Board of Directors

Carol Ryder— Co-Chair

Carol Ryder, is the recently appointed Co-Chair of the Board of Governors , Contemporary Calgary serving alongside with her fellow Co-Chair Kelly Streit. 

Ms. Ryder was a founding member of Contemporary Calgary, as a past board member of Calgary’s Museum of Contemporary Art that merged with IMCA and the Art Gallery of Calgary to form the new Contemporary Calgary.  She served as the first co-chair of the newly formed society and continued as board member till 2020.

Ms. Ryder has worked extensively in private enterprise, not for profit and with all three levels of government and has extensive board governance experience as demonstrated in her over 18 years of leadership in post-secondary education.  This include being past Chair of the Council of Chairs for the Alberta Association of Colleges and Technical Institutes, past chair of the Board of Governors of Bow Valley College, member of the Bow Valley College’s Art Acquisition and Collection Committee, member of Campus Alberta and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges. She is currently serving in her 9th year as the Chair of the Board of Governors of Alberta University of the Arts.  She is also the Vice Chair of the Canadian Universities Board Association.  As well,  she  sits on the executive committee as secretary of The Jerusalem Foundation of Canada.

She is a recipient of the 2005 Alberta Centennial Medal in recognition of her community leadership.  Bow Valley College bestowed their Distinguished Citizen’s Award for Leadership and Community Service for her service to the college and Albertans. She was the recipient of a 2012 Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of her years of service to Alberta and Canada. She resides in Calgary, Alberta and is an active director and partner in her family’s real estate business. 

Kelly Streit— Co-Chair

Kelly Streit is the founder and owner of Mode Models International, an agency with unparalleled success at the highest levels of the industry that represents talent from around the world. He received the Fraser Milner Casgrain Pinnacle Award for Outstanding Achievement in Entrepreneurship and has been recognized by Maclean’s magazine as one of 100 Canadians to watch and Avenue Magazine as “top 40 under 40”. He has served on the boards of many organizations including Alberta Ballet, Calgary Opera, and the Alberta University of the Arts. He was presented a Generosity of Spirit award by Calgary’s chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals in 2000.

Hoda Ahmadi

Hoda has over 20 years of experience in retail and commercial banking and is currently a Regional Manager for National Bank of Canada, leading the residential financing team for Western Canada. She holds a bachelor degree of Economics from Concordia University, always had a passion for community and entrepreneurship, and has served as a committee and board member for non-for profit-organizations that support young entrepreneurs, innovation and startups in the last 10 years. She believes that communities should foster an environment for sharing ideas that express beauty, culture and various emotions in order to create a society rich with individuals and groups that are able to communicate their experiences through art.

Jeremy Barretto

Jeremy Barretto is a lawyer and partner in Business Law Group at Cassels, based in Calgary. Jeremy offers extensive regulatory, environmental and Aboriginal law experience in obtaining approvals for developments in the renewable energy, electricity, pipeline, oil and gas and mining sectors. Jeremy has presented at conferences across Canada and published numerous articles, including in the Alberta Law Review and the Globe and Mail. He is also a Professional Engineer. Jeremy is a member of the City of Calgary’s Economic Resilience Task Force and is the former Vice-Chair of the City of Calgary’s Public Art Board.

Usman Tahir Jutt

Usman Tahir Jutt is President and CEO of Chirp Group and its subsidiary Chirp Foods. Usman is also the Owner/Operator of several McDonald’s restaurants in and around the Calgary area. He serves on the City of Calgary’s Municipal Platform Development Task Force and the Covid19 Economic Resilience Task Force, on the Board of the Ronald McDonald House Charities and on the Human Capital Council of the Canada West Foundation. A dedicated philanthropist, Usman has donated nearly $1 million to numerous worthwhile causes aimed at improving the lives of Albertans and Canadians.

Stephen Krasnow

Stephen Krasnow is a graduate of McGill University and Harvard Business School. as a life-long learner, he is a non-degree student in the arts faculty at the University of Calgary. He has retired from a business career in finance initially based in Montreal and then in Calgary during which he co-founded a public energy service company and subsequently several private funds for institutional investors. 

Stephen’s past non-profit board engagements include the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (chair of the collection committee), SAIT (finance committee), the Harvard Business School Club of Calgary (President) and the Calgary Jewish Federation (President).

