ALUMNI ASSOCIATION - Key Persons
Aaron is a passionate educator and enthusiastic community builder. As the Manager of Community Learning & Engagement with the Calgary Stampede Foundation, Aaron overseeing a suite of community-based education and performing arts programs, which seek to provide experiences that develop youth as good people, motivated to make a positive impact for others in world around them. Aaron leads the Stampede Foundation's efforts in developing community partnerships and initiatives that support positioning Youth Campus as a centre for excellence in community-based learning and performance arts training. Aaron has also shared this passion for community learning as a sessional instructor with the Werklund School of Education and as a volunteer with the University of Calgary Senate, and is inspired by the potential to build community through education.
Akash holds Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Science, and Master of Public Policy degrees from the University of Calgary. As Strategy and Operations Director at the Centre for Suicide Prevention, he helps identify and engage new and current audiences in the organization's mission to reduce stigma and increase awareness of suicide prevention training and education. Akash is also the Board Chair for The Doorway, an organization that supports young people on the street in Calgary choosing to rejoin society. In his spare time, Akash enjoys watching sports (Calgary Flames and Toronto Raptors) as well as playing squash and tennis.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President at ARC Resources
Armin Jahangiri is currently a Senior Vice President at ARC Resources, a leading Canadian energy producer in Calgary. He has over 20 years of experience in leadership, project management, and engineering positions both in Canada and internationally. Armin holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from Sharif University of Technology and Master of Engineering from UCalgary. He is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta.
Courtney Pascoe is a seasoned sales and customer support professional who is guided by a passion to help others. Courtney built and now leads the Customer Service team at online estate planning platform Willful, and since joining in 2021 she has empowered thousands of Canadians to create wills and other end-of-life plans while maintaining a 4.9-star rating. Courtney didn't follow the traditional post-secondary path - she completed her Multidisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degree in 8 years, and made the most of her time on campus through participating in programs from the Leadership and Student Engagement Office, working with the Faculty of Arts Student Association as a Director and Chief Returning Officer, and spending time as a Faculty Representative with the Students Union. During her time at the University of Calgary Courtney fell in love with governance, policy and systemic change and she's excited to continue to impact positive change through her passions as a recent alumni of the University.
Ian Chiclo works in marketing and business development for Bamboo Shoots, a video and television production company. He was the founding editor and long-time publisher of Fast Forward Weekly, during which time he was named CalgaryInc. magazine's Top 40 Under 40 in 1999 and again in 2002. He launched his career at the University of Calgary's campus radio station, CJSW, as editor of VOX Magazine from 1991-1995. He also hosted a radio show at the campus station for more than 20 years. Ian served as a board director for the Calgary Folk Music Festival for 12 years, four of them as board chair, and is actively involved with the Calgary Ski Club as a cross-country coach in the Jackrabbits program.
Ian Minnifee is a community-builder, a promoter of diversity, a sports advocate and a wealth strategist with Sagium, a Calgary-based independent financial planning firm. Minnifee has worked in the financial services industry since 1997 helping successful families prudently grow, manage and preserve their wealth. In 1988, he started his varsity basketball career, eventually becoming team captain while receiving numerous individual conference and national awards. After graduating, Minnifee continued his impact by working closely with the University of Calgary to promote the basketball community, becoming a founding member of the Dinosaur Basketball Foundation. From 2009 to 2015, he served on the University of Calgary Senate, where he was a prominent ambassador of the Dino Athletics program. Among his many contributions to the Senate, he sought to find unique ways to highlight the accomplishments of Dinos athletes and coaches to the Senate. Minnifee helped create the Senate Service Award for student athlete community volunteerism and co-founded a leadership program that connects the award recipient to a Senate mentor. In June 2018, he was awarded the Order of the University of Calgary for his record of exemplary and distinguished service to UCalgary.
Jayrin Yue is an environmental professional and has experience in field environmental management, air emissions management, and asset retirement. She has undergraduate degree in Environmental Science from Queen's University and graduated from her MBA from University of Calgary in 2021. She is passionate about giving back to her community and enjoys volunteering with various organizations around Calgary. In her spare time, she enjoys many outdoor activities including hiking, skiing, and camping. On the weekends, you can usually find her climbing a mountain with her dog Lake.
