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AGT Building
Year of Construction: 1929
Address: 119 6 AV SW

Our Staff

Shannon McLaughlin
Communications & Marketing Manager

Shannon McLaughlin is the Communications & Marketing Manager at Heritage Calgary. She previously worked as special advisor to the Minister of Agriculture & Rural Development at the Alberta Legislature and as a communications advisor at UFA Co-operative. Her poetry has appeared in Prairie Fire, Contemporary Verse 2, and antiLang, and was shortlisted for Room Magazine’s short forms contest. She was a literary arts residency participant at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and at the University of Lethbridge Gushul Residency. Shannon holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and English from the University of Alberta. She was born and raised in Grande Prairie, Alberta where five generations of her family have lived for over 100 years.

Cynthia Klaassen
Heritage Resources Program Manager

Cynthia is the Heritage Resources Program Manager for Heritage Calgary. Responsible for oversight of the Inventory of Evaluated Historic Resources, which lists over 950 sites of historical significance in Calgary, she works with heritage property owners to research and list new sites on the Inventory. Together with the Heritage Calgary team she hosts public walks and talks on a variety of heritage topics, and works with developers and designers to create commemorative plaques and features to share stories and promote Calgary’s history. As a Heritage and Museum professional, she previously worked at the National Music Centre and Fort Calgary. Cynthia currently serves on the Board of the Alexandra Centre Society and is Past President of the Calgary Heritage Initiative Society (CHI) and Founding President of Doors Open Calgary.

Chris Axford
Communications & Marketing Coordinator

Chris Axford is the Communications & Marketing Coordinator at Heritage Calgary. Born in Edmonton but raised around Canada, he has lived in Windsor, Victoria and finally Calgary. While in Victoria, Chris earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Canadian history at the University of Victoria, and has recently completed a Bachelor of Communications in Public Relations from Mount Royal University. While in the program, he has earned the President’s Honour Roll each school year. Originally joining Heritage Calgary in 2020 as a summer student through MRU, he has stayed on board since and has seen his role grow. Outside of Heritage Calgary, Chris volunteers with the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo's media team, helping to facilitate interviews and coordinate media. He has also volunteered with federal election campaigns in 2019 and 2021.

Board of Directors

Kathy McCrum
Chair

Kathy is currently Vice President, Human Resources overseeing all aspects of Human Resources and Training at Trican. Most recently, Kathy held the position of Vice President, People and Employee Relations at WestJet. Prior to joining WestJet, she held the executive position of Vice President, Human Resources and Safety at SaskPower Corporation, where she was responsible for all people matters as well as the safety programs and strategies for the company. Ms. McCrum started her career with Canadian Pacific Railway, where she held various management roles in HR, Customer Service Operations, and Business Development. Kathy has served as a board member of Heritage Calgary since 2023 and is Chair of Governance & Human Resources Committee.

Brent Cooper
1st Vice-Chair

Brent is a business lawyer with over 2,000 days in Court. He is also a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Practice. Brent has combined his courtroom experience with his collaborative skills, and has developed a practice of diligently pursuing practical, ‘better-deal’ results for his clients. Brent is the Past Chair of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, and he presently Chairs its Long-Range Planning Committee, which is involved in board-appointments to the Calgary Airport Authority. Brent is also advisor to various institutions in South Alberta and plans on pursuing other Board of Director appointments. Brent has served as a board member of Heritage Calgary since 2023 and is the 1st Vice-Chair.

Richard McLellan
Treasurer

Rich is an experienced executive leader and has been the Chief Financial Officer for public and private (including private equity owned) companies for over 19 years in addition to holding other senior executive positions. He is currently the Chief Financial Officer of a private Aviation Maintenance Organization in Calgary. Rich has reported and presented to Boards of Directors and Audit Committees in his capacity as Chief Financial Officer, and has also served as a past board member of several international subsidiaries of a public corporation, and was a past member of the Board of Directors and Treasurer of Alberta Theatre Projects.

Paula Overguard, CPA, CA
Director

Paula is a third generation Albertan. Born and raised on a farm near Didsbury, Alberta, she has lived in Calgary for over a decade. Her interest in history has been fostered from a young age by her parents, who were school teachers. She has nearly 15 years of experience in financial reporting, audit, tax, internal controls, and treasury. Paula is currently Chief Financial Officer of MLT Aikins LLP. Previously, she was Senior Director Finance, Industrial and Infrastructure at Bird Construction. Prior to her role at Bird, Paula held roles with ARC Resources, Shane Homes and PwC. Paula received her Chartered Accountant designation in 2013 and has a Bachelor of Commerce degree, with distinction, from the University of Alberta. In recognition of her volunteer work and mentorship efforts, Paula was awarded a Chartered Professional Accountants’ Early Achievement Award in 2017. She was also awarded the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants’ gold medal for the highest standing in Western Canada on the 2012 Uniform Final Examination. Paula has served as a board member of Heritage Calgary since 2021 and is the Treasurer and Chair of the Audit & Finance Committee.

Patricia O’Reilly
Director

Pat was born in Ontario and moved to Calgary in 1995. She has been a history buff from a young age and appreciates the need to learn from the past and preserve the most important elements of it. Pat works for Suncor Energy where she engages with stakeholders on Suncor’s environmental and social performance and is responsible for sustainability reporting and environmental public policy. Before joining Suncor’s sustainability team, Pat lead Suncor’s communications and stakeholder relations function. She was also a founding member and served as vice president of the Suncor Energy Foundation. Pat has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Guelph and a diploma in journalism. Pat has served as a board member of Heritage Calgary since 2017 and is the Chair of the Strategy Committee.

Jessica Park
Director

Jessica specializes in public affairs, community engagement, and governance, bringing more than 15 years of experience supporting evidence-based decision-making in Calgary’s public and non-profit sectors. She is currently Director, Community & Government Relations with YMCA Calgary. Prior to joining the YMCA, she held roles with the University of Calgary, City of Calgary, TC Energy, and the Calgary Parking Authority. Jessica is also a longtime Calgary Stampede volunteer, recently serving as the founding chair of the Sam Centre Volunteer Program Committee, and previously served as chair for the Lougheed House Conservation Society Board of Directors. She holds a BA and BEd from the University of Calgary and a master’s degree in public administration (MPA) from the University of Victoria. Jessica has served as a board member of Heritage Calgary since 2020.

Avnish Mehta
Director

Avnish Mehta is a born-and-raised Calgarian. He is an entrepreneur, community builder and avid volunteer. He has had a varied career from day trading currency and commodity in Singapore to developing the Calgary Refugee Health Clinic. Now, he is a principal of Stand and Command, a Calgary firm focused on presentation skills training. He is a beer baron with Village Brewery, a co-founder of FARE Development and a past board chair for the Calgary Public Library. He was part of Avenue’s Top 40 Under 40 Class of 2018. Avnish has served as a board member of Heritage Calgary since 2023.

Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer
Director

Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer, Ph.D., is an archaeologist with nearly 20 years of experience working with heritage resources in Western Canada, in the academic, cultural resource management and government sectors. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of Calgary. Lindsay has a special interest in fostering public awareness of Alberta’s heritage and in engaging with Indigenous descendant communities. She strives to understand how archaeologists can create authentic partnerships with communities which lead to more meaningful interpretations of the past, as well as to engage with equity-deserving groups in understanding Western Canada’s rich history.

Lynette Lefsrud
Director

Lynette grew up on a family farm in Central Alberta and has called Calgary home for the past 15 years. Her enthusiasm for history and sustainability shines through both her lifelong commitment to learning and her current role as Director of Global Sustainability at Finning, Caterpillar’s largest dealership. In this capacity, Lynette champions initiatives in sustainability, energy transition, Indigenous relations, community investment, and communications.

Prior to joining Finning, Lynette held leadership positions at major global oil and gas companies and successfully managed three businesses. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Carleton University and an MBA from the University of Calgary. With over two decades of service on non-profit boards, Lynette brings expertise in facilitating strategy sessions and providing advisory support. She currently serves as Co-chair of the ESG Session for the Association of Mineral Exploration (AME) Roundup and is a member of the Centre of Training Excellence in Mining (CTEM) Advisory Council.

Chris Procyk
Director

Chris is a lifelong Calgarian with a passion for history, especially how stories connect to the built environment. Specializing in commercial aviation, he currently works for Calgary Airports in the role of Director of Central Engine, where he is responsible for supporting the executive team and broader organization in the development of corporate strategy and coordinating enterprise-wide efforts to realize its execution. Chris has previously held various leadership positions with Calgary Airports overseeing key business functions including Financial Planning & Analysis, Project Delivery, and Business Process Improvement and holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from the University of Calgary.

Christine Leppard, Ph.D.
Past Chair

Christine Leppard, PhD is the Director, Collections and Curatorial at Glenbow, which is currently undergoing a comprehensive renovation and reimagining. Previously, she spent ten years with the Calgary Stampede and Calgary Stampede Foundation, most recently as the Manager, Exhibitions & Experience at the Sam Centre. Dr. Leppard earned a PhD in Canadian and military history from the University of Calgary in 2014 and is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in that department. She is a published historian and has presented her research in both public and academic forums nationally and internationally. Dr. Leppard is a passionate believer that engaging in historical storytelling makes our community stronger. Christine has served as a board member of Heritage Calgary since 2017 and is the Past Chair.

Honorary Life Directors

Josh Traptow (CEO, 2015-2025)

Janet McCready (Chair 2021-2022; Director 2017-2023)
Nikolas Marsall-Moritz (Chair 2019-2021; Director 2013-2022)

Pamela Heard (Chair 2016-2019; Director 2013-2020)
Scott Jolliffe (Chair 2010-2016; Director 2007-2017)