Our Leadership
Our leadership is accountable to our membership and our partners, and are responsible for the governance and management of the Calgary Innovation Coalition. They represent a broad cross-section of Calgary’s innovation ecosystem, and our board of directors include innovation entrepreneurs, technology founders, and educators.
The Calgary Innovation Coalition and our members have the experience and expertise to help you build the future.
Meet our Staff
Meet our directors
Meet our Past Directors
COMMUNITY INITIATIVES COMMITTEE
Technology Development Advisor
BOARD, GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE
Regional Director
BOARD, RESEARCH COMMITTEE
Partnerships Manager
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our Staff
Advisory Board:
COMMUNITY INITIATIVES COMMITTEE
Technology Development Advisor
ADVISOR
Director, Economic, Research & Strategy
Committee Members:
Meet our Past Directors
Meet our Directors
Meet our Staff
Jennifer Jensen
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Jennifer Jensen is the Founder Coordinator for the Calgary Innovation Coalition. A native Calgarian, Jennifer has operated and sold two businesses, is a graduate of the MBA program specializing in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, loves exploring possibilities, and is a community connector.
After completing her BA in Political Science, Jen opened her first business- a restaurant. Falling in love with entrepreneurship and seeing an opportunity in the retail sector, she opened a clothing boutique a few years later. Combining a passion for sustainability and social enterprise, Jen saw a unique opportunity to partner with local non-profits and created a funding program called Consignment for a Cause, leading to the sale of the business in 2020.
In her spare time, Jen thrives on continual learning opportunities and can be found taking courses, reading, at the yoga studio, biking, or on adventures with her rescue dog Taco.
Meet our Directors
Jamie McInnis, M.ED, PMP
BOARD
Jamie received her Master’s in educational policy from the University of Alberta.
She is experienced in working with private, non-profit, Indigenous and government organizations to fund research and product development to address challenges identified by partners.
With over 17 years of experience in research portfolio management and securing over $74M in funding for research execution, Jamie is skilled in working closely with partners to change narratives. Her work facilitates industry and stakeholder relations, team formation, and change management and guides the development of impactful contributions.
With over 77,000 square feet of lab space and $55M of supporting infrastructure, Jamie is leading the ARIS scientific, technical and research administration teams in developing novel, impactful solutions that diversify our economy, train tomorrow’s technical experts and provide students unique experiences working side-by-side with partners.
These shared learning experiences focus on emerging technologies and applications in Clean Energy, Green Building Solutions, Advanced Materials and Manufacturing and Unmanned Heavy Lift Aerial Vehicles.
Brigitte Legault
BOARD
Brigitte Legault’s breadth of experience spans tourism, international business, entrepreneurship, management consulting, and ecosystem development. Since exiting her previous business in the food sector, Brigitte has consulted and coached 100s of businesses on business strategy, exit strategy, and growth. She also consults within the nonprofit sector on revenue diversification strategies and programmatic reviews. She has recently co-founded Pebble, a leadership experience company that focuses on developing leadership mindsets for the future.
As Community Manager of Rainforest Alberta, Brigitte has played an instrumental role in developing the Alberta innovation ecosystem’s culture of trust, inclusion, and collaboration through initiatives such as the annual Scorecard assessment, leadership learning experiences, and various collaborative events. She is passionate about democratizing access to the ecosystem’s resources and helping curious Calgarians find their place in the technology sector.
David Yiptong
BOARD, GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE
Technology development, commercialization and community engagement have been at the heart of David’s recent work. He has worked with hundreds of technology startups and entrepreneurs, helping them build their businesses and connecting them with resources and support in the community. Their successes are what drives David’s passion for the sector in Calgary and Alberta.
David brings a wide range of experience having worked in startups, large corporations, and not-for-profits, in industries ranging from manufacturing, energy, and telecommunications. He continues to volunteer to coach students and entrepreneurs through various programs in Calgary.
