Agnes Chen

Agnes Chen is a proud first-generation Canadian, a mother of 4, and a registered nurse committed to confronting and dismantling the systemic barriers that perpetuate health inequities for families affected by substance-use-related discrimination. With an understanding of anti-oppressive and trauma-informed approaches to health and well-being, she is an empathetic force in the realm of social justice, contributing to reshaping society’s perceptions and approaches to families. Her work is informed by her professional practice and grounded in her lived experience fueling her passion to contribute to intergenerational cycles of hope, health, and healing in families.  

Instagram: @fasc_ab | Twitter: @theagneschen | LinkedIn: Agnes C.

Allison McCaffrey

Allison McCaffrey is an active member in the education community and is committed to supporting students and families by advocating for fully funded public education. Her professional experience in education spans more than fifteen years and she is currently serving as the President of the local teachers’ association, representing over 3300 esteemed educators.

Allison’s versatile background includes her work with Procter and Gamble, Inc as a strategic buyer, where she was instrumental in supporting and bolstering brand strategies. While working as a self-employed businesswoman, she utilized her accounting and office system skills to guide and ensure the fiscal stability for a number of businesses globally.

Issues: Allison is passionate about building vibrant communities, being a vocal advocate of diverse representation and promoting social and economic prosperity through fiscal accountability.

Instagram: @allimc456 | Twitter: @allimc456 | Facebook: @Alli Mc | LinkedIn: Allison McCaffrey

Amber Ward (Kakakaway)

Amber is a Cree First Nations woman from White Bear in Treaty 4. She lives and works in the Mohkinstis area, Treaty 7 Blackfoot Confederacy, Métis Region 3. Amber is Two-Spirit and neurodivergent.

Amber has worked in the non-profit field since 2007 where she’s witnessed the long lasting effects of intergenerational trauma and the role government plays in these issues. It is her passion to engage in making change.

As a woman with multiple points of intersectionality, Amber is aware of the importance of advocacy and community. Locally she’s planned peaceful demonstrations, TRC events, memorials and the orange footprint path in Nose Creek Park. Amber continues to work closely with the City of Airdrie on issues around indigenous awareness. She received the Airdrie Life Magazine: Amazing Woman of Courage Award in 2022.

Amber is a proud single mother of two neurodivergent teenagers. She loves all things art, gardening and is working on her first book.

Carly Evans

Carly Evans is an IT professional and passionate community volunteer. Working remotely for a large healthcare system in the US, Carly is a dual US-Canada citizen who has been living in Calgary for 5 years. She holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.

Her interest in politics began in 2007 as a volunteer for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. After moving to Madison, Wisconsin in 2011 Carly became a passionate protestor and started volunteering more in local politics, including the Recall Walker campaign. A desire to move out west took her to Colorado, where she began volunteering at Planned Parenthood. She met her husband, a Calgarian, and followed him to Calgary in fall 2018.

Since moving to Calgary Carly has been on the board of the SBH Community Association and a proud volunteer with the Alberta NDP and a 2021 YYC City Council campaign.

Instagram: @cdeibler

Chloé McBean

Chloé McBean is the Engagement Coordinator with the Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies (AAISA), holds a BSc. in Psychology, and has worked with various community/social agencies for the past 15 years. Chloé appreciates the critical role information and referral plays to enhance community resilience through connections more and more every day. She has a lust for life that includes her family, volunteering, and various artistic pursuits.

Facebook: Chloé McBean | LinkedIn: Chloé McBean

Erika Chomiak

Erika Chomiak is a senior business leader and supply chain management professional who is currently leading the implementation of strategic procurement at the University of Saskatchewan, remote from Calgary. Erika has achieved success through progressive roles in a number of national and multi-national companies within oil & gas, telecommunications, and public sectors.

After spending more than 17 years in supply chain and procurement operations with various enterprises, Erika understands the significance of the many economic forces that can impact enterprises, including globalization, commodity availability, and technology innovation. Erika recognizes that the key to success if often found through alignment and communication, relationship building, and empowering team members. Erika has advanced technical skills in contract law, commercial deal negotiation, and multi-year strategy creation. She leverages this expertise to mentor and develop high performance teams. Erika holds a BA from the University of Calgary, an MBA from Athabasca University, a Supply Chain Professional designation (SCMP) from Supply Chain Canada, and a Project Management Masters Certificate from the American Project Management Association.

