about us

Who We Are
Who We Support
What We Do
Our History
Our Impact
Our People

We Are The Federation of Calgary Communities Empower Volunteers Provide Education Support Community

We build the capacity of  volunteer-led nonprofits in Calgary and surrounding area by supporting passionate people who give back to their community, no matter the cause. Through our growing network of community-based organizations, we support our member’s work in a variety of sectors, including arts, culture, education, the environment, recreation, crime prevention, social services and Community Associations.

Our Vision:

We are cultivating a network of nonprofit organizations that are able to thrive, collaborate, and make an impact on their communities

Our Mission:

We build the capacity of volunteer-run organizations by delivering resources, workshops and professional services. Through our work, people gain the skills to guide their organizations with confidence and clarity.

Community

Leadership

Inclusion

Commitment

Volunteerism

Integrity

Who we Support

Community Associations
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Community-based organizations
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Resident Associations
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Rural Community Associations
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Community-based nonprofits have a unique ability to mobilize, support and interact with their communities to improve neighbourhood life in Calgary. By connecting neighbours, acting as a voice for their area, and offering their residents opportunities close to home, you make significant contributions to the health and well-being of all Calgarians. 

Our Members

What we Do

Through our advocacy, support and educational resources, we increase our member’s ability to meet their organization’s needs, and build their capacity to support their members and communities. We provide our members with support and resources in key areas, such as volunteer engagement, board governance, political advocacy, fund development, and financial literacy, so that they can govern their organization with confidence and clarity. 

Our Services

Our History

Our roots began in the community association movement in Calgary and our name is part of our legacy.

The earliest community associations were formed during the 1920’s to provide Calgarians with formal recreational and social programs and facilities. The first official incorporation of a community association took place in 1930 [Elbow Park] and two more [Mount Royal and Scarboro] were registered prior to World War II. Post-war Calgary saw a dramatic population increase, and the number of community associations grew accordingly. These grassroots groups attempted to fill the needs of an expanding demographic.

During the 1950’s, communities faced common concerns, and wanted one unified voice to coordinate and liaise with community services. Initiated by 47 community associations in 1961, The Federation of Calgary Communities emerged with the mandate to develop and utilize its collective resources to respond to a variety of needs of the community associations. This new umbrella gave the associations a way to combine their voices, and increase their effectiveness, while remaining autonomous.

We believe in the power of these grassroots nonprofits, who have the unique ability to create a small town feeling in a city of over one million people.

Our Impact

While we may not be the ones filling community gardens, running after-school programs, or maintaining facilities, our services empower grassroots nonprofits to create lasting and meaningful impacts on their communities:

Annual Report

Board of directors

Tina Kakkar

President

Elaina Eifler

Vice President

Agnes Szaflarski

Treasurer

Craig Loewen

Secretary

Doreen Herdman

Director

Austin Muir

Director

John Mckinley

Director

Nina Rehill

Director

Paul Mercer

Director

Asif Rashid

Director

Kevin Matieshin

Director

Jordan Furness

Director

Roopa Khanna

Director

Colin Becker

Director

Contact the

Board

Get in touch with any questions or inquiries.

We’re here to help!

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Administrative team

Staff_Leslie Evans_ED

Leslie Evans

Executive Director

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Lori Winder

Administration Assistant

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Kayleigh Kernaghan

IT and Data Management Specialist

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Phyllis Yeung

Bookkeeper

Engagement team

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Paul Meunier

Director of Education

Staff_Mia Leung Circle

Mia Leung

Urban Planner

Staff_Adam Schwartz Circle

Adam Schwartz

Community Activator

Staff_Francis Kamau

Francis Kahihu

Organizational Development Analyst

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Danielle Hillje

Communications Generalist

Staff_Colette Acheson_circle

Colette Acheson

Member Services Coordinator

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Afrah Rayes

Urban Planner

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Ronaldo Chua III

Power BI Technician

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Lovely Cano

Data Entry and Program Assistant

Audit Team

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Heidi Brauer

Auditor

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Nancy Murdoch

Auditor

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Michael Ihekuna

Auditor

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Anthony Chiu

Auditor

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Joobin Tahouri

Auditor

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Azra Qureshi

File Coordinator & Audit Technician

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Sophia Wu

Intermediate Audit Technician

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Viktoria Shabanova

Audit Technician

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Fateha Muzaffar

Audit Technician

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Uliana Kabanova

Audit Technician

Staff_Hanna Zarubina Circle

Hanna Zarubina

Audit Technician

Staff_Harjot Singh Atwal website

Harjot Singh Atwal

Audit Technician

Staff_Kelan Peng_circle

Kelan Peng

Audit Technician

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Leslie Evans

Executive Director

Leslie is a born and raised Calgarian. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology and Management, a Certificate in Human Resource Development and a master’s degree in Management focusing on Voluntary Sector Leadership. Throughout her career, she’s worked for a variety of organizations from social services and community services to capacity building and at the local, provincial and national levels.  Leslie has dedicated her career to the non-profit sector for more than 25 years, and has been our dedicated and fearless leader since 2007. Did you know Leslie brings her three dogs to work with her every day? Charlie is a Shitzu Pomeranian, Winston is a Mini Pinscher Chihuahua and Roo is an Australian Shepherd! 

