Nonprofits at Noon: Networking & Speaker Series
This series brings together nonprofit professionals and community leaders in a friendly space for timely conversation with actionable insights.
This Nonprofits at Noon featured the launch of the 2019 State of the Alberta Nonprofit Sector report. The event discussion dove into this year’s findings, focusing on civil society and the role of the nonprofit sector. The 2019 report was again informed by the province-wide Alberta Nonprofit Survey and focus groups, as well as personal interviews with nonprofit leaders across Alberta.
Thank you for joining us for a meaningful discussion about what civil society means in the current political climate, and how it impacts nonprofits in our province. Featured speakers in this discussion included Elsbeth Mehrer, Boys & Girls Clubs of Calgary; Patti Pon, Calgary Arts Development; and James Stauch, Institute for Community Prosperity at Mount Royal University.
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Featured Speakers
Elsbeth Mehrer
Elsbeth Mehrer is Chief External Relations Officer at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Calgary. As a member of the BGCC executive team, her areas of accountability include fund development, communications, government and community relations. Elsbeth joined BGCC in January 2019 with a mandate to lead re-branding efforts, government relations work and significant investments in fund development and marketing in order to enable greater impact with young people in our community.
Prior to joining BGCC, Elsbeth served YWCA Calgary as Vice President, Engagement & People. She’s also held leadership positions with Calgary Economic Development where she provided the business community with data, research and policy alternatives. Elsbeth’s volunteer interests include a role on the City of Calgary’s Social Wellbeing Advisory Committee as well as 6 years of service on Centre For Sexuality (formerly Calgary Sexual Health Centre) board of directors as well as on the field hockey sidelines.
James Stauch
James Stauch is co-founder of the Trico Changemakers Studio and the Director of the Institute for Community Prosperity at Mount Royal University where he has led the creation of non-credit, co-curricular and credit-based and programs for students and practitioners in social innovation, community investment and the economics of social change. He has chaired four national and international networks of funders, is a leadership faculty member for the Conference Board of Canada’s Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Institute, and a regular contributor to the Future of Good and KCI Philanthropy Trends. He is the lead researcher / author of an annual scan of trends and issues, produced in partnership with the Calgary Foundation. He recently co-authored a Students’ Guide to Mapping a System, In Search of the Altruithm: AI and the Future of Social Good, The Loney Companion: 10 Steps to Starting a Social Enterprise in Canada, and a chapter on the role of business in the community.
Patti Pon
Calgary Arts Development President & CEO Patti Pon is a veteran community and arts champion with a deep and diverse experience in the arts sector, having served as Vice President, Administration at Arts Commons (formerly the EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts), as well as senior positions at the Alberta Performing Arts Stabilization Fund and Alberta Theatre Projects, among others. In the community, she serves on the board of The Calgary Foundation and on a committee for the Calgary Stampede. She was a founding board member of the Asian Heritage Foundation (Southern Alberta) and served on the steering committee for imagineCalgary, on the board of CKUA Radio Network, and on the Calgary Bid Exploration Committee.
Patti holds a BFA in Drama and an MBA in Arts Administration, and has been awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal as well as the 2013 Harry and Martha Cohen Award, recognizing significant contribution to Calgary’s theatre community.
