UCalgary Alumni Board of Directors

Comprised of a group of dedicated and diverse volunteers, meet the UCalgary Alumni Board of Directors.

Your Alumni Association

All graduates become members of the University of Calgary Alumni Association – the official community of UCalgary alumni at home and around the world.

Your association is led by the UCalgary Alumni Association Board of Directors – a group of dedicated volunteers – who undertake work to: 

  • Advise the university on matters related to alumni, and the development and execution of the Alumni Strategy;
  • together with the university, develop and oversee systems, processes and programs to achieve the goals within the Alumni Strategy;
  • develop a transparent and effective process to appoint alumni to the various positions specified by the university requiring alumni representation;
  • work with the university to increase alumni recognition within the university and broader community;
  • foster collaboration and community connections between alumni and the university’s research initiatives;
  • build an environment in which alumni are supportive of the fundraising ambitions of the university; and
  • engage in work and projects to help the university execute the Alumni Strategy, where it is most beneficial for the work to be done by the board and not the university.

UCalgary Alumni Board of Directors

Comprised of a group of dedicated and diverse volunteers, the University of Calgary Alumni Board provides the valued perspective of current and future alumni to meet the needs of members and support UCalgary’s priorities.

Kate Wong, BN'12

President and Chair: Kate Wong, BN'12

Kate has been a registered nurse in pediatrics with Alberta Health Services since 2012. She is currently a Doctoral Candidate in Nursing at UCalgary studying children’s experiences of serious illness with support from a UCalgary Eye’s High Doctoral Recruitment Scholarship and a Doctoral Fellowship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Kate has been a longstanding volunteer with the university and the Faculty of Nursing, where she served as President and Co-President of the Alumni Executive from 2012 to 2019. Her service was recognized by the Faculty of Nursing with a Pursuit of Excellence Exceptional Alumnus Award. Prior to her involvement with the UCalgary Alumni Association Board, Kate was a member of the UCAA Recent Grad Committee. She has served as a speaker and emcee for several university events and programs, including the 2013 spring convocation as a Distinguished Graduate. Kate also serves on the Alberta Registered Nurses Education Trust Board of Directors and as an Adult Mentor of World Learning/U.S. Department of State’s Youth Ambassador Program.

Will o'Yeung

Vice President and Vice Chair: William O’Yeung, BComm’91

William O’Yeung is a Chartered Professional Accountant with an MBA from Nova Southeastern University in addition to his UCalgary degree. During his thirty-year career at Shell Canada, he held various positions including accounting, planning, project management and leadership roles. His desire to help others has had him involved in roles such as a Board Member of Shell Canada’s Community Service Fund, participant of United Way of Calgary’s campaign, coach in the Calgary Minor Soccer and Basketball Associations and Adult Mentor of World Learning/U.S. Department of State’s Youth Ambassador Program.. In addition to his UCalgary Alumni Association role his current volunteer involvements include: Director and active volunteer of Escape with STEM, UCalgary Board of Governors member and UCalgary Senate member.

Ian Minnifee

Past President: Ian Minnifee, BA’94

Ian Minnifee is a community-builder, a promoter of diversity, a sports advocate and a wealth strategist with Fairfield Watson, a Calgary-based independent financial services firm. Minnifee has worked in the financial services industry since 1997 helping successful families prudently grow, manage and preserve their wealth. In 1988, he started his varsity basketball career, eventually becoming team captain while receiving numerous individual conference and national awards. After graduating, Minnifee continued his impact by working closely with the University of Calgary to promote the basketball community, becoming a founding member of the Dinosaur Basketball Foundation. From 2009 to 2015, he served on the University of Calgary Senate, where he was a prominent ambassador of the Dino Athletics program. Among his many contributions to the Senate, he sought to find unique ways to highlight the accomplishments of Dinos athletes and coaches to the Senate. Minnifee helped create the Senate Service Award for student athlete community volunteerism and co-founded a leadership program that connects the award recipient to a Senate mentor. In June 2018, he was awarded the Order of the University of Calgary for his record of exemplary and distinguished service to UCalgary.

Kristin Anderson, BA'96

Kristin Anderson, BA'96

Kristin is the Vice-president, Communications at the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. 