 

Lori Winder

Administrative Assistant

Lori has a Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science. After some time in the field of immunohematology, then some time at home with her children, she made the career switch into office administration to lead a more balanced lifestyle. After working for another community focused non-profit organization, she joined our team in 2010. As our Admin Assistant she does it all – keeping our office running smoothly and keeping us all sane! Did you know Lori loves tropical fish and has a 66 gallon tank in her living room full of them?

Kayleigh Kernaghan

IT Support

Born and raised in Calgary, Kayleigh has just completed her Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. In her role as a Web Designer she will be helping to add new features to the current website, along with beginning to plan the new website. In her role as IT Support, she will be helping to link databases, set up a new server, and various technical tasks. Growing up, Kayleigh’s hobbies mostly centered around tinkering and figuring out how technology worked. This lead to her being that kid in school who knew how to run the TV/Projector when the teacher didn’t. Did you know that Kayleigh also has a musical side? She took piano lessons for 10 years, joined the school band for 3 years playing trumpet, and can normally be found listening to music regardless of what she is working on.

Phyllis Yeung

Bookkeeper

Phyllis was born and raised in Hong Kong. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and has over 15 years’ accounting experience in Hong Kong. After coming to Canada in 2019, she earned an Applied Business Management certificate from the University of Manitoba. Phyllis worked in a CPA firm at Winnipeg as a senior accounting technician for 3 years, then moved to Calgary with her family in Aug 2023. Before joining The Federation as a bookkeeper, she was a seasonal contractor for personal tax returns.

In her free time, she likes cooking, reading mystery novels and watching detective TV dramas. She also spends most of her leisure time with her husband, her 2 teenagers and her adorable orange cat named Moe Meow.

Paul Meunier

Director of Education

Paul is a born and raised Calgarian and dedicated to working in communities. He’s been involved in grassroots organizing for twenty years, working in community centres and nonprofit spaces throughout our city. Paul has an arts background with degrees in photography and English literature. He’s currently finishing his Ph.D. in creative writing! Every community is a space jam-packed with vibrant, inspiring, and heartfelt stories, and Paul was very proud to work at the Federation for many years, hearing those stories brought to life by passionate leaders in our network. Paul’s excited to join our team once again to launch our education program for the year to come! When he’s not in the office, Paul can be found chasing his pooch around the park.

Mia Leung

Urban Planner

Mia is a recent graduate with a Master of Planning with a bachelor’s in urban studies from the University of Calgary.  Born and raised in Alberta, Calgary is a city she calls her home. Being more involved within her community association, she has learned a lot about Calgary’s planning process and with her education, Mia became passionate at educating and engaging through verbal and visual methods. She believes education is the path for engagement within communities and is interested in how to communicate with residents about their wants and needs. Outside of work, she spends her time baking and drinking coffee! You’ll often find her walking along the Bow River Pathway.

Adam Schwartz

Community Activator

Adam is a born and raised Calgarian, and a graduate of University of Calgary’s Masters of Planning program. Throughout his academic journey, Adam was always interested in small scale community activation projects, and became a volunteer, leader, and advocate for all things tactical urbanism. Adam is interested in other planning topics such as community development, housing, and active transportation, and has previously worked on active transportation reports for high schools in Calgary. Adam currently lives in the community of Crescent Heights with his wife and cat, and enjoys playing rec league hockey in the winters, and biking Calgary’s amazing pathway network in the summers!

Francis Kahihu Kamau

Organizational Development Analyst

Francis holds a PhD in Organizational Sustainability from Nairobi, Kenya, and master’s degrees in Organizational Development and Guidance Psychology. He arrived in Calgary in August 2023 to pursue a master’s degree in Leadership and Ministry at Ambrose University.

Driven by a passion for community and organizational sustainability, Francis has a stellar 23-year progressive career, building communities and organizations at both national and international levels, including his last 10.5 years at the US Embassy in Nairobi. You can ask him about strategic planning, inclusive program design, project implementation and organizational development. He has a big interest in creating collaborative solutions, learning and adapting.

In his free time, you will spot him jogging along the beautiful Calgary pathways and byways.

