About ACT | Leadership

Since 2020, Elise Usunier has been a committed member of ACT Alberta’s Board, previously holding the role of Secretary. She holds a Master of Business Administration in International Business from the University of Alberta and played a leadership role in the development of the World Vision Philippines 2021-2023 Strategic Plan in response to at-risk youth and urbanization. She has a passion for innovation and economic development and manages the global export and business development strategy for Edmonton-based, deep technology company, Zero Point Cryogenics. She is an active member of the Edmonton startup and innovation ecosystem and serves on the Board of Directors of the Alberta Motor Association (AMA).

Mandy Kinzel is a lawyer with the Alberta Justice and Solicitor General on the Municipal, Education, Service Alberta Legal Team. She formerly worked in private practice as litigation counsel and was a high school teacher for over 10 years. She volunteers with the Edmonton Community Legal Clinic and was a volunteer with the Center for Victims of Torture in Toronto.

Lisa Nghiem was first introduced to accounting when she started her first semester in business school. Her passion has grown rapidly since then and led her to pursue a CPA designation.

A co-founder of ACT Alberta, Andrea Burkhart is an experienced non-profit leader with a nearly two-decade track record working on complex social and public health issues, including poverty, sexual violence, and human trafficking. She has extensive experience in developing programs, projects, and policies, leading intersectoral collaborations, and engaging stakeholders in systems change efforts. She has an undergraduate degree in Anthropology and a Master of Public Health degree in Global Health.

Tim Dooley is a lawyer with Alberta Justice’s Civil Litigation Team. Originally from Ontario, Tim attended university in Ottawa and Kingston before moving to Edmonton in 2017. In his spare time, Tim enjoys a wide variety of sports and outdoor activities, motorcycling in the summer months, and spending time with his family and pets. Tim also volunteers as an Associate Coach with the Special Olympics Edmonton Alpine Ski Program.

Kaila Johnson has spent a lot of her career working to support women that have experienced extreme disadvantages, including being part of an advisory committee to the UK government on the Modern Slavery Act 2014. She is also passionate about communications and is an avid writer. Her first major publication was "Rising Hope: Inspiring Life Stories and Recipes from Luminary Bakery", for which she co-authored the stories of the women behind the multi-award-winning social enterprise. Kaila is currently putting her passion for communications to use as a Client Account Manager for three marketing agencies across North America.

Tanya Légère is a member of the Nisishawayasihk Cree Nation. She is a Senior Advisor at Indian Oil and Gas Canada where she has responsibility for the departmental priority of First Nation's Assertion of Jurisdiction. She is a strong advocate for supporting First Nations on their path to self-governance. Tanya has had the privilege and honor to work with indigenous communities for nearly two decades. Her background includes: travel, tourism, land, policy, contracts, additions to reserve, engagement, strategy, and reconciliation.

Michelle Plach works in Edmonton as a Realtor, which has given her the flexibility and connections to engage her passion for volunteering and leadership. She sits on two committees within her association: first, the Arbitration and Professional Standards Committee, which works to continuously review the Code, the Standards of Practice, and membership complaints/violations within the Realtors Association of Edmonton; and second, the Government and Political Action Committee where they advocate for legislation and regulations that benefit homeowners to create more housing attainability. Outside of her association, she spends time volunteering as a mentor with Monday Girl, a membership club that is focused on supporting and connecting professional women along with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton where she mentors kids during their school time.

Sanchari Quader is an experienced principal policy planner and GBA+ department lead with 18 years of planning expertise in public policy development and implementation, project management, stakeholder engagement, facilitation, strategic planning and execution, training and development, change management and communications. Work experience and keen interest in diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism. Deep passion for work related to increasing sense of emotional safety and belonging in the workplace, and applying an equity conscious lens to the development of policies, projects, services and programs that serve the community. Certified leadership coach with over 250 hours of client experience using a modality of therapy embedded in relational psychology, self awareness, and emotional intelligence. Strives to embed curiosity, empathy and compassion into each interaction and seeks to learn, unlearn and grow while shifting perspectives.

Sandra Rorbak leads and oversees the human resources division for a growing municipality south of Calgary, Alberta. She is a seasoned HR professional with decades of experience on three continents. Her mandate is to help organizations implement their people operations, boost employee engagement, and promote an expansionary culture. Sandra earned a BSc (Hons) in Human Resource Management and a Master’s degree in International Employment Law from the University of Leicester. She is a chartered Human Resources Professional and is certified through the Society of Human Resource Management. In addition to being an accomplished writer and an assured speaker, she promotes a high-performance culture through teamwork and problem-solving. Her expertise spans a variety of fields, including legal and policy creation, talent acquisition and recruitment, strategic and succession planning, labour relations, workplace investigations, and health and safety.