Jay Pritchard – President
Jay brings to Westend Seniors Activity Centre (WSAC) 45+ years of experience as a Teacher, Principal, and Superintendent within Public Education in Alberta.
He has been a member of WSAC for ten years and has served previously on the Board of Directors as Vice President (2 years), President (5 years), and Past President (1 year).
Jay fully appreciates the need for WSAC to continue to serve its members to the highest degree possible and that the organization must extend its realm of influence within the Senior Serving Sector. He also understands that for WSAC to become sustainable over the long term, it will need to embrace a more business-focused approach to working with others.
Jay invites members, staff, and partners to share their thoughts and feelings about the destiny of WSAC. He believes that together, We will succeed!
Barbara Gibson – Past 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.
Michael Leathwood – Vice President
Originally from BC, Mike moved to Edmonton in 1983. He began his career within the Alberta Public Service in 1985 and served over 35 years with the Provincial Government and Government Agencies before retiring in 2021. His career included over 25 years serving in Senior Leadership positions in communities throughout the province, including Grande Prairie, Camrose and Edmonton.
Mike has been involved with many organizations in a variety of roles over the years, including player, coach, referee and Board Member. He is an avid sports fan and enjoys playing golf and pickleball as well as following all types of sports, in particular hockey.
Mike enjoys good food, the outdoors and spending time with his family.
David Baxandall – Treasurer
David (Dave) has been a member of the Westend Seniors Activity Centre (WSAC) for six years. Dave found out about the WSAC for the first time when dropping in during an open house. He has played pickleball ever since!
Retired for seven years, Dave worked at TELUS for 39 years in a variety of roles, the last 32 years as a senior SAP software developer – developed processes and software for asset management, HR management, pension extracts, plant maintenance, project systems, warehouse management, logistics management, financial controlling, and financial reporting. Dave also worked as an after-hours instructor for two years at NAIT.
Dave’s hobbies include traveling, playing pickleball, camping, and fishing; most importantly, Dave loves being with his two granddaughters.
Volunteering has always been important to Dave. He coached competitive fastball for about ten years, store-to-door with Meals on Wheels, and assisted in organizing the last two pickleball wind-up BBQs at WSAC.
Barbara Thompson – Director
Barbara worked for over 40 years as a Manager/Administrator of private medical practices (specialists and family medicine). Throughout her career, she was a consultant for Alberta Health Services and the Alberta Medical Association regarding software development and testing, referral procedures, and more.
Barbara served as President of the Alberta Association of Clinic Managers for 2 terms and led monthly meetings of Edmonton & District Clinic Managers for 20-plus years.
She has been involved in corporate fundraising for many years and in recent years have also volunteered with Covenant Health on various projects.
Barbara believes that the Westend Seniors Activity Centre (WSAC) offers wonderful, uplifting programs for all seniors! She also thinks that loneliness during the senior years is an enemy, and WSAC is definitely the answer to many issues seniors have, with advice, fellowship, and FUN!
Dianne Walker – Director
On the morning of April 1, 2019, Dianne was sitting at her kitchen table, wondering what she was going to do with all the extra time she had – her husband of 47 years (Gary) passed away in 2016, and she just retired from the job she carried for 26 years as Business Administrator at the LINKS CLINIC. She was so used to being with people. That day, Dinne came to the WSAC. She picked up a summer catalog of courses, and stayed all day enjoying the company of members and staff. These days, Dianne plays bridge two days a week and has enrolled in several fitness classes, thoroughly enjoying her time with other members.
Dianne also volunteers with FAMI – families that support adults with mental illness. She often shares her journey with her son Phil, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
She and her children (Jennifer, Phil, and Dan) have lived in Edmonton since January 1985.
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.
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.
Wendy Jerome- Director
Wendy has been a member of Westend Seniors Activity Centre (WSAC) for 13 years, participating in a variety of activities; including the WSAC library as Wendy loves books and puzzles!
A great achievement of Wendy’s career was becoming the first Canadian consulting sport psychologist when the field was relatively unknown in Canada. Now, the field has become a vital component of athletic training.
WSAC is very important to Wendy as sports and wellness have been a major part of her life (as competitor) and career (as a teacher, coach, official and event organizer).
Extending her involvement with WSAC as a member of its Board of Directors gives Wendy the satisfaction of contributing to the mission of supporting the healthy living of members!
