Insights Alberta Fall 2023 – Presenter Biographies

Host, Speaker, and Panelist

Lori Meyer, Associate Superintendent of Learning, Rocky View Schools

Lori Meyer is the Associate Superintendent of Learning with Rocky View Schools, a position she has held since February of 2021. Lori has enjoyed working in an associate role in both SK and AB for the past 15 years after the privilege of being a classroom teacher, school administrator and registered psychologist.

She has planned, implemented, and monitored various teaching and inclusive learning programs. Through her leadership, student reading scores increased by nearly 10 per cent due to the improved reading plan her team implemented across the division.

She was also responsible for leading an initiative that successfully secured provincial and local board funded pre-kindergarten programs providing every child in the division with access to a pre-kindergarten program staffed by a teacher and an assistant.

Community work has been a vital part of her role, partnering with a wide number of agencies to create and support programs that meet the non-academic needs of children and their families.

Speaker and Panel Facilitator

Karen Power, Leadership Development Consultant, The Learning Bar

Karen Power is a consultant and former teacher, principal, superintendent, and senior advisor for professional learning and leadership. She has won multiple awards and authored books related to her work which focuses on leadership coaching in schools and districts, building collaborative practices through professional learning community (PLC) implementation, district strategic planning, and developing effective instruction, assessment and evidence-based decisions for long-term sustainability. Karen is now working as a consultant with The Learning Bar to support leadership development within schools and districts.

Speaker

Gail Markin, Consultant

Gail Markin is a counsellor, consultant and coach who supports school districts with health and well-being.  She has a particular focus on embedding well-being into the education workplace.  Gail is the author of Beyond Self-Care: Leading a Systemic Approach to Well-being for Educators where she combines learning from both research and practice to support leaders with practical ideas to create well-being in their schools and districts.  When she is not writing and speaking or podcasting about well-being, Gail is working on an Ed. D. in Leadership and Policy at UBC.

You can find out more about Gail on her website: https://www.gailmarkin.ca/

Jason Kupery, Director of Learning, Palliser School Division

Jason Kupery has worked in Education for 24 years and counting, first as a teacher, then principal and now in Division Leadership with Palliser School Division. He is driven by helping students find their confidence and purpose through programs like career exploration, student leadership and wellness.  His enthusiasm for helping students discover their passion and potential is contagious.  Student success, both in school and beyond, are always at the top of his mind.

Shane Cranston, Director of Learning, Palliser School Division

Shane Cranson has been an educator for 25 years serving as a teacher, principal and the last seven years as Director of Inclusive Education and Wellness. Shane is passionate about all areas of student wellness including co-creating Palliser’s Wellness framework, a Master’s degree thesis on social emotional learning and a former sessional instructor at the University of Calgary on Comprehensive School Health.

Erika Publow, Clinical Team Lead, Counseling, Palliser School Division

Erika Publow has been working in the human services industry for over 20 years. She has worked on the front lines with high risk youth, supported countless children and families during her time with Children’s Services, and has supported various teams in her role as a Supervisor and Consultant. Leading with curiosity and kindness, she now supports a team of 18 Family School Liaison Counsellors as they work to support the diverse mental health needs of students and families.

David Dyck, Education Director, Area 7, Calgary Board of Education (CBE)

David Dyck is an Education Director in School Improvement with the Calgary Board of Education. In addition to supporting schools in Area 7, he leads the system portfolio of Well-Being. David values opportunities to work closely with principals and assistant principals both in the Area and system contexts centered on developing effective teams and partnerships to improve both practice and student achievement. The Well-Being portfolio includes providing system leadership to: student well-being; the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) team, and related curriculum areas.

Reg Klassen, Chief Superintendent, Frontier School Division

Reg Klassen has spent thirty-plus years serving students in a variety of communities and educational situations and currently serves in his ninth year as the Chief Superintendent of Frontier School Division. Reg brings with him a comprehensive understanding of education as it relates to leadership, administration, staffing, curriculum and community. Reg is a well-respected educator, leader and visionary, with a wealth of knowledge and experience in providing quality educational programs for diverse students in a variety of settings. Reg has served as the Chair of Canadian Association of Mennonite Schools and Manitoba Federation of Independent Schools Education Committee. He has also served as the President for the Manitoba Association of School Superintendents, and the Canadian Association of School System Administrators.

Jonathan Kaiswatum, Director of Education, Tsuut’ina Nation Board of Education (Treaty 7)

Jonathan Kaiswatum, from the Piapot First Nation (Treaty 4), is rooted in his language and culture. His ideology as an educator and administrator has been guided by Indigenous worldviews on leadership. 

He received both his Bachelor of Education (2012) and Master of Education (2019) from the University of Saskatchewan. Much of his work focuses on integrating his ideology into data-informed approaches to create educational sustainability.

Mike Borgfjord, Superintendent, Pembina Hills School Division

Mike Borgfiord is in his 18th year as a superintendent and recently commenced his third year as Superintendent of Pembina Hills School Division. He has spent over the past 29 years in numerous teaching and administrative positions in rural and northern Manitoba including teaching Grades 6, 7, 8 and high school.

He believes strongly in equity, inclusion, respect for diversity and developing a culture of collaboration, support and a strong sense of community. In all of his roles, he has always been active in serving public education through extensive involvement in local, provincial, and national educational organizations. He has served on many provincial committees including the Manitoba Special Needs Funding Task Force and the Manitoba Association of School Superintendents as a former President, Vice-President and Treasurer. Mike is currently the vice-chair of the Alberta Rural Education Symposium.