Overwhelmed by a decidedly challenging early life, Kendra discovered that the pathway to her own salvation lay in helping others find theirs. Her quest to make a difference in the lives of others included climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise money for a local hospital and establishing her own non-profit organizations, Changing Stories and Elevate Aviation. Kendra’s career as an Air Traffic Controller opened up even more horizons. When she recognized the negligible female presence in the industry, she set out to remedy the situation. Now, an internationally acclaimed humanitarian and Honorary Colonel of the RCAF 417 Helicopter Squadron, Kendra is the award-winning President and CEO of Elevate Aviation.
A proud Albertan technology entrepreneur, advocate, and leader, Koleya Karringten has a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities of product commercialization, ecosystem building and fostering inclusion in the technology industry. As the co-founder and CEO of Absolute Combustion, she has spent over a decade successfully designing and developing ground-breaking cleantech solutions for multiple industry sectors, including aerospace and Oil & Gas. She is a driving force in Canada’s blockchain technology industry as the Executive Director of the Canadian Blockchain Consortium (CBC) and co-founder/board member of the Canadian Blockchain Association for Women (CBAW). In her leadership role at the CBC, she has merged her passions for technology and social good to bring together blockchain companies, corporate leaders and the government to build the country’s largest blockchain ecosystem organization. An influential public speaker, writer, and community volunteer, Koleya strongly believes that uniting diverse voices behind a common goal is the path to creating a fairer, more sustainable and prosperous nation.
Tracey has worked in the aviation industry for over 34 years and on both sides of the Atlantic. She’s currently the Manager, ATS Quality and Standards with NAV CANADA located in Edmonton, Alberta. Tracey also has a long history of representing Elevate Aviation within the aviation community and representing the Royal Geographical Society in both Canada and the UK. When not working, you can find her mentoring others or enjoying one of her many hobbies which include camping and hiking.
With over ten years of expereince in both public and industry accounting, Shawn is passionate about helping business owners gain the knowledge to make the right financial decisions that are in line with their vision. Shawn has experience in all aspects of accounting, including auditing of multi-million dollar not-for-profit agencies and pre-revenue startups. Shawn is born and raised in Alberta, graduated from the University of Tampa in 2007 and finally settled in Edmonton where he made his home. He enjoys reading up on the local economic environment when he is not practicing his golf swing or playing drop-in hockey.
Chelsey is a communications professional with more than 12 years hands-on experience supporting organizational values, developing and guiding communications programs, crafting and communicating key strategic messages, and creating meaningful stakeholder relationships. Chelsey is the Manager of Indigenous and Stakeholder Relations at the Edmonton International Airport. She has broad and targeted experience from a variety of sectors and environments, including non-profit, public, private, government and aviation.
Ceilidh is an associate at Bennett Jones LLP, maintaining a general corporate and commercial practice with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, financial services, and private equity. She has experience working with a diverse group of clients in different industries including in the oil and gas, energy services, technology, real estate development and construction industries. Her work ranges from strategic planning advice, to legal and business risk management, and the negotiation and drafting of various forms of agreements.
Rod Friesen’s career has been in the Oil and Gas/Energy sector since 1988 employed with ALCO LP for the last 13 years. Currently as Vice President ALCO Limited Partnership in addition to this position he is the GM Seven O Ranches (Kamloops) and GM Skywest Air Services (Villeneuve) both affiliated with ALCO Inc. His experience has spanned business acquisition and integration, strategic business planning and business development. He has a proven track record of maximizing operational efficiencies by focusing on a culture of constant improvement and the highest level of customer satisfaction. Aviation has always been a part of life. Rod’s passion for flying started early in life as his father and 3 uncles flew various planes and his eldest brother obtaining his PPL at the age of 17. Rod has been flying single and twine engine aircraft for pleasure and business since 1995.
Colette began her career in airlines when she joined Air Canada in 1979 as a Reservation Agent. As she moved through the organization, she became involved with the marketing group where she was instrumental in the introduction of Aeroplan, and the designing of Executive Class. Colette refocussed her interests and began to manage several small bases and was eventually appointed to the position of Station Manager in Edmonton. In 2004, when Air Canada went through a round of restructuring, Colette decided to take early retirement to spend more time with her family. Travel and tourism never left her blood and eventually Colette found herself as the Managing Director of Industry Service at Edmonton Tourism, (a division of Edmonton Economic Development Corporation EEDC) for several years. Colette, then moved her focus to non profits and was excited to share her business acumen with this sector, working as the Director of Corporate Services for Women Building Futures. Her passion and drive for improvements won them numerous grants and helped launch a “Fee for Service” portfolio for the Organization. Today Colette takes on contract work with all levels of government and enjoys her time golfing, skiing, and travelling.
Dr. Tarek Sardana has a wealth of experience supporting medical operations and organizations in austere and hostile environments. His entire career has been focused on delivering health care to organizations such as the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in various locations such as the Arctic, Haiti, Rwanda, Syria etc. As well, he has always functioned as a “front-line” health care worker in various Emergency Rooms and clinic settings throughout Canada. His training commenced with his MD from the University of Ottawa and continued when he obtained his specialization in Aerospace Medicine from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He was bestowed as a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) in 2019. Dr. Sardana is the founder and President of the Canadian Society of Aerospace Medicine (CSAM) which is empowered to help members network and achieve their own successes within their respective careers. Dr. Sardana is also an active private pilot of his own Cessna aircraft and he is passionate about mentorship in the Canadian aviation community nationally.
