Susan is President of Abbott Research & Consulting, a firm specializing in insight-driven innovation and customer experience. Previously Susan was a vice-president of the TD Bank Financial Group, where she held diverse general management positions. Susan has an MBA from Ivey Business School, and is author of The Innovative Organization, a book based on what works.

Dave has more that 15 years experience in the aquatics field in BC and Alberta. He has worked in both lifeguarding and supervisory roles at facilities, and understands the challenges faced by today's managers and supervisors to engage their staff in risk management. Dave currently works as the technical advisor for the Canadian Red Cross Lifeguarding program in Western Canada.

Ken has worked as an academic (UofW), manager (YMCA, Calgary), and consultant, developing over 30 municipal parks/rec plans and provincial plans for five provinces. Much of his work has focused on the trends affecting leisure industries. Ken is a Past President of CPRA. For the past 15 years, he and his wife Brenda Clarke have consulted for many health and disability charities.

Kathy is the manager of the Neighbourhood and Community Development Branch in the Community Services Department of the City of Edmonton. She coordinates City services at the neighbourhood level, helping to build safe, vibrant and inclusive communities. Kathy's extensive education and years of public service have given her a knowledge base that builds on the strengths of individuals, families and communities.

Brent has been engaged in sponsorship work with municipalities, recreation and parks, cultural and sport organizations, charities, nonprofits and corporations since the late '80s. He has worked to assist organizations like ARPA, as well as corporations that buy sponsorship, to develop and deliver successful sponsorship programs.

Doug has spent 23 years in municipal government in British Columbia, including 14 years as a Recreation and Parks Department Head or Chief Administrative Officer, as well as nine years as a CEO in the not-for-profit sector. He is a Past President of the BC Recreation and Parks Association. Currently, he holds the position of Senior Liaison, Leadership and Professional Development, with ARPA/U of A/ATPR).

Dr. Burton is a retired University of Alberta professor, a former Chair of Recreation and Leisure Studies, and former Associate Dean of its Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation. He has been honoured with numerous awards from the Government of Alberta and ARPA. He has volunteered with ARPA for eight years and is currently its President.

Brenda prepared and facilitated the 1997 Benefits Catalogue, which showed the importance of recreation, parks, culture and tourism programs and services. Over the past 15 years, she has focused on governance, community development, planning, performance management and leadership work, along with communications, change management, and fund development.

Deb has been involved in the recreation and community services field for over 20 years. She is currently the City of Red Deer's Neighbourhood Facilities and Community Development Supervisor. Deb has developed a passion for outcome-based planning, service delivery and measurement.

Heather is the Manager for Business Services with The City of Calgary Recreation. She chairs the Children and Youth Committee for ARPA and launched the National and Provincial Youth Development through Recreation Services symposiums. Heather is a passionate leader of the AfterSchool team for the Recreation Department in Calgary.

Heather has worked in the field of Recreation Therapy with persons of all ages and abilities. Heather has also provided active living opportunities to children with disabilities overseas through a program called Play Around the World. Heather is currently the City of Edmonton' s Special Needs Recreation Liaison, and sits on multiple boards.

Milton is a registered Professional Forester, a certified Engineering Technologist, and a professional consulting Arborist. Currently, he is the owner of Arbor-Pro Tree Consulting Ltd. Milton works closely with the University of Alberta in an effort to preserve trees during an era of long-range facility development. Milton is President of the International Society of Arboriculture's Prairie Chapter and chairs the Society to Prevent Dutch Elm Disease in Alberta.

Cst. Dequanne is an RCMP Officer in Toronto, Ontario. She serves as an investigator disrupting organized crime at the Toronto International Airport. An incident early in her career defined her passion for youth advocacy. Energized and passionate, she delivers a message about developing assets through outcome-based programming.

Karen has worked across Canada in the field of recreation, leisure and wellness for the past 25 years. Her entrepreneurial spirit is guided by the belief that everyone can create and live their lifework with a supportive community, continuous questioning, reflection and learning.

Spencer has designed and directed programs for: mental health organizations that used art and music therapy; groups that dealt with relaxation, creative visualization, sexuality, personal safety and values clarification; and therapy sessions for individuals, groups and families.

Judy's business, Performance Sponsorship Group (PSG), first entered the Calgary market in 1998 when they priced, packaged and sold naming rights to the former Calgary Centre for the Performing Arts (now the Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts). Clients include the Calgary Health Region, U of C Faculty of Kinesiology, City of Edmonton, River Cree Resort and the Science Alberta Foundation in Calgary.

Paul is a successful business owner, community leader, social entrepreneur, author, housing developer, and visionary. His critical and creative thinking has extended its reach beyond his own endeavours and into the non-profit and arts communities. Paul recently led an inquiry that led to the Red Deer Community Culture Vision and Plan for Action 2008, which was adopted to guide The City of Red Deer's work in the urban landscape.

Gord is a four-term member of London City Council and the author of Cultural Planning for Creative Communities, a book made popular because of its 'how to' and realistic approach to municipal cultural planning. Gord is a highly respected speaker across Canada, and has authored a number of articles on cultural planning for national magazines. He is Chair of the Ontario Municipal Cultural Planning Partnership, President of his consulting company, and an award-winning broadcast executive.

Brian is the Executive Director for the Land Stewardship Centre of Canada. The Centre brings people together to work on common priorities for achieving sustainability on the landscape. In his spare time, Brian enjoys spending time with his wife and two children fishing, karate, skiing and spending time outdoors.

Doug spent 33 years with Strathcona County, serving as the Recreation and Parks Manager and an executive officer for 14 years. Doug graduated from the Banff Centre Management Program, the University of Alberta Public Administration Program and the University of Calgary Executive Leadership Program. He is a honourary life member of ARPA.

Joe has resided in the Lake Louise area for twenty years working originally as a park interpreter and now as an environmental education specialist for Banff and Yoho parks. Joe has hosted park managers and government ministers from around the world at Lake Louise and has showcased Lake Louise on ABC's Good Morning America.

Brian founded Professional Environmental Recreation Consultants Ltd. in 1975 and is currently President of the Surrey, BC-based firm. He has worked in more than 150 communities on over 300 consulting projects. Brian has previously worked as a recreation planning consultant in England. He returned to Canada to work for the Department of Tourism, Recreation and Cultural Affairs in Manitoba as Recreation Facilities Consultant and as Regional Recreation Consultant before establishing PERC.

Robert is an internationally-acknowledged leader in sports and recreation facility architecture. He has over 25 years of experience and has planned Olympic Games venues and facilities and designs of community recreation centres. As Principal and National Sport Practice Leader for Cannon Design, he is the project principal and lead planner for the Richmond Olympic Oval.

Stephane is the Director of the Office of Great Neighbourhoods with the City of Edmonton. He has been working in local government for the past 13 years, and has gained diverse experience in community development working in small (Cambridge Bay, NT), medium (Prince George, B.C.) and large (Edmonton, AB) municipalities.

Cliff worked for the Province of Alberta as a forest recreation planner, provincial park planner and manager of the Urban Parks Program. During his time as head of the parks division for Strathcona County, they received numerous ARPA awards for innovation in parks management. Mr. Lacey consults and works part-time for ARPA on Children in Nature initiatives.

Ken's fascination with ecological processes motivates him in his job with the City of Red Deer. As the Parks Ecological and Planning Specialist, he initiates environmental initiatives and educates the public about the value of parks and green space. An outdoor enthusiast at heart, Ken enjoys wading through trout streams with his fly rod, backcountry hiking, gardening and taking every opportunity he can get to explore the great outdoors.

Pat works as a registered dietician and project manager with Alberta Health and Wellness, with a particular focus on promoting healthy lifestyles through healthy eating and active living. Recently, she's worked with food criteria and regulations for the Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth and Eat Smart Meet Smart, a guide for healthy foods in the workplace.

Based out of Sherwood Park, Alberta, Rick is an inspiring workshop facilitator and speaker who has been providing his expertise in experiential training in the areas of team-building and leadership development to individuals and organizations for more than 25 years. Rick's passion is to 'inspire people to action.'

Judy works with O2 Planning + Design as a senior planner. Her experience includes 15 years with Alberta Government in various land use planning positions. Recently, she ventured with her husband to the remote mountains of Papua, Indonesia to work as a planner with a mining operation. In addition, Judy was one of five students chosen to represent North America in the World Leisure International Centres of Excellence (WICE) Master's course in the Netherlands.

Pam's 34 year career with the City of Calgary spans community development, organizational development, policy coordination, political liaison, facility management and capital development. As a Manager of Neighbourhood Services, her responsibilities now include community social development. Pam has been an ARPA board member and sat on many of its committees, including the "Vision 2015" steering committee.

Rick crosses over all disciplines and is highly sought as a keynote speaker and presenter to academic, recreation, youth development, and law enforcement audiences. His wit, humour, and story-telling abilities captivate the imagination, leaving everyone who hears him believing that all children are truly capable of success - no exceptions!

