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.
Joan Oppelt, MBA, CHRP – Vice Chair
Joan has served on the CCASA Board of Directors since 1997 and is current Vice Chair of the Board. Joan is Director, Administration, Western Region Ernst & Young LLP, a Calgary Chartered Accountant firm. Prior to this role, she was President of ADMIN SOURCE INC., a Calgary-based HR consulting firm that specialized in Compensation Analysis, Small Group Benefit Program implementation, Outsourcing of Payroll/Benefit Administration and Performance Analysis. Her focus was assisting organizations with the analysis and development of viable Human Resource Outsourcing strategies designed to meet and enhance their business needs. Joan brings 17 years of senior Human Resource management expertise in the medical and legal environments to the CCASA Board. She currently sits as a Task Force member on the National Ethnic Diversity Committee in Ernst & Young, and is a member of the Diversity Calgary Task Force Partnership and Training Committee formed by the City of Calgary. She is Chair of the Ernst & Young National ESS Leading Practices Committee.
Harry F. Gabel – Secretary
Harry has served on the CCASA Board of Directors since November, 2003. He has had a career in the oil and gas industry for the past 40 years. He is a Professional Landman with over 38 years of experience. Harry is President and majority owner of two private oil and gas exploration and production companies and actively involved in four additional private industry companies of which he is an officer and a shareholder. He has held various senior positions in public oil and gas companies in Calgary and is an active member in the Canadian Association of Petroleum Landmen.
Sherry MacPherson – Treasurer
Sherry is a new CCASA Board of Director in 2007. Sherry MacPherson is currently the Director of Financial Reporting 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 & Advisory Business Services group and at PricewaterhouseCoopers in their Assurance and Audit Services group and has a combined 9 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 and is current Secretary of the Board. Kathy is a registered nurse in Ontario and Alberta, with a professional focus on Quality Assurance and Professional Development. She is currently developing educational programs for young teens to address healthy living and lifestyles.
Doug Page – Director
Doug has served on the CCASA Board of Directors since May, 2003 and has served on the Communications and Events Committees. Doug currently consults on, and produces, events and communications strategies for Clients in Alberta.
Wanda Rumball – Director
Wanda has served on the CCASA Board of Directors since June, 2004. She has also been a member of the Finance Committee at the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter since September, 2003. Wanda is a tax lawyer with Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, 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 has published papers, given public presentations, and taught tax law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Calgary in 2003.