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Tarjinder is a strategic advisor and communications professional, driven by the goal of supporting individuals and organizations in sharing their stories and fostering a community in where everyone feels they belong, through respectful, equitable and inclusive practices. Tarjinder’s work experience has been focused on the non-profit and public sector, working with Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary, Immigrant Services Calgary, and The City of Calgary.

She currently serves as the director of the Manmeet Singh Bhullar Foundation, determined to continue Manmeet’s lifelong commitment to serve others, advocate for causes and people that need a voice, and encourage young people to realize that they too can make a difference in today’s world, one step, one story at a time. She believes strongly that the role of a strong and sustainable public school education system cannot be underscored.

Tarjinder also serves as a Senator with the University of Calgary and director with the Women in Need Society.

Uche is an experienced finance and business professional with mor than 10 years of experience focused on business and financial analysis, financial and other kinds of modelling, feasibility studies, strategy and business planning. He’s a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CGA) and a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA, UK).

Having worked with two of the Big Four professional services firms (PwC & EY) and Johnson & Johnson, Uche currently works with Nutrien as a Finance and Strategy professional. In addition to this, he is an adjunct Lecturer at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) where he teaches various courses in the Business School.

Uche currently serves as a volunteer mentor with Calgary Region Immigrant Employment Council (CRIEC), where he helps new immigrants to Canada on ways to transition into the workplace, and he is a Volunteer mentor with Calgary Black Chambers where he mentors students on career and other life decisions. He is also a board member of Verona townhomes in Calgary.

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Joy is the Chief Executive Officer of the Alex Community Health Centre, as well as a sessional instructor at the University of Calgary in the Cumming School of Medicine. She is passionate about advocating for the things that matter most to her, including access to healthcare, a strong public education system, and a strong social sector that is focused on the wellness of all. She spends her career challenging the status quo and loves connecting and working with others who feel the same way.

Joy was elected as a Trustee with the Calgary Board of Education in 2010 and served as Board Chair from 2014-2017. Following public service, Joy worked for the United Way as the Director of Government Relations, working with local non-profits to advocate for good public policy. Joy is Vice-Chair of the Board for the Canadian Association of Community Health Centres, serves as a member on the City of Calgary’s Social and Wellbeing Advisory Committee and the Family, Community and Social Services Committee, and Co-Chairs the Calgary Social Policy Collaborative.

Gerry Burger-Martindale has been a member of EducationMatters Student Awards Selection Committee and Grants Committee since 2009. Gerry actively participates in various EducationMatter functions and events held by schools who have been provided with grants and student awards. She was previously involved in school activities during her daughter’s 13 years within the Calgary Board of Education (CBE). Her positions range from President and Key Communicator within school councils, to leading a city-wide parent advocacy group (that work closely with CBE and Alberta Education), to organizing several Municipal Trustee election forums.

Gerry has over 30 years’ experience at the Calgary Public Library and is currently the Central Library’s Senior Transition Lead. In 2001, her passion in education and literacy led her to volunteer within a high school library in South Africa, and in 2007 she and her family worked on an elementary school library project in Tanzania. This is Gerry’s 10th year volunteering with EducationMatters, and she continues to play an active role in advocating the vision and mission of this organization.

Christi is a recognized leader in sponsorship strategy and community impact, based in Calgary. For more than 27 years, she led the Community Investment portfolio at TELUS, where she played a key role in aligning corporate giving and sponsorships with brand purpose and public trust.

A lifelong collaborator and connector, Christi co-founded the Calgary Community Investment Council (CCIC), Canada’s first informal network of corporate community investment professionals.

A sought-after speaker and educator, Christi equips professionals with the tools to design winning sponsorship and corporate engagement strategies that deliver strong ROI.

Today, Christi consults nationally, helping organizations review, evaluate and scale their sponsorship portfolios to build cross-sector partnerships that are purpose-driven and mutually rewarding.

As the Managing Director of AI at PwC, Danielle’s role is to help steer the growth of the Data and AI Practice in Canada, She has more than a decade of experience in commercializing advanced technologies particularly in artificial intelligence, data analytics, augmented reality, and cloud platforms in both the private and public sector.

