Campus Life

Board of Governors reappoints one, welcomes three new members

The University of Lethbridge is pleased to announce the approval of four members to its Board of Governors, including three new public members and one reappointment.

“We’re very excited to reappoint Jennifer Harker to the Board and to welcome three new members,” says Board of Governors Chair Kurt Schlachter BSc ’00. “Our new members are accomplished professionals and longtime supporters of education in their communities. The perspectives they bring to the Board will prove to be very beneficial to our group and serve the University and its stakeholders extremely well. I look forward to working with them as we continue to advance the U of L as one of Canada’s premier universities of choice.”

Jennifer Harker (reappointed) – Senior Manager, Human Resources, Pembina Pipeline Corporation
Jennifer Harker (BA ’99) is a native of Lethbridge and long-time resident of Calgary. In addition to her B.A., Jennifer earned a Master of Arts degree in history from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Calgary. She clerked for the Federal Court of Canada in Ottawa, and has been employed in the Calgary legal field for a number of years.

She currently serves as senior manager, Human Resources at Pembina Pipeline Corporation, a Calgary-based pipeline transportation and midstream service provider.

Jennifer is currently a public member of the Board of Governors of the University of Lethbridge and Chair of the Governance Committee. She is also a board member of The Elder Statesman Group, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing safe, comfortable and affordable housing for senior citizens in Calgary.

Karen Gunn – Senior Account Executive, Partner – Commercial Lines, Rogers Insurance Ltd.
Karen Gunn has over 20 years of combined experience as an insurance professional and a Canadian Risk Manager. She started her career at her family-owned commercial insurance brokerage in Ontario. She moved to Calgary to work at the largest international commercial insurance brokerage and earned her Canadian Risk Manager designation at the University of Calgary. Karen joined Rogers Insurance Ltd., the largest independent, privately-owned commercial insurance brokerage in Western Canada, in 2003 and became a partner and shareholder in 2006. She has managed the Lethbridge satellite office since 2005 and also spends time at her Calgary office where her staff resides.

Karen has served on the University of Lethbridge Senate since 2011 and is a member of the Global Risk Management Institute, the Southern Alberta Risk and Insurance Management Society (S.A.R.I.M.S.) and the Insurance Institute of Southern Alberta.

Georgina Knitel – Senior Manager and Team Lead, Agriculture Banking Specialist CIBC
Georgina Knitel is a professional agrologist and chartered mediator working as a senior manager and team lead, Agriculture Banking Specialist for CIBC. She holds a BSc in Agricultural Economics (University of Alberta) and an MBA in Agriculture (University of Guelph. Her background includes a thesis in Riparian Management, contribution as an advisor to the South Saskatchewan Land-Use Framework, day-to-day work with financing strategies for the farming and agri-business community, and conflict resolution.

Georgina has worked in diverse settings including Alberta, Yukon Territory, Saskatchewan, United States, China and the Netherlands, and brings a unique perspective and passion to the building of communities and prosperity within healthy environments.

Terry Whitehead – Managing Partner of Alexander Whitehead Executive Search from Vancouver
Terry Whitehead (BA ’94) was raised in Lethbridge and attended both Lethbridge Community College and the University of Lethbridge, where he was the sports editor of the student newspaper and then served on Students’ Union as Vice-President Academic and then as Students’ Union President. Upon graduation, he began his career as an arts administrator and was New West Theatre’s first company administrator. In 1998, he joined Theatre Calgary and concluded his tenure there in 2004 as the company’s Director of Advancement. He served as a member of the Calgary International Film Festival’s Board of Directors before moving to Vancouver to become the Director of Development for the Arts Club Theatre Company, Canada’s largest urban professional theatre company.

In 2008, he entered the professional search industry, eventually establishing Alexander Whitehead Executive Search, a boutique search and consulting firm operating in Vancouver and Calgary. He is currently a member of the Vancouver International Film Festival’s Board of Directors and continues to be an active donor and supporter of student initiatives in the arts at the University of Lethbridge.