AAME Board Members

Your AAME Board Members

Cam Stewart, has been active in the field diversity, inclusion and intercultural communication for many years. He has received many awards for his work, including; The Calgary Police Chief’s Award for Community Service, the Jewish Repairing the World Award, the YMCA Peace Medal, the Jerry P. Sellinger Award for working with immigrant offenders and victims of domestic violence, and the Baha’i Community Racial Harmony Award.

As president of Kanata Intercultural Consulting Inc. Cam has advised government, corporations, and not-for-profit organizations in areas of racism, hate crime, and diversity. He is a senior consultant for the federal HRSDC Racism-free Workplace Strategy, Canadian Coalition Against Racism and Discrimination, and the Alberta Hate Bias Crime and Incidents Committee.

Don Zyoba

Fran Zaborniak

Julienne Hendrickson

Linda McKay-Panos

Kari Grain was the Calgary Director of SHOUT National, an organization committed to activism and education in areas such as social justice, diversity, and genocide awareness. She obtained her undergraduate degree from University of Victoria and now works for The Canadian Centre for Diversity as the Discover Diversity Schools Program Co-ordinator. She is loves to travel, and intends to begin her Master’s Degree in September 2008 at University of Calgary.

Linda McKay-Panos (Board President) is the Executive Director of the Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre. She taught Language Arts and Social Studies with the Calgary Board of Education for 7 years before obtaining her Law Degree. In 1992, she joined the Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre as a Research Associate. Linda is a sessional instructor in the Faculty of Communication and Culture at the University of Calgary. Linda received her Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws degrees from the University of Calgary.

Linda is the Past President Alberta Association for Multicultural Education, Treasurer of the Committee on Race Relations and Cross Cultural Understanding, and the Past President of the Public Legal Education Network of Alberta. Linda is the author of several publications dealing with civil liberties, access to information, human rights, discrimination, equality and related topics. Linda received the 2001 Suzanne Mah Award and an Alberta Centennial Medal in 2005 for her work in human rights in Alberta.

Nicholas Spillios

Darren E. Lund, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Calgary, where his research examines social justice activism in schools and communities. Darren formed the award-winning Students and Teachers Opposing Prejudice (STOP) program as a high school teacher in Red Deer, AB.

Born and raised in Calgary, he has published numerous articles and book chapters, and is creator of the popular on-line Diversity Toolkit. Darren has been recognized with a number of honours, including being named a Killam Resident Fellow, Exemplary Multicultural Educator of the Year, and a Reader’s Digest National Leader in Education.

Derrick Shirley is a Diversity Consultant and Registered Counsellor in Calgary, AB with Harmony Counselling and Consulting. He has made several media appearances, is involved in several community projects and initiatives, and speaks nationally and internationally.

Derrick was a Sessional Instructor at the University of Calgary with the Faculty of Social Work, is a father of one, and a avid triathlete. For more information visit www.DerrickShirley.com.

Gerda Notacker has been involved in ESL and multicultural education for over 30 years. She worked as a teacher for the Calgary Board of Education for 20 years and is now teaching ESL at the University of Calgary, and TEFL teacher training in Calgary and abroad. She has held various positions on the board of AAME, including that of president and secretary. At present, she holds the position of membership secretary.

Alderman Joe Ceci was elected to his fifth term as Alderman for Ward 9 in October 2007. Prior to his election to Council in 1995, Joe worked for fifteen years in a variety of social work roles, including as a Community Worker for the City of Calgary, Social Development Department.

Joe has a graduate degree in Social Work from the University of Calgary and advocates for stronger neighbourhoods and healthy communities. Currently, Joe volunteers his time for a variety of civic and community boards, including the Calgary Folk Festival Society, the Learning Disabilities Association of Alberta.

Larry Ofner is the Casino chair person for AAME for the past 15 years. He is a retired school Principal from St. Patrick Elementary School, one of the original multicultural light house schools. They hosted a Canadian Citizenship Court where a number of students and their parents became Canadian Citizens.

Over the last 20 years. Larry has served as Treasurer, President, and long-term casino chairperson. Presently, he happily volunteers at the Marian Centre (an inner city soup kitchen), delivers furniture for St. Vincent de Paul to the less fortunate, and volunteers with new Immigrant families for Edmonton Catholic charities.

Valeria Palladino is a second language teacher with over 12 years of experience in Edmonton and abroad. As the Coordinator of the International and Heritage Languages Association (IHLA), Valeria is involved in a range of professional development and coordinating activities. She holds a BA in Foreign Languages, a BEd and a Master in Education, with a focus on Ethnolinguistic Vitality.

She is involved in technology-based language resource development for Alberta Education, with a focus on integrating technology in language curricula through teaching and learning strategies. As an instructor for the University of Alberta, Valeria has taught Curriculum and Methodology courses at the Faculty of Secondary Education. At home Valeria enjoys her family and has been an AAME board member since 2004

In loving memory of our friend and colleague

Genevieve Balogun

Genevieve, Board member of AAME and creator of the AAME newsletter, died tragically in a traffic accident on April 24, 2009. Her legacy of love and dedication to education, our board, and to the countless other lives she touched, will be surely missed.

A.A.M.E.

The Alberta Association for Multicultural Education

Your AAME Board Members

In loving memory of our friend and colleague

Genevieve, Board member of AAME and creator of the AAME newsletter, died tragically in a traffic accident on April 24, 2009. Her legacy of love and dedication to education, our board, and to the countless other lives she touched, will be surely missed.