Board & Governance
The Community Futures St. Paul - Smoky Lake team is powered by its Board of Directors. Our board members really care about the community and understand the challenges of owning a business. Meet our Board of Directors:
Hedrick, Dale
Board Member
Dale came to the Community Futures Board in October 2019 and was appointed by the County of St. Paul. He is a County Councillor and is happy to bring his knowledge and experience as a small business owner to the board.
Melody Morton
Treasurer
780-650-5277
Melody Morton was born in Sussex New Brunswick but moved to Alberta with her family at a young age. After living in a few different communities, she landed in Smoky Lake in 2004, since then she has made it her home. She has been working at Chomay Dental for the last 14 years and currently is a member of the Smoky Lake town council. Melody is passionate about her community and enjoys volunteering for the local services groups.
Gary Ward
Vice Chair
T: 780-646-0845
Gary is a Town Councillor - Town of St. Paul. He is a former business owner and an avid sports enthusiast who can be found volunteering with one of the local sports teams. Currenlty Gary is a salesperson for Smyl Motors and enjoys working in the community to see that there are lots of opportunities for people to enjoy living small communities.
Debra McQuinn
Member at large
T: 780-614-8288
My job is to hear, see, and speak for my communities needs and wishes. To be an advocate for change and growth while displaying a respectful, honest, and dependable leadership role.
I am a Collage graduate from Lakeland College, Lloydminster campus class of 1997; with a diploma as a Rehabilitation Practitioner in the field of study of Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions.
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Sid Sood
Sid came to St. Paul in 2007 as a baker. Now he is a Town Councillor and manages the Elite Theatre St. Paul for over 10 years. Sid loves to connect with people and loves our community and the surrounding communities.
Ross Krekoski
Board Member
Ross brings diverse experience to the Community Futures board. He is a County Councillor, runs a small farm business, and is an instructor, researcher, and program coordinator at University nuhelot’įne thaiyots’į nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills. Ross grew up on the family farm in St.Paul and holds a BSc and MA from the University of Alberta, and a PhD from the University of Toronto.
He has taught, researched, and consulted at post-secondary institutions and municipal governments in Canada, Singapore, and Japan. Ross believes that small businesses are the lifeblood of community and is enthusiastic about serving on the board.
Parrish Tung
Board Chair
Retired school administrator and Mayor of Elk Point. Been living in the region since 1977. I am serving my fifth term as mayor. I served as board member of Community Future St. Paul Smoky Lake Region for 12 + years. Chair for 6 years.
Evelynne Kobes
Town of Smoky Lake
Evelynne is one of the newest members of our board. As a Councillor for the Town of Smoky Lake, Evelynne is very passionate about community-building and volunteering. She grew up in Coldstream, a hamlet in southwestern Ontario, surrounded by fields of corn and hay and a lot of cows! After living in Kingston, ON for school, Evelynne crossed the country to the west coast, living in Whistler and Vancouver, BC for ten years. During this time, she took off to Southeast Asia for a solo backpacking trip for a year before returning to live in London, ON.
She has worked for an international corporation, an international non-profit, and for five different universities. Evelynne is now working on earning her Municipal Elected Leaders Certificate (MELC) and managing the small plumbing company she co-owns with her husband, Smoky Lake Mechanical – Your Community Plumber. Her belief that helping small businesses start, grow, and thrive as essential to community-building explains why Community Futures is one of her favourite committees.
Linda Fenerty
Board Member
I was born and raised in the Vilna area. My work history includes 30+ years in emergency housing and municipal emergency management. Professional education is from U of A – Local Government Administration. I am passionate about encouraging and advocating for small business development in our region.
Board Criteria
Community Futures St. Paul Smoky Lake Region was incorporated June 28, 1989. Articles of Association were passed at that time and have been updated a few times since to meet the current demands of the organization.
The appointments are made by the member shareholder municipalities as follows and can be municipal councillor appointments or member of the community appointed by the municipality to represent them. Three Member at Large Positions are also open for recruitment by the board.
County of St. Paul – 2 members
County of Smoky Lake – 1 member
Village of Vilna – 1 member
Town of Elk Point – 1 member
Town of St. Paul – 2 members
Town of Smoky Lake – 1 member
Whitefish Lake First Nation – 1 member
Directors At Large – 3 members
No Director shall be elected to the Board for more than nine consecutive years.
On an annual basis, the Board will elect an Executive Committee comprised of a Chair, Vice-Chair, and Treasurer from amongst the Members generally. This will be done by secret ballot and all Board members (both elected and appointed) will be eligible to vote.
Are you a prominent member of our business community and looking to make a difference?
Impact the growth of our community and join our board. We’re always looking for great people to help better our business community here in St. Paul - Smoky Lake Region and offer new growth opportunities to St. Paul - Smoky Lake Region based entrepreneurs.