Leadership

Gord Johnston joined Civida in January of 2022 as Chief Executive Officer.

His close to three decade long career in public service spans across different levels of government and regional service delivery systems. His experience within the Government of Alberta includes roles as Chief Strategy Officer for the Human Services Ministry, and Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) roles responsible for the Child and Family Services system in Alberta as well as ADM responsible for Advanced Education.

Before joining Civida, he served as Associate Commissioner responsible for community based service delivery in a large municipality in Alberta. His experience also includes Chief Executive Officer roles with four different Board governed Child and Family Services Authorities in Alberta, the largest of which was the Edmonton Region.

He holds two master’s degrees, one in Speech Language Pathology and the other in Health Services Administration. He enjoys being an active community leader serving on the Board of Directors for E4C, Boys and Girls Club of Strathcona County and previously for the United Way of the Alberta Capital Region

Born and raised in a small town in Saskatchewan, Gord believes in getting back to basics through customer centric service delivery, helping others and collectively building strong and resilient communities where individuals and families can grow and thrive.

In 2022, Gord received the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal in recognition of his significant contributions to the province. He continues to focus on helping Albertans through a collaborative and inclusive approach and supporting families and individuals who need safe and affordable homes in Edmonton.

Contact: [email protected]

Zack joined Civida in February 2016. He manages the Accounting & Finance, Banking & Risk Management, Procurement, Information Technology and Project Management Office departments. He holds a CPA accounting designation and acquired his MBA from the Edinburgh School of Business. He also acquired the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors-Rotman School of Management. Zack has worked in diverse industries such as banking, utilities, petrochemicals and telecommunications.

Zack has in-depth experience in full cycle accounting, cost accounting, pension investment accounting, human resource management, product margin analysis, manufacturing process efficiencies, benchmarking studies, systems implementations and policy development.

He was previously on the board of the Greater Edmonton Foundation, an organization that provides housing for 3,500 seniors. He currently serves on the boards of the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Associates of Caritas.

Contact: [email protected]

Bree joined Civida in 2022 and brings over two decades of public service leadership. She has held Director and Executive Director positions with the government of Alberta in the Ministries of Seniors and Housing (as Executive Director of Policy, Planning and Legislative Services), Children’s Services, Human Services and Innovation and Advanced Education. Bree’s most recent role was as the Director of Family and Community Services with the County of Strathcona where she and her team worked closely with social sector partners to create multiple community-level changes and initiatives. Bree has extensive experience in strategic planning, community engagement, social policy and evaluation, and is passionate about engaging system leaders, citizens and staff teams to create solutions for the challenges we are facing as a community with a particular focus on changing conditions for those living on the margins.

Bree has a degree in political science, a master of science in human ecology and is a social sciences doctoral candidate with Royal Roads University. As part of her doctoral work, she is currently studying how system relationships and leadership approaches influence affordable housing outcomes within Canadian municipalities.

Contact: [email protected]

Lindsay joined Civida in 2022, as Director, Capital Development & Asset Management, and moved into the role of Vice President of Property Portfolio Management in November 2022. Lindsay brings 18 years of experience in Project Management, successfully executing a diverse portfolio of projects from a new air terminal building in Fort McMurray to a renewal initiative for a 1,500-bed student residence tower complex, as well as many new capital builds (student residences and learning and research facilities) and deferred maintenance projects (mechanical, electrical, roof renewals). Lindsay spent the last six years in a leadership role in the Project Management Office at the University of Alberta, responsible for initial scoping of projects, aligning funding for the initiatives, design, procurement and construction while proactively identifying opportunities and mitigating risks.

Lindsay has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Alberta. She enjoys learning and being curious and is currently completing her MBA.

In her free time, Lindsay enjoys time with her two boys, be it travelling to new places or adventures in the mountains or a bike or run in the river valley.

Contact: [email protected]