Board of Directors, CEO and COO

J. Lindsay Hood

Chair 
BSc, PEng

Lindsay Hood is a passionate supporter of CKUA, an avid listener since 1975 and a financial supporter since 1997 when he served as co-chair of CKUA and assisted in resurrecting CKUA after the station went off the air. In his professional life, Mr. Hood has been actively involved in many notable oilfield service ventures in his 41 years in the sector. He has served as a field engineer, marketer, manager, executive, owner, founder and financier of successful oilfield service companies. Mr. Hood has served on the Boards of charitable and arts organizations, and both public and private companies. He is currently the Chairman of Kobold Corporation, a privately-held oilfield service technology company founded in 2007.

Bill Roggensack

Vice-Chair
BSc, PhD, PEng, FEC, FCAE

Bill Roggensack began listening to CKUA broadcasts in the 1960s and has been a committed financial and volunteer supporter since before the dark days of 1997. He delights in sponsoring some of his favourite programming on a regular basis, assisting CKUA in its mission to bring quality curated music to listeners in Alberta and around the world. Bill currently chairs the Board of Directors for Volant Products Inc., a privately-held specialty equipment manufacturer. Before founding Volant, Bill served in senior technical and management roles in the energy sector and as a geotechnical consultant for hydrocarbon and mineral resource development projects in the Canadian Arctic and Alaska. Bill has held volunteer roles with numerous professional organizations. Bill lives in Calgary, where he enjoys having grandchildren close by, and pursuing his passions of music, gardening, fly fishing, travel, and reading.

Kathy Milani

Secretary

Kathy Milani has been a proud Albertan for more than 40 years and a supporter of CKUA since its first on-air fundraising campaign. With her husband she has raised 3 daughters, now adults, while surrounded by music, arts and CKUA radio. She believes that our CKUA is a cornerstone for so many artistic and cultural endeavours in the province and wants to contribute to its further success. Kathy is Senior Counsel with Borden Ladner Gervais after participating as a partner for 30 years. She practices commercial law with a focus on matters related to real estate. Her whole professional career has been in private practice, assisting and advising local entrepreneurs as well as large organizations. She has been recognized and has served as an instructor and panelist, sharing her expertise in Alberta real property law. Kathy has also sat on the board of a Calgary not-for-profit summer arts school.

Neil Matheson         

Treasurer
CPA, CA

Neil Matheson is a seasoned financial executive with proven experience leading financial strategy to support growth and optimize financial results. Current responsibilities demand setting the overall direction of finance; including accounting, taxation, legal, insurance and budget functions with a focus on developing risk management policies and strategies. He has worked in public practice (PwC) as well as in industry, where he is currently the CFO (Chief Financial Officer) at the Thompson Construction Group. Prior to this Neil was the CFO at Noralta Lodge until its sale in 2018. Neil currently sits on the board for Fringe Theatre Adventures. He also is a member of an advisory group for FC Edmonton and a committee member for Wine & Words for the Centre for Family Literacy. He’s also a Radio & Television Program graduate of NAIT and worked as a Production Technician for The Bear and Team 1260 from 2000 to 2002.

Stew MacDonald 

BOARD MEMBER

Stew MacDonald first dialed in to CKUA after arriving in Alberta in the late 80s, and he has been an avid listener and donor ever since. As President & Chief Revenue Officer for OEG Sports & Entertainment, Stew is responsible for providing leadership to the company’s revenue operations. As one of the organization’s senior executives, he leads a team responsible for ticketing, premium seating, corporate partnerships and marketing for the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers and Rogers Place. He is also responsible for business operations for the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings and the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Stew’s career in the sports and entertainment industry has included stops in Ontario, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, and Alberta, and has been highlighted by three Stanley Cup championships, Memorial Cup and Calder Cup championships, the NHL’s first outdoor game, and the design and construction of Rogers Place. Stew and his wife Sheila reside in Edmonton.

Greg Harding

Board Member

Greg Harding is an avid music listener, with CKUA being first on his dial when since was an Edmonton teenager in the 1970s. This appreciation for music has accompanied Greg throughout his (ongoing) career with Field Law, serving to ground and enhance him during an active and diverse legal practice as well as in associated volunteer efforts. Greg’s a founding member and current President of the Public Foundation for Art and Life, a charitable organization dedicated to bringing contemporary art to a broad community audience, including through unique collaborations and the use of transitory exhibition space. In addition to providing advice in the post-secondary governance area, Greg’s board experience includes as a Past-President of the Canadian Bar Association – Alberta Branch; and as Past-President of both the Canadian Bar Insurance Association and Canadian Bar Financial Services. Greg and his family share a keenness for a variety of travel means and destinations.

Mary Corbett

Board Member
BA, MA, Executive MBA

Mary Corbett has been a CKUA listener for 65 years. Her great uncle, Ned Corbett, was one of CKUA’s founders in 1927. She is passionate about music, the arts and the varied curation that CKUA provides for its listening audience. She has been a successful fundraiser for the organization and is dedicated to seeing CKUA reach its 100th anniversary and beyond. Her career included teaching positions at Capilano University, UBC, and St. Mary’s University before entering a career in commercial real estate in Calgary and Toronto. Subsequently she worked for Xerox Learning Systems (later Learning International), and a large international seismic company. There she was responsible for developing and administering learning and personal growth programs for more than 1,000 employees worldwide. Mary retired 15 years ago to more fully enjoy life and travel around the world with her husband. Her passions include singing, reading, travel, fly fishing and swimming in warm oceans.

Heather Gallant

Board Member
BSc, PhD, JD

Heather Gallant is a daily listener to CKUA with an affinity for arts and culture. She has enjoyed the eclectic programming at CKUA since the early 1990s. Heather is a corporate and commercial lawyer with broad practice experience. She currently is General Counsel at SMS Equipment Inc., a heavy equipment dealer serving the construction, forestry, mining & road building industries. Heather was previously legal counsel for a charitable health care provider and worked in private practice in Ontario and Alberta. Before shifting to law, Heather worked in university research, clinical medical laboratories, and in University Technology Transfer.

Bruce McFarlane 

Board Member
BA (Math), Bphe

Bruce McFarlane retired as Vice President of Business Development at RMP Energy Inc in 2017. He has over 38 years of experience in the energy sector with 19 years in executive positions in both small and large energy companies. Bruce holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in math and a Bachelor of Physical and Health Education degree from Queen’s University. Bruce was Co-Chair of the Financial Services division for United Way of Calgary and Area’s 2010-2013 campaigns. He joined United Way’s Board of Directors in 2014 and became Board Chair in 2017. His past Board commitments include Chair of the Governance and Strategic Planning committees, and past member of the Tomorrow Fund. Bruce is married to Dr. Janice Heard and has three daughters, three grandsons, and two granddaughters. He is a long-time listener and supporter of CKUA radio.

Jennifer Schaeffer

Board Member
MMus

CKUA is on in Jennifer’s home from the moment she wakes up to the moment she goes to bed and is streaming whenever she travels! Jennifer Griffin Schaeffer holds a Master of Music degree from Yale University, and a Bachelor of Music from Indiana University, Bloomington. Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Schaeffer became a self-taught coder from age 11, and continues to be a lifelong learner in leadership, entrepreneurship, and IT professional development programs. In May 2019, as J.G. Schaeffer, she published her first book of speculative hope-punk science fiction, The Architects of Vascularization: Even the Losers.

Jennifer Schaeffer has lived in Alberta for 15 years and currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of Onlea Enterprises, Inc., an educational technology and artificial intelligence company headquartered in downtown Edmonton. As co-founder of Onlea, she was awarded the 2022 Alberta Women Entrepreneurs Emerging Entrepreneur Award awarded to a female entrepreneur who has built a strong, scalable business foundation and has achieved early success with strong market potential. Like CKUA’s musical diversity, Jennifer brings a wide scope of cultural enthusiasm to her life and work as a creative technologist and culture-builder.

Jennifer’s career passion is creating and leading implementations of complex business transformation strategies in higher education, financial services, interactive news media, and software industries in Canada and the United States. As both a Canadian citizen and a U.S. citizen, she has diversified executive experience spanning Canadian post-secondary universities to Wall Street firms. Currently, she is focused on the creation and business development of disruptive and beneficial learning strategies, operational models, and products for advanced education and professional reskilling. She actively participates in an emerging provincial ecosystem of academia, industry, and Alberta start-ups collaborating on Canada’s most innovative learning and research experiences to advance accessibility to high-quality education and research globally. Jennifer is an advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion to ensure innovative and culturally transformative virtual and in-place communities. She is dedicated to reaching, inspiring, and including folks online, no matter where they live and work across Canada and globally.

Bud Steen

Board Member

Bud Steen first heard CKUA in 1962, listening to Alberta School Broadcasts in elementary school. He began actively listening in 1968. Bud became active in the CKUA’s affairs in 1997, as a member of the community that rallied for its return to the air. He served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for six years and has remained engaged behind the scenes ever since. Bud is a retired lawyer who practiced in Edmonton from 1983 – 2019. In addition, Bud has been employed by the Canadian Football League from 1981 to the present day, first as an on-field official and most recently as a member of the Officiating Department‘s Management Team. For several years, Bud had a program on TSN Radio discussing officiating matters in the CFL. Bud lives in Edmonton with his partner Debbie and they have two wonderful grandchildren whom they are actively introducing to CKUA.

Andrew Burdall

Board Member

Andrew Burdall has been a regular listener and a passionate supporter of CKUA since arriving in Alberta from Australia in 2018. With a passion for music and production, Andrew has released more than a dozen studio albums both as a solo artist and collaborator and has toured extensively worldwide. He continues to create and release music today from his home studio in Calgary. Andrew is a qualified Accountant and a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. He has previously served as co-founder & Chief Executive Officer of a satellite communications company in Australia, before moving into the Executive Management team of a publicly listed communications company based in Sydney. Today, Andrew holds the position of President – Americas & Asia for Network Innovations Inc, a Calgary headquartered Group with operations in multiple countries across the globe. Andrew has experience of serving on several Boards for commercial entities in the Asia Pacific region.

Owen Erskine

Board Member

Owen Erskine began listening to CKUA in utero in 1989, as both his parents are avid CKUA listeners. Proudly born and raised in Fort McMurray, Owen trained as a chef at SAIT and the Hyatt in Calgary before returning to his hometown to help manage, and eventually own, Mitchell’s Café. Owen, his staff, and patrons have supported many CKUA fundraisers and endeavours, including the Touch the transmitter Tour and Alberta Kitchen. Owen has coached local high school football teams, initiated the Fort McMurray Trappers Football Alumni Association, and chaired the Wood Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. Currently he chairs the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo’s Downtown Revitalization Committee. A strong advocate for progressive social change and diversity, Owen wants to assist CKUA in its mission to bring quality curated music to listeners in Alberta and around the world. Owen loves walking and snowshoeing in the woods near his home, reading and writing poetry, and hanging out with his family.

Merridy Mitchell

BOARD MEMBER

Merridy Mitchell is a long-time listener of CKUA with a passion for music of all kinds. Originally from Ontario, she moved to Alberta along with her acoustic guitar in 1982. Merridy has worked as a market research leader for over 20 years. Her career has included working at Environics, leading the market research group at WestJet for nine years, and leading market research at Canadian Western Bank, where Merridy is currently employed. Merridy has an MBA from the University of Alberta and is a Certified Analytics and Insights Professional. Merridy enjoys hiking, biking, skiing. Snowshoeing, and playing guitar. She also enjoys traveling to many different destinations and photography, particularly landscape photography. She has undertaken various volunteer activities over the years, including being a big sister with Big Brothers and Sisters Edmonton and leading the Volunteer Action Network as part of the MBA student board while pursuing her MBA.

Marc Carnes

CEO, ex officio

Marc Carnes joined CKUA in 2017 with a mandate to help CKUA evolve in a rapidly changing world. His 20-year career has taken him all over Canada, working in a variety of roles within the cultural and creative economies in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Alberta (twice!). Marc moved to Edmonton in 2005 where he spent six years heading up the fundraising and community relations departments for the Edmonton Symphony. After that, he was in private consulting for six years during which time he served as Chair of the Board for the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival. Currently, Marc is pursuing his MBA in Community Economic Development, and serves on the Board of Directors of Explore Edmonton, helping to grow the region’s visitor economy. When not in the office you can find Marc and his wife, Christy, and their dog Pratt spending time outdoors in Edmonton’s river valley and in the mountains, or attending any one of the amazing music, arts and culture experiences our province has to offer.

Adam Mitchell

COO

Adam Mitchell is an Edmonton-based arts manager with a background in technical theatre. He studied technical theatre at the University of Alberta before working for a variety of theatre companies and festivals as a builder, designer, and manager, including the Edmonton and Winnipeg Fringe Festivals, Free Will Shakespeare Festival, the Arden Theatre/City of St Albert, the U of A Department of Drama, and Victoria School. Adam has also been a long time volunteer with the Canadian Institute for Theatre Technology and enjoys teaching. Most recently, Adam was the Cultural Facilities Manager at the City of St Albert, Executive Director of Edmonton Fringe Theatre, and General Manager of Rock Solid Cases with FM Systems. Adam loves all music, especially Superchunk and The Pixies, but will spontaneously fall asleep with dreams filled of pleasant memories if you play Leonard Cohen due to his parents playing it late into the night when he was a young child. Adam lives with his wife Keri and their dog Tammy.