Kathy Phillips
Board Chair
Karen Wang
Treasurer
Dianne Leong-Fortier, M. Ed.
External Relations Sub-Committee Lead
Deb Cook
Board Member, External Relations Committee
Deb is a retired dynamo from Enbridge Inc. where she worked as Manager of Corporate Administration for most of her career. Deb has been a volunteer with LINKages for 7 years as a facilitator of two school programs. Deb was first introduced to LINKages when her mom was a resident at Staywell Manor (memory care) and she accompanied her to the LINKages program she was participating in. She was very impressed with the interaction and joy it brought to her mom.
In retirement, Deb decided to pick an area of interest in which to volunteer and that has become kids, seniors and healthcare.
Deb joined the LINKages Board in June, 2020, and also volunteers as an Emergency Wayfinder at South Health Campus and is a Public Advisor in Advance Care Planning with AHS.
Her passions include her four grandchildren (attending their multiple sports and activites), golf, and skiing. Although she lives in the satellite community of Okotoks, her favorite thing to do in Calgary is walk or snowshoe in the magnificent parks; i.e., Fish Creek, Glenmore, etc.; she recommends similar opportunities in Okotoks along the Sheep River.
Ryan Wilken
Board Member
Ryan is a born and raised 4th generation Calgarian, who enjoys spending time outdoors skiing, mountain biking, playing (and now coaching) baseball. Ryan has an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Gloucesterhire in England.
Ryan has spent the majority of his career in the finance, planning, strategy and communications disciplines with several companies in Calgary, AB. Currently Ryan is the Director, IT Business Office for the ATCO group of companies, and is responsible for the long-range planning, strategy, Organizational Change Management and Enterprise Architecture for the global delivery of IT services.
LINKages appealed to Ryan due to his family history with intergenerational programming, and his grandfather being a part of “grandparent” programs with several schools for more than 15 years. “My grandpa always said that being apart of the grandparents program and providing mentorship to young people was some of the best moments of his life, and it brought a great sense of purpose to his ‘retired’ years.”
Enjoying the great culinary adventures that Calgary has to offer is very high on that recommendation list, as would be visiting Griffith Woods in the community of Discovery Ridge, it is such a beautiful park in Calgary that has an abundance of wildlife”
Iain McLean
Board Member Finance and Audit Committee, External Relations Committee
Iain is a Civil Engineer. He graduated from of the University of Calgary in 2010, and has experience working in residential and commercial construction and the Oil & Gas industry.
LINKages is important to Iain as it provides an opportunity to support the development of intergenerational relationships by connecting diverse groups of people to help dispel stereotypes.
If you are new to Calgary, Iain says that a “must do” activity is going to see the Calgary Flames play.
Julianne McKinnon
Partner, Prospector Executive Search & Consulting
Julianne works with boards and executive teams to advance their strategy, planning and operations, and to secure the leaders to deliver results. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calgary, a Master of Business Administration from Queen’s University, a Certified Management Consultant (CMC) designation and holds the Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) designation.
Julianne believes in the power of intergenerational relationships and the impact of LINKages’ work. She joined the Board in 2020 and is Chair of the Governance, Nominating and Human Resources Committee.
For anyone new to Calgary, Julianne recommends trying Caffe Beano’s Steamed Chocolate Ginger Milk and a stroll across the Peace Bridge.