Issues: Erika is passionate about economic innovation and diversification, and improving access to mental health supports for vulnerable communities within Canada, focusing locally within Calgary.

LinkedIn: Erika B. Chomiak

Joanne Nowak

Joanne Nowak holds a PhD in Sociology, and a decade of experience in research, program evaluation, civic engagement, community partnerships, and social innovation. She has always been interested in understanding how social change happens, and why it works. This north star has guided her to projects pushing the status quo and teams thinking outside the box in academia, government, not-for-profit organizations, and most recently in Calgary’s tech and innovation ecosystem, where she currently supports startups solving social problems to launch and grow. 

In her off time, she regularly volunteers with her local community association in Edgemont, and can typically be found with a big smile on her face as she falls deeper in love with Calgary’s parks, libraries, neighbourhoods, big skies, and deliciously diverse eats, alongside her partner and two girls.

Issues: Joanne is deeply committed to improving mental health services and systems, diversifying the economy, and increasing pathways for civic engagement to expand the voices building Calgary’s future.

LinkedIn: Joanne Nowak, PhD

Kira Steele

Kira Steele (she/her) is a strong leader, a community focused advocate and is working in both her personal and professional life to support others and make the world a better place to live in. She is a progressive voice for change, supporting harm reduction, environmental action, LGBTQ2S+ rights, and bodily autonomy.

Graduating from Athabasca University with a Bachelor of Commerce, Kira founded KBS Solutions, a consulting firm focused on supporting small businesses with strategic planning, business administration, and marketing support. Kira is hoping to return to Athabasca University in January 2024 to pursue her Master of Business Administration (MBA).

Kira is best known for her work with the Boring Little Girls Club (BLGC), a community of sober women, trans and non-binary folks who have fun without alcohol and recreational drugs. Kira founded the Boring Little Girls Club in 2018 and was the chair of the Board as well as the President of the day-to-day management team until the Club closed in 2023. In 2022, Kira won the Alberta Award for Outstanding Student Social Entrepreneurship for her work with the BLGC. Kira was also nominated for Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40 Award in 2019 and 2020 and was a finalist for the Canada Award for Outstanding Student Social Entrepreneurship.

Kira lives in Calgary, Alberta with her husband, son, dog, and cat and is currently on maternity leave.

Instagram: @thekirasteele | LinkedIn: Kira Steele

Meghan Prevost

Meghan Prevost is a communications professional who works in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Calgary. She is an experienced communications generalist leading internal, external, print, digital, and social media communications and is the lead event planner for her department. 

Previously, she held communications roles with one of Calgary’s Primary Care Networks, and at the Alberta Real Estate Association (AREA). She has a master's degree in professional communications and public relations from the University of Queensland.

Meghan became active in politics in 2022-23 during the Alberta provincial election as volunteer canvasser for a candidate in her riding. She is eager to learn more about municipal politics, and how she can contribute to Ask Her YYC’s goal of inclusion and gender parity on council.

Issues: Meghan is a strong believer in supporting public healthcare and education, and evidence-based policy and decision making.

Instagram: @nutmegp | Twitter: @nut_meggy

Melissa Willmott

Meet Melissa Willmott, a dedicated advocate for inclusion with a unique perspective. As a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community who is also Métis, she brings a wealth of experience to her work, passionately championing diversity and acceptance within her communities.

Melissa is a passionate advocate for animal rights and a dedicated volunteer who actively supports organizations like the Calgary Animal Rescue Society. Her journey in local politics is inspired by her personal experiences, including overcoming challenges due to her physical disability. This fuels her determination to make a positive change and create a more inclusive and equitable society.

With a diverse background that includes technical support at Shopify, entrepreneurship as the owner of the online t-shirt shop The Little Tee Cakery, and roles on the Board of Directors for the Airdrie Pride Society, Melissa is a true advocate for inclusivity and a driving force for positive transformation.

Issues: Melissa is most passionate about 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion and advocacy, especially for youth and minorities in Calgary and the surrounding areas.

Instagram: @EngageWithMelissa | LinkedIn: Melissa Willmott

Natasha Rogers

Natasha Rogers has been leading an exceptional webinar delivery team for the past eight years, building the program from ~30 to 300+ webinars annually. She has learned how to avoid common pitfalls and developed numerous best practices to engage attendees. Natasha has exceptional project management skills which she has applied to virtual and in-person events. 