Donna Kwan

Donna has more than 20 years of experience in the small business and non-profit sector, applying her project management, marcomm and development skills. She helped to launch FFWD, Calgary’s News and Entertainment Weekly, worked at Honens, Alberta Ballet, Old Trout Puppet Workshop and managed community engagement programs for Heart & Stroke. She founded Bellylint, a women’s clothing store that was voted Calgary’s Best Kept Secret, which in hindsight, is probably not the best accolade for a retail store. She is currently employed at the University of Calgary, managing its stewardship program. Donna is also a triathlete who equally enjoys lounging on her couch, sharing a hot dog with her whoodle, Betty.

Dr. John Lacey

Dr. John Lacey was inducted into the Canadian Petroleum Hall of Fame in 2018 for helping to raise the international stature of Canada’s oil and gas industry. He has received numerous prizes and awards including an Honorary BA from Mount Royal University and an Honorary Doctor of Laws from U of C. He was elected to the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences in 1996. He formerly served as the Honorary Consul General for the Kingdom of Thailand and currently chairs the board of the Patient and Community Engagement Research Unit at the O’Brien Institute for Public Health at U of C. He co-founded the Naomi and John Lacey Virtuoso Programme at Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra in 2008 and recently established the Lacey Prize at the National Gallery of Canada.

Chad Larson

Chad is the founder and senior portfolio manager of the MLD Wealth Group, at Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management.  Chad holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Calgary, in addition to being a FCSI charter holder, the Canadian Securities Institutes highest accreditation. He also holds the CIM designation of Canadian Investment Manager and has been awarded and nominated for countless accolades by his peers and industry including being ranked by Shook Research/Globe & Mail Report on Business as the #1 advisor in Alberta and Top Wealth Advisor rankings in Canada in 2022.  Chad has additionally been named one of Canada’s Top 50 Most Influential Canadians in the Investment Industry by Wealth Professional.  Chad has been a founder, director, and strategic advisor to numerous private and public companies. Chad understands what it means to be an entrepreneur, business owner and leader.  

Caroline Loewen

Caroline Loewen is a cultural worker, curator, and writer. She is the Communications Lead for the Alberta Museums Association and is currently the Project Lead for the national research and advocacy project Reconsidering Museums. She has over 15 years of experience working in museums in collections, programming, and curatorial. Her curatorial practice is focused on community participation and storytelling through exhibits. She is passionate about helping museums become more collaborative, accessible, and engaging spaces, that promote perspective-taking and dialogic learning, and are advocates for social change in their communities.

Margaret-Jean Mannix — Secretary

Margaret-Jean Mannix is currently Chairman of Viridian Family Office, a family office located in Calgary, Alberta. She is engaged in various levels of governance roles within her family enterprise, including Chairman of the family foundation and board member of the holding company for their operating entities. Ms. Mannix has been involved in the field of family enterprise for 25 years, having served on the board of a number of Family Business Center Advisory boards at universities in Canada and the US, in addition to serving on the board of Family Enterprise Canada since December of 2011, currently serving as Chair of the Family Enterprise Foundation. She is the past Chair of Institute of Family Enterprise Advisors (IFEA), joined the Canadian Association of Family Enterprise (CAFÉ) Board in 2011 and has been a member of Family Business Network (FBN) since 1999. Ms. Mannix is one of the founding Board members of the Family Enterprise Canada. She and her family live in Calgary, AB.

Toyin Oladele

Toyin Oladele is an experienced performing artist, curator and arts administrator with a demonstrated history of excellence in programming, community engagement and arts-based event planning and production. Her professional experience is firmly rooted in her ability to combine the arts with community spaces, which she strives to make very connective, inclusive and vibrant through collaborations and strategy. Toyin consults for cultural and arts organizations and is an advocate for equity and inclusion in the arts community.

Toyin founded the Immigrant Council for Arts Innovation (ICAI) in 2019 and is currently the organization’s Executive Director. She is a board member for Calgary Young People’s Theatre (CYPT). She has been a part of several jury committees in the arts community and mentors many newcomer and immigrant artists. She was recently selected as one of the 12 members of the Community Working Group on Equity Diversity, Inclusion and Access for Calgary Arts Developments. When she is not performing, planning projects or coordinating events, Toyin loves to watch movies in Yoruba language, her native tongue and connecting with creative people.

