Cantarè At The Café

Community leader and Calgary journalist Deborah Yedlin was elected the 14th chancellor of the University of Calgary, effective July 1st, 2018.

Miss Yedlin has been observing, commenting and writing about business and politics for more than two decades, as a journalist for the Financial Post, Globe and Mail and Calgary Herald newspapers. In addition to her writing, she has been a regular commentator for CBC Radio and Television, and CTV since 1996.

Her journey to becoming a business columnist was unconventional – but an undergraduate degree from the University of Alberta in Economics and English in 1984, coupled with her business experience that was augmented with an MBA from Queen’s University in 1991, have all built towards a resume that includes working on Wall Street and Bay Street.

Born and raised in Edmonton, Miss Yedlin witnessed firsthand the power of education to provide the opportunity to rebuild a life in a new country, as the daughter of immigrants. As both her parents went on to become educators – in the public primary system and at the post-secondary level – Yedlin grew up immersed in the academic world.

Since moving to Calgary in 1992, Miss Yedlin has been very active in the Calgary community. She was co-chair of the 2016 United Way Campaign, which raised more than $55 million during a difficult economic time for the city. She has served on the board of a number of arts and community organizations, including the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Calgary Opera, YMCA Calgary, United Way Calgary, and Winsport. She was previously a member of the President’s Advisory Council at the University of Alberta and served on the Deans’ Advisory Council for the Faculty of Science at the University of Calgary.

You can follow the Chancellor on Twitter @ddyedlin.

Calgary Arts Development president and CEO Patti Pon (she/her/hers) is a veteran community and arts champion with an extensive track record of leadership and service in Calgary.

Patti has deep and diverse experience in the arts sector, she came to the position of president and CEO from her most recent position as director, resource development, Calgary Arts Development.

Patti has been awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal as well as the 2013 Harry and Martha Cohen Award, recognizing significant contribution to Calgary’s theatre community. And most recently was deeply honoured to be gifted the Blackfoot name of Miss’tommohtsaamiaakii—Two Standing Headdress Woman.

Director, CGG (Paris, France); Director of Enmax Corporation (Calgary, AB); Vice Chair, Alberta Innovates – Energy and Environment Solutions (Calgary, AB); Trustee, Ernest C. Manning Awards Foundation and Member of the Government of Canada Sustainable Development Advisory Council (SDAC) and the Advisory Council for Promoting Women on Boards

August 28, 2013

Kathleen Sendall is a Director at CGG, a leading international pure-play geophysical company; a Director of Enmax Corporation, a vertically integrated utility, headquartered in Calgary, Alberta; and Director and Vice Chair of Alberta Innovates – Energy and Environment Solutions. In 2012, she Co-Chaired the Canada West/Asia Pacific Foundation Task Force on Canada/Asia Pacific energy issues and opportunities.

Ms. Sendall was previously the Senior Vice-President of Petro-Canada’s North American Natural Gas Business Unit, and was responsible for the company’s conventional oil and gas production and exploration in North America. Ms. Sendall has extensive experience as a director and involvement in not-for-profit boards. She is a Past-President and former Director of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and a former Chair of the Board of Governors for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP). She has sat on the Board of Governors of the University of Calgary and is Past-President of the Calgary Chapter of the International Women’s Forum.

Ms. Sendall was awarded the YWCA Women of Distinction Award in 1998 and she was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women in the Corporate Executive category (2002-2006) by the Women’s Executive Network. In early 2006, Ms. Sendall was one of 50 women to receive the Key Women in Energy – Global Award. In 2006 she received the Champion of the Schulich School of Engineering, was the recipient of the Johnson Award from Queen’s University, and was named the Woman of Vision by Global TV. In 2007, Ms Sendall received the Women Who Make a Difference award from the International Women’s Forum and was inducted into Canada’s Most Powerful Women, Top 100 Hall of Fame. Ms. Sendall is a Member of the Order of Canada.

Ms. Sendall graduated from Queen’s University in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Mechanical Engineering, and attended the Ivey Executive Program at the Ivey School of Business in 1990.

