Gil McGowan

Chair

Gil is appointed by the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL).

In 2017, Gil McGowan was re-elected to a record seventh term as president of the Alberta Federation of Labour, Alberta’s largest union advocacy organization, representing more than 175,000 workers in both the public and private sectors.

McGowan, a father of three, has presided over a period of substantial growth for the AFL and has been instrumental in putting many important issues forward for public discussion in Alberta. He has led public discussion and policy changes on resource development, reform of the temporary foreign worker (TFW) program, climate change and green jobs, a $15 minimum wage, pension reform, reforms to the labour code and employment standards, and reforms to occupational health and safety and WCB legislation.

Gil has been instrumental in coordinating the AFL’s political action campaigns, including the campaign that helped elect Alberta’s first NDP government in May 2015. That same year, Gil was named one of Alberta’s 50 most influential people. In addition to his position with the AFL, Gil also sits on the CLC’s Canadian Council and was Co-Chair of the Energy Diversification Advisory Committee (EDAC), a special committee established by the Alberta government to make recommendations about how to add more value to Alberta’s energy resources. He has recently been appointed to the Federal Just Transition Task Force to support transition strategies for workers and communities affected by the phase out of coal fired electricity across Canada.

Susan McGillivray

Vice Chair

Susan is appointed by Alberta Health Services (AHS).

Susan is a lawyer by training and has worked in the health sector in progressively senior legal and human resources roles since moving to Alberta from Saskatchewan in 1998.

Susan McGillivray is currently the Senior Program Officer, HR Talent and Workforce Strategies at Alberta Health Services (AHS). Susan’s areas of responsibility include employee and labour relations, total rewards, talent management and workforce strategies.

Todd Burge

Board Member

Todd is appointed the City of Edmonton.

Currently, Todd is the Chief Financial Officer with the City of Edmonton. Having joined the City in 2010 as the Director of Business Planning for Asset Management and Public Works and then as Branch Manager of Financial Services, he has been acting as the CFO since January of 2015.

In over the more than 20 years of his career as a Certified Management Accountant, he has held various roles with the Government of Alberta and the City of Fort Saskatchewan.

Todd's experience with the public sector has focused on infrastructure management, financial reporting, financial systems, long range financial planning and investment management.

Kim Craig

Board Member

Kim is appointed by the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA).

Kim is currently into his third term as Mayor of Coaldale, having been a member of Council since 2004. Kim served as a director of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association from 2012 to 2016. During that time, he served as chair of AUMA's Audit and Finance Committee, and was a member of its Investment Advisory Committee.

Kim is also a director of the Alberta Capital Finance Authority. Kim has worked four decades in the financial services sector.

Additionally, Kim is a charter member of the Sunny South Speakers Toastmasters club.

Mike Dempsey

Board Member

Mike is appointed by Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE).

Mike is a career Forest Officer and Environmental Protection Officer with the Alberta Government, and he has been an AUPE activist for over 35 years. He was first elected as AUPE Vice President in 2013.

Mike has been a member of the PSPP and AUPE since 1982 and was appointed to its board in January 2014 as an employee nominee. He was appointed to the LAPP Sponsor Board in December of 2018.

Mike has been active on the AUPE provincial executive and other committees, including those related to collective bargaining and political action.

Todd Gilchrist

Board Member

Todd is appointed by Alberta Health Services (AHS).

Todd is a senior executive with 30 years of business and senior leadership experience. He is skilled in all aspects of human resources, occupational health, safety and environmental management. Todd is an authentic, motivational and engaging leader with significant experience in strategic planning, transformational change management and organizational performance improvement.

Todd returned to Alberta Health Services (AHS) in May of 2015 having previously held the position of Vice President, Human Resources and Workplace Health & Safety with the organization.

In his current role as Vice President of People, Legal & Privacy at AHS, Todd is focused on the organization's culture. He strongly believes in supporting people to feel safe, healthy and valued, so that in turn, they can improve patient and family experiences, quality and safety.

Todd has worked in other sectors outside of healthcare. They include forestry, oil and gas, construction, mining, transportation and manufacturing. Prior to returning to AHS, Todd was the Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Health, Safety & Environment with Capital Power with responsibility for its Total Rewards, Talent Management, Labour Relations, Business Partner, Shared Services, and Health, Safety and Environment portfolios.