The Honorable Rick Orman, ECA 

The Honorable Rick Orman ECA is a businessman and former Canadian politician. Orman was born in Calgary and is a fourth-generation Albertan. He studied at the University of Calgary before graduating with honours from Eastern Washington University. Orman was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1986 to 1993 and served in three portfolios of cabinet as Minister of Employment; Labour; and Energy. Since 1993, he has been active within the Calgary volunteer and business communities.

Beginning with the YWCA, he worked with inner-city children. Since then, he has been involved with the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede, Citizen Advocacy for the Disabled and the Chrysalis Foundation for the Mentally and Physically Handicapped. He also coached Bantam and High School football in the Calgary area.

Additionally, Orman has been an honourary chairman for the Calgary Aga Khan Partnership Walk, Philippine Earthquake Disaster Relief Fund, and African Famine Relief Fund. He received the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal (1992) awarded to Canadians who were deemed to have made a significant contribution to their fellow citizens, to their community, or to Canada.

He was awarded the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal (2022) commemorating Her Majesty’s 70th Anniversary as Monarch and is awarded to Albertans who have made a significant contribution to Canada and in particular to the Alberta community.

Krista Rabidoux — Treasurer

Krista Rabidoux is a Partner at Andersen LLP with over 23 years of experience working across Canada. She specializes in leadership and executive coaching within family businesses, guiding them through complex transitions and ensuring their long-term success. Krista recently earned the FEA (Family Enterprise Advisor) designation, further enhancing her ability to provide specialized advice to family-owned businesses. Her deep understanding of business dynamics and cross-border transactions makes her an invaluable asset in managing and safeguarding the financial health of organizations.Krista has guided businesses and individuals through the complexities of international tax obligations, ensuring compliance and optimizing tax positions across multiple jurisdictions. She continues to

leverage her expertise in global mobility, assisting multinational corporations and their employees with the intricacies of working across borders. Her experience includes advising on employer and employee obligations, optimizing tax positions for expatriates, and addressing the unique challenges of international assignments.

Krista also serves on the Board of Directors at Family Enterprise Canada and Contemporary Calgary, where she chairs the Finance and Audit Committee. Additionally, she is the Chairperson of AmCham Canada West Chapter, reflecting her leadership and dedication to fostering cross-border business relationships. Her involvement in these organizations underscores her commitment to supporting family businesses and contributing to her community.

Peter Tertzakian

Peter Tertzakian is an economist, investment strategist, author, podcaster and public speaker on issues vital to the future of energy. Peter’s passion is studying how society evolves its energy use and applying the lessons of the past into today’s strategic business issues. Peter’s two best-selling books, A Thousand Barrels a Second (McGraw-Hill, NY 2005) and The End of Energy Obesity (John Wiley & Sons, NY 2009) provide insight into the dynamic world of energy transitions through a thoughtful examination of economic, environmental and geopolitical pressures. He is the host of the ARC Energy Ideas podcast, a weekly show that explains the latest trends and news in Canadian energy and beyond. Peter has an undergraduate degree in Geophysics from the University of Alberta, a graduate degree in Econometrics from the University of Southampton UK, and a Master of Science in Management of Technology from the Sloan School of Management at MIT. In addition to his principal roles at the ARC Energy Research Institute and ARC Financial, he is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Calgary and has lectured at many leading universities and conferences around the world.

Sarah Vandaiyar

Sarah Vandaiyar is an engineer at the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA), currently on secondment from TC Energy. Sarah has 10 years of experience working in various sectors of oil and gas, including oil sands and natural gas, with roles in operations, business planning and project engineering. She serves on the Boards of the International Pipeline Conference (IPC) Foundation, the Society of Petroleum Engineers Canadian Education Foundation and DirectHer. Sarah is an independent member on the Canadian Energy Research Institute Research Advisory Committee. For IPC, Sarah chairs the 2020 Events and Executive Engagement Committees and, in 2018, chaired the first Young Engineers Engagement Committee. Sarah co-founded the GenYYC leadership development program, a Calgary Foundation initiative. Sarah has a passion for music and the arts and was a member of the Advisory Board of the Calgary Philharmonic Wolfgang patron program. She is the former President & CEO of the Young Pipeliners Association of Canada (YPAC). Sarah holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo.