
MEET OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chair
Dr. Dave Ludwick
Dave is the Executive Director of Corporate Services for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Prior to that he served as an executive director at two primary care networks in Alberta.
Dave graduated from the University of Manitoba as an engineer. He then
completed an MBA (Finance and accounting) at uOttawa and later completed a PhD at the University of Alberta in Health Informatics.
Dave is a road cyclist and tries to ride about 5,000 km per year. He's a musician (piano and guitar) and he also restores vintage cars.

Vice Chair
Kathryn Andrews
Kathryn is the Director of Apprenticeship Education and Pathways with the Ministry of Advanced Education in the Government of Alberta. Kathryn has worked in four provincial ministries over her 18 years in public service, focusing on the fields of post-secondary education, regulated occupations, career development and supporting youth. Kathryn graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Education degree and has completed a wide-range of training in various disciplines. Kathryn previously served on the Board of Directors with Goodwill Industries of Alberta. Outside of work, Kathryn’s passion is travelling, especially with her family.
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Communications/Secretariat
Elvie De Benedetto
Elvie recently retired from a 35-year career in the public service. She served the City of Edmonton in numerous multifaceted roles, including her most recent position as Senior Executive Advisor in the City Operations Department, where she provided strategic support to the Deputy City Manager of City Operations. Through this position, she supported the City’s delivery of transit, parks and roads, fleet and facilities, and waste services.
Elvie was born and raised in Edmonton to parents of Italian descent and has recently returned to University to learn more about Roman art and archaeology.

Treasurer
Simranpreet Kaurbhalla
Simran is a policy enthusiast and an anthropologist who strives to develop innovative policy solutions with a practical approach. She works as a Manager of Legislative Planning at the Ministry of Affordability and Utilities in the Government of Alberta. She holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Saskatchewan and a Master of Science in Anthropology from Panjab University in India. She enjoys managing complex strategic projects and fostering stakeholder relationships to create impactful public policies. In her leisure time, she loves exploring new trails, meeting new people, and learning about diverse cultures.

Member at Large
Megan Chenard
Megan is a seasoned policy professional with nearly a decade of experience within different orders of government. A strong believer in the value of public service, Megan currently provides project management and strategic planning expertise to the City of Edmonton.
Megan holds a Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Alberta. Megan has completed a final thesis on the effectiveness of intergovernmental collaboration in Canada. Her well-regarded work received the 2016 National Student Thought Leadership Award administered by the Institute of Public Administration Canada (IPAC) and The Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration (CAPPA).

Member at Large
Shane Jaffer
Shane has had an extensive background in international trade and investment with various organizations, including the Government of Alberta and Calgary Economic Development.
Among Shane’s previous roles, he served as Managing Director of the Alberta Southeast Asia and Oceania Office at the Canadian High Commission in Singapore. This role focused on attracting investment into Alberta, encouraging trade relationships between Alberta and Southeast Asia and Oceania, and advocating on issues relevant to Alberta and Canada.
Shane is also a sessional lecturer at Mount Royal University at the Bissett School of Business where he teaches Emerging Markets and Global Business Environment.