BARBARA GIBSON – PRESIDENT
Barbara feels honored to become WSAC’s new president. She has been a member of WSAC for seven years and joined the Board five years ago. For the last three years, she has served as the Vice President. Barbara has chaired several Board Committees and has been a member of others. While a Board Member she also served a three-year term as Secretary on the Edmonton Seniors Coordinating Council.
Prior to retirement, Barbara enjoyed a very successful forty-four-year career in the field of Nursing, forty-one years of which were focused on Nursing Education. Four of those years were spent serving as Undergraduate Assistant Dean in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta. When asked about her motivation for becoming a Board member Barbara said, “she wants to utilize her professional knowledge, experience & energies by volunteering to enhance the well being of seniors.”
Barbara is proud of the outstanding programming that WSAC offers its members and the community. She looks forward to working with her fellow Board Members to provide the governance needed for WSAC to thrive and flourish in the future.
Jay Pritchard – Vice President
Jay brings to WSAC 45 years of experience as Teacher, Principal and Superintendent within Public Education in Alberta. He has been a member here for the past 8 years and has served previously on the Board of Directors as Vice President (1 year), President (4 years) and Past President (one year). Jay returns to the Board recognizing it is time for WSAC to re-define its goals as aspirations for the future. Everyone is invited to share their thoughts and feelings about the destiny of WSAC with him.
Robert Smith – Treasurer
Robert (Bob) has been a member of WSAC since 2011 and has volunteered on the Facilities Committee and is currently a member of the Policy and Bylaw Committee. He has also been involved in a number of fundraising initiatives at WSAC.
Bob has an MBA and is also a CPA, CA and has experience working in senior management roles in finance and operations in healthcare in Alberta and British Columbia. He also has experience in banking and financial institutions. Bob and his wife Sharon also owned and operated their own consulting business for a number of years.
Bob has enjoyed participating in many activities at WSAC including golf, Spanish lessons, DVD courses and exercise programs and wants to continue to serve and be part of this exceptional seniors’ centre. Bob hopes to join the Board with the goal of ensuring that WSAC continues to be a self-sustaining organization so that it can continue to provide a warm and welcoming environment where each senior can reach their full potential.
Dolores Brent – Director
Dolores has been a WSAC member for 11 years and wholeheartedly appreciates the benefits WSAC brings to seniors in the surrounding community. Over the years she has participated in a wide variety of classes, workshops, and drop-in activities, especially pickleball and yoga. WSAC has provided a safe, invigorating community, helping her stay active and ever-learning since her retirement from her fulfilling career as a registered nurse at the Cross Cancer Institute where her skills as a listener, caregiver, and organizer were a necessity. She has been a life-long learner, actively supporting Edmonton Lifelong Learning Association (ELLA) as a volunteer and a student. She has mastered the art of gardening in unique spaces, annually tending to a wide variety of vegetables, flowers and fruits. She is always ready for a good adventure, a game of cards or a meaningful chat over a pot of tea and has taught multiple generations life skills like baking from scratch, sewing and repairing clothes and growing your own food.
Kaye Langager – Director
Kaye has been a member of WSAC for two years, since her return to Edmonton. Kaye owned and operated an Insurance Brokerage firm, specializing in Corporate Group and Pension plans. She has been involved in numerous and varied non for profit Boards, including CLSA and Excel Society. She has also volunteered as a member of Victim Services and Restorative Justice. She has found WSAC to be a fabulous center for all that it offers to Seniors in the community and is looking very forward to being a part of an exciting and growing organization.
Lois Thurstan – Director
Lois has been a proud member of WSAC since 2018. She supports WSAC as it’s a great place for older adults to continue leading fulfilling healthy lives. Lois is looking forward to the opportunity to become a director on the board. It will provide a new challenge and allow her to continue to give back to the west end community where she has always lived. Currently at the centre, she enjoys participating in Pickleball and Spanish lessons.
