Doris is a People & Culture executive and Professional Certified Coach who has a deep commitment to helping organizations, teams and individuals unleash their full potential, particularly in organizations that are experiencing a high degree of change.

She has worked and led teams in many environments varying in size and complexity in both the profit and not-for-profit sectors, including government. Her skills lie in the ability to take lessons from across the spectrum of these experiences and apply them into the context: that of Board Chair or Director, consultant, business owner, executive leader or advisor. Doris has successfully led organizations through times of crisis that has resulted in stronger, more resilient organizations.

Doris completed her MBA at Royal Roads University, where she was also granted the Leadership Award by her fellow cohort members.

Taylor is the VP Finance of Enfinite, which specializes in the development and operation of energy storage system solutions. Previously, Taylor worked for an international accounting firm for over seven years in their Corporate Restructuring and Audit departments.

Prior to obtaining his Chartered Accountant designation in 2015, Taylor graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Saskatchewan. Taylor joined Discovery House as an Audit & Finance Committee member in 2018 and subsequently joined as a Director in 2020.

Esmahan  has extensive board experience, at the national and local levels, and serves on a number of working groups including as the Director for BC at Equal Voice, United Way Calgary Public Policy Committee, Confederation Centre of the Arts and co-leads an Alberta based collective for BIPOC women in politics.

She co-founded two organizations, including Ask Her and is an Associate Principal at Champion Communications & PR. She brings extensive experience in public engagement, public policy, government relations, strategic planning and communications. She has worked for the Government of Alberta and most recently as a public affairs consultant in British Columbia.

In 2019,  Esmahan was named one of the top 50 Arab women in North America by the Arab Women of Excellence Awards.

Dale Brown, CPA, CA, has been an avid supporter of Calgary charities for many years. He has served on the Board/had advisory roles at various not-for-profits and is excited to bring that experience to the Board at Discovery House. Professionally, Dale facilitates accounting and audit training to audit firms and corporations around the world. Personally, Dale enjoys spending as much time as he can outdoors and cooking a nice meal for his family at the end of the day.

Simon has 25 years of international experience and has held leadership positions at Parkland, Encana, Talisman, and the Calgary Zoo.

Simon spent the early part of his career helping Scottish companies develop export markets and was a member of the executive team of Bruntwood, where he led the company’s marketing, communication, and brand activities.

Simon has shared his expertise with multiple community organizations including Tourism Calgary and Mount Royal University. He was an elected Trustee of the Central Manchester National Health Service Trust in England.

Kristin Anderson is a professional communicator specializing in government relations, advocacy and issues management. She is currently the Vice President, Communications at the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP). As a passionate, life-long Calgarian, Kristin believes in the importance of volunteerism and has served on various non-profit boards in the past. Kristin enjoys being outside in the summer.

Busola Fagbodun is a lover of Calgary charities, her focus on community collaboration and drive to give back to the community has led her to a number of volunteer opportunities. She is a volunteer with the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) organized by CPA Alberta, she volunteers with Mustard Seed and her local faith community. She brings a decade of experience in accounting, financial statements audit, and internal controls to the Board. Busola is very passionate about personal finance, she is a lover of soccer and an avid reader of finance and history books.

Gabriela is a trilingual government relations, public engagement and communications professional with nearly fifteen years of experience. She currently leads Alberta Government Affairs at TELUS. She is a dedicated community volunteer, currently serving on the Momentum Public Policy Advisory Committee and is a board director with the Canadian Children’s Book Centre. Gabriela was most recently the President of the Public Affairs Association of Canada – Alberta chapter. In her spare time, she can be found in the mountains with her young family.

Marcie is the Founder and President of Canadian Equality Consulting or CEC; a company that supports workplaces to increase their diversity, build equitable systems, processes, and policies, as well as creates inclusive cultures where all people in their full diversity can thrive. She has a master’s degree in international conflict resolution from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, a bachelor’s degree in political studies, and extensive experience in gender analysis, DEI methodology, and framework development, diversity and inclusion, policy and program development, and stakeholder engagement.

She has presented on gender equality to the United Nations, the Canadian House of Commons, the World Bank, and was recognized as a SHE Innovator by UN Women for her work to advance gender equality as well as the Premier’s Award of Excellence for innovation. Under her leadership, CEC was nominated and won as ‘Top 10 D&I Firm in the world in 2022’ and CEC has also received an award from Canadian Business for the ‘Most Supportive Workplace Culture!’

Dr. Dawn Johnston is a Teaching Professor in Communication, Media and Film, and Associate Dean in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Calgary. She holds a PhD and MA in Communication Studies from the University of Calgary, and a BA (Honours) in English and Women’s Studies from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. She teaches, researches, and provides media commentary on gender and sexuality in popular culture, and has previously served as emcee of the Coming Out Monologues and Vice-President of the Board of Directors at Calgary’s Centre for Sexuality.

Michael Mauws (Ph.D., ICD.D) is currently a Professor of Business Strategy at Athabasca University. Raised in an entrepreneurial family, he has more than forty years of experience managing, advising, governing, researching, and starting both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. His previous and ongoing volunteer activities include music festivals, amateur sports organizations, community associations, and affordable housing initiatives. He is the very proud father of (and chauffeur to) two active teenage children. In his spare time, he enjoys live music, reading, and riding his many bicycles. Michael has been a member of the Discovery House board since 2022 and, during that time, has also served on the Governance and HR Committee.

Prior to moving to Houston, Texas, Carli was a portfolio manager with Palisade Capital Management, responsible for the analysis and evaluation of investment ideas and portfolio weightings, with a focus on the diversified portion of Palisade’s portfolios.

Carli has over 21 years of experience in the investment management and pension industries. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Statistics from the University of Calgary and is a CFA charter holder. Carli is active in the community, including volunteering at YMCA Calgary for the last 15 years. Carli is currently serving on the Audit & Finance Committee.

Tom Whalen is a long-time community volunteer as well as a board member of for-profit and non-profit organizations. He most recently served as past chairman for the Women in Need Society of Calgary. In addition to serving on numerous boards, Mr. Whalen brings over 40 years of leadership, management, coaching, and operational experience to the Discovery House board. Mr. Whalen is currently the Managing Director for the not-for-profit, industry-sustaining organization of C-FER Technologies Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alberta Innovates. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, especially his three grandchildren as well as skiing, biking, fishing, woodworking, gardening, and golfing.