Mary Rozsa de Coquet is the Chairman and President of the Rozsa Foundation, a philanthropic family foundation founded in 1990 which is known for innovative arts management programs and its contribution to public arts policies. She has been active in many other non-profit organizations, including the Philanthropic Foundation Canada Board, and the National Music Centre Board. Municipally, she was appointed inaugural Chair of Calgary Arts Development Authority and was also a member of the City Subdivision and Development Appeal Board for many years.

Mary received a Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude from Trinity University in Texas, an Education Degree and an honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Calgary. In 2008, she was chosen as one of the Top 100 Women (Arts and Communications category) by the Women’s Executive Network; in 2011 she was acknowledged the Outstanding Individual Philanthropist by the Calgary Association of Fundraising Professionals; in 2012, she was a recipient of the Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal; and in 2015 she was the Honens Honours recipient and named to the Order of Canada.

I have been fortunate to craft a career as a volunteer, in addition to pursuing various business opportunities. The "whole-person" approach has informed my formal education and community involvement. Learning about the functional systems of a city has given me a better understanding of the role of public policy in the development of a thriving, creative, people-centred community. My efforts centre on using that knowledge to make the civic vision a reality. As a philanthropist, I have been able to honour the influential individuals in my life, as well as contribute to significant societal change. Focus on the Arts has been and continues to be one way to achieve impact since the Arts benefit individual and community alike.

Sheila O’Brien, President of Belvedere1 Investments, is a corporate director and business consultant specializing in workforce and leadership capacity with over 35 years of experience in the oil and gas, pipeline and petrochemical sectors in Canada, USA and Europe. Ms. O’Brien has held executive positions in the areas of human resources, investor relations, public affairs and government relations with Amoco International, Petro-Canada and NOVA Corporation. She created and implemented an innovative workforce restructuring program, based on the dignity of the employee, which was designated a World Wide Best Practice by Watson Wyatt International Consultancy.

Ms. O’Brien is a member of the Board of Directors of Gildan Activewear, a Montreal-based, publicly traded company and Alberta Energy Regulator. She previously served on the boards of Advantage Oil and Gas Company, a Calgary-based, publicly traded corporation (2007-13); MaRS, Canada’s innovation hub, Toronto (2004-13); on the Board of Directors of Skye Resources, a Vancouver-based, publicly traded nickel mining company (2007-08); on the Board of Directors of TransForce Income Fund, Canada’s largest trucking enterprise, publicly traded and headquartered in Montreal (2006-07); and as a member of the Board of Directors of CFM Majestic, a Canadian, publicly traded company (1998-2003).

She was appointed to the Board of Directors of PPP Canada in 2014. From 2009-2012 was Executive in Residence at Canada West Foundation in Calgary, Alberta. While at Canada West Foundation Ms. O’Brien co-authored, “An Extraordinary West: A Narrative Exploration of Western Canada’s Future”, published in 2010; “Catching a Rising Tide: A Western Vision for Energy in Canada”, published in 2011; and “A Place to Call Home”, published in 2012.

Ms. O’Brien’s board experience includes chairing human resources and compensations committees for Advantage Oil and Gas, Alberta Energy Regulator, Gildan Activewear, MaRS, Transforce Income Fund and Skye Resources, as well as chairing the Corporate Governance Committees for Advantage, Gildan, MaRS, and Skye.

Active in government and community affairs, Ms. O’Brien has served as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Faculty of Commerce & Business Administration, University of British Columbia; and the Alberta Foundation for Environmental Excellence Honorary Council. She has been a member of The Executive Committee of The Conference Board of Canada, Council of Human Resource Executives, and The Board of Directors of The Canadian Centre for Philanthropy, C.D. Howe Institute, the Public Policy Forum.

