Meet the CPAWS Team

Chapter Board of Directors

We are pleased to introduce the members of the Board of Directors of the Southern Alberta (formerly Calgary/Banff) Chapter of Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS)

1. Gord James – Chair
2. June Kilcolm – Vice-Chair
3. Susan Eaton – Director
4. John Gunning – Treasurer
5. Jill Kirker – Director
6. David McIntyre – Director

Gord James – Chair

Gord James recently retired after working at Suncor Energy for 25 years, with the last ten years as the corporate controller. He has used his skills as an accountant to help in the CPAWS office and later was asked to join the Board. Over the years, Gord has volunteered for a variety of organizations and has always had a love of wilderness. His job at Suncor took him and his family from Toronto to Calgary in 1995. Gord spent much of his time in the parks of Ontario, and here he has enjoyed living near the mountains and getting to experience a different landscape. He is passionate about hiking, cycling, and running.

Back to top

June Kilcolm – Vice-Chair

June has recently retired after running Integrated Strategies Group, a consulting firm specializing in strategic planning, related to environmental and regulatory issues. Global warming was a key focus for the last 15 years and included work with all the major stakeholders: governments, industry associations and individual corporations. June also brings a business perspective based on more than 20 years strategic planning experience with TransAlta, C.D. Howe Institute and at the corporate level of Canadian Pacific. She is a board member of both Calgary Buffalo constituency and Beltline Community Association. Hiking, travelling, music and volunteering round out a very enjoyable new phase in life.

Back to top

Susan Eaton – Director

Susan Eaton’s background is diverse – she’s educated in biology, geology, geophysics and journalism. During her twenty-four-year career in the petroleum industry, she has been involved in corporate due diligence and financial, strategic, environmental and geotechnical evaluations. Susan’s business and finance background was honed while working as a vice-president of exploration in two small, publicly traded oil and gas companies. A former television reporter with CBC-TV, she currently writes on emerging technologies, exploration trends and business issues in the energy sector, contributing frequently to Canadian and American magazines. Susan has been involved in the grassroots conservation sector since 1990, specializing in environmental education, media relations and fundraising. Her varied non-profit experience includes participating in the Canadian Environmental Network’s Forest Caucus; organizing events for the Grizzly Bear Alliance; volunteering as a Director of the Calgary Rainforest Action Group; and representing Suncor Energy Inc. on the Board of Directors of the Alberta Ecotrust Foundation. Susan is passionate about Canada’s wild spaces and the animals who call them home. She spends her spare time in wild spaces watching bears – grizzly bears, spirit bears and polar bears.

Back to top

John Gunning – Treasurer

John Gunning is a recent addition to the CPAWS Calgary Board, joining in September 2009. John has lived in Calgary since 2004, having relocated from the Toronto area. Originally from the United States (Atlanta), John has lived in Canada since 1997 and became a Canadian citizen in February of 2009. John is currently Finance Director with Lafarge North America in Calgary, an international construction materials manufacturer with significant operations in Western Canada. John and his family spend as much time as possible outdoors in the Calgary Foothills and the Canadian Rockies: hiking, biking, running and skiing. John is also an active supporter of Calgary Habitat for Humanity and the Alberta Freestyle Ski Association.

Back to top

Jill Kirker – Director

Jill grew up in Calgary where the Elbow and Bow Rivers meet. Through the years she has been extremely fortunate to have been able to hike, bike, ski, and paddle in the wilderness areas of Alberta and B.C. She is happy to join the board of directors as the CPAWS mandate of promoting the inherent value of wilderness through education, appreciation and experience aligns well with her values. Jill is looking forward to working with the CPAWS Southern Alberta chapter as it has a great reputation for working co-operatively with governments, industry, other conservation organizations, the general public and other interest groups. Jill initially worked as a geologist in the oil and gas industry, then moved on to volunteer with many local environmental organizations. Most recently Jill worked with Alberta Ecotrust Foundation as the Grant Program Coordinator. She is looking forward to contributing to the vision of CPAWS.

Back to top

David McIntyre – Director

David writes and photographs the land that he loves, working from his home on Rock Creek, in the shadow of the Livingstone Range in southwestern Alberta. For more than three decades, he has led educationally-focused hiking tours throughout the Canadian Rockies, along the Pacific coastline and across the storied mountains of Alberta, British Columbia, Montana, Oregon and Washington. David has also led whitewater rafting trips down Idaho's celebrated Salmon River (the "River of No Return"), and the Colorado River (through Grand Canyon). During this same time, he has managed public interpretive programming at the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre, Writing-On-Stone National Historic Site and two World Heritage Sites (Dinosaur Provincial Park and Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump). Today, David's work-and-play environment revolves around the enjoyment and protection of heritage landscapes.

Back to top