Shane Pegg
BOARD, COMMUNITY INITIATIVES COMMITTEE
Shane thrives in connecting, serving and celebrating entrepreneurs and community leaders. He spent two decades in the Kitchener-Waterloo innovation ecosystem before a startup acquisition brought him to Cochrane in 2019. He’s held various roles working in and with startups, scaleups, large companies and incubators and is currently the Program Manager of Cochrane’s Startup Incubator. He is a founding Board member of Innovate Cochrane and enjoys all sorts of outdoor adventures and sporting activities alongside his wife and 3 children.
Simon Raby, Ph.D
BOARD CHAIR
Simon is a respected Professor of Entrepreneurship at Mount Royal University in Calgary, known for his exceptional contributions to the field of innovation, business growth and scaling. He is the Founder of Growth Compass, a cutting-edge center of excellence that provides evidence-based insights and intelligence on business growth strategies to businesses of all sizes.
As the Creative Director for Growth Catalyst, Simon leads an executive education program that helps CEOs and senior leadership teams develop and execute innovative growth strategies. Simon is also an accomplished author, widely recognized for his popular works on the drivers of scaling up, innovation and growth. He expertly distills the latest evidence into best practice guides for leaders, making his work internationally renowned for its quality and innovation.
Simon holds both a master’s and a doctorate degree, which he earned while working full time to help companies scale up. Additionally, he is a qualified coach and facilitator, bringing an added dimension of expertise to his work with businesses and leaders.
Brenda Beckedorf
BOARD, CHAIR OF RESEARCH COMMITTEE
Brenda Beckedorf is the Executive Director of Alberta IoT, a non-profit member-based association established in 2017 to support the growth of all things digital by creating a space for connection, collaboration, and innovation. In her role as Executive Director, Brenda’s focus is to bring our community together to provide a common voice in advancing the knowledge, adoption, and growth of the Internet of Things industry within the province of Alberta and throughout the world.
In her role supporting the innovation and tech ecosystem, the Fast Track Accelerator Program was created along with the New to Canada, Start-Up Visa program. The Science Park is the newest initiative that spearheads industry with post-secondary to support the growth of all things digital by creating a space for connection, collaboration and innovation. The Science Park Model is ultimately a platform to promote economic development/growth through the creation of technology and knowledge flows among companies, institutions, research and development entities.
Prior to Alberta IoT, Brenda started her career in technology with Graycon Group as Director of Business Development. She is a current Director of The Calgary Innovation Coalition (CIC), a group of organizations in the Calgary region that support innovation-driven entrepreneurs, startups, and enterprises. Brenda is also Director for AWE (Alberta Women Entrepreneur) AWE supports women in business through business advising, business skills development, financing, and providing networking opportunities.
Brenda is a 2020 winner of the Universal Women Network Mentorship Award. Brenda previously served as Vice President of Calgary Women in Energy and until recently as Regional Director for AIoT Canada.
Haley Jabusch
BOARD, RESEARCH COMMITTEE
With nearly a decade of experience supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses in environmental and clean technology commercialization, Haley is passionate about driving sustainable development through innovation. As Partnerships Manager at the Energy Transition Centre, Haley supports programing for early-stage companies and engages with stakeholders to transform a downtown office space into a vibrant innovation hub.
She holds two Bachelors of Environmental Science, one with a concentration in Chemistry and the other in Geology, and she is currently pursuing an MBA with Finance specialization at the Haskayne school of Business. With personal aspirations to deliver positive environmental impacts, Haley is dedicated to support and invest in innovative businesses that address real-world problems.
Zak Biggs
BOARD, COMMUNITY INITIATIVES COMMITTEE
Technology development, commercialization and community engagement have been at the heart of David’s recent work. He has worked with hundreds of technology startups and entrepreneurs, helping them build their businesses and connecting them with resources and support in the community. Their successes are what drives David’s passion for the sector in Calgary and Alberta.
David brings a wide range of experience having worked in startups, large corporations, and not-for-profits, in industries ranging from manufacturing, energy, and telecommunications. He continues to volunteer to coach students and entrepreneurs through various programs in Calgary.