Ms. O’Brien has served as a Commissioner with the Canadian Human Rights Commission and as a member of the Advisory Group on Working Time and the Distribution of Work, Human Resources Development Canada. She has served on the Boards of Directors of the Alberta College of Art and Design, Wordfest, Grace Women’s Wellness Foundation, Foothills Hospital Foundation, Canadian Mental Health Association, Alberta Status of Women Action Committee, Therese Casgrain Foundation, ABC Canada, and a national literary foundation, Theatre Calgary, the Alberta Theatre Projects on and the Society of Management Accountants. She was President of the Board of Directors of the Calgary YWCA, Campaign Chair of the University of Calgary Alumnae campaign and member of the United Way campaign cabinet. She has served as a member of the Development Appeal Board, the Alberta Regional Council of the Canadian Pension Conference and was Founder and President of the Western Women’s Committee for Pension Reform. She was a member of the steering committee of Catalysts’ ground breaking study “Closing the Gender Gap” in 1998.

In 2004, Ms. O’Brien accepted a special assignment as a member of the Executive Team at the University of Calgary. Over the course of 18 months she led a highly successful re-engineering of all administrative systems used by students in their pursuit of education, resulting in greatly improved student satisfaction at the University of Calgary.

Ms. O’Brien has devoted much of her volunteer service to the advancement of women, and has been the founder of several enduring awards, recognition and mentorship programs for women, including Rising Stars, Women Celebrate Women and Turning Points. In 2013-14 she co-chaired the National Task Force on Human Trafficking for The Canadian Women’s Foundation.

She has served as the Executive in Residence at Chatham College, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and also was the Chairperson, MBA Advisory Board. She was selected as the 2002 Distinguished Ethics Speaker at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has spoken and led seminars at various colleges and universities in western Pennsylvania on business issues and The Diversity Imperative.

Ms. O’Brien’s past associations in the areas of women’s issues, human rights, education and health and welfare have been recognized through her receipt of the Women of Distinction Award in the category of Advancement of Women, and a Citation for Citizenship - Government of Canada Award for Community Leadership. In February 1999, she was invested as a member of the Order of Canada, the country’s highest honor, and in 2012 she was awarded The Diamond Jubilee Medal for her significant contributions to Canada.

HELEN VANDERBURG, a native Calgarian, is a World Champion synchronized swimmer [both solo and duet] who was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame and International Aquatic Hall of Fame.

Helen’s experiences in competitive sport gave her the desire to share health and fitness with others. After graduating from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Physical Education, she began her career in the fitness industry. Inspired to make a difference in people’s lives she and her business partner opened Heavens elevated fitness in 1982. Today she coaches and inspires the members, instructors and trainers within the Heavens organization. As well, her passion has grown into an international reach as a trainer of trainers, motivational speaker, writer, video producer and educator.

Helen is an international education program developer for a number of health, fitness and yoga organizations as a Master trainer for Schwinn Cycling, BOSU, Total Gym and Fusion Fitness Training. As a teacher she is an AFLCA trainer of Fitness Leader, Yoga Alliance Teacher (200 hour) and recognized as the IDEA Fitness Instructor of the Year, IDEA Program Director of the Year, the CanFitPro Instructor of the Year and Women of Vision.

Most importantly, Helen is a daughter, wife and mother of 2 beautiful daughters!

Jenny Belzbergʼs philanthropic work resonates throughout Calgary and beyond. The lifelong Calgarian has been an agent of change, a mentor and a faithful volunteer. Her leadership abilities have brought success and credibility to a variety of community efforts in the realm of social action and the arts, and enhanced the quality of life for many.

Jennyʼs initial volunteer work began with local Jewish groups that supported women and families. With organizations such as Beth Israel Sisterhood, Calgary Jewish Community Council, Israel Bonds, Jewish National Fund and the National Council of Jewish Women, she engaged in a range of activities from chairing a review committee for Jewish day schools to honouring Holocaust survivors. With her growing experience and leadership training, her responsibilities expanded. She quickly emerged as a natural leader and rose to executive level positions on both national and international fronts.

Throughout Jenny Belzbergʼs far reaching networks, her work could often be linked to her home town. She added civic duties to her list of volunteer activities, including projects with the Calgary Chamber of Commerce and Calgaryʼs City Hall restoration, and served a four-year appointment with the Judicial Council for Provincial Court judges.

