Public Interest Alberta is governed by a Board of Directors drawn from our member organizations. The Board is elected by the membership at our Annual General Meeting.
PIA strives to have a Board of Directors that reflects the diversity of Alberta and our member organizations, with balanced representation from around the province.
The 2008-2009 Board of Directors are:
Larry Booi, President
Larry is the former President of the Alberta Teachers’ Association and was a member of the Executive Board of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation. He is also currently on the Board of Directors of Canadian Council on Learning. He has played a central role in the establishment and growth of Public Interest Alberta and is Chair of the Democracy Task Force.
Nancy Furlong, Vice President
Alberta Federation of Labour
Nancy Furlong is the Secretary Treasurer of the Alberta Federation of Labour and has been active in the trade union movement for over 30 years. She began her labour career as a union steward for the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) in 1976 and progressed to holding office in her local. From there she joined the staff of AUPE and in 1993 she became the Executive Director. In 1998 she went on to work for the Non-Academic Staff Association (NASA) as a Labour Relations Officer and became a member of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 1158. Nancy is a strong supporter of networking and coalition work and an advocate for social change.
Dennis Theobald, Treasurer
Alberta Teachers’ Association
Dennis is the Alberta Teachers’ Association Coordinator of Communications. In this role, he assists with the planning and implementation of the Association's communications and lobbying strategy as well as is responsible for administering the Association’s initiatives to promote teacher engagement in the political process. Dennis’ primary interest is in issues relating to the K-12 Education sector, but he is also involved in promoting the public interest as it relates to post-secondary education and democratic governance in Alberta. He played a key role in establishing Public Interest Alberta.
Noel Somerville, Secretary
Seniors' Action Liaison Team
Noel is the Chair of the PIA Seniors' Task Force. After a 33 year second career in education, Noel retired as Executive Secretary of Edmonton Public Teachers, Local 37 of the ATA in 1997. Since retirement, Noel has been active in SALT, an organization for which he has written numerous pamphlets on issues related to healthcare, deregulation, education and social justice. Noel has also served on the City of Edmonton Subdivision and Development Appeal Board.
Heather Smith, Director
United Nurses of Alberta
Heather is the President of the United Nurses of Alberta, a position she has held since 1988. Born and raised in Ontario, she came to Alberta to work as a nurse at the Edmonton General Hospital. She quickly became involved in her union and served as President of her Local for two years. She also sat on the provincial negotiating committee during the 19 day illegal strike in January of 1988. Heather has been a key figure in political action to defend public health care in Alberta including campaigns to oppose Bill 37, Bill 11 and the Third Way.
Elisabeth Ballermann, DirectorHealth Sciences Association of Alberta
Elisabeth has been President of the Health Sciences Association of Alberta since 1995, becoming the first president elected by the membership. Elisabeth joined HSAA in 1980 when she started her health care career as a physical therapist at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital. In 1986, she joined the HSAA Staff Association. In order to enhance her academic background in labour relations, Elisabeth graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Alberta. Her extensive community service was recognized in 2005 with the awarding of the Alberta Centennial Medal.Lori Sigurdson, Director
Alberta College of Social Workers
Lori has been employed as a social worker for over 20 years. She has worked in various fields of practice, including children’s services, mental health, social policy and education. Currently, her work involves membership support for the over 6000 Registered Social Workers in Alberta. Larger systems advocacy to promote progressive social policies, as well as the profession of social work, are also part of her role. Lori received her Master of Social Work Degree from the University of Calgary. She lives in Edmonton with her 3 sons.
John Nicholls, Director
Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations
John is the Executive Director of the Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations (CAFA), which has been a member of PIA since its inception. He has played an active role on PIA's Post-Secondary Task Force, and previously sat on the PIA Board of Directors when he served as Research and Liaison Officer for the Alberta Colleges and Institutes Faculties Association (ACIFA). John is passionately committed to the principles of accessibility, affordabiltiy and quality in post-secondary education in Alberta.
Jason Heistad, Director
Alberta Union of Provincial Employees
Jason Heistad is a vice president with the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees. A long-time activist in their education sector, he chaired the Local for non-academic employees at Olds College and was a member of the union's political action committee. Elected to a second term on Innisfail's Town Council, he sits on the council's committees on general government development services, transportation services and recreation, culture and education. Jason works as an Instructional Assistant at Olds College.
Dorothy McKenna, Director
Womanspace Resource Centre
Dorothy is the Executive Director of the Womanspace Resource Centre in Lethbridge. Womanspace has focused its research and action on various policy issues affecting women. Since 2000, Dorothy has acted as co-chair of the South West Alberta Coalition on Poverty, which has initiated a number of innovative projects related to the role of poverty in creating social exclusion, and as a major social determinant of health.
Gerald Wheatley, Director
Arusha Centre
Gerald is the Coordinator of the Arusha Centre's InfoActive Resource Centre, which brings community activists together on a variety of social justice and environmental issues since 1972. He is a founding member of Calgary Dollars, a complimentary currency system. Gerald is also the producer of the Hold Your Ground music compilation, which has produced four volumes of songs from Alberta musicians to raise money for community organizations. He has contributed to the creation of Calgary's two car sharing initiatives and is the volunteer organizer of Calgary's first pesticide-free park, New Edinborough in Sunnyside, which has supported the City's move toward eliminating cosmetic pesticides. He has a BA in International Relations and is currently completing a Master's Degree in social research.
Noreen Murphy, Director
Noreen is the Executive Director of Churchill Park Family Care Society, a large not-for-profit child care agency in Calgary. In this position she has worked tirelessly to improve the Alberta child care standards and to ensure that high quality child care is accessible to all families. She has worked for social justice and responsible change for decades in various movements and is a respected advocate for families and children.
