About Us

Executive Director

Carrie Fritz was appointed Executive Director of Calgary Humane Society in 2014. Carrie is a CGA-CPA, who was drawn to a career in animal welfare and the not-for-profit sector from the start.

Carrie attended the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University, obtaining her accounting designation in 1996. She worked at a public accounting firm focusing on Audit and Assurance.

After returning to Calgary from a five-year contract in Boca Raton, Florida, Carrie was delighted to accept the position of Controller at Calgary Humane Society in 2007.

Since taking on the role of Executive Director, Carrie has focused on building a professional, highly skilled team to further all aspects of animal welfare.

Growing up in a family of teachers, she understands the importance of education and uses this to develop her team, so they can be successful in inspiring the community to take on the challenges of animal welfare and be responsible pet owners.

Carrie lives just south of Calgary, where she shares her home with her daughter, her two dogs, Daisy and Lacey, as well as her two rescue rabbits, Winter and Autumn.

Director of Finance

Dayna has been with CHS since 2014. She received her Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Professional Accounting from the University of Saskatchewan and earned her Chartered Accountant (CA) designation in 2014. During her articling period in public practice, she gained extensive experience working with not-for-profit organizations.

Director of Operations and enforcement

Brad Nichols graduated from Mount Royal University in 2003, obtaining a degree in Justice Studies. Shortly thereafter, he joined the Calgary Humane Society’s Animal Protection and Investigation team as a field officer, incorporating his love for animals and his interest in advocating for vulnerable victims. Over the past 17+ years, he has worked his way up the organization in roles of increasing responsibility, most recently to Director of Operations and Enforcement. He has investigated thousands of animal cruelty files and oversees an internationally recognized animal protection program.

Director of Human Resources

Melaina is a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR), Certified Talent Management Practitioner (CTMP), and holds her certificate in Human Resource Management through the University of Calgary. She has been involved in animal welfare since 2004 and started her career at Calgary Humane in 2006.  She is a firm believer in lifelong personal and professional development with a keen interest in human rights and employment legislation, leadership development, and psychological health and safety in the workplace.  Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her spouse, their chihuahua named Terry, and two birds, Eddie and Chuck, all of whom are CHS alumni.

Director of Communications and Outreach

Weston is a communications and branding expert inspired to share Calgary Humane Society’s vision, brand and stories that resonate with stakeholders, donors and future adopters. He has experience in non-profit and corporate environments, focusing on the arts, science, health, and technology. He designs messaging to drive conversations, campaigns to inspire stakeholders, and branding to leave an impression.

In addition to his love of animals, he is equally passionate about the performing arts. Weston is the President of the Calgary Performing Arts Festival, a non-profit organization that has inspired and supported aspiring musicians for over 90 years.

Director of Philanthropy

José is the Director of Philanthropy, overseeing the work of the Fund Development department responsible to secure community funding for the organization.  José is not new to Calgary Humane Society, from 2004 to 2009 he worked as General Manager of Resource Development, being actively involved in the wrap up of the Leaps and Bounds capital campaign. Before returning to Calgary Humane, José held director and other senior management positions with Bethany Care Society, Discovery House, The Mustard Seed, and most recently with Inn from the Cold, organization in which he was actively raising funds for the operations as well as the capital campaign.

José is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), certification granted by CFRE International in 2002. He is also an active member of AFP Calgary Chapter since 2001.

José likes volunteering in the community and enjoys mentoring staff and volunteers. A former mechanical engineer, José also holds a Master of Business Administration. During his spare time, José enjoys making fine art black and white photographs, playing flamenco guitar, hiking, bicycling and travel.  He is proud father of two sons, David and Martin.

associate director of operations

Lisa is a project management professional (PMP) with 20 years of management experience in oil and gas, legislative compliance, and healthcare. She started as volunteer at CHS in 2015 and was then hired on as an Animal Care Attendant in 2016. In early 2017, she joined the Animal Health team as an Animal Health Assistant until moving into her current role in January 2018. Lisa was drawn to CHS because of her love for animals which started at a young age. She is an outdoor enthusiast who loves to travel and attends spin class whenever she can. She shares her home with her husband, daughter, and their two dogs, Baxter and Miles, who are Cairn/Westie crosses, as well as three cats—Kit, Betty, and Leonard, who are all CHS Alumni.

