Board of Directors
Thorna L. Lawrence, CA – Chair
Thorna has served on the CCASA Board of Directors since 1996 and is current Chair of the Board. Thorna is the former Treasurer and Chair of Community Investment of the United Way of Calgary and Area and continues to serve as an active volunteer. Thorna is a Chartered Accountant and has worked with two of the Big Four accounting firms in various senior capacities, providing technology and software consulting services to clients. She has extensive experience involving owner managed clients and nonprofit organizations. After selling a technology company in 2004, she is currently consulting with various businesses on financial software and system integration issues. Thorna is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta (ICAA), the Information Technology Special Interest Group of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA), a past member of the Professional Development Committee of the ICAA, as well as conducts seminars on computer technology and related software on behalf of the ICAA.
Harry F. Gabel – Secretary
Harry has served on the CCASA Board of Directors since November, 2003. He has made a career in the oil and gas industry in Calgary which has spanned the past 43 years. He is a Professional Landman and is an active member in the Canadian Association of Petroleum Landmen. Over Harry’s career he has held various senior positions in public oil and gas companies. Harry is presently President and majority shareholder in three private oil and gas exploration and production companies. His hobbies include golf and skiing.
Sherry MacDonald – Treasurer
Sherry has been a CCASA Board of Director member since 2007. Sherry is currently the Vice President, Finance at Big Country Energy Services, a Western Canadian oil and gas services company. Previously, Sherry was employed at Ernst & Young LLP as a Senior Manager in their Assurance & Audit Services Group and has a combined 11 years experience in public accounting. She has obtained both a BBA (Accounting) and a BIS (Information Systems) from Saint Francis Xavier University and is a Chartered Accountant.
Katherine Bowden – Director
Katherine has served on the CCASA Board of Directors since 1999. Kathy is a registered nurse in Ontario and Alberta, with a professional focus on Quality Assurance and Professional Development. She is currently the Assistant Patient Care Manager, Regional Pre-Assessment Clinics in Calgary for Alberta Health and Wellness.
Wanda Rumball – Director
Wanda has served on the CCASA Board of Directors since June, 2004. Wanda is a partner in the tax department of the Calgary office of the Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP law firm, practicing primarily in the corporate, partnership, international and resource taxation areas. Wanda completed her LLB from University of Calgary in 1995 and her Bachelor of Commerce from University of Alberta in 1989. She also served as a member of the Finance committee at the Calgary Women’s Shelter from September 2003 until August 2006. She has published papers, given public presentations, and taught tax law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Calgary in 2003.
Alana Mikkelsen - Director
Alana is a life coach with a passion for personal development, expertise in leadership and accountability, and a curiosity for what makes people tick. A former writer and teacher, she uses her communications and facilitation skills to help people create more of what they want from life. She is a member of International Coaches Federation and the Calgary Association of Professional Coaches. Alana has a master’s degree in mass communication, graduate-level training in adult education, and advanced coach training with The Coaches Training Institute. For 13 years, she worked as a writer, editor and manager for universities including Stanford University, Arizona State University, the University of Calgary and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston, Texas. She has studied and written about neuroscience, psychiatry, addiction, anxiety, depression and mind-body medicine. She couples her natural curiosity and compassion with training in leadership, team development, mediation, negotiation, and conflict management. She also has experience with stress management, illness recovery and various behavioral testing instruments (including the Enneagram, DISC and Myers-Briggs) that help clients understand and leverage their natural tendencies and strengths.
Doug Page - Director
Doug has served on the CCASA Board of Directors since May, 2003 and chaired the Communications and Events Committees. Doug consulted and produced events and communications strategies for clients in Alberta for several years. He was the Calgary Executive Assistant to Deepak Obhrai from 2007 - 2008. He then relocated to Ottawa in 2008 and became the Executive Assistant to Deepak in his Ottawa office. Then in early 2009 he returned to Calgary and he joined the Mustard Seed Street Ministry and is currently serving as the Director of Community Engagement and Events.
