Board of Directors

Prof. Miriam Carey, Board Chair

Miriam is the current Board Chair of Calgary Humane Society. She is a Professor in the Department of Economics, Justice and Policy Studies at Mount Royal University. After completing her first two degrees in Political Science at the University of Calgary, she earned her doctorate of politics from Edinburgh University in 1988, returning to Calgary in 2000. She has been at Mount Royal University since 2001 and was tenured in the Department of Policy Studies in 2005. Miriam decided to join the Calgary Humane Society board in 2011 because of her love of animals and the contributions CHS makes to the community through animal protection, adoptions, behavioral consultation, and training. In her spare time, Miriam is an amateur apiarist who loves the liquid gold that is Alberta wildflower honey! Miriam shares her home with her husband Errol, an accomplished artist, and their adopted fur kids including Ch’i, a male ragdoll cat, and Rafe, their male standard goldendoodle, both of whom were adopted from Calgary Humane Society.  She would like everyone to know that, along with adorable companion animals, CHS is graced with passionate and professional human staff whose love for animal welfare is beyond compare.

Deanna Steblyk, Past Board Chair

Deanna is currently Senior Special Counsel to the Vice-Chairs of the Alberta Securities Commission. She graduated from the University of Calgary in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) in English and graduated from the University of Alberta in 1998 with a Bachelor of Laws (with Distinction). Deanna worked as a civil litigator in private practice until 2008 when she began working at the Alberta Securities Commission. Deanna became involved with Calgary Humane Society due to her desire to make the greatest contribution in the animal welfare sector and so that she wouldn’t be faced with the constant temptation to adopt another animal! Deanna also volunteers for Legal Aid Alberta, the Law Society of Alberta, the Canadian Bar Association and the Association of Women Lawyers (Calgary). She shares her home with her two miniature Schnauzers, Emmitt (named after NFL all-time rushing leader, Emmitt Smith) and Troy (named after former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Hall-of-Famer, and broadcaster Troy Aikman) and her husband Harvey who is long-time volunteer dog walker for CHS.

Trish Riccio, Treasurer

Trish is a Senior Tax Advisor with ConocoPhillips Canada.  She is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CMA) and member of the Tax Executives Institute. Prior to pursuing a career in Corporate Tax, Trish worked for several years as a Retail Account Manager with the Royal Bank.  A Board member since April 2009, Trish began volunteering with Calgary Humane Society in 2002 for the Behaviour Department as a Dog Training Assistant.

Lisa Kindree, Secretary

Lisa is one of our newest board members. 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.

Bruce McBean

Bruce is the President of Triumph Tubular & Supply in Calgary and his view on volunteering is that you if you are able to volunteer, then you should.

Bruce enjoys golf, reading, working out 5-6 days per week and keeping busy in the yard. He is an avid traveller and has travelled (and golfed) in Spain, England and Hawai’i in the last year.

Over the last 13 years, Bruce has adopted a number of animals from CHS including two cats, and one miniature long-hair dachshund that owns him!

Maggie Crowley

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 the animals that CHS protects and advocates for. Maggie, and her husband Ryan, have three senior rescues – Lucy, Minnie and Bailey – one of which was from a high-kill shelter in California. She 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 neighborhood with their three senior pups! Her daughter inspires her to the best person she can be and she hopes to teach her through example the importance of giving back to the community and sharing one’s passions and skills with others.

Dale Sutherland

Dale joined Calgary Humane Society’s Board of Directors in 1998 and has served as Treasurer, President/Chair, Past Chair and Vice Chair. He is also a member of the CHS Finance and Audit Committee. Dale is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University with a Bachelors of Business Administration (Honours). He has also volunteered with Hospice Calgary and the Victorian Order of Nurses where he served as Treasurer.

Andrew Wilson

Andrew is also a newer board member at Calgary Humane Society. He 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 Litigation Counsel – Enforcement at the Alberta Securities Commission for four years before becoming a Partner at JSS Barristers in 2015. 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, Darwin and Winston.

Yvette Steiner

Yvette is Chief Financial Officer and Development Partner at THYYC Inc. & TH Chestermere Ltd. Prior to her current role, she worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP 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 also 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 her husband Andrew and their two dogs, Monty and Sadie.

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

Dawn Rault