Don House | Chair (Integrated Digital Media Group)
Don has been a leader and driving force in both the local and national culinary scene for many years. As Managing Director of Integrated Digital Media Group, he has worked on a number of high profile culinary programs with some of the world's top chefs and brands. Don has promoted Alberta's culinary scene for years through his ongoing involvement in our wine & food festivals, including through his work with Calgary's Big Taste. Don is the former VP Publisher at Wine Access Magazine, Avenue Magazine, and was a co-founder of Redpoint Media Group. He also serves as Chair of the Art Gallery of Calgary.
Kevin Kisilevich | (Go East Regional Tourism Organization)
Kevin is the Tourism Marketing & Development Manager for Go East of Edmonton Regional Tourism Organization - the destination marketing organization for the region between Hwy 28 and Hwy 13 between Edmonton and the Saskatchewan border. Kevin has been actively involved in Ag & Culinary tourism for over a decade. He lives on the mixed farm he grew up on. In his twenties, Kevin and his wife operated a market garden/berry farm and hosted farm tours. Since then, Kevin has worked closely with Alberta Agriculture and Explore Local on Ag cluster & local food development, and has helped coordinate and present best practices at numerous workshops.
Besides helping and mentoring producers with business development and building capacity in his region, Kevin has coordinated driving route events such as Experience the Bounty in Beaver County and the food event in Vegreville known as Gourmet Affair (recognized as one of rural Alberta's premier gourmet local food events). Kevin is excited to be part of ACTA and help grow culinary tourism into a much bigger industry for the whole province.
Fraser Abbott | (Hotel Arts Group)
Fraser is the Director of Business Development at Hotel Arts Group.
Lori Schmaltz | Treasurer (Meyer Norris Penny)
As a partner in Private Enterprise Services in Calgary, Lori is the Food & Ag Manufacturing Alberta niche leader, and Primary Agriculture Regional nice leader with the MNP LLP Assurance Services team. She provides business advice, accounting, taxation including SRED and performance measurement expertise to clients in a wide range of industries, including agriculture, food processors, not-for-profit organizations, commercial property development and oil and gas services.
In addition to being a founding member of the Alberta Culinary Tourism Alliance committee, Lori is on the board of directors for Alberta Food Processor Association, and a member of the Agriculture and Food Council of Alberta. Other volunteer roles including sitting on the expert panel for the Business Solutions Den sponsored by Alberta Agriculture and assisting with various training and coaching projects.
With roots in both cattle and grain family farms in Saskatchewan, Lori and her husband continue to operate an active cattle ranch in Central Alberta focusing on purebred Angus. Lori is passionate about the future of the food and agriculture manufacturing industry in Alberta. A successful Alberta food and agriculture processing industry is key to ensuring a safe food supply for our families and contributing to the future success of our province.
Valerie Lugonja | (Writer, Educator, Slow Food Advocate, Eat Alberta)
Valerie is a recently retired educator of English Literature and Culinary Education with Edmonton Public Schools, and is a passionate advocate of culinary and food education. As an avid traveller, she took her middle school students on European and Alberta tours for several years, bringing her to the threshold of her new sole proprietorship: Taste Tripping: Culinary Tours, Travel, and Cooking Classes.
Valerie is the founder of Eat Alberta, an innovative and hands-on cooking & tasting conference focused on Alberta food. She is an active member of Slow Food Edmonton, where she serves as vice president, and recently served as the Chair of the 2012 Slow Food Canada Conference committee. She currently serves on Slow Food Canada's Executive Board as secretary. She blogs at "A Canadian Foodie", authoring reflections on her prairie roots, food heritage, and family culture. Her passion for Culinary Tourism within Alberta is reflected through her writing; living on the expansive and deeply rich prairies, she inherently draws from the landscape of those who came before.