Our Team

"Unity is strength… when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.”
– Mattie Stepanek
Shannon Rex
Shannon Rex
Executive Director

Shannon felt an immediate connection to the vibrant, family-centred community of Fort McMurray, experiencing first-hand the intrinsic role our social profit sector plays in shaping and upholding community values through the delivery of meaningful services and programs. As such, she’s thoroughly invested in various research initiatives that aim to identify the strengths, challenges and opportunities that will collectively support our sector in providing sustainable programs and services for the benefit of our entire community.

Michelle Lange
Michelle Lange
Operations Director

Michelle ensures that we are operationally efficient in all we do by maintaining and improving office and central systems based on strong business principles she developed throughout her career. Her innovative approach is instrumental in developing resilient, sustainable, operational excellence.

Photo of Shawna Pelley
Shawna Huxter
Capacity Building Programs Director

Shawna is passionate about her community and dedicated to building capacity in the social sector. Her exceptional problem-solving ability and creative approach to sector collaboration will ensure that Fuse Social continues to grow, develop and successfully deliver programming that will add the highest value possible to the social profit sector and further enhance their capacity to fulfil their missions.

Melanie Drever
Melanie Drever
Operations Coordinator

Motivated by a strong connection to community and matched by her big heart, Melanie’s enthusiasm for helping strengthen the social profit sector is evident in all that she does. She provides vital organizational support ensuring we continue to build capacity and increase our collective impact through a lens of sustainability and outcome-based delivery.

Jenna Fewer
Jenna Fewer
Leadership Coordinator

As the previous Coordinator of the NorthStar Ford Wood Buffalo Volunteer Centre and graduate of Leadership Wood Buffalo 2022, Jenna is dedicated to seeing our social profit sector thrive and knows that the Leadership Wood Buffalo program is a stepping stone toward that vision. Jenna has a passion for cultivating impactful relationships and is excited to guide and hold space for building leadership capacity for emerging leaders in our community.

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Melanie Asher, B.Mgmt
Training & Development Coordinator

Melanie has a genuine interest in seeing Wood Buffalo thrive. Her dedication to lifelong learning and relationship building, coupled with her creativity and adaptability will ensure FuseSocial continues to connect our sector with relevant, high-quality training and coaching opportunities that will support organizational capacity, strategic thinking, and collaboration for a stronger community.

Photo of Sara Bursey
Sara Bursey, BBA
Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Born and raised in Fort McMurray, Sara is passionate about capturing stories and communicating them in a memorable and impactful way. Her goal is to strengthen the connection FuseSocial has with the community of RMWB and increase awareness of the wonderful programs FuseSocial has to offer the social profit sector.

Amy Arendt
Amy Arendt
Marketing & Communications Business Partner, Shared Services

Amy believes that our ability to share stories and experiences is what connects us as a community. She thrives on being able to apply her creativity and artistic skills into her everyday work in a way that supports social profit agencies connect with their audience through meaningful storytelling and great design.

Kayla Mawhinney
Kayla Mawhinney
Human Resources Business Partner, Shared Services

Kayla knows that people are at the centre of every great organization and the single greatest asset a social profit sector has. With a creative approach to problem solving, coupled with her passion for the non-profit sector, Kayla looks forward to providing our partner agencies with dedicated HR support to help build sustainability in our sector.

Rachel Wright - background adjusted
Rachel Wright
NorthStar Ford Wood Buffalo Volunteer Centre Coordinator

Rachel moved to Wood Buffalo from Nova Scotia in 2022 and brings with her an extensive history of volunteerism and working with vulnerable populations in the social and government sectors. She is excited to enhance volunteerism in our community and further the mission of the NorthStar Ford Wood Buffalo Volunteer Centre.

Brenna FuseSocial 3web
Brenna Kimball
Programs Assistant

Brenna has proudly made Fort McMurray her home for the past 13 years. She believes strongly in what this community has to offer and appreciates all its vast opportunities. Brenna is committed to lending her creative mind to growing her community’s connection to FuseSocial and it’s wide variety of programming including volunteerism, leadership development, training and board support.

Contractors

Christopher Cameron
Christopher Cameron PhD, MBA, CE
Board and Organizational Capacity Building Advisor

With over 20 years of experience and extensive skill in research, program evaluation, and performance management, Christopher has a proven track record of delivering organizations high quality results that meet their unique needs. Christopher brings a strategic and forward-thinking mindset to his work enabling him to support the social profit sector with great expertise and efficiency.

Board of Directors

Tracy Aitchison-Methe
Tracy Aitchison, Board Chair
HR Strategic Business Partners, Regional Operations for Suncor

With an impressive HR portfolio, Tracy is a strong advocate for the role that board, staff and volunteer development plays on the sustainability of the social profit sector. Tracy has also championed inclusion and diversity policies for FuseSocial, believing this framework will positively impact the sector.

Brittany Ganase
Brittany Ganase, Vice Chair
Business Development Manager, Bumper to Bumper

Brittany believes that community investment is paramount for a thriving Wood Buffalo. She understands that the business community and social profit sector must come together to achieve this and her vast experience within both the business and social communities has helped foster meaningful relationships for improved collaboration.

John Evans
John Evans, Past Chair
President of Universal Builders Supply

John believes that volunteering is core to community development. An entrepreneur and natural leader, his extensive resume of board leadership positions is a testament to his skillset and values and has ensured strong, community-focused leadership at FuseSocial.

Deborah Kitching
Deborah Kitching, Secretary
Principal Sacred Heart Outreach and Virtual Learning Academy

Deborah’s vast professional leadership experience in education and administration has been a valuable asset to the FuseSocial board ensuring a collaborative and integrated approach to developing stakeholder relationships and assisting our strategic decisions.

James Knelsen
James Knelsen, Treasurer
CFO, Hedco Group Inc.

Methodical and detail-orientated, James’ financial and accounting experience has benefited many community groups in our community. At FuseSocial, James ensures we operate with financial accountability and transparency.

Cliff Dimm
Cliff Dimm, Director
Manager for Community Relations, Syncrude Canada

A passionate community leader and volunteer, Cliff’s commitment and strategic leadership have benefited many local organizations over the years. At FuseSocial, Cliff has played an instrumental role in developing governance policies and enhancing stakeholder engagement.

Nabil Malik
Nabil Malik, Director
Planner II, Statutory Plans, Planning and Development, RM of Wood Buffalo

Nabil is passionate about community and social development. A big picture thinker, coupled with a strong governance perspective, is reflected in his many achievements and continued efforts supporting the social profit sector.

Austin Giles
Austin Giles, Director
Used Vehicle Manager, North Star Group - Fort McMurray & Fort MacKay

Austin’s deep community roots and business experience has provided him firsthand knowledge of the impact socially conscious individuals and businesses can have within our community. A strategic thinker and champion for corporate social responsibility, Austin has been a valuable asset to the FuseSocial board.

Thomas Hopkins - background adjusted
Thomas Hopkins, Director
Tailings Contact Engineer, Suncor

Thomas is a strong community advocate and believes a prosperous social sector is instrumental in creating a thriving Wood Buffalo. His experience as an entrepreneur and in the social profit and mining sectors have developed a strong foundation for sustainable collaboration. He is thrilled to be joining the FuseSocial Board of Directors for his first term for the 22/23 year.

Join Our Team

Are you interested in joining our collaborative, dynamic team and help to strengthen the social profit sector in Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo? You can view all current job opportunities here.