OUR PEOPLE

Provide Professional Services Empower Volunteers Offer Support and Resources and a Shoulder to Lean On

Board of directors

Tina Kakkar

President

Elaina Eifler

Vice President

Agnes Szaflarski

Treasurer

Tim Lipp

Secretary​

Alyson Robb

Past President

Doreen Herdman

Director

Austin Muir

Director

John Mckinley

Director

Marta Ligocki

Director (On Leave))

Craig Loewen

Director

Nina Rehill

Director

Paul Mercer

Director

Asif Rashid

Director

Contact the

Board

Get in touch with any questions or inquiries.

We’re here to help!

Administrative team

Leslie Evans

Executive Director

Lori Winder

Administration Assistant

Annie Zhang

Senior Accountant

Kayleigh Kernaghan

IT and Data Management Specialist

Engagement team

Paul Meunier

Director of Education

Mia Leung

Urban Planner

Adam Schwartz

Community Activator

Francis Kahihu

Organizational Development Analyst

Danielle Hillje

Communications Generalist

Colette Acheson

Member Services Coordinator

Chloe Chan

Data Entry and Program Assistant

Ronaldo Chua III

Power BI Technician

Audit Team

Heidi Brauer

Auditor

Nancy Murdoch

Auditor

Michael Ihekuna

Auditor

Anthony Chiu

Auditor

Fateha Muzaffar

Audit Technician

Azra Qureshi

File Coordinator & Audit Technician

Sophia Wu

Intermediate Audit Technician

Yuvraj Badhan

Audit Technician

Chris Okwuje

Audit Technician

Hanna Zarubina

Audit Technician

Harjot Singh Atwal

Audit Technician

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Click below to stay up-to-date on all things community, urban planning, news, and so much more!

Edit Template

Contact us

Looking for more information or have any questions? 

Feel free to reach out, we’re always here to help!

Contact Us
I am a member of the Federation of Calgary Communities
Edit Template

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?

Annie Zhang

Senior Accountant

Annie has a bachelor’s degree of Management in Accounting. She holds a CPA in Washington State (USA) and a CPA in Canada. Before joining our team, she had worked for several fortune 500 companies, including 5 years at Deloitte as finance head. Now she is responsible for accounting at The Federation.

Outside of work, she likes traveling and baking. She loves spending time with her kids. Did you know that she has been a vegetarian for 7 years?

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.

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.  

Chloe chan

Database and Program Assistant

Chloe is a born-and-raised Calgarian with a dual degree in Political Science and International Relations. Through her education, she found a passion for using data analytics as a storytelling tool. This past year, she’s been volunteering on community building projects and leading a UCalgary student club.

When she’s not working or biking around the city, Chloe spends her time painting, camping, and rock climbing.

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.

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.

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.

Azra-Qureshi-e1650406312858-768x768

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.

Yuvraj Badhan

Audit Technician

Yuvraj came to Canada in the year 2021. He has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from India. After coming to Canada, he earned an Applied Degree in Business Administration from SAIT. He considers himself fortunate to get some Canadian accounting experience during his study program by working in a boutique accounting firm. He plans to pursue the CPA next year. Do you know Yuvraj has a side hustle? He works as a warehouse clerk on weekends where he tries to keep himself in shape by unloading heavy items from the containers.

Chris Okwuje

Audit Technician

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.

Justin Waldrop

Communications Specialist

Justin is a Communication Management Professional (CMP®) certified through the Global Communication Certification Council (GCCC). He holds a Bachelor of Administration (Marketing), Public Relations Certificate, and Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) and is a Certified Digital Marketing Professional.

Hailing from Saskatchewan – otherwise known as another Calgary import – Justin envisions a welcoming and inclusive world for all that ensures equity in human rights. His career is rooted in advocacy of truth and reconciliation, anti-racism and discrimination, mental health, and interculturalism. He has extensive non-profit experience empowering communities to enhance their capacity to access services and resources to improve the quality of life for everyone.

Justin has a passion for fitness and aims to achieve holistic health. He also loves to sing, is a Calgary Men’s Chorus member, and frequents karaoke. He may also disappear for days to immerse himself in the world of medical and criminal procedural dramas.