Associate Director of Community Services

Sally started with the Calgary Humane Society in 2016 as the sole Foster Facilitator. Over the next two years, Sally focused on expanding the foster program through increased recruitment and placement of animals. In 2018, Sally stepped into the new role as Foster Team Lead, and hired a second Foster Facilitator as a result of the program expansion. Following the retirement of the Admissions Team Lead in 2019, Sally absorbed Admissions into her portfolio as Team Lead, aligning Foster and Admissions into one cohesive team to improve animal flow. And finally, in January of 2021, Sally became Manager, Animal Operations, overseeing the back of house operational teams, and overseeing animal flow at large.

Associate Director, Community Engagement

Anna-Lee has been with the Calgary Humane Society since 2015. Her roles within the organization have included Foster, Animal Care, Adoptions, Volunteer Resources, team development and leadership. Anna-Lee is passionate about helping connect others to the rewarding work of animal welfare and holds her certificate in Volunteer Management and Leadership through Humber College.

board chair

Andrew graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Waterloo, a Bachelor of Laws from Dalhousie University, and a Master of Laws from Cambridge University. He was an associate at Bennett Jones LLP for 9 years. He was then Litigation Counsel – Enforcement at the Alberta Securities Commission for four years before becoming a Partner at JSS Barristers in 2015. He was the Managing Partner of JSS from February 2020 until February 2022. Andrew was named King’s Counsel in 2022.

Andrew was inspired to join the board of directors due to his love of animals and his legal experience, which focuses in part on corporate governance. Andrew also volunteers as a foster parent for Beagle Paws and volunteers with Calgary Legal Guidance. Andrew’s hobbies include soccer, running, travel, and home brewing beer. He shares his home with his wife and their beagles, Winston and Archie.

Vice Chair

Maggie is the Vice President, Operations & Human Resources with Lane Quinn Benefit Consultants Ltd. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Calgary, her Chartered Professional in Human Resources designation (CPHR), her Workplace Mental Health Leadership certificate through Queens University, and maintains her Life and A&S licenses through the Alberta Insurance Council.

Maggie joined the Board of Directors at Calgary Humane Society to make a positive impact on the lives of animals. Maggie and her husband Ryan have three senior rescues—Lucy, Minnie, and Bailey—one of whom comes from a high-kill shelter in California. The pup took a while to appreciate our Alberta winters but has settled in quite nicely now.

Maggie enjoys reading, gardening, making arts and crafts with her daughter, exploring the Rocky Mountains, and is a lover of all things Disney—she’s been to DisneyWorld over 15 times! When she doesn’t have her nose in a thriller book, she loves to spend time with her family at their community lake or enjoying a nice leisurely stroll around the neighbourhood with their three pups. Her daughter inspires her to be the best person she can be. She hopes to teach her the importance of giving back to the community and sharing one’s passions and skills with others.

Treasurer

Yvette is Chief Financial Officer and Development Partner at THYYC Inc. & TH Chestermere Ltd. Prior to her current role, she worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) for 23 years (1994-2017). For ten of those years, she was a partner at PwC in the Assurance practice. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and has a BComm from the University of Saskatchewan. Yvette enjoys staying active by kickboxing, golfing, and lake activities such as paddleboarding and kayaking. She also loves to travel.

Yvette joined the Board of Directors of Calgary Humane Society to bring her passion for animals together with her desire to give back to the community. Yvette shares her home with her husband Andrew and their two dogs, Monty and Sadie.

Secretary

Elyce Harris is a Financial Advisor at Cornerstone Financial Group. She loves travelling, hiking, snowboarding, and baking.

She’s been lucky enough to have grown up with pets and seen how much love they can give and how much they brighten people’s lives—so it’s a natural fit to spend her time advocating for animals.

Bruce McBean

Bruce is the President of Triumph Tubular & Supply in Calgary. His view on volunteering is that if you are able to volunteer, then you should. Bruce enjoys golf, reading, working out five to six days per week, and keeping busy in the yard. He is an avid traveller who has travelled to (and golfed in) Spain, England, and Hawai’i. Over the last 13 years, Bruce has adopted several animals from CHS including two cats, and one miniature long-hair dachshund.

Dawn Rault

Dawn is a Lecturer in the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University. Dawn is passionate about sharing her time, energy, and expertise to help her community—the community she was born and raised in. Volunteering at the Calgary Humane Society means lending a voice to the animals who are voiceless. She is inspired by the dedication, creativity, wisdom, and professionalism demonstrated by the staff and volunteers at the CHS.

When Dawn isn’t working or volunteering, she loves spending time with her family in the mountains and soaking up everything the Rockies have to offer. She enjoys camping, mountain biking, continuing education, and watching cat videos. Dawn shares her home with two senior cats—Cleo and Swiffer.

Dawn has an embarrassingly large collection of cat pyjamas and is mildly obsessed with brewing the perfect cup of coffee. She is proud to have once had dinner with actor Brad Pitt, (having had no idea he was famous), when he was filming Legends of the Fall near Bragg Creek.

Dave Cunnington

Dave is the Technology Director at Strut Creative, a Calgary-based communications agency. He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from Curtin University in Perth, Australia and has been in the Tech industry for over twenty years – he built his first website in the mid 90’s!

He is passionate about being outdoors, always looking forward to the next camping trip, hike, or day trip to the Rocky Mountain foothills. When not running kids to and from hockey or baseball practice, you will normally find Dave on the weekend in some forest or plain of Southern Alberta.

Dave believes that volunteering is an obligation to a functioning society – we must look after all, not just the able. His volunteering experience is vast, ranging from the Red Cross, assisting the elderly and homeless, family support in prisons, children, and animals.

Dave and his wife Kelly have three children and a senior black Lab (Molly) who is the center of their family. After growing up with a rural background and being surrounded by pets, the love of animals is central to Dave’s motivations for joining the Calgary Humane Society. He is inspired by the passion and commitment that all CHS employees and volunteers show every single day while helping our furry (and not so furry) friends.

Heather Macquarrie

Heather has a deep interest in animal care and welfare as a Veterinarian at the VCA Canada Calgary North Animal Hospital. She feels that volunteering at CHS is a way to give back to animals in ways beyond the medical care she provides daily in practice.

Inspirational quotes and listening to talks from leaders about their own paths inspire Heather to be a better version of herself and a better part of the community.

Heather loves to travel and she learned to fly small planes at age 15. She enjoys takes cooking classes while on vacation to learn more about various cuisines and cultures. When in town, she enjoys high intensity interval training, yoga, and enjoying a glass of wine while hanging out with her partner and fur family. Heather has four cats that she has adopted from CHS—Buzz, Nalu, Mya and Gus—who are her world.

Keri Smith

Keri graduated with a Bachelor of Communications from Mount Royal University in Calgary and a Master of Business Administration from American University in Washington D.C. Keri spent the early years of her career at two global consulting firms, before pivoting to work with small and medium size businesses as they look to grow and scale. Keri is an “expert generalist” and currently the Chief of Staff and Acting Head of Scale at AltaML, a leading North American applied AI company.

Keri grew up on a working farm in Longview Alberta, which is where she first discovered her love for animals. As a member of the Board, Keri is excited to support the CHS by building its awareness and capacity in the community. In addition to being passionate about animals, Keri is also passionate about Education and is a Director on the Mount Royal University Foundation Board. Outside of work and volunteering, Keri and her husband spend most of their time wrangling their 11-month-old twins, and beloved cat, Poubelle.

Kevin Natkinniemi

Kevin is a CPA/CMA and Planning Lead, Strategy & Portfolio Management at ConocoPhillips. He came to the Calgary Humane Society through his love of volunteering. He believes that through volunteering, one can make a positive impact on the lives of others, providing hope and confidence with the reminder there are people around that care. Kevin is inspired by humanitarianism, kindness, and people that are public-spirited.

In his spare time, Kevin enjoys home improvement projects and reading—everything from biographies to John Grisham novels. He enjoys hitting the walking trails and loves the sport of curling. Kevin adopted his dog, Gordie, when he was 12 and shared six good years with him until Gordie passed in 2020.

Board of Directors 

Lisa has been working in the non-profit sector since 2001 in various capacities. She is the Co-Executive Director of Youth Central, a non-profit dedicated to providing leadership and volunteer opportunities to young people. She has degrees in Environmental Studies and Anthropology from York University. Lisa enjoys helping others and working with those who may need help or, in the case of animals, are unable to help themselves. Lisa adopted her first dog from Calgary Humane Society in 2001. A lover of travel, cooking, reading, skiing, and hiking, Lisa shares her home with her husband, son, their dog Tucker, and highly dangerous goldfish named Sharky.

Sage Pullen-McIntosh

Sage Pullen-McIntosh is the Communications Director at Calgary Co-op. She holds a Masters of Arts in Professional Communications from Royal Roads University.

As the former Senior Manager of Communications and Public Relations at CHS, she’s beyond thrilled to continue her legacy and support animal welfare as a board member of CHS. Her English Mastiff, Thor, and three cats, Jinx, Jade, and Leo, help to strengthen her tie to CHS.

Sage is thrilled to watch her kids attend CHS volunteer opportunities, carrying on the family connection.

Scott Cressman