Passionate about education and supporting young community leaders, Jessica is the Awards Program Advisor at Calgary Foundation. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies and Canadian Studies. During her time as an undergraduate student, Jessica began volunteering with the Alumni Association as a Future Alumni Ambassador. She served as a member of the Faculty of Science Alumni Advisory Council and supports numerous campus events including: student mentorship programming, convocation and Alumni All Access. An active community supporter, Jessica volunteers her time in committee roles with various groups throughout the city, including the Calgary Stampede and Historic Calgary Week.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair
- Vice President
- Registered Nurse With Alberta Health Services
Kate has been a registered nurse with Alberta Health Services since 2012 and is currently studying for her Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing at UCalgary. She has been a longstanding volunteer with the university and the Faculty of Nursing, where she served as President and Co-President of the Alumni Executive from 2012 to 2019. In 2018, Kate received the Faculty of Nursing Pursuit of Excellence Exceptional Alumnus Award. Prior to her involvement with the UCalgary Alumni Association Board, Kate was a member of the UCAA Recent Grad Committee. She has served as a speaker and emcee for several university events and programs, including the 2013 spring convocation as a Distinguished Graduate.
Sabiha Zaman is a three-time alumna and an active member of the University of Calgary community. Her academic and research training led her to work on various R&D projects focusing on cancer, fertility, aging, and skin pigmentation. Currently, Sabiha manages and teaches in a graduate program at the Cumming School of Medicine. In 2018, Sabiha fundraised and created the first program-specific endowment, resulting in a student scholarship for the Master of Biomedical Technology program (MBT). She also established an engaged alumni network to promote professional development, industry partnerships, networking, mentorship, and collaboration for MBT alumni and students. As a long-time volunteer, Sabiha had the opportunity to be part of the Medicine Alumni Advisory Council, the UCAA Alumni Recognition Committee, the Arch Awards Selection subcommittee, and recently the UCAA Alumni Engagement Committee. Sabiha is the co-founder of a technology start-up specializing in helping organizations derive better insights using analytics and storytelling. As a community advisory committee member, she advises a research team on developing a pathway for mental health in kidney care in Alberta. Sabiha supports the life science ecosystem as a business mentor to start-ups. Her interests include health innovation, science communication, patient and community engagement.
Tyler is a second-generation born-and-raised Calgarian passionate about entrepreneurship and legacy-building. After attaining a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, he pursued a career in personal fitness training which led him to manage a small corporate fitness centre that serves as an employee amenity. In addition to his career, he keeps busy with networking, community engagement and network marketing. In his leisure time he likes to nap, play guitar, play volleyball or go for walks. All in all, he is an average guy with no particular talents other than a slight belief in himself, a bit of a work ethic and a small heart for other others.
Job Titles:
- Chartered Professional Accountant With an
William O'Yeung is a Chartered Professional Accountant with an MBA from Nova Southeastern University in addition to his UCalgary degree. During his thirty-year career at Shell Canada, he held various positions including accounting, planning, project management and leadership roles. His desire to help others has had him involved in roles such as a Board Member of Shell Canada's Community Service Fund, participant of United Way of Calgary's campaign and coach in the Calgary Minor Soccer and Basketball Associations. In addition to his UCalgary Alumni Association role his current volunteer involvements include: Director and active volunteer of Escape with STEM and Adult Mentor of World Learning/U.S. Department of State's Youth Ambassador Program.
Wilma Shim is a lawyer and was called to the Alberta Bar in 2011. Currently, she is a tribunal member with the Alberta Human Rights Commission and a sessional instructor in the area of Sports Law with the Faculties of Law and Kinesiology. While she was a student at the University of Calgary, Wilma was elected to the Students' Union and elected as president of the Society of Law Students. She has previously served as the president of the Physical Education and Kinesiology Alumni Association. In 2010, Wilma received the President's Award for Excellence in Student Leadership and was also inducted into the Order of the University of Calgary. She is a member of Avenue Magazine's Top 40 under 40 Class of 2015. Wilma has a passion for enriching the lives of individuals with an intellectual disability and has previously served as Chair of the Special Olympics Alberta Board of Directors. She currently sits on the Affiliate Management Committee for Special Olympics Calgary and is a volunteer coach. As an active member in the legal community, Wilma is a Board director with the Association of Women Lawyers and a peer support volunteer with the Alberta Lawyers' Assistance Society. She continues to stay involved with the Faculty of Law as an instructor with the Trial Advocacy Course and as a volunteer guest judge. In 2003, Wilma was awarded the UCalgary Chancellor's Club Scholarship and initiated the UCalgary Chancellor's Club Scholars Alumni Network in 2020. She also sits on Senate as an alumni representative. In her spare time, Wilma enjoys spending time with her husband and 3 young sons.