Throughout her career, Danielle has championed AI innovation and education. She helped spearhead The51 Ventures’ M51 investment education platform and led AltaML’s AI Talent and Experimentation Accelerator, where she trained 240 professionals and developed 70+ AI applications. She also helped launch Alberta’s first Government AI Lab (GovLab) and was part of the initial team at the Creative Destruction Lab Rockies in Calgary, contributing to over $250M in venture equity value creation.

Recognized as a Global AI Ambassador and Top 40 under 40 recipient, Danielle is a sought-after speaker at premier conferences including Collision and Elevate Festival. She also teaches the University of Calgary’s inaugural AI in Business MBA course, reinforcing her commitment to making AI education accessible to all.

Brad joined the CBE in April 2013 as the Director of Corporate Finance. Effective November 2013 Brad assumed the role of Chief Financial Officer. Brad is a Chartered Accountant as well as a Certified Internal Auditor.

He comes to the CBE after more than 14 years with the provincial government in British Columbia where he held a number of increasingly senior financial roles, concluding with the role of Executive Financial Officer for the Ministry of Citizens’ Services and Open Government. Brad relocated to Calgary from Victoria in early 2012 when he joined TELUS Spark, The New Science Centre, as its Chief Financial Officer, and served for several years on its board in the role of Treasurer.

Brad’s move to the CBE aligns with his public sector focus and passion. His motivation is to work with and support organizations that enhance the quality of life in the communities in which they live.

Arielle believes education is the ultimate equalizer and a powerful driver of community growth, making her role on the EducationMatters board a natural extension of her commitment to supporting the next generation of leaders. Known as a “Swiss Army knife of enablement,” she brings a strategic marketing background, a keen understanding of people’s motivations, and a proven track record of building scalable systems across B2B tech, SaaS, and B2C environments. Arielle is passionate about building strong communities, empowering others, and driving impact through strategic communications, product adoption, and change management. She thrives on creating programs that unlock potential, foster growth, and deliver lasting value.

Charlene is currently serving her first term as a publicly elected trustee with the CBE, representing Wards 12 & 14 in Southeast Calgary. Her two children attend their local CBE school.

Charlene was born in Calgary and spent her early elementary years in the northeast before moving to an acreage and graduating from Chestermere High School. She has a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Environmental Management from Lakeland College in Vermilion, Alberta. She worked professionally in oilfield reclamation and hazardous waste removal before opening home-based childcare.

Charlene is passionate about the importance of play in communities, natural spaces, and outdoor education. She is active in her community, acting as secretary for her community association  and previously volunteered for parent council and Girl Guides of Canada.  She is proud to have worked with a variety of stakeholders to replace two aging community playgrounds and continues with this work. She is excited to represent Wards 12 & 14 and Calgarians as a whole to strengthen public education and advocate for our students.

James is a member of the founding team at Neo Financial, a financial technology company, and current Chief Operating Officer, responsible for defining and executing against Neo’s business strategy. Prior to Neo, he was a Principal in the BCG Calgary office, working closely with leading companies in Calgary on driving growth and operational efficiency. Having graduated from Centennial High School in 2008, he is excited for the opportunity to give back to the Calgary public school system through EducationMatters.

Susan is currently serving as a publicly elected Trustee with the CBE, representing the 180,000 Calgarians who live in Ward 8 and Ward 9, in south-central Calgary.

With a BA (Political Science) and an MBA, both from the University of Alberta, Susan has over 20 years of experience with policy analysis, strategic planning, community engagement and fund development. She previously worked at the Government of Alberta, the City of Calgary, and as a consultant in the private and not-for-profit sectors.

A long-time community volunteer, she has served as the Chair of the school council at her children’s school, a Board member with the Marda Loop Communities Association, the President of the Cougar Ridge Residents Association, a member of an Investment Committee with the United Way of Calgary & Area, an accredited Leader with La Leche League Canada, a Board member with the Friends of the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village society, and the Vice-Chair of the Edmonton Transit System Advisory Board.

Susan and her husband, Stephen, have three lovely children who all attend CBE schools—one in high school, one in middle school, and one in elementary.