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AGT Building
Year of Construction: 1929
Address: 119 6 AV SW

Our Staff

Shannon McLaughlin

Shannon McLaughlin is the Communications & Marketing Manager at Heritage Calgary. She previously worked as special advisor to the Minister of Agriculture & Rural Development at the Alberta Legislature and as a communications advisor at UFA Co-operative. Her poetry has appeared in Prairie Fire, Contemporary Verse 2, and antiLang, and was shortlisted for Room Magazine’s short forms contest. She was a literary arts residency participant at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and at the University of Lethbridge Gushul Residency. Shannon holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and English from the University of Alberta. She was born and raised in Grande Prairie, Alberta where five generations of her family have lived for over 100 years.

Cynthia Klaassen

Cynthia Klaassen is the Heritage Resources Program Manager for Heritage Calgary. She has previously worked as a museum professional for the National Music Centre and Fort Calgary. She is a member of the SAM Community Advisory Group and has served on numerous boards including the Toronto Architectural Conservancy and the Alberta Museums Association. Cynthia is Past President of the Calgary Heritage Initiative Society (CHI) and Founding President of Doors Open Calgary. As a champion of brutalist architecture, she has hosted ‘brutal’ tours for CHI, the Esker Foundation Gallery, and Contemporary Calgary. In recognition of her community work in 2012 she was awarded the Governor General’s award for History as co-chair of the “Century Homes Calgary” project, and in 2014 received a Lion award from the Calgary Heritage Authority. Cynthia holds a Bachelor of Music degree from McMaster University and a Master of Arts degree in the History of Art from the University of Toronto.

Chris Axford

Chris Axford is the Communications Assistant at Heritage Calgary. Born in Edmonton but raised around Canada, he has lived in Windsor, Victoria and finally Calgary. While in Victoria, Chris earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Canadian history at the University of Victoria, and has recently completed a Bachelor of Communications in Public Relations from Mount Royal University. While in the program, he has earned the President’s Honour Roll each school year. Originally joining Heritage Calgary in 2020 as a summer student through MRU, he has stayed on board since and has seen his role grow. Outside of Heritage Calgary, Chris volunteers with the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo's media team, helping to facilitate interviews and coordinate media. He has also volunteered with federal election campaigns in 2019 and 2021.

Jody Jones

Jody Jones is the Executive Assistant to the CEO and Administrative Coordinator at Heritage Calgary. Jody brings with her over 10 years of administrative experience. Jody sees being an administrative assistant as crucial to a functioning office environment. She is a detail-oriented, diligent administrative professional with experience assisting and supporting colleagues to help things run smoothly. Prior to coming to Heritage Calgary Jody worked with Black Gold School Division for 13 years, where she was the Senior Financial Administrator at École Leduc Estates School for over 8 years. While there she managed the office needs of the school, dealt with the public and assisted in annual school budgeting. Jody can build positive relationships with anyone she meets and is passionate about supporting others.Jody has a Finance Business Diploma from NAIT and enjoys finding new ways to use technology to streamline processes. She has extensive knowledge of Microsoft Office 365 and Google Workspace. Jody has created professional and useful newsletters and spreadsheets to assist the teams she has worked with. Outside of work, Jody enjoys spending time with her family at the lake and travelling. She believes in the importance of protecting and promoting our heritage, so it is available for generations to come.

Board of Directors

Christine Leppard, Ph.D.
Chair

Christine Leppard, PhD is the Manager, Exhibits and Experience, Sam Centre for the Calgary Stampede Foundation. Sam Centre will open in 2024 as a new destination that immerses and involves the community in Calgary’s Stampede story. In her role, Dr. Leppard is responsible for developing and implementing a participatory visitor experience that includes engaging and accessible programming and exhibits. Previously, she spent 7 years as the Stampede Historical Specialist, spearheading the Stampede’s public history community engagement and managing the Stampede Collection & Archives. Dr. Leppard earned a PhD in Canadian and military history from the University of Calgary in 2014 and is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in that department, providing hands-on public history opportunities to undergraduate students. She has served on the board of Heritage Calgary since 2015. She is a published historian and has presented her research in both public and academic forums nationally and internationally. Dr. Leppard is a passionate believer that engaging in historical storytelling makes our community stronger.