As a proponent of community participation she has had many opportunities to see her ideas take flight. She was the founder of the Canadian Cancer Societyʼs Daffodil Gala, and raised significant funds through a joint benefit for the Banff Centre and Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. In the late 1980s, her volunteer career gradually shifted into other areas of passion. Believing art and culture feed the soul, she showed her creativity, leadership and fundraising skills, with many organizations serving the arts community.

While chairing the Banff Centre Board of Governors for four years and serving on the board for seven, Jenny Belzberg was a part of the Banff Centreʼs move into the high-tech industry. A scholarship at the institution and the Honourary Alumni list both bear her name. She also served for 14 years on the board of the Calgary Philharmonic Society, playing a key role in preserving the orchestra.

Mrs. Belzberg is a founding member, and served as board chair, of the Esther Honens Calgary International Piano Competition. Another organization for which Jenny Belzberg was a founder and first chair is the Calgary Arts Partnership in Education Society, a member of a national program originating with the Royal Conservatory of Music. Also known as CAPES, this organization works with artists and teachers to apply the concept of “Learning through the Arts” to regular school curriculum and has been incorporated by more than 60 Calgary schools.

Mrs. Belzbergʼs support for higher learning also extends to longstanding support for postsecondary institutions. She has been a fundraiser for Mount Royal College Conservatory and sits on the Deanʼs advisory committee for the University of Calgaryʼs Faculty of Social Work.

A dedicated volunteer, Jenny Belzberg was a member of a national advisory committee for the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy. On behalf of the National Society of Fundraising Executives, she chaired Calgaryʼs National Philanthropy Day. She is also an honourary chair for Leadership Calgary, and has shared her expertise with the Royal Conservatory of Music and the Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership. In August 2000, she was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the National Arts Centre. Mrs. Belzberg has been recognized for her lifelong commitments in a variety of ways.

Jenny Belzberg and her husband were honoured in 1992 by the Jewish National Fund for their various contributions. In 1997, she received a medal from Her Majesty the Queen on the 25th anniversary of Her Majestyʼs accession to the throne, and a Paul Harris Fellow medal from the Rotary Foundation of the City of Calgary Rotary International. Jenny Belzberg was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 1997, inducted into the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2000, and received an honourary LLB degree from the University of Calgary in 2002.

She is married to Hyman Belzberg and they have three children – Brent, Murray and Leslie.

Born just north of St. Albert, Irene Besse has worked hard at facilitating the enjoyment of music for generations of music lovers and their families. After receiving her musical training at the University of Alberta, Irene began her music career as a teacher/performer who travelled as far as Europe and Japan giving classical and pop concerts on the organ. Irene and her husband, Tom, moved to Calgary in 1964.

Through teaching, performing and operating the retail piano store which bears her name, she has seen lots of changes, but she continues to be convinced of the power of music to change lives and inspire all who are connected to it. Most important, Irene has been a champion of the arts in our community. She’s been a strong and integral support of every major arts / music organization in Calgary, including Cantaré Children’s Choir. She has served on the Board of Directors for numerous organizations – the CPO, Honens International Piano Competition, Calgary International Organ Festival, the Alberta Registered Music Teachers’ Association to name only a few. She has been honoured with numerous awards for her community service and exceptional business practises.

Irene recently announced her intention to retire from the operational side of the music business but we know that she has no intention of diminishing her personal involvement in the music world. We are so fortunate to have Irene with us today to share with us stories and insight along with her indomitable spirit and positive attitude.

My task today is a presenter’s dream … to introduce someone who needs no introduction. Irene Besse is just such a person. Born just north of St. Albert, Irene Besse has worked hard at facilitating the enjoyment of music for generations of music lovers and their families – she’s affectionately known as Calgary’s piano lady. After receiving her musical training at the University of Alberta, Irene began her music career as a teacher/performer who travelled as far as Europe and Japan giving classical and pop concerts on the organ. Irene and her husband, Tom, moved to Calgary in 1964.

Irene was always involved in music from an early age, teaching, 
performing, selling. She was known as an inspiring teacher, and also carved out a niche for herself as a performer, playing every evening in the grill room of the Calgary Inn and was soon in high demand from sports teams in need of an organist. When the Flames came to town, she was the obvious choice for the new hockey team – which she did for nine years. She also played for the Calgary 88’s basketball team, the Calgary Cannons Baseball team, and the Boomers Soccer Club but she says that one of the career highlights was playing the organ at the Saddledome during the 36 games of the 1988 Olympic hockey tournament.