Todd is a member of the Human Resources Institute of Alberta, Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, and the American Society of Safety Engineers. He is accredited as a Certified Professional Human Resources (CPHR), Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) in Canada and a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) in the U.S.

Born and raised in Regina Saskatchewan, Todd graduated from the University of Alberta's Occupational Health & Safety Program and holds a Master of Business Administration with a specialization in Human Resources Management from Royal Roads University.

Scott McFadyen

Board Member

Scott is appointed by the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA).

Scott is currently the Associate Superintendent of Corporate Supports and Services at Parkland School Division.

Previously, he was the Senior Financial Officer and Executive Director for the Ministry of Treasury Board and Finance as well as the Executive Council. In this role, he oversaw the financial reporting for the two Ministries as well as the major provincial public pension plans such as the Management Employees Pension Plan, Public Service Pension Plan and the Local Authorities Pension Plan.

In addition, he was responsible for the financial reporting of several regulated funds such as the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund.

Mary Persson

Board Member

Mary is appointed by Alberta Health Services (AHS).

Mary is currently the Assistant Deputy Minister, Financial and Corporate Services, Alberta Health, with the Government of Alberta. Key responsibilities in this role include facilities planning, financial planning and reporting as well as corporate services, such as third party liability and procurement.

Previously she was the Associate Vice-President of Audit and Analysis with the University of Alberta. She has also served in a variety of senior auditing and policy roles within federal and provincial public sectors, including work with the Department of National Defence, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada's Treasury Board Secretariat, and the Provinces of Nova Scotia and British Columbia.

She has been a board member for three post-secondary societies, a trustee for the International Research Foundation of the Institute of Internal Auditors, and the chair of the institute's Academic Relations Committee. She is also a public member of the City of Edmonton's Audit Committee and the Treasurer/Board Member with the Edmonton Symphony Society and Francis Winspear Centre for Music.

Marle Roberts

Board Member

Marle is appointed by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).

Marle is the President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Alberta Division. She became involved in the labour movement in 1986 when she started as a laboratory technician at the City of Medicine Hat’s Wastewater Treatment Plant.

In 1988 Marle was elected as a member of CUPE Local 46’s Group Benefit Team. This team negotiated benefits packages with the City of Medicine Hat. In 1990 she became the chair of this committee.

Marle became involved in securing joint governance of the Local Authorities Pension Plan in 2011 when she was elected as President of CUPE Alberta Division. In 2018, Marle was chosen by the CUPE Alberta Division Executive to represent CUPE Alberta as a member of the LAPP Sponsor Board.

Guy Smith

Board Member

Guy is appointed by the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE).

Guy Smith has proudly served as president of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) since 2009.

AUPE has the largest number of registered LAPP members of any union. As a member of the newly-formed joint governance Sponsor Board, Guy takes the responsibility to protect the retirement security and pension promise of AUPE members, and all plan members, seriously.

Guy has decades of advanced governance and strategic planning experience. He brings this knowledge to the LAPP Sponsor Board and is committed to ensuring important decisions are made thoughtfully and prudently, with the priority being the health and sustainability of LAPP.

For years, Guy defended and advocated for public-sector pension plans, including LAPP. He’s been involved in high-level engagement on pensions with senior government officials, and through organized member action, staunchly defended the plans from significant disruption by former governments.

A substantial part of this struggle was to secure joint governance of LAPP.

Now that joint governance has been secured so worker and employer representatives, not politicians, make key decisions, its incumbent those on the Sponsor Board take their new obligations with a sense of duty and responsibility.

Guy recognizes that, and is dedicated to this important role.

Heather Smith

Board Member

Heather is appointed by the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA).

Heather is President of the United Nurses of Alberta, which represents more than 30,000 Registered Nurses, Registered Psychiatric Nurses and allied workers. She is a prominent advocate for Canada’s universal public health care system and a national pharmacare program.

Elected as UNA president in 1988, she has served in that role ever since. She received the Spirit of Tommy Douglas Award in 2007 for her commitment to the dreams of the late Saskatchewan premier and creator of Canadian medicare.

Smith came to Alberta in 1976 after training in Ottawa. While working as an RN in Edmonton in 1980, Smith became active in the union. She was elected as a local president in 1983 and has served on every UNA negotiating committee since 1984. She has played an important role in the Canadian Federation of Nurses’ Unions since UNA joined that organization in 1999.