BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Flight Paramedic STARS Ambulance

Legacy Place Society is so pleased to have as the Board of Directors Chair – Ken King.

As an enthusiastic prehospital care professional with over 30 years of experience, Ken brings a blend of leadership, management, teaching, patient care, rescue and medical care locally and internationally.  Ken’s current position is with STARS (Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society) as Chief Medical Office Clinical Lead and Air Medical Care Paramedic. He is also an Advance Care Paramedic in Alberta and British Columbia and Critical Care Paramedic in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Ken is a generous volunteer of his time as a Flight Paramedic – Haiti Air Ambulance, and as Lead Medic – Sunwest Church Mexico Missions – youth building houses in Mexico.

Ken also has his Bachelor of Commerce Degree – Athabasca University

Sgt. Eyvi Smith is a serving Member with the RCMP and has served 20 years. Eyvi was posted to Whitehorse, Yukon, Old Crow, Yukon, Niagara Marine Security Enforcement Team, and the Calgary Integrated National Security Enforcement Team. He has been part of the RCMP Peer2Peer program for the past eight years.

Before joining the Force, Eyvi worked in Youth Corrections as a Youth Councilor in Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie Manitoba.  He was also an EMT in Gladstone Manitoba.

While in the Yukon Eyvi was a Board Director (President in 2006) of the Yukon Canoe and Kayak Club.  He and his RCMP colleagues formed a partnership with the Yukon Canoe and Kayak Club volunteering their time to create the RCMP Crew Whitewater and the RCMP Youngriders Snowboarding programs which provided disadvantaged and At-Risk youth with the opportunity to gain skills at kayaking, rafting, skiing and snowboarding. Both youth programs ran 8 years providing recreational opportunities to Youth.

Eyvi has a degree in Criminology/Native Studies.

Legacy Place Society is pleased to have Sgt Eyvi Smith on it’s Board of Directors.

Legacy Place Society welcomes DARCY H. MORGAN to the Board of Directors.

Darcy brings a strong foundation of visionary leadership, strategic planning and related endeavors. Notable public sector achievements include an Easter Seals award for fundraising (Camp Horizon), a City of Calgary ‘Lion’ Award for contributions made to Heritage Asset Preservation and many years of participation in local community service initiatives in the roles of Volunteer, Officer and Director.

During his working career, Darcy was a Registered Paramedic with the Calgary Fire Department and then the Calgary Emergency Medical Services Department. After his contribution as a First Responder Darcy moved to the corporate world, working for global information technology companies IBM and SAP. During his time in ‘tech’, he was recognized many times for his achievements in business development and sales.

Darcy has since applied his corporate experience to more entrepreneurial pursuits – he contributed to the founding, financing of the Alberta-based airlines WestJet and Enerjet. Darcy served on the management team and the Board of Directors at Enerjet from 2008 to 2018. Darcy and his family are residents of the Calgary community of Parkdale.

Legacy Place Society is pleased to welcome Brad Koopmans to the Board of Directors.

Brad is currently the Land and Economic Development Manager for Red Deer County and has held previous positions of Land Manager and Property Tax Assessor for Red Deer County and Chief of Staff City of Red Deer.  Brad also served as a Police Officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and as a Police Officer with Lacombe Police Service.  His years of community work with the Red Deer John Howard Society, VP Hockey Operations – Olds Grizzly’s Junior A Hockey Club, Red Deer County Technical Rescue, Search and Rescue, Red Deer County Protective Services, Red Deer Minor Hockey and Fort McMurray Minor Hockey Elite Hockey Coach (20yrs) positions him to bring a significant depth of leadership and passion to the role he will have within the Legacy Place Society organization.

Legacy Place Society welcomes Philip Toews, a parent of a First Responder.

Probation Officer Alberta Corrections Edmonton

Legacy Place Society welcomes Diala Tailfeathers to the Board of Directors. Diala is a research-oriented public sector professional with more than 15 years of experience. She holds a Ph.D. in Motor Behaviour from Texas A&M University and has written several peer-reviewed publications related to children, wartime trauma, resilience, and coping with harrowing events. She has served on several advisory committees including the Human Research Ethics Board at the University of Calgary and the Canadian Mental Health Association.

She is currently working in a public security capacity within Alberta’s Ministry of Justice and Solicitor General.

Jake Suelzle has been employed as a First Responder in a Correctional environment since 2007. Throughout his tenure, he recognized a pressing need for support within the industry. Engaging actively in the Correctional Service of Canada, Jake has seized various opportunities to provide assistance. His involvement spans multiple roles, including serving as Local President of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers (UCCO), participating as a member of the Occupational Health and Safety Board, contributing as a Community Citizens Advisory Board member, and lending support to the Critical Incident Stress Management and Informal Conflict Management teams, among others.

To complement these responsibilities, Jake maintains connections with peers from diverse institutions, agencies, and organizations. His introduction to Legacy Place arose from these endeavors, revealing the widespread need for such services and the valuable resources available. Jake is committed to continuing his contributions to addressing this need and sees further investment of his time and effort in Legacy Place as a meaningful avenue to achieve this goal.

Manager Alberta Security & Strategic Intelligence Support/Energy Security Unit Sheriffs & Security Operations Branch

Director (Veteran / Alberta Justice & Solicitor General)

Bill McAuley is a Canadian Armed Forces veteran who participated in multiple overseas deployments. He is a Member of the Order of Military Merit and holds a PhD in strategic studies from the University of Calgary’s Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies. Bill is currently employed in a Public Security capacity within Alberta’s Ministry of Justice and Solicitor General and his wife is a paramedic serving a First Nation community.

Legacy Place Society welcomes Garry Woods was born and educated in Belfast, Northern Ireland, before moving at age eighteen to England, France and Germany to study languages. He speaks French, German and Spanish. He later returned to his home country and joined as a police officer the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC in 1994, where he remained for fourteen years in a variety of roles with the police and military.

In 2008 he emigrated to Calgary, Alberta, where he joined the Calgary Police Service, initially working in District 2, before joining the Diversity Resource Team in October 2011. On promotion to Sergeant in 2018 he worked in the CPS Arrest Processing Section for three years before moving back in August 2021 to lead the Diversity Resource Team, a role designed to build trust and valuable working relationships with those from other parts of the world, as well as marginalized communities. The role is essential to the core functions of community-based policing, whilst embracing the cultural sensitivities of all the people served in the City of Calgary. Policing for him is essentially about listening and talking to people and taking them where they need to go.

Thanks to personal circumstances beginning in 2009, he has been very active in the areas of peer support and mental health training and support within the Calgary Police Service. He is also a keen traveler and mission participant, whether building houses in Mexico or playgrounds in Costa Rica and Iraq.

As a 28 year veteran he hopes that his own personal journey and experiences will benefit and add to the amazing work already being performed by Legacy Place.