Board of Directors

Members of the Board or Directors, appointed by the Government of Alberta, were recruited from qualified applicants who collectively have the full range of competencies, experience and personal attributes required to provide effective governance of Travel Alberta, consistent with the Government of Alberta’s commitment to an open and transparent selection process.

In November 2008, the Government named Quincy Smith as Chair and Bob Normand as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of Travel Alberta.  They participated in the recruitment of additional members. In January, 2009, seven Albertans, with expertise in a variety of disciplines and with a strong background in governance, were named to join the Chair, Vice-Chair and the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation (TPR) on the Board.

	Quincy Smith Chair Quincy Smith is currently Counsel of the Calgary office of Fraser, Milner, Casgrain where he was Managing Partner for more than six years. He has served as President of the Calgary Bar Association and as a Bencher for the Law Society of Alberta.
	Bob Normand Vice Chair Bob Normand, of Edmonton, is the retired President and CEO of Alberta Treasury Branches (ATB). He is President of Falaise Management Ltd, a private corporation that provides financial and business consulting services. He has more than 35 years of banking management experience with ATB Financial and the Bank of Montreal. He is a Director of Canadian Utilities Ltd and Lockerbie & Hole Ltd. He has also been Vice-Chair of the Conference Board of Canada.
	David Bayne Member David Bayne is currently a Director of the Association for Mountain Park Protection and Enjoyment. A Banff resident, he spent more than 30 years with Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, and served as President and Director of the Banff Lake Louise Hotel Motel Association.
	Bryon Dickie Member Bryon Dickie is a Corporate Director. Bryon previously worked with the Calgary Olympic Development Association for 15 years. He was the first Industry Co-chair of the Strategic Tourism Marketing Council and has also served with the Alberta Economic Development Authority.
	Jan Fisher Member Jan Fisher, of Red Deer, is a Corporate Director. She was the Executive Director of the Red Deer Chamber of Commerce for seven years, and has been recognized as one of Alberta`s 50 Most Influential People and as Executive of the Year by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
	Steven Glover Member Steven Glover, of Canmore, is the Chief Financial Officer for Western Plains Petroleum Ltd. His previous experience serving on various boards includes chairing the Audit Committees for the Caritas Health Group and the Edmonton Community Foundation.
	Ruth Kelly Member Ruth Kelly is the President of Venture Publishing Inc., an Edmonton-based company she founded in 1997, and the Publisher and Editor-In-Chief of Alberta Venture, Alberta’s award-winning, provincewide business magazine. She is actively involved in many boards and committees, including Co-chair of the Art Gallery of Alberta Capital Campaign, and President of the Edmonton Business Council for Visual Arts.
	Rick LeLacheur Member Rick LeLacheur is President, CEO and COO of the Edmonton Eskimos Football Club and currently works on the Executive Committee and Management Council for the Canadian Football League. He also served as Managing Director of the 2002 Grey Cup, President and CEO of the Edmonton 2001 World Championships in Athletics, and, for seven years, he was the President and CEO of Economic Development Edmonton.
	Brad Pickering Member Brad Pickering was appointed Deputy Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation on October 13, 2011. He previously served as Deputy Solicitor General and Deputy Minister Public Security, Deputy Minister of Sustainable Resource Development, Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs and Deputy Minister with the Local Government Services Division, Alberta Municipal Affairs. Brad is a designated member of the Alberta Assessors Association (AMAA), a designated member of Real Estate Institute of Canada (F.R.I.) and Past Chairman of International Local Public Agency Committee of the International Right of Way Association (IRWA).
	Bruce Okabe Ex-Officio Bruce Okabe is the Chief Executive Officer of Travel Alberta. Bruce has previously worked as Senior Vice President, Business Strategy Group, for InterVISTAS, and he was Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts for the Province of British Columbia between 2006 and 2008.  In that capacity, he sat on the Board of Directors of Tourism British Columbia and the Canadian Tourism Commission. Bruce has held a variety of other executive level positions in areas of marketing, business, consumer, strategy, retail distribution, outbound call centres and web development.