoting such a great city.
Janice graduated with a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Commerce After-Degree from the University of Alberta and she currently works for the City of Edmonton as a Human Resources Consultant in the HR Branch of the Corporate Services Department. On the side, Janice teaches piano and is a member on a few charitable organization boards. One of the organizations that makes her proud to be an Edmontonian is the Anne Burrows Music Foundation, which supports Edmonton musicians in their pursuit for higher musical education within Canada or abroad. With this diverse background and experience, Janice is excited to serve alongside the talented people in the Next Gen Committee.
Justin Lui
Justin is currently in his 3rd year at the University of Alberta studying Science and Business. As the former Chairperson of the City of Edmonton Youth Council, Justin had the privilege to lead Youth Council in putting on the extremely successful Heart 2 Art project, which raised a substantial amount of awareness and funds for Edmonton's inner city. For three year tenure on Youth Council, Justin was recognized as the Top 20 Under 20 in Canada by Youth-In-Motion.
He recently returned from a trip to Thailand which involved him working with a physician in servicing the medical and building needs of the displaced Burmese in Thailand. His experiences in the city and abroad have also landed him in a executive role with Students Against Global Apathy.
Kevin Yang
Kevin enjoys his time in the great city of Edmonton. He also enjoys his cereal with lots of milk. And when he is not eating his cereal, Kevin likes to frolick in the frigid weather and crunchy snow, in and around his backyard. In his spare time, Kevin fancies listening to music, playing his drumset, beating his friends at ping-pong (being a former member of Team Alberta, Kevin is adamant on taking up any ping-pong challenges), and reading his textbooks. His favorite textbook he has named "Bell"; his second favorite, "Curve".
Currently in his 3rd year of university, Kevin is on his way to graduating with a Bachelor of Science. When he is not in school, he volunteers and works at various hospitals. On the weekend, Kevin runs a music program for seniors with Alzheimer's. During the week, he goes to class, studies, and works on his research projects. After a day of hard intellectual thinking, he looks forward to kicking back and relaxing by watching oodles of reality TV - his favorite shows are American Idol, Canadian Idol, and Dancing with the Stars.
Kevin is looking forward to a great year with Next Gen.
Laura Young
Laura currently works at the University of Alberta in External Relations. She is currently one of the Co-Chairs of the Events Working Group.
Melanie Nakatsui
Melanie Nakatsui is a member of the Next Gen Committee, where she sits on the Sustainability and Engage working groups.
She is highly involved in the Edmonton Arts and Multicultural communities.
Some of her community involvement include: helping organize the recent UNICEF Unite for Children Gala supporting Malawi; being involved with the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation-serving on the Outreach and Fundraising committees for the Lois Hole Hospital for Women; as well as acting as a volunteer ambassador for the Light it Up campaign of the Art Gallery of Alberta. She serves as the vice-president of the Works International Visual Arts Society; she sits on the luncheon fundraising committee of Changing Together: A Centre for Immigrant Women; she is a Honens Laureate Circle member; and lastly, she is a sustaining member of the Junior League of Edmonton where she is a past president.
Melanie and her husband Thomas have a four-year-old daughter Natalie.
Myron Belej
Myron Belej is a creative urban planner with the big picture in mind. His work on improving cities and neighbourhoods has been published and featured locally, nationally, and internationally. Myron has written hundreds of articles, online and in print, and has presented his ideas at conferences and large public events.
He has worked in conservation and environmental planning, social/housing planning, and most recently, strategic/parks planning with the City of Edmonton. Myron was nominated to this Committee by the General Manager of the City's Asset Management and Public Works Department.
Locally, Myron has run urban design salons for architects, planners, engineers and designers, and has served as a Community League President. He also co-founded an Edmonton chapter of the Young Environmental Professionals, geared at creating networking and educational opportunities, and served on the Executive for two years.
An avid photographer, Myron also enjoys playing soccer, writing poetry, renovating houses, and traveling widely.
Myron holds a Bachelor of Sciences degree from the University of Western Ontario, a Business Management Certificate from NAIT, and he completed a ten-month community leadership program through Leadership Edmonton. He is a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners, the American Planning Association, and Mensa Canada.
Nate Box
Nate Box is a chef and restaurant consultant based out of Edmonton. He was born and raised in Mill Hoodz, went to grade school in Sherwood Park, and completed a BSc at the University of Alberta. He has managed for both major corporate restaurants as well local independents, and is still passionate about slaving over a hot stove. Although at times he has considered moving to a grass-is-always-greener city, Nate's loyalty belongs to Edmonton and its immeasurable potential. He joined Next Gen to help young people realize how great of a city Edmonton is and to spur them on to make it even better.
Aside from chopping vegetables and scribbling on menus, Nate is in love with his wife, his bike, his other bike, his nieces and nephew, his time to climb, his time to ski, and his friends and family who will share a bottle of wine, a sunset, and a long walk on the beach.
(photo credits: Makayla, age 5, niece and iPhone user)
Nathan Walters
As the Strategic Marketing Supervisor for Edmonton Transit System (ETS), Nathan is responsible for the strategic direction of the marketing program. Some of his achievements include successfully developing and implementing a three-year strategic marketing plan, landing a public-private collaboration with AIR MILES® (making ETS the first government entity in the country offering the ability to earn reward miles), heading revitalization and launch of the Edmonton Transit e-commerce web-site and rolling out the unprecedented ETS advertising strategy - THE EVERY DAY WAY.