Kristin is a forward-thinking communicator who understands the unique intersection of corporate communications, media relations and public policy. With an extensive background in communications planning, government relations, lobbying and advocacy, Kristin believes in collaboration and stakeholder alignment to build and execute effective communications strategies. She’s a leader and team-builder who values honest dialogue and a solution-based approach to issues management. 

Beyond her professional life, Kristin is a community-minded individual. She sits on several charity boards including the Calgary International Film Festival, the University of Calgary Alumni Association, and Discovery House, a facility for women recovering from domestic violence. 

Akash Asif, BSc'15, BComm'15, MPP’18

Akash Asif, BSc'15, BComm'15, MPP’18

Akash holds Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Science, and Master of Public Policy degrees from the University of Calgary. As Strategy and Operations Director at the Centre for Suicide Prevention, he helps identify and engage new and current audiences in the organization’s mission to reduce stigma and increase awareness of suicide prevention training and education. In his spare time, Akash enjoys watching sports (Calgary Flames and Toronto Raptors) as well as playing squash and tennis.

Shagufta Farheen, BComm’22

Shagufta Farheen, BComm’22

A recent graduate, Shagufta is a passionate youth advocate within the local Calgary and national community. She has a Bachelor of Commerce degree in accounting and was a recipient of the prestigious Chancellor’s Circle Scholarship. Currently, she works as an Analyst for Goldman Sachs on the Investment Banking Finance team. During her time at UCalgary, Shagufta served as a Youth Ambassador for World Vision Canada and formed the campus club to engage students on child protection issues – particularly the No Child for Sale campaign, which petitioned the Canadian parliament on the use of forced child labor within supply chains of Canadian businesses. For two years, she also worked with the Students’ Union as a Haskayne Faculty Representative and Senate Student-at-Large and launched programs – like Haskayne’s First Year Mentorship Program. Today, she resides in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is excited to be the first to represent the international alumni community on the Board.

Jaret Hargreaves, BSc’00, BSc’04, MSC’08

Jaret Hargreaves, BSc’00, BSc’04, MSC’08

Jaret Hargreaves is an innovation ecosystem advocate and experienced product management professional, with more than a decade of experience at startups and scaleups. A career-long focus in digital health has provided him with the perspective and processes to build effective solutions for clinicians and patients to improve health outcomes. He is a founder and past-president of Product Calgary, has served on multiple community association boards, and serves as an expert advisor in numerous local programs including Platform Calgary, Innovate Calgary, and SPARK Alberta. Jaret is a three-time alumna, with undergraduate degrees in Biochemistry and Computer Science, and an MSc in Biomedical Engineering. He is thrilled with the opportunity to give back to the University of Calgary community that has given him so much.

Lorelei Lachambre, MC’07

Lorelei Lachambre, MC’05

Lorelei holds a Master of Counselling degree and has been employed with the University of Calgary since 2021. She is currently the Coordinator of Programs and Internship for Quantum City. In 2023, she was recognized at the Schulich School of Engineering Excellence Awards for fostering Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in Engineering. She loves working on the diverse and electric campus and attends as many events as possible. Lorelei previously lived in Saskatchewan and has 20 years experience in a variety of counselling positions in education and non-profit community organizations. She teaches English as an Additional Language in the evening to assist newcomers adjust to life in Canada. She volunteers her time with Dress for Success as a stylist and employment counsellor. Lorelei strives to motivate others through instruction, encouragement, and empowerment. She enjoys helping others find their voice and discover their passion.

Courtney LeBlanc, BA '22

Courtney LeBlanc, BA '22

Courtney LeBlanc is a seasoned sales and customer support professional passionate about helping others. She built and now leads the Customer Service team at online estate planning platform Willful, creating their department and support structure from the ground up. Courtney didn’t follow the traditional post-secondary path - she completed her Multidisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degree in 8 years. She made the most of her time on campus by participating in programs from the Leadership and Student Engagement Office, working with the Faculty of Arts Student Association as a Director and Chief Returning Officer, and spending time as a Faculty Representative with the Students Union. During her time at the University of Calgary, Courtney fell in love with governance, policy and systemic change, and she’s excited to continue to impact positive change through her passions as a recent alumni of the University.