Michael Kerr
Director
Alberta Innovates
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Andrew Browne
Director
Thin Air Labs
LinkedIn
Court Ellingson
Program Director
Calgary Innovation Coalition
LinkedIn
Meet our Past Directors
Michael Kerr
Director
Alberta Innovates
LinkedIn
Director 1
Director
Alberta Innovates
LinkedIn
Court Ellingson
Program Director
Calgary Innovation Coalition
LinkedIn
Andrew Browne
Director
Thin Air Labs
LinkedIn
Kari Gordon
Director, Creative Destruction Lab
Creative Destruction Lab - Rockies
LinkedIn
BOARD, RESEARCH COMMITTEE
Partnerships Manager
Regional Director
BOARD, GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE
Director, Economic, Research & Strategy
ADVISOR
Andrew Browne
Director
Thin Air Labs
LinkedIn
Nima Najand, Ph.D
Advisory Board:
Kate Klopovich, MBA
ADVISOR
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Stephan Zuberec
ADVISOR
Shane thrives in connecting, serving and celebrating entrepreneurs and community leaders. He spent two decades in the Kitchener-Waterloo innovation ecosystem before a startup acquisition brought him to Cochrane in 2019. He’s held various roles working in and with startups, scaleups, large companies and incubators and is currently the Program Manager of Cochrane’s Startup Incubator. He is a founding Board member of Innovate Cochrane and enjoys all sorts of outdoor adventures and sporting activities alongside his wife and 3 children.
Committee Members:
Pej Ghanipour
COMMUNITY INITIATIVES COMMITTEE
Pej brings over two decades of experience in technology commercialization, spanning from venture capital analysis to co-founding and successfully exiting a tech startup. Currently serving as a Technology Development Advisor (TDA) at Alberta Innovates, he mentors a portfolio of 140 startups in Calgary.
Previously, Pej managed intellectual property commercialization at Innovate Calgary and oversaw two startup accelerator programs. He also held leadership roles at Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA) and the University of Lethbridge.
Pej holds a BSc (Hons.) in Physics and Astronomy and a MASc in Computer and Electrical Engineering from UBC.
Kim Caves
GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE
Kim Caves is an Advisor with Alberta Innovates and has a rich history in the digital transformation journey from the beginning. Her most recent role was as an account executive selling enterprise cybersecurity software. Today she works with small and medium businesses helping with their business development strategies, particularly good sales practices.
Emmanuel Oluwatosin
GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE
Emmanuel is a Certified Leanstack, Certified Startup Coach, and the founder of Startupcourt, a non-profit organization dedicated to working with black and new immigrants to conceptualize and establish new business ventures. He possesses a remarkable track record in effectively formulating real-time business and product strategies and translating them into impactful actions, ensuring operational excellence and achieving significant financial results.
Emmanuel holds the belief that many startups face failure due to entrepreneurs investing time and resources in building the wrong products or services. Consequently, he actively collaborates with individuals and businesses to implement Continuous Innovation principles and establish an effective innovation process. As a first-generation immigrant, Emmanuel is deeply passionate about technologies, startups, and creating opportunities for underserved demographics.
Jaret Hargreaves
RESEARCH COMMITTEE
Jaret Hargreaves is an innovation ecosystem advocate and experienced product management professional, with more than a decade of experience at startups and scaleups. A career-long focus in digital health has provided him with the perspective and processes to build effective solutions for clinicians and patients to improve health outcomes.
He is a founder and past-president of Product Calgary, has served on multiple community association boards, and serves as an expert advisor in numerous local programs including Platform Calgary, Innovate Calgary, and SPARK Alberta.
Jaret is a three-time University of Calgary alumna, with undergraduate degrees in Biochemistry and Computer Science, and an MSc in Biomedical Engineering. He is thrilled with the opportunity to give back to the local innovation ecosystem that has given him so much.
Advisory Board:
Committee Members:
Nima Najand, Ph.D
Director, Life Sciences Innovation Hub