Before joining ETS, Nathan worked in the energy sector as the Director of Marketing for international services and technology company Katch Kan Limited. While there, he headed the domestic and international marketing program which was pivotal to the achievement of record earnings. In addition, he frequently traveled and spoke at several high-profile industry conferences throughout the United States, including the Society of Petroleum Engineers Annual Conference (SPE-AC), the International Petroleum Environmental Conference (IPEC) and the Montana Tech Spring Symposium.
Nathan has also had many great accomplishments within the academic sphere. He successfully attained a BA (with distinction) from the University of Alberta and is currently finishing his MBA at Pennsylvania State University.
Rachel Foley
Rachel currently possesses a Bachelor of Science from St. Francis Xavier University. Though trained in geology, Rachel returned to her original stomping grounds of northern Ontario to pursue a career in public land planning with the provincial government. In 2006, after years of contract work and countless moves to little-known places, Rachel decided it was high time for a change in scenery. So, she packed up her car and headed west. She has since been working for Sustainable Resource Development as a Land Management Planner and loving every minute as an Edmontonian.
In her spare time, Rachel is actively working on her Masters of Public Policy, with a specific interest in the role of the public in the policy development process. Aside from Next Gen, Rachel volunteers her time with the Canadian Red Cross as a member of the Personal Disaster Assistance Team. Rachel also enjoys backpacking, travelling and is actively involved in curling and volleyball.
Rhonda Flores
Rhonda Flores works for the City of Edmonton in Community Services currently as the Supervisor of Recreation Facility Development. Rhonda has held a variety of positions with the City of Edmonton such as the Supervisor of Aquatic Operations, Supervisor of Social Development in Social Entrepreneurship, Grants Coordinator, Special Needs Community Recreation Coordinator and coordinator for the Advisory Board on Services for Persons with Disabilities and the City of Edmonton Youth Council.
This is Rhonda's first term on the Next Gen Committee. She is looking forward to working on the Committee to help attract the next generation to Edmonton and get them engaged in their communities.
In her spare time, Rhonda enjoys traveling to exotic destinations and spending time with her Beagle Duchess and her bearded dragon Sterling.
Ryan Stark
Joining the Edmonton Next Gen Committee is a dream come true for this born and bred Edmontonian. It is the opportunity for our generation to help shape our city.
As co-chair of the Pecha Kucha Working Group also, Ryan dreams of Pecha Kucha Nights that will fill the Jubilee Auditorium one day.
As part of the team developing the bid for Edmonton EXPO 2017, Ryan is so excited by the potential of this event that he leaps around. That is, as a Ukrainian dancer. Ryan has trained and performed since he was 4. Now that he is old enough, he is also President of his dance ensemble's society.
Everyday, Ryan is glad to put his Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta to use. But to keep his sanity, Ryan depends on his friends and family, his iPhone, hot yoga classes, and the next getaway weekend -- winning Avenue magazine's best dressed contest helps too.
Ryan once heard the saying, "We only see what we're prepared to see." He hopes he can help you prepare. Edmonton has much to offer.
Scott Wright
Scott currently Co-Chairs the Special Projects Working Group which is working with the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues.
Sherman Tsang
Sherman Tsang is the owner of a web applications company called eNineteen Inc. and is a current board member of Connect2Edmonton. His keen interest in technology, and specifically communications technology on the web, has allowed him to succeed in his chosen niche. He believes that online communications and tools will allow communities to be drawn together and make a difference in the offline world. He also believes in the potential of Edmonton and that a group of passionate people, with the same vision and the proper means, can fulfill the promise of the city.
Stephanie McDougald
Stephanie enjoyed growing up in a small farming community approximately five hours south of Edmonton, but is happy to now call Edmonton her home. She enjoys the river valley trails, festive summer season that the City of Edmonton is so well known for, and has recently started teaching part-time at NAIT.
Stephanie obtained the Certified General Accountant designation in 2005 and was awarded the Alberta Valedictorian, after finishing a Bachelor of Applied Business Administration in Accounting. She currently works for the City of Edmonton as the Performance Reporting Coordinator within the Finance & Treasury Department.
She is looking forward to working with the other Next Gen committee members to continue the great work that has already been completed.
Tegan Martin-Drysdale
Tegan grew up on a farm in the Peace Country, in the small town of Wanham just north of Grande Prairie. She graduated from the University of Alberta with a BSc in Civil Engineering in 2002, and moved to Calgary shortly after to pursue a career in the commercial/residential building industry. She has now just recently returned to Edmonton and is currently working for a developer in the downtown area.
Tegan has a great love for traveling the globe and experiencing the culture, foods, languages, music, and history that each country has to offer. In 2002 she was given her first SLR camera and quickly developed a passion for photography that has resulted in hours spent in the cold wind, rain, burning heat, and other extreme elements to get that perfect shot. She plays piano, is learning guitar, loves yoga, music, singing when no one can hear, driving to the mountains for a coffee, and paints when it suits her. She loves a good book and has recently become fascinated by the idea of sustainable communities and the wave of "eco-design" that is starting to shape the future of our global community. She has always wanted to make a difference in her own backyard, and is very excited to join the Next Gen Committee.
Yuk-Sing Cheng
Yuk-Sing Cheng is currently an Associate with an Edmonton law firm. Before moving from the West Coast to Edmonton for law school at the University of Alberta, Yuk-Sing completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Sociology at the University of British Columbia. He has had a longstanding interest in issues of youth engagement, advocacy, and urban sustainability from his involvement in the not-for-profit and volunteer sectors.
A strong believer in the importance of community engagement and empowerment, Yuk-Sing looks forward to working with the Next Gen Committee towards making Edmonton more attractive and recognised as a diverse, sustainable and livable city.