Aaron Park BSC (Eng)'07, BEd '11

Aaron Park BSC (Eng)'07, BEd '11

Aaron is a passionate educator and enthusiastic community builder. As the Manager of Community Learning & Engagement with the Calgary Stampede Foundation, Aaron overseeing a suite of community-based education and performing arts programs, which seek to provide experiences that develop youth as good people, motivated to make a positive impact for others in world around them. Aaron leads the Stampede Foundation’s efforts in developing community partnerships and initiatives that support positioning Youth Campus as a centre for excellence in community-based learning and performance arts training. Aaron has also shared this passion for community learning as a sessional instructor with the Werklund School of Education and as a volunteer with the University of Calgary Senate, and is inspired by the potential to build community through education.

Fay Qian,

Fay Qian, MBA'19

Fay Qian is an experienced executive search consultant and startup strategist, specializing in venture building and program development. Currently, as the Manager, Investor Services at Invest Alberta, she collaborates globally to implement a strategic approach to investor site visits, lead generation events, and outbound investment missions to drive economic development of the province. Fay holds an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from the University of Calgary and an Honours Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto. Committed to community engagement, she serves on the Boards of Directors at the Lunchbox Theatre and the Calgary Corporate Challenge. Fay recently joined the UCalgary Alumni Association Board of Directors, focusing on empowering emerging young alumni and supporting the university's strategic goals.

Nina Rehill BA’16, BA’21

Nina Rehill, BA'16, BA'21

Nina is a proud Calgarian with a passion for community, connection, and learning. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Calgary. Her academic journey led her to a career in marketing, communications, and public relations. She began her commitment to the University during her undergraduate degrees and now continues to be actively involved in its endeavors driven by the love for the University and the City of Calgary. She is always open to chat and often brings her little one to events – be sure to say hi or connect via LinkedIn.

Jayrin Yue, MBA’21

Jayrin Yue, MBA’21

Jayrin Yue is an environmental professional and has experience in field environmental management, air emissions management, asset retirement, and sustainability.  She has undergraduate degree in Environmental Science from Queen’s University and an MBA from the University of Calgary.  She is passionate about giving back to her community and enjoys volunteering with various organizations around Calgary.  In her spare time, she enjoys many outdoor activities including hiking, skiing, and camping.  On the weekends, you can usually find her climbing a mountain with her dog Lake.

Sabiha Zaman, BSc’02, MBT’02, MSc’07

Sabiha Zaman, BSc’02, MBT’02, MSc’07

Sabiha Zaman is a three-time alumna and an active member of the University of Calgary community. Her academic and research training led her to work on various R&D projects focusing on cancer, fertility, aging, and skin pigmentation. Currently, Sabiha manages and teaches in a graduate program at the Cumming School of Medicine. In 2018, Sabiha fundraised and created the first program-specific endowment, resulting in a student scholarship for the Master of Biomedical Technology program (MBT). She also established an engaged alumni network to promote professional development, industry partnerships, networking, mentorship, and collaboration for MBT alumni and students. As a long-time volunteer, Sabiha had the opportunity to be part of the Medicine Alumni Advisory Council, the UCAA Alumni Recognition Committee, the Arch Awards Selection subcommittee, and recently the UCAA Alumni Engagement Committee. Sabiha is the co-founder of a technology start-up specializing in helping organizations derive better insights using analytics and storytelling. As a community advisory committee member,  she advises a research team on developing a pathway for mental health in kidney care in Alberta. Sabiha supports the life science ecosystem as a business mentor to start-ups.  Her interests include health innovation, science communication, patient and community engagement.

Jessica Zutz, BA’12, BSc’12

Jessica Zutz, BA’12, BSc’12

Passionate about education and supporting young community leaders, Jessica is the Director, Awards Program at Calgary Foundation. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies and Canadian Studies. During her time as an undergraduate student, Jessica began volunteering with the Alumni Association as a Future Alumni Ambassador. She served as a member of the Faculty of Science Alumni Advisory Council and supports numerous campus events including: student mentorship programming, convocation and Alumni All Access. An active community supporter, Jessica volunteers her time with various groups throughout the city.