A lifelong volunteer within the Catholic Church, geophysical industry and broader community, Torr hopes to bring his enthusiasm and quest for excellence to the Calgary Catholic Education Foundation (CCEF). An ongoing side project of his is to reach the 100 blood donation level, currently sitting at just above 80 so a little ways to go. Torr is excited to be a part of the CCEF, as it is a collection of dedicated individuals striving to positively affect Catholic education within the Calgary district.

Torr with his wife, Mary Anne, has four adult daughters. All of whom flourished within and experienced the uniqueness of the Catholic school system. He is a product of the Calgary Catholic school system, graduating from St. Francis High School before attending the University of Calgary and receiving a BSc. in Physics. After graduation Torr began his career as a geophysicist, eventually becoming president of Statcom Ltd., a seismic data processing located in downtown Calgary.

Tolu brings to CCEF his over 19 years of international experience in Corporate and Commercial law practice. He is our go-to person for explanation of policies and procedures such as the articles of incorporation, bylaws, standard operating procedure and other key governing and operating processes approved by the Board. Above all he is a soccer and motorcycle enthusiast with interest in riding the length and breadth of Canada.

Priya joined the Board in 2021 and brings with her experience as a not-for-profit board member in addition to her extensive background as a Chartered Accountant in the corporate sector. Priya moved to Canada over ten years ago and believes in the values of faith and education as fundamental pillars in her journey through various phases of life. She is a strong supporter of giving back to communities that we live in and draw from; and keeps herself actively engaged in volunteering with not-for-profit entities.  

Tracey Erler joined the Calgary Catholic Education Foundation as a board member in 2020. Tracey is the owner of Mosaicstone Law where she has practiced Wills & Estates law since 2007.  Tracey is the mother of two grown daughters who began their education at St Margaret School in the Spanish Bilingual program. As a practicing Catholic, Tracey believes that the community of caring created by Catholic education provides a strong foundation for children’s growth and strengthens children’s attachment to the Catholic faith within our community. In her free time, Tracey enjoys hiking, dancing, travelling, wine study and walking with her dog, Ivy.

Kathleen is a former Calgary Catholic School teacher and administrator, retiring in 2010. She spent the last eight years working in the nonprofit area, supporting, promoting and advancing publicly funded education in Canada. She and her husband have raised two children in the system and are now the proud grandparents of two young ladies currently enrolled in the District.

Bill Ackerman joined the Calgary Catholic Education Foundation board in June of 2021.  He believes in the quality of Catholic Education and the opportunity it provides for children in a faith environment to learn and develop life skills. 

Bill was born in Saskatchewan, graduated from SIAST-Palliser College and is a Certified Professional Accountant and a Certified Purchasing Manager. Bill joined Nova Chemicals in 1977 and progressed to senior levels of the company, in both finance and purchasing roles. During his career with Nova, Bill lived in Edmonton, Calgary and Pittsburgh. After leaving Nova in 2003, he was the chief financial officer for a start-up bottled water company, leaving in 2005 to establish the procurement function for Plains Marketing Canada in Calgary.

In 2008, Bill joined Husky Energy, a large integrated energy and energy related company, headquartered in Calgary. In his role as director of supply chain governance, he played a leading role in the introduction of best in class supply management practices delivering hundreds of millions of dollars in cost savings to the organization.

In 2015, Bill retired from Husky to invest time in the development and growth of an internet-based marketing business targeted on construction materials, including drywall, insulation, roofing, and related materials. These businesses have been operating successfully in Canada since 2013 and were being launched in the United States in 2016.

Bill is actively engaged in a number of community activities. He has been associated with Hockey Canada for over a decade, and has served as a director and chair of the Canadian Hockey Foundation U.S. board of directors for ten years. Bill is the past treasurer for the Sharp Hill Preservation Society, a local group focused on the preservation of a specific municipal reserve in Rocky View County, and supports his wife’s “Juice Plus” business, directed at encouraging individuals to eat healthy and live a healthy lifestyle.

Bill resides with Sharon on an acreage just outside Calgary. He enjoys traveling and spending time with his family, in particular the grandchildren.   I am proud, all our children and grandchildren have or are still attending school in the Catholic School District.

Marie joined the CCEF Board in October 2018. She comes to the Board with both not-for-profit and corporate experience. Marie started her career in the not-for-profit sector working with youth in various capacities. She transitioned her career into the oil and gas industry where she has been for almost 10 years. Marie has worked for several companies as a Sustainability Advisor, to help these companies advance their commitment to social and environmental responsibility. Marie credits her Catholic education as being foundational to her social and environmental consciousness. She graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and the University of Bath in the United Kingdom, with a Masters of Science in Responsibility in Business Practice. Her husband is a teacher with the Calgary Catholic School District and her daughter attends a school in the District.

Prior to joining the CCEF Mr. Scarpino was a teacher and administrator with Calgary Catholic for over thirty years. During this time, he also served on many community endeavors. He was cofounder and principal of the Calgary Italian School, President of the Italian sportsman dinner association, forth degree Knight of Columbus, volunteer for the 88 Olympic winter games, parish council chair at Our Lady of Grace Parish Now Mary Mother of the Redeemer. After his retirement he was elected and served as a trustee for four consecutive terms at CSSD, he served as chair and vice chair of the board . He was elected to serve as vice-president of the Alberta Schools Catholic Trustee Association ACSTA from 2012 to 2016. After his retirement from Trusteeship in 2017 he enjoyed travelling playing golf and spending time with his granddaughters. He continues to serve the community in many ways and now serving as a board member of CCEF.

Daniel Danis is an Area Director in the Calgary Catholic Separate School District. He is a native Calgarian and was a student of CCSD for 12 years. He has worked in the Calgary Catholic School District for 25 years as a teacher, vice-principal, and principal. He graduated with a B.A. (1992), B.Ed. (1995) and an M.A. in Administration (1998). He represents the district at all Foundation meetings.

Sabrina Lee-Lieu is originally from Edmonton, Alberta. After moving to Calgary, Sabrina served as a teacher, team leader and divisional lead at Christ Redeemer School Board. After completing her Masters in Leadership and Administration from Gonzaga University, she moved to the Calgary Catholic School District. Currently, she is the Vice Principal at Blessed Marie-Rose School.  Within the school community, Sabrina works towards creating and nurturing relationships with students and staff by recognizing that through God’s grace everyone has unique gifts and talents.  Sabrina serves as the District’s VP Council liaison to the Calgary Catholic Education Foundation. She has a passion for traveling and camping with her husband and two dogs.

Shawn Kingston is a native Calgarian and grew up as a student in Calgary Catholic. He began his career as a classical guitarist and has a Bachelor of Music in performance as well as graduate work at the Banff School of the Arts. He continues to play in a local Irish band in the Calgary area as well as performing in formal concerts. After completing his Masters in Education from Gonzaga University, Shawn moved into administration and currently serves as a Vice Principal at St. Marguerite Elementary school. Shawn is an absolute advocate for the value of Catholic education and is looking forward to help to promote the mission of this integral foundation.

Sandra was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta and graduated from St. Mary’s High School in 2010.Since then, Sandra has attended Mount Royal University where she completed her Bachelor of Communication with a major in Public Relations. She has worked at several well-known organizations such as ATB Financial, the City of Calgary, Travel Alberta and is now a Communications Specialist with Calgary Catholic School District. Sandra is also fluent in English, French and Polish and hopes to learn two more languages. Sandra is excited to help the CCEF create enhanced teaching and learning opportunities.

Lois was instrumental in the formation of the Calgary Catholic Education Foundation and contributed several years working as a committed member of the Board of Directors. In 2015 she became the first Honorary member of the Foundation. Lois retired from her position as Trustee on the Board of the Calgary Catholic School District in 2013 but remained a passionate supporter of Catholic education and Calgary Catholic schools until her passing in April of 2016. Her contributions were great and her legacy will live on.

Tom McGee was a founding member of the Calgary Catholic Education Foundation. He comes from a rural background, having spent most of his life in Drayton Valley where he and his wife Sheila raised three children. When Tom relocated to Calgary, he welcomed the opportunity to sit on the parent council committee at St. Mary’s High School which in turn led him to work with the Calgary Catholic Education Foundation. Catholic education has always played a significant role in Tom’s life. He strongly believes it is truly a wonderful opportunity to raise faith based leaders who will guide us into the future.

Ted Valentine was a founding member of the Calgary Catholic Education Foundation. Ted is a native born Calgarian and graduate of St. Mary’s Boys’ High School and the University of British Columbia. Ted has also worked as a volunteer for the Rotary Club, Meals on Wheels and the Calgary Seniors Resource Society. He is also an active member of St. James Parish and a strong supporter of Catholic education. He has worked closely with St. Mary’s University.

Janet joined the CCEF as its Executive Director in September 2018. She brings over a decade of experience and knowledge in executive leadership in charities and non-profits. She has served the local Calgary community in small to medium-sized non-profits. Her decades prior business experience was in marketing for national and international companies.

She is fluently bilingual being born and raised in Quebec, where she met her husband, Paul. They have been married for 30 years and have two children who graduated from Bishop Carroll and St Francis and are now pursuing post-secondary studies locally and internationally. Janet is passionate about publicly funded Catholic education and her enthusiasm for celebrating it is contagious. She has always believed in the quality of Catholic Education centered on Christ and the inclusive nature that is Calgary Catholic School District that helps give each child the opportunity to grow and learn in our faith. She believes building strong community bonds through conversation are key to the CCEF’s success. She currently serves as the CWL president at St Peter’s Parish and is a lifelong learner having recently graduated from St Paul’s University Transformational Leadership for the Catholic Women’s Leadership Foundation. She is and is currently seeking her certification as a Certified Fundraising Executive.