Thank You Lord today for MLA Donna
Kennedy-Glans, we appreciate her service to the province in the constituency of
Calgary – Varsity. Guide her through the
many appointments of the day and give her insight into finding answers and
solutions for difficult situations and decisions. May Your blessing be upon her. In Your Name, Amen.
Donna Kennedy-Glans was elected as the Member of the Legislative
Assembly of Alberta for Calgary-Varsity on April 23, 2012. On December 13,
2013, she was sworn-in as Associate Minister – Electricity and Renewable
Energy, a position she held until March 17, 2013 when she left Government
Caucus to sit as an Independent.
Donna currently serves as a member of the Standing Committee on
Alberta’s Economic Future. She formerly chaired the Standing Committee on
Resource Stewardship. As well she was a member of Treasury Board and also sat
on the Alberta government’s Ministerial Working Group on Natural Resources and
Environment. In addition, Donna was a member of the Pacific Northwest Economic
Region committee, which connects stakeholders from across the U.S. and Canada
to discuss shared economic issues.
Donna was born near Tillsonburg, Ontario, and was raised on a cattle
farm in rural southwestern Ontario, where her parents and extended family
continue to farm today. She graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a
Bachelor of Arts degree in 1981 and earned her Bachelor of Laws degree from the
University of Western Ontario in 1984.
Since moving to Calgary in 1984, Donna has worked as a lawyer,
businesswoman and leader in the energy sector. Highlights of her 28-year career
in this sector include serving as
- A
lawyer and negotiator with TransCanada Pipelines’ exploration and
production company during the deregulation of energy markets in the 1980s;
- A
corporate executive and first female Vice-President with Nexen Inc., an
upstream oil and gas company, where she was responsible for managing above
ground risks in domestic and international projects from 1991-2001; and
- An
independent consultant, advising global energy operators on how to manage
non-technical risks in resource projects over the past decade.
In addition, Donna founded Bridges Social Development in 2002, and
served as its executive director until 2011. Bridges is a volunteer
organization that brings together local champions and Canadian experts to train
and mentor community leaders in health care, law, journalism, education and
politics in countries like Yemen, Egypt, Oman, India and Nepal. In 2008, a
global youth social entrepreneurship initiative was launched, focusing on
training youth leaders in Canada, including youth from Diaspora, First Nations
and Métis communities.
Donna is lead author of Corporate Integrity: A Toolkit for
Managing beyond Compliance, published in 2005 by John Wiley & Sons. Her
second book, Unveiling the Breath: One Woman’s Journey into
Understanding Islam and Gender Equality was published in 2009. In
2007, Donna was awarded a Global Woman of Vision award; was named a ‘Compelling
Calgarian’ by the Calgary Herald in 2010; received the Queens Diamond Jubilee
Medal; one of Alberta’s 50 Most Influential People, 2014 by Alberta Venture;
and one of Canada’s 50 Most Powerful Business People in 2014 by Canadian
Business. Donna is a frequent guest lecturer at the University of Calgary’s
Haskayne School of Business.
While Donna has worked on projects in more than 35 countries around the
world, and has lived in Calgary-Varsity for the past 20 years with her husband,
Laurie Glans. Together they have raised three sons, who are either attending,
or have graduated from, university. In addition to volunteering with local
community, inter-cultural and interfaith groups, she enjoys hiking, biking and
working in her garden.
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