Board of Directors
2024 AAAS Board of Directors
Rick McCarthy
2nd Vice PresidentService Member Director
About Rick >
Brett has been with the Calgary Stampede since 1992. Before joining the Agriculture & Western Events department in 2000, he held various positions in Accounting and Food & Beverage. My favorite thing about working for the Calgary Stampede is the people! From the people I work with, the volunteers, and our guests that come to the Stampede. As the Manager of Agriculture and Western Events Operations, I have been a part of the changes that we have made at the Calgary Stampede over the last two decades. I am involved in the extensive work behind the scenes on all Calgary Stampede Agriculture & Western Event programs and competitions, and ensure the animals taking part receive the best care, and our guests have exceptional experiences. I was honored to be nominated by my peers for the Calgary White Hat Awards. The Awards celebrate inspiring Calgarians in the tourism industry who go above and beyond and strive to make their guests’ experience a memorable one.
Petra has served on school council and volunteered in the school whenever possible. She has also been a board member on the Vauxhall and District Chamber of Commerce, the Friends of the Vauxhall Public Library as well as the Vauxhall Ag Society Board, where I fill the position of Secretary Treasurer. She is part of the Bylaw and Policy as well as the Farmers Market Committee. She has managed the Vauxhall Farmers Market for the past five years. Petra was elected to the AAAS Board in 2021.
Rick McCarthy lives in Bonnyville and is an owner/operator of HR2 Construction primarily building residential houses and agricultural buildings. Family is Rick’s main priority and having great communities for his family…and all families….to grow up in is ultimately why he became involved with Agricultural Societies. Rick is a former Board member with Bonnyville Ag Society, and is currently a Director on the Cold Lake Ag. He was elected to the AAAS Board as a Region 4 Director in 2013.
Natasha is from the Radway Agricultural Society and has been a member since 2015. She got involved with the Ag society thanks to her employer. They wanted employees to get involved in their communities so she went on the search for something in her town that would interest her and her love for agriculture, country, and friends. After a quick search online she found the contact for the Radway Agriculture Society and contacted them to see if they were looking for volunteers. She loves spending time at home with family, either out in the arena with the horses, on the track with the dirt bikes, or around the fire pit roasting a hot dog.
Kelly joined the AAAS Team in October 2022. Kelly is returning to the workforce after spending the last 9 years caring for her children at home. She comes to us with experience in the hospitality, and tourism industries, and thoroughly enjoys working with the public, in her many volunteer roles.
Linda Toews is a member of Cottonwood-Gordon Ag Society and served in a variety of positions over many years she was on the board, including Newsletter Editor, Membership Chair, Fundraiser, Grants Writer, and President. She has also served other groups in similar roles on a local, provincial and national level. An event planner, Linda puts great importance on building partnerships and working as a team to further the interests of all parties. Our communities are our strength
Sebastien Dutrisac is from the Willingdon and District Agricultural Society, where he now resides in Region 4. He was also a member and president of the Peace River Agricultural Society prior to relocating to the Two Hills area. His career in the agricultural industry evolved from farm worker, consultant, agricultural officer, municipal Director of Agriculture and Parks, and now to municipal councilor. Through those years, that experience has taught him how to manage teams, services, and programs while attempting to raise awareness and educate the public to address community issues and concerns.
Jackie was raised in Lloydminster AB/SK. Lloydminster is Canada’s only border city which creates some unique situations and opportunities. Growing up Jackie could usually be found working with animals like
her sled dog team, or her horses who she loved dearly. Early on she would sneak onto the Exhibition grounds after hours to race her horse around the track or use the arenas to practice barrel racing/pole
bending & numerous other activities. Jackie’s love of the fair grounds was born at a very early age from those memories. Many years spent in 4-H led to a decision to pursue a career in agriculture. Jackie obtained a diploma in Agriculture and moved back to Lloydminster to marry her high school sweetheart Shane and start their life together. Through various jobs (pet store, real estate office, advertising sales, small business ownership) in 2018 Jackie landed a job in marketing at Lloydminster Agricultural Exhibition Association and a passion was born Jackie didn’t even know she had. Within only a few years at the Association Jackie found herself with the opportunity to step into the role of General Manager. With the support of her family, the board of directors and fellow staff members it was an easy decision. Her first year managing the Exhibition Association would prove to be unlike any other as she took on the role midway through a global pandemic. With one unique year behind her as the GM of Lloyd Ex she looks forward to many more. Jackie has found a passion for the fair and exhibition world and looks forward to a long career in the industry wherever that may lead.
I have been involved with Agriculture Societies since I first moved to Evansburg as a District Agriculturist in 1982. Later in my career I became manager of the Agricultures Societies Program for the Province. This gave me the opportunity to work with AAAS and together we worked on many initiatives to improve the overall Agricultural Societies program. Since retiring I joined our local Ag Society again and have now become the President of the Pembina Agricultural and Recreation Society (PARS). I’m looking forward to my next adventure as a director on the AAAS board and the many exciting challenges that will follow.
Audrey joined the AAAS Board of Directors in 2024.
Family and community are important to Audrey, having been immersed in the rural community throughout her childhood. Audrey began working with the Bezanson Ag Society. in 1995 when her family moved to Bezanson. During this time, she also spent her time volunteering for Bezanson School Council, in the classroom and was a youth leader as well as bus driver in between her time at the Ag Society and People's Church. Audrey took a step back from her career and worked for the Ag Society as a maintenance/ janitor
contractor and handling rentals when her kids were young. This gave them a responsibility to be part of the team and was their training ground for lessons in the workplace and future community involvement.
In 2013, the Ag Society decided to undertake a major build with the addition of a 16,000 sq ft gymnasium and commercial kitchen onto the existing hall which opened as the Bezanson Community Event Centre 2018. Â At this time, Audrey moved from her funding role into the management role. Being involved in a variety of organizations in Bezanson, Audrey has a tremendous respect and admiration for the teams of people and the intertwining of generations needed to grow and build a community. With 6 grandchildren in mind, her goal is to continue to connect with teams to create opportunities for the next generation to experience the value of being involved in community.
As per the bylaws, a Board of Directors, consisting of nine persons elected by regional members, and
one person by Service Members, shall administer the affairs of the Association:
Region 1 -Southern Region 1 Director
Region 2- South Central Region 1 Director
Region 3- North Central Region 2 Directors
Region 4 -North East Region 2 Directors
Region 5 -North West Region 2 Directors
Region 6- Northern Region 1 Director
Service Member Provincial 1 Director
Please contact us at the office for more information
https://www.albertaagsocieties.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Board-Member-Recruitment-Package.pdf