Meanwhile, in 1981 she purchased an interest in an existing 
keyboard store, JMJ Keyboards in Calgary. As a managing partner, she developed a 
company strategy that guided the company into a dynamic growth pattern. In 1988 she bought out her two partners and became the sole owner of the business.
 After extensive market research throughout Alberta she decided, in 1993, to make her dream a reality and was determined that she would have it all, a retail showroom, appropriate service support, a music education academy of music, complete piano service centre and a magnificent concert hall under one roof. Late in1993 Irene opened her Dream Facility at the current 11th Street SE location.

Over the years, her name has become inextricably linked with almost any public performance in Calgary that requires a quality keyboard. An excellent example of this was in November 2011 when the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra presented PIANOMANIA, Six pianists took the stage with the CPO, all performing at the same time. Looking back, I think it may have been one of those once-in-a-lifetime musical moments. The pianists and the CPO brilliantly performed a piano extravaganza called Hexameron by Franz Liszt, with an encore of Damonen Tanz. The concert could never have happened without Irene’s involvement. While two Steinway pianos “live” at the Epcor Centre year-round, Irene arranged for the other four concert grands (including a Fazioli, a Bluthner and two C.Bechstein) to be brought there for the performance. If that weren’t enough, she also arranged for the presidents of three of the keyboard companies to fly all the way to Calgary for the concert.

I first met Irene in the spring of 1985. I was asked to be one of the regular singers for the Calgary Cannons, which at the time was Calgary’s brand new AAA professional baseball team. I admit the gig had a limited repertoire – Oh Canada, the Star Spangled Banner, and Take Me Out to the ball game, but it did give me the chance to sing in front of thousands of people and to spend summer evenings watching baseball, drinking bear and eating peanuts. The very best part, however, was the privilege of working with this very extraordinary lady. I have many fond memories of our visits in the press box as we waited for the game to progress through to the seventh Inning stretch.

Irene has dedicated her time in support of so many organizations, serving on the Board of the Calgary International Organ Festival, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the Esther Honens International Piano Competition, the Calgary Association of Piano Dealers, the Alberta Registered Music Teachers’ Association, the Rotary Club of Calgary to name only a few. She has been featured on television and radio and received many honours including Female Entrepreneur of the Year, Best Business Award and the Milner Fennerty Pinnacle Award. She actively supports the Canadian Music Competitions, the Calgary Concerto Competition, the Mount Royal University Conservatory and the CPO.

In addition to this professional success, I have always been inspired by and marveled at Irene for her graciousness – that refreshing smile that can set anyone at ease, her genuine warmth, and above all that positive can-do attitude that makes you believe anything is possible. For Irene that has been her life. We are so honoured today to have Irene with us to share her insights and stories …. Please join me in welcoming her to Cantaré Children’s Choir.

Community leader and Calgary journalist Deborah Yedlin was elected the 14th chancellor of the University of Calgary, effective July 1st, 2018.

Yedlin has been observing, commenting and writing about business and politics for more than two decades, as a journalist for the Financial Post, Globe and Mail and Calgary Herald newspapers. In addition to her writing, she has been a regular commentator for CBC Radio and Television, and CTV since 1996.

Her journey to becoming a business columnist was unconventional – but an undergraduate degree from the University of Alberta in Economics and English in 1984, coupled with her business experience that was augmented with an MBA from Queen’s University in 1991, have all built towards a resume that includes working on Wall Street and Bay Street.

Born and raised in Edmonton, Yedlin witnessed firsthand the power of education to provide the opportunity to rebuild a life in a new country, as the daughter of immigrants. As both her parents went on to become educators – in the public primary system and at the post-secondary level – Yedlin grew up immersed in the academic world.

Since moving to Calgary in 1992, Yedlin has been very active in the Calgary community serving and continuing to serve as a board member of not-for-profit organizations.