Natasha embodies the perfect blend of technical expertise and social responsibility. She has applied her strategic thinking, project management skills, and ability to develop creative solutions to both professional and community engagement efforts. As an active volunteer with Making Changes Association/Dress for Success Calgary, Calgary Folk Music Festival and Chic Geek over the years, she has made a positive impact on the community. 

Natasha holds a BSc from the University of Waterloo and a Graduate Certificate in Marketing Management from Fanshawe College.

Instagram: @tashierogers | LinkedIn: Natasha Rogers

Sadia Asad

Sadia is currently a Senior Associate at Grant Thornton International Limited where she manages projects and liaises with over countries on current and upcoming communications.

Her professional background consists of working in heath, aviation, marketing, and sales.

Sadia graduated with her Bachelor's in Kinesiology from the University of Calgary and continues to stay active through yoga, hiking, and snowboarding.

Issues: Social justice issues and labour laws to help create a more equitable Calgary.

Instagram: @wheressadia | LinkedIn: Sadia Asad

Sarah Rimbey

Sarah J. Rimbey graduated cum laude from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 2019. During her time at university, she cycled through internships focused around the energy industry, and Conservative politics in Calgary, Paris, Ottawa and Toronto. Upon graduating, Sarah worked in both sectors, and is now a Strategic Outreach Advisor at CAPP. She speaks French, and is in her second year of Mandarin Chinese, serves as Vice-Chair of Equal Voice Calgary, and continues to stay active in her political involvement through volunteering. Sarah aspires to seek elected office at the federal level at some point in the near future! 

Instagram: @sjrimz | LinkedIn: Sarah J. Rimbey

Sarah Zagoda

Sarah Zagoda is a dedicated mother of three, and an accomplished professional based in Airdrie, Alberta. Known for her outstanding multitasking abilities, adept problem-solving skills, and advocacy for public services. With nearly two decades of experience in the technology sector, she proudly serves as the School Technologist in Rocky View County’s largest high school.

In 2021, Sarah embarked on a political journey as the Federal NDP Candidate for the Banff-Airdrie riding. Since then, she has dedicated her time as the CEO of the Federal Banff-Airdrie NDP Electoral District Association and as the President of the Provincial Airdrie-East NDP and helping others in her community.

Sarah's commitment revolves around championing sound public policy that benefits all citizens and safeguards our environment. She places a particular emphasis on bolstering public education and enhancing public healthcare as her key areas of focus, reflecting her profound dedication to the well-being of the populace.

Twitter: @SarahZagoda | Facebook: Sarah Zagoda | LinkedIn: Sarah Z.

Wendy James-Smith

Wendy James-Smith is a professional divorce coach, helping people navigate the process with less stress and more confidence. Wendy has also spent years volunteering with various schools, arts organizations and charities, helping raise funds and organize events.

After spending more than 17 years with a variety of organizations, including in retail settings, Wendy understands how to communicate with various disparate groups, what drives fundraising and how to build a successful team of volunteers. Wendy has worked for three different elections, as Deputy Returning Officer, and takes pride in ensuring integrity of the vote.

Issues: Wendy is passionate about social justice and improving transparency in government in Calgary.

Instagram: @divorcecoachyyc

Winnie Huang

Winnie is a citizenship and immigration consultant based in Calgary and Vancouver. In her work, she has represented hundreds of cases and advocated for newcomers to IRCC in temporary residence, permanent residence, citizenship, and appeals. In her community work, she has organized newcomer-oriented programs such as community tax clinics through her previous role as a Director at her local community association and newcomer-oriented activities such as English classes through her role at work. Winnie continues to focus on socio-cultural advocacy through volunteering on the research and policy committee of ActionDignity and as a current board member of the Calgary Kaiping Association.  She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary and is a candidate for a Master of Economic Development at the University of Waterloo. 

Zarnab Zafar

Zarnab Zafar is a fourth year Political Science, International Relations, French and Canadian Studies student at the University of Calgary. Zarnab is passionate about understanding the different ways that politics shapes our daily lives, and how we can best achieve optimal outcomes for all people. Throughout her education, Zarnab has been fortunate to experience a wide range of opportunities ranging from an international exchange program, to working with charities like Humanity First and International Development Relief Fund. Zarnab hopes to approach the world with a sense of humility to allow her to immerse herself in giving back to others. 

Issues: Zarnab is passionate about renewable policy creation, and women’s rights. 

Instagram: @zafarzarnab