Lois’ career was mostly working at a professional association for physicians. She has extensive experience with payroll, employee benefits, accounting and disability management. Lois’ education includes a human resource diploma, certified payroll manager (CPM) and a certificate in disability management.
Lois looks forward to serving the senior community at WSAC!
Lorne Brackenbury – Director
Lorne has been a member of WSAC for 5 years. He first came to the centre with a friend and neighbour to play pickleball. Later on, Lorne took on the responsibility of volunteer instructing at pickleball when the centre decided to have training for beginners of pickleball. Shortly after, Lorne was joined by Ryan Park, a long-time friend who is instrumental in the beginner’s pickleball instruction. Lorne is currently on the Pickleball committee with three other members, two of which are Board Directors at WSAC.
Currently retired for the last 7 years, Lorne was previously a Technical Sales Representative for Instrumentation, Electrical and Valves for various industries. He has been serving on the Board of the local chapter of the International Society of Automation for the past 32 years. Lorne has also been serving as Secretary/Treasurer for his Condominium Board since 2005. Lorne says he has met so many great people during his time at the centre and looks forward to contributing to WSAC during his time on the Board.
Richard Batty – Director
Rick has been a member of the Westend Seniors Activity Centre for approximately four years. He is currently serving another term on the Board of Directors for the Centre. He has also taken on the responsibility sitting on various Board Committees . His education, experience and training spans over 45 years in the mechanical trades industry. Rick is currently signed up as a Handyman with the Seniors Home Support Program. Rick takes tremendous pride in whatever ventures he has taken on throughout his life. Rick will continue to support WSAC’s team to keep it running strong and on course for a long and prosperous future.
Sharon Quickfall – Director
Sharon has been a member of the Westend Seniors Activity Centre for 15 years and is currently serving her second term on the Board of Directors. Over the past decade, she has served in various capacities on nearly every WSAC volunteer committee gaining not only insight and experience but also a deep appreciation of the positive role WSAC plays in the lives of its members. Sharon has a strong & extensive volunteer background reaching back over 50 years. She is currently the president of her community league & sits on several City of Edmonton citizen committees.
She believes her background in strategic planning, program development & evaluation as well as communications will continue to support both the management team & WSAC’s members during her second term. She is excited about the centre’s future as a leader in Edmonton’s senior community & an innovator in developing programs to enhance the quality of life for not only its members but all seniors.
Spurgeon Gammon – Director
Spurgeon Gammon is a former Chartered Accountant who spent his career in Public Practice. He became a member of Westend Seniors in 2011. He is a returning Board Member, having previously served a five year term as Treasurer. Spurgeon is excited to see the organization gaining momentum after the difficulties of the pandemic and enjoying making new friends and renewing old friendships as people return to the centre.
Wendy Jerome- Director
I have been a member of Westend Seniors Activity Centre for 13 years, participating in a variety of activities; I am also a frequent visitor to the Centre’s library – I love books and puzzles!
Early in my career, and after graduating from the University of Alberta in Physical Education andreceiving a Secondary Teaching Certificate, I taught high school for six years in British Columbia, Edmonton and Oregon, United States.
It was during the 60’s that I obtained two Master’s Degrees from the University of Oregon – the first in Health Science and the second in Adapted Physical Education – and undertook a Ph.D. with a double major in Administration and Social Psychology. My teaching career extended for another 43 years when I taught at Laurentian University of Sudbury and at the Ivy School of Business at the University of Western Ontario in a specialized summer program.
One of my greatest achievements has been to become the first Canadian consulting sport psychologist when the field was relatively unknown in Canada. Now the filed has become a vital component ofathletic training.
Westend Seniors Activity Centre became important to me when retirement came. Sports have been a major part of my life (as competitor) and career (as a teacher, coach, official and event organizer), and when I found Westend Seniors – a place where I can continue doing what I am passionate about – I was complete.
Extending my involvement with Westend Seniors as a member of its Board of Directors gives me the satisfaction of contributing to its mission of supporting the healthy living of its members and the opportunity to bring my experience as condo board treasurer and accounting support to work.