Lauren Herschel
1st Vice-Chair

Lauren is a marketing, communications and community engagement professional with senior leadership experience in a range of industries including real estate, hospitality, not-for-profit and banking. Lauren has always had a passion for history and storytelling. Originally from Ontario, she developed an interest early on in the stories and people behind historical spaces and places in the Greater Toronto Area, including heritage homes and vintage streetcars. Calgary has been Lauren’s home for over 15 years. She spends her spare time volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Calgary JCC, and the Canadian Transplant Association. In 2012 Lauren was selected as a Top 40 under 40 in Calgary for her volunteer contributions. She also enjoys writing, hiking, and exploring the city. Lauren has served as a board member of Heritage Calgary since 2017 and is the 1st Vice-Chair.

Brent Cooper
2nd Vice-Chair

Brent is a business lawyer with over 2,000 days in Court. He is also a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Practice. Brent has combined his courtroom experience with his collaborative skills, and has developed a practice of diligently pursuing practical, ‘better-deal’ results for his clients. Brent is the Past Chair of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, and he presently Chairs its Long-Range Planning Committee, which is involved in board-appointments to the Calgary Airport Authority. Brent is also advisor to various institutions in South Alberta and plans on pursuing other Board of Director appointments.

Paula Overguard, CPA, CA
Treasurer

Paula is a third generation Albertan. Born and raised on a farm near Didsbury, Alberta, she has lived in Calgary for over a decade. Her interest in history has been fostered from a young age by her parents, who were school teachers. She has nearly 15 years of experience in financial reporting, audit, tax, internal controls, and treasury. Paula is currently Chief Financial Officer of MLT Aikins LLP. Previously, she was Senior Director Finance, Industrial and Infrastructure at Bird Construction. Prior to her role at Bird, Paula held roles with ARC Resources, Shane Homes and PwC. Paula received her Chartered Accountant designation in 2013 and has a Bachelor of Commerce degree, with distinction, from the University of Alberta. In recognition of her volunteer work and mentorship efforts, Paula was awarded a Chartered Professional Accountants’ Early Achievement Award in 2017. She was also awarded the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants’ gold medal for the highest standing in Western Canada on the 2012 Uniform Final Examination. Paula has served as a board member of Heritage Calgary since 2021 and is the Treasurer and Chair of the Audit & Finance Committee.

Patricia O’Reilly
Director

Pat was born in Ontario and moved to Calgary in 1995. She has been a history buff from a young age and appreciates the need to learn from the past and preserve the most important elements of it. Pat works for Suncor Energy where she engages with stakeholders on Suncor’s environmental and social performance and is responsible for sustainability reporting and environmental public policy. Before joining Suncor’s sustainability team, Pat lead Suncor’s communications and stakeholder relations function. She was also a founding member and served as vice president of the Suncor Energy Foundation. Pat has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Guelph and a diploma in journalism. Pat has served as a board member of Heritage Calgary since 2017 and is the Chair of the Strategy Committee.

Jessica Park
Director

Jessica is a policy, governance and advocacy professional with a passion for municipal and civic affairs and over 10 years of experience working with public, non-profit, and private organizations in a range of industries and sectors. Jessica currently works with The City of Calgary and does consulting work with local non-profits to support strategic planning, good governance, policy development, and stakeholder engagement. She also serves on the Lougheed House Conservation Society Board of Directors and is a long-time Calgary Stampede volunteer. Jessica holds a BA and BEd from the University of Calgary and a master’s degree in public administration (MPA) from the University of Victoria. Jessica has served as a board member of Heritage Calgary since 2020.

Avnish Mehta
Director

Avnish Mehta is a born-and-raised Calgarian. He is an entrepreneur, community builder and avid volunteer. He has had a varied career from day trading currency and commodity in Singapore to developing the Calgary Refugee Health Clinic. Now, he is a principal of Stand and Command, a Calgary firm focused on presentation skills training. He is a beer baron with Village Brewery, a co-founder of FARE Development and a past board chair for the Calgary Public Library. He was part of Avenue’s Top 40 Under 40 Class of 2018.

Kathy McCrum
Director

Kathy is currently Vice President, Human Resources overseeing all aspects of Human Resources and Training at Trican. Most recently, Ms. McCrum held the position of Vice President, People and Employee Relations at WestJet. Prior to joining WestJet, she held the executive position of Vice President, Human Resources and Safety at SaskPower Corporation, where she was responsible for all people matters as well as the safety programs and strategies for the company. Ms. McCrum started her career with Canadian Pacific Railway, where she held various management roles in HR, Customer Service Operations, and Business Development.

Honorary Life Directors

Scott Jolliffe (Chair 2010-2016; Director 2007-2017)

Pamela Heard (Chair 2016-2019; Director 2013-2020)
Nikolas Marsall-Moritz (Chair 2019-2021; Director 2013-2022)

Janet McCready (Chair 2021-2022; Director 2017-2023)