Danielle Hillje

Communications Generalist

Danielle holds two bachelor’s degrees in English and History and a postgraduate certificate in Public Relations and Communications. She joins the team with eclectic non-profit experience and a passion for community-based sustainability.

As a lifelong Calgarian, Danielle was surprised to learn just how much she didn’t know about community associations, and she is eager to share the incredible work being done by community association volunteers with her fellow Calgarians.

In her personal life, Danielle is a sustainable gardener, a self-taught crocheter, and a proud cat mom of two. She enjoys a quiet night in with a cup of tea, a good book, and her lap cat.

Colette Acheson

Member Services Coordinator

Colette Acheson has been a business consultant, published writer and management professional with 20 years of experience working in diverse nonprofit organizations in Alberta, British Columbia, and the northern territories. 

In support of the Federation and its members, Colette brings experience from several years as an executive director and consultant and from various leadership roles on boards.  

In her free time, she enjoys painting and teaching watercolour and admits to many happy hours as a BBC crime show junkie.  

Afrah Rayes

Urban Planner

Afrah is a proud mother of two happy young adults and a grandmother for two adorable grandchildren. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Engineering, a diploma in Urban Design, certificates in Conflict Resolution, Project Management, Coaching Conversation, and Design Charrette. Afrah is a Registered Professional Planner and a full member of the Canadian Institute of Planners. She has worked in the private sector, municipal government, and non-for-profit organizations. Afrah was educated and practiced urban planning in Baghdad/Iraq for ten years. She pursued her urban planning career in Canada through volunteering in various organizations gaining knowledge of the Canadian context and the planning system. Afrah’s passion is in planning and designing communities with special interest in heritage conservation. She was instrumental in leading and implementing 13 Avenue Heritage Greenway in Beltline and other public realm improvement projects in Sunnyside and Montgomery communities. Did you know that Afrah is a mentor with Calgary Region Immigration Employment Council (CRIEC) since 2012.   She loves baking, gardening, swimming, yoga, reading, and watching Law & Order shows.

Ronaldo Chua

Power BI Technician

Ronaldo is a student at SAIT taking the Information Technology program, majoring in Software Development. He was born in the Philippines but has lived most of his life in Alberta. He is responsible for visualizing our data and articulating a story out of it.

As someone who recently moved here to Calgary from a small town, he was oblivious to community associations; Ronaldo is eager to learn about their role in this city and its dynamics with the city council.

Ronaldo’s interests are driving his car (outside of downtown and traffic), any recreational activities, watching sports highlights, and recently learning Power BI. His favourite team as of this year is the Chicago Cubs.

Lovely cano

Data Entry and Program Assistant

Lovely recently completed a data analytics program and has plans to pursue management and leadership studies at SAIT. Originally from the Philippines, she is now beginning a new journey in Alberta. 

She thrives in various roles, including managing data, events, social media, and websites.

In her free time, she volunteers in a non-profit organization and in her school, offering help in any way she can. She also spends time with her family, exploring different parks and places in the area.

Heidi Brauer

Auditor

As an experienced CMA with a number of degrees under her belt, Heidi has more than 20 years of non-profit audit experience. She founded our audit program in 1993 after recognizing a need within smaller organizations for professional audit services at affordable prices. She also recognized a knowledge gap in volunteer board members and developed sector specific workshops and one-on-one learning opportunities for understanding financial statements and requirements. She’s been with us as a public practice auditor since 1983! Did you know Heidi lived in Vancouver before moving to Calgary? As much as she liked it there, she loves the Alberta sunshine! Ask Heidi about audit and financial compliance for non-profit organizations and charities.

Nancy Murdoch

Auditor

After finishing her Associate in Financial Management diploma, Nancy worked in accounting in the private sector for a while before going to work for public accounting firms. She has worked in British Columbia, Yellowknife, and High River before landing here in Calgary. She has also worked with Auditwatch Canada as an instructor offering courses all across Canada. As a Chartered Professional Accountant, she’s been with us as a public practice auditor since 2010. Did you know before becoming an accountant Nancy was a zookeeper for 8 years?

Ask Nancy about audit and financial compliance for non-profit organizations and charities.

Michael Ikehuna

Auditor

After earning a Bachelor of Finance degree, Michael became a member of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants in the United Kingdom, and a Masters of Business Administration. He also has his Chartered Professional Accountant designation. Before joining our team as a public practice auditor in 2017, he worked with public accounting firms helping clients solve complex financial, business, and tax issues. Did you know Michael was once chased by a rhino on a safari in Nigeria?!

Ask Michael about audit and financial compliance for non-profit organizations and charities.

Anthony Chiu

Auditor

Anthony graduated from the University of New Brunswick in 2006 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. He commenced his articles with an international accounting firm in British Columbia before qualifying as a chartered accountant in 2011. Before joining our team as a public practice auditor in 2019, Anthony worked for public accounting firms providing audit and assurance, accounting, tax and advisory services for a wide range of private and non-profit organizations. Did you know Anthony is writing his 3rd novel?

Ask Anthony about audit and financial compliance for non-profit organizations and charities.

Joobin Tahouri

Auditor

Joobin earned his Bachelor of Accounting degree in Iran before immigrating to Canada in 2014. Upon arriving, he began the CPA program and qualified as a Chartered Professional Accountant in 2020. Prior to joining our team, Joobin worked as an Assurance Associate and Manager at KPMG and PwC Calgary for a total of 7 years. His client portfolio includes non-profit organizations and public companies in the oil and gas sector, such as CNRL and Imperial Oil Limited. Outside of work, Joobin enjoys road biking, listening to electronic dance music, and beer tasting.

Did you know that Joobin graduated from veterinary school and worked as a veterinarian before transitioning to accounting?

 

Feel free to ask Joobin about audits and reviews of non-profit organizations and charities.

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Azra Qureshi

Audit Technician

Azra moved to Canada in 2012. She has a bachelor’s degree in General Science in Stats, Math and Economics from Pakistan. After moving to Canada, Azra completed a one-year Diploma in payroll and Accounting from Evergreen College. She then worked at an accounting firm for three years. Outside of work, she works with 1000 voices & Trellis (both Non-profit organizations) as a volunteer. Azra joined the Federation on Jan 10, 2022.

Sophia Wu

Intermediate Audit Technician

Sophia joined our team in 2009 with a Diploma of Business Administration (Accounting major) from SAIT. Being an intermediate audit technician means she’s responsible for supporting the audit process by preparing audit files for the auditors and helping coach other staff when necessary.

Viktoria Sabanova

Audit Technician

Viktoria graduated from Zaporizhzhia University in Ukraine with a degree in accounting.  After graduation, she worked for several small companies performing accounting and book-keeping duties. Eventually, she settled in at a large telecom company, Kyivstar, to manage a regional office in her hometown. She moved to Canada in 2017 to start a new chapter of her life. While in Calgary, she worked for a small consulting company as an accounting assistant. She attended SAIT and obtained her diploma in Business Administration with a major in accounting. She is excited to join the Federation of Calgary Communities and is looking forward to contributing to the Federation. In her spare time, she enjoys being out in nature: skiing, hiking, mountain biking and paddleboarding in the summer. She is particularly fond of our mountains and always enjoy spending her time there. She also enjoys quiet evenings with a good book and listening to classical music.

Fateha Muzzafar

Audit Technician

Fateha immigrated to Calgary from Pakistan in 2003 with Bachelor of Administration in Economics and Math from Pakistan and has course certificates in bookkeeping. She worked as an accounting assistant at a public accounting firm before joining our team in 2017. As an audit technician she supports the audit process by preparing audit files for the auditors.

Uliana Kabanova

Audit Technician

Born-and-raised Ukrainian, Uliana is a finance and accounting professional with a master’s degree in finance from the Russian State University of Management and a diploma in Business Administration (majoring in accounting) from SAIT. With over a decade of experience in financial and cost control roles across diverse company sizes, she transitioned her career to accounting upon moving to Canada. Uliana is committed to community service, volunteering with organizations like the Calgary Drop-In Centre, Catholic Schools, and Junior Achievement program. She is excited to contribute to the Federation of Calgary Communities and is passionate about supporting its mission and clients.

Hanna Zarubina

Audit Technician

Hanna is an accountant from the Ukraine with a Masters degree in Accounting and over 18 years’ experience in the accounting field in the Ukraine. She immigrated to Canada in March 2023 and was working as Accounting Admin Volunteer in a non-profit organization for 5 months before joining our team. Apart from work, Hanna likes to spend time with her family and explore Calgary’s new places. 

Harjot Singh Atwal

Audit Technician

Harjot was born and raised in Nawanshahr, Punjab, India. He came to Canada as an International student to pursue Business Administration Diploma – Major in Accounting. As an audit technician at The Federation, he will be working on the members’ audits.

His favourite thing about Calgary is its proximity to the mountains.  His hobbies are farming and also playing and watching cricket.

Kelan Peng

Audit Technician

Kelan is an accountant from China. In 2023, she finished her bachelor’s degree in accounting in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. In August 2024, she graduated with a master’s degree in accounting in Ontario. When she moved to Calgary, she joined the Federation as an audit technician. Currently, she is pursuing CPA Canada and ACCA for her career.

Apart from work, Kelan loves studying Chinese medicine, and likes to discuss healthcare with others. She also loves listening to music and painting.