Simon is the Practice Leader for Urban Planning with Stantec, and the manager of the Capital Region's Planning and Landscape Architecture Practice. Simon's experience ranges from regional land use and economic development studies to detailed design and neighbourhood plans. His experience includes planning for urban projects such as downtown infill development and an urban renewal project in the Bronx, New York, and greenfield development in suburban areas within the Edmonton region.

Diana has worked in the field of Therapeutic Recreation for 10 years in the area of seniors, and young adults with mobility, cognitive and sensory disabilities. She is the Coordinator of the Advisory Board on Services for Persons with Disabilities for the City of Edmonton and is co-chair of the Alberta Committee of the Active Living Alliance for Canadians with a Disability.

With over 20 years experience in health promotion, organizational development and marketing/communications, Joanne has worked for the Alberta Cancer Board, Canadian Cancer Society, Alberta Tobacco Reduction Alliance, Breast Cancer InfoLink, and AADAC. She holds a Master's in Continuing Education (Leadership and Organizational Development) from the University of Calgary.

Barb worked in municipal recreation and parks for 16 years and has operated her facilitation and consulting business for the past 15 years. In April 2009, Barb consulted with recreation and parks practitioners and field stakeholders to gather feedback about the In Alberta - Recreation and Parks Matter! Research Summary.

Susan's passion for people, gardening and enhancing community wellbeing has helped her contribute to the popularity of community gardening in Alberta and around the world. Susan is currently the Cityfarm Executive Director and Facilitator for the ECGN and continues to mentor community garden projects worldwide.

Adventurer, author and GPS guy, Jack uses GPS and other technology to better teach others how gear can enhance their own adventures. From off-road driving for search and rescue, to desert racing or SCUBA diving for Spanish Galleon shipwrecks, Jack has done it all. His latest projects include "Off the Grid, how to drive and survive off-road." Jack also facilitates Geocaching-inspired corporate team-building events for Playtime, Inc.

Christina is the Central Region Coordinator for the Alberta Conservation Team, the delivery arm for the One Simple Act program. Since starting with One Simple Act, she has been inspired by the range of environmental initiatives and actions being taken by individual Albertans and communities.

Talia is the Volunteer Manager with the Calgary Folk Music Festival. As a human resources staff person in a collaborative and operational office, she has gained an interesting insight into implementing eco-initiatives on varying scales. Talia is proud to work for an organization that allows her to mix a personal commitment to the environment with her professional life.

Todd has been working in recreation and parks for over 19 years, including over 22 years in aquatics, 17 years in communications and marketing, and over 13 years with computers. He has worked with over 50 recreation-based groups worldwide through his own company. In addition to continuing to manage his own company and projects, Todd is currently the Manager at West Edmonton Mall's World Waterpark in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Kim works for the City of Edmonton, Community Services Department, where he works in Policy and Research. In his volunteer time he is Chair of the International Play Association, Canada, (IPA Canada) and is currently IPA's Regional Vice-President for North America and the Caribbean.

Susan has over 25 years experience in the health and wellness field. She owns STOMP! Mind-Body Fitness and is currently working as a Coach for ACE Communities. Susan has a passion for health and has been researching the science behind mind, body and spirit for years. She is an avid yogi and works daily at cultivating mindfulness in her life. She lives with her husband and three children near Carstairs, Alberta.

Charlie received his initial training in therapeutic play from the New Games Foundation in San Francisco in 1976. Since then, he has organized and taught programs using play to children of all ages in many settings, including classrooms, after-school programs, chemical-dependency programs and hospitals.

Maggie developed a pilot community garden project for Calgary Parks in 2009. These gardens were built on public lands (City of Calgary) and included lands maintained by community groups, and lands maintained by Parks staff. More than a dozen community gardens were developed on public lands.

Glen has been the Senior Planner, Land Use Secretariat since January 2009. In the previous 26+ years, he worked for Alberta Transportation, the last nine as the Roadside Planning Specialist developing policy and legislation to support existing highway infrastructure and to protect future development of the transportation network. He has served on committees in the development of the Land Use Framework since April 2006.

Kristy is the Public Art Director of the Edmonton Arts Council. She has a Master's degree in Public Art from the Dutch Art Institute and a Bachelor's degree in Visual Art from the University of Victoria. She has a background in arts administration and has exhibited her artwork internationally, recently at the Alberta Biennial of Contemporary Art and photoMiami art fair.

Heather is the coordinator for the City of Calgary Recreation's AfterSchool program. She is a High Five Master Trainer, and is a member of the Children and Youth Committee for ARPA. Her background includes working with adjudicated youth in residential settings, and leading children and youth recreation programs in facilities.

Dr. Wymer is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada. He has published articles and books and given presentations on nonprofit marketing topics. He is editor of the Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, and former president of